Take Three Martinis Max P. Martini’s Entertainment Shorts Ultimate Kylie Kylie Minogue [capitol Records] www.uIimatekyIie.com Their Take: Ultimate Kylie is the only comprehensive collec- tion of greatest hits from Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue. The two-CD set fea- tures 32 of her international hit singles from 1987 to present, and include the new single “I Believe In You,” which Kylie wrote and recorded with Jake Shears and Babydaddy from Scissor Sisters. 9 In addition to her first #1 hit in Australia, “The Loco- ' Motion,” the set also includes the international smash hit “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” and the Grammy Award winning track “Come Into My World” from her 2001 Fever album. “Slow” from this year’s Body Language album, which _ has been nominated in the “Best Dance Recording” Grammy Award category this year, is also included. Kylie can also be heard as the voice of Florence in the new computer animated The Magic Roundabout movie which recently opened and is currently traveling around the Europe and the UK with her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour. A Max’s Take: I have to admit I do tend to hit the dance floor when the DJ starts spinning one of Kylie’s songs (especially after a couple of martinis) and still remember what a splash “The Loco—Motion” made in the late 80s when it was released in the US (and which still seems to be big at weddings). Personally I like Kylie’s newer recordings, which unlike her earlier songs she tends to write herself. I also discovered a few songs on the compilation that I’d never heard including a new favorite called “Chocolate” because what’s not to love about chocolate right! So if you don’t have every single album Kylie has ever recorded this is a good CD to have on hand. Max’s personal Martini Rating = 2 Martinis ‘ Who’s Got Trouble? Shivaree [Zoe Records] www.shivaree.com Their Take: Shivaree raised a genuine racket with their 1999 debut, I Oughtta Give You A Shot In The Head For Making Me Live In This Dump (Capitol Records). They even registered a bit of a tremor in the U.S. and Britain, thanks to a watchful press and a few dozen radio _ rogues. Mission accomplished, right? Romantic musical anar- chists prevail against all odds: a waltz or three here, a black , mambo there, and 19 months of second class travel to a cabaret near you secure a cult beachhead for our misfit crew. Soon, there’ll be waltz enough for all... Now, five years and over half a million album sales after the I Oughtta release, Parsley and Shivaree return with a question first sung in a fantasy nightclub, circa 1942: Who’s Got Trouble?. Michael Curtiz’s time- less Casablanca is the inspira- tion for the album’s title and lead track, and the answer, sadly, is all too familiar. The track’s ' evil siren has an appetite for lust » ..-1. Max M-a1't.ini’$ Rating" Scale: 0 Martinis — “No need — it’s that good!” 1 Martini — “What the hell — just one!” 2 Martinis — “Oh yeah — that’s better!” 3 Martinis — “You’ll need ’em!” 4 Martinis — “Wake me up when it’s over!” and a lust for world destruction; recognizing a willing patsy on Pennsylvania Avenue, she preys. Little surprise then, that the next 40 minutes are wracked by excess, deceit, escape and wrenching loss. . Shivaree is on tour now and will be at the Paradise Lounge (Boston, MA) on 3/4/05. Max’s Take: Having never heard anything by Shivaree I was pleasantly surprised by Who’s Got Trouble? Although I - don’t quite agree with Vanity Fair’s take, “Ambrosia Parsley sounds like a goddess from a faraway land,” I did find her voice to be at times familiar, comforting, distinctive and sul- try. The music on the CD does give you the sense of being in a low—lit nightclub with lovers dancing cheek to cheek — “please take me out of here my handsome buckaroo. Wait until I get my hands all over you.” Give Shivaree a try, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised too. Max’s personal Martini Rating = 1 Martini Careless Love Madeleine Peyroux . [Rounder Records] www.made|e'nepeyroux.oom Their Take: When she first burst onto the recording scene in 1996, with her stunning debut album Dreamland, Madeleine Peyroux [pronounced like the country Peru] was greeted with a veritable torrent of gushing reviews. Most raved about her smoke—and—whiskey vocals, often comparing her to the late, great Billie Holiday. Others wondered how someone so young could perform classic songs by Holiday, Bessie Smith and Patsy Cline so convincingly as to make them sound like her own. With Careless Love, Peyroux is once again proving herself to be an original inter- preter and an open receptor to songs from earlier eras — an artist who channels vintage jazz and blues with chilling accuracy. “I feel very lucky to be part of a traditionof songwriting that stands the test of time,” says Peyroux. “I also feel lucky to be able to go back and perform as much as I did before — I can’t wait.” Adds Peyroux, with char- acteristic modesty: “I’m very eager to know what the reaction to the record will be. We did something that felt good. I hope we touch a chord with people.” With its sweet, bewitching sound, there’s no doubt that Careless Love will do just that. Madeleine Peyroux will be in Burlington for the June Jazz Fest, and at Club Soda as part of the Montreal International Jazz Festival in early July. ' Max’s Take: Another new artist for me and I have to say that Careless Love certainly will touch a chord with people, espe- cially jazz lovers. Madeleine Peyroux not only has an amaz- ing voice she plays acoustic gui- tar and wrote “Don’t Wait Too Long” which is the second track on the album. The album is I “Dedicated to Poets, writers of these songs, memorable people of memorable times such as these, wherever you are. . .” Once you’ve heard Careless Love you will likely do what I did — purchase her first CD. I’m looking forward to catching Madeleine live in Montreal in July and let’s hope she doesn’t wait eight years to release anoth- er CD. V _ Max’s personal Martini Rating = 1 Martini Max is willingly to try anything once, does enjoy an occasional martini or two, but prefers Tab®/