You’re making your list and we’ve made ours: tons of ideas for presents--even for those hardest to please. : From Elton to Boyz to Celine to Dylan, It’s an Album Bull Market
Looking for gift ideas? The list of the most popular CDs is always a place to start. For a little guidance, Calendar’s pop staff surveyed 40 of the nation’s most popular or critically acclaimed albums.
*** JARS OF CLAY, “Much Afraid,” Silvertone/Essential. You don’t have to share the band’s Christian faith to appreciate the appeal: Their spirituality is rooted in longing and seeking, not knowing and preaching, and they write catchy songs.
** TIM McGRAW, “Everywhere,” Curb. Perhaps the most whole integration yet of Eagles-influenced rock-isms in a major country release. But every element is as trite and anonymous as it is hummable.
**** PORTISHEAD, “Portishead,” Go! Beat/London. Beth Gibbons takes her place alongside Sinead O’Connor and Bjork as one of pop’s premier female singers, while her partners craft compelling tracks conveying the depth of her emotions.
*
Albums and other items in Gift Guide are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
