Album Review

*** 1/2 Various artists, “VH1 Divas Live,” Epic. Bravura performances by Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin and Celine Dion and warm, gutsy contributions from Gloria Estefan and Shania Twain make this concert album, recorded at New York’s Beacon Theatre in April, a delirious, shamelessly flamboyant tribute to the mighty diva, perhaps the most underappreciated subgenre of women in rock. The crowd-pleasing highlight: Franklin goes to church on the rousing gospel tune “Testimony.”

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.