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.
** Chumbawamba, “Tubthumper,” Republic/Universal. After the snappy postmodern stew of its first song, the ubiquitous hit “Tubthumping,” this debut devolves into bland preachiness and soft dance grooves. It’s too ambitious with its fervent politics and not ambitious enough with its dance-pop.
*** HANSON, “Middle of Nowhere,” Mercury. The Dust Brothers spike the teen trio’s untiring spunk with needed hip-hop spice on two tracks, moving the refreshing yet familiar slow-groove ballads and up-with-people funk beyond mere kiddie fare.
*** THE VERVE, “Urban Hymns,” Virgin. An achingly beautiful record that’s just desperate enough to never get boring, with a lush, intricate sound and the kind of attention to lyrical details that you usually find in folk music.
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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).
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