Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 54

MUSIC 18 LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2002 Leigh has what it takes to 'Conquer' fans 4 1 All the songs clock in well Danni Leigh Jv if Rice. below five minutes, with most Rice, Rice. PANNI LE16M 1 right around three minutes. That fits the music just fine. On the first song, "Garden of Love," the musical hook is infectious and effective.

A version of Madonna's "Like a Prayer" sounds just as home as a country rave-up as it did as a hit for the Material Girl. Some lyrics could be stronger, and the title track drags a bit compared with those around it, but the overall groove issolid. SuM Bauer The Associated Press Starsailor "Love Is Here" The late Tim Buckley's poetically ambitious music and lyrics often bespoke an audacity well beyond his years, a mantle picked up by his son Jeff Buckley before his own death in 1997. James Walsh, the young singer-songwriter at the helm of this English band, readily invites comparisons not only does he evoke both Buckleys in songs on this debut album, but he also named his band after one of the elder artist's albums. Walsh's audacity, though, is more of his youth than beyond it His reach exceeds his grasp as he stretches both his voice and words in his quest to convey Big Emotions.

He regularly casts himself as a haven of love and grace in a stormy world. But his melodies rarely fail to soar, and the band provides dynamic support from rather basic guitar and piano elements, if never achieving the Buckleys' inventively elliptical jazzy-rock heights. At least Walsh has reach and ambition, placing Starsailor alongside such new romantics as Coldplay and Travis. Much of "Love Is Here" is moving and compelling enough that the youthful sins ought not be merely tolerated, but encouraged. Steve Hochman Los Angeles Times "Divide and Conquer" The music industry is filled with stories of talented people who've slipped through the cracks and never received the attention they deserve.

With "Divide and Conquer," her third album, Danni Leigh just might avoid that fate. A fine singer and natural beauty, Leigh would appear to be a natural in today's Nashville. But her first stint on a major label, Decca, ended when the label folded and album No. 1 disappeared. Label No.

2, Monument, a Sony subsidary, essentially ignored her. Now she's signed up with indie Audium Records, which let her use Pete Anderson as producer, and created a striking album that showcases her voice in material that ranges from hard-core country to Memphis soul. Anderson's best known as Dwight Yoakam's producer, and Yoakam's band plays on the record. That means there's some Bakersfield influence on "Divide and Conquer." But Leigh's certainly not the female Yoakam. There's not enough twang in her voice and in the music to justify that comparison.

Instead, she wraps her voice around songs by the likes of Jim Lauderdale, who penned "Sometimes," the soul-tinged number and bluesy title cut. Unlike many country artists, Leigh also writes songs, and her "Last Train to San Antone" is a pretty, heartfelt ballad. The album's centerpiece is the hard-core honky-tonker "House of Pain," a tune that sounds like it could have been lifted from a vintage George Jones album. But there's not a clunker in the bunch, and the 10 songs here flow seamlessly into each other. That means the attention never wanders from Leigh's voice, and she's as good a singer as there is in Nashville.

It just took the right set of FROM BILLBOARD 1. "Weathered," Creed 2. "(Hybrid Linkin Park 3. "Word Of Mouf," Ludacris 4. "Silver Side Up," Nickelback 5.

"Now 8," various artists 6- "A Day Without Rain," Enya 7. ts Love, Ja Rule 1 Nwi Hillman Pedersen "KunningWild" This country supergroup, bluegrass brothers Larry and Tony Rice and country-rockers Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen, is all over the musical map on its third album, a hard-to-resist mix of country-rock, folk, bluegrass and honky-tonk. These guys have decades of music making under their individual belts and experience in outfits as diverse as the Byrds, the Desert Rose Band and J.D. Crowe the New South. That goes a long way toward explaining the easy transition they make from tunes by Stephen Stills and Lennon-McCartney We Said to twang fests associated with bluegrass old-timers Jim Jesse Hearted" and "It's a Long, Long Way to the Top of the New material from Hillman and Larry Rice is worthwhile but not quite as satisfying as the covers.

Hillman scores with the toe-tapper "Just Passin' Through," but Rice's "The Mystery That Won't Go Away," about the JonBenet Ramsey murder case, feels out of place. Best moment hands down is the honky-tonk "You're Running Wild, an old Louvin Brothers tune. The Hillman-Pedersen harmonies are unforgettable. Greg Crawford Knight Ridder Newspapers Demolition String Band "PullingUp Atlantis" Fusing a honky-tonk attitude with a bluegrass musical tightness, the Demolition String Band finds success in its sophomore effort, "Pulling Up Atlantis." Lead singer Elena Skye and guitar player Boo Reiners use steel guitars, mandolins and fiddles to accomplish the tightly woven, neo-country, knee-slapping sound. Feb.

21: Stephen Curtis Chapman, Stephens Auditorium DES MOINES Jan. 19: Dark Star Orchestra, Hotel Fort Des Moines Feb. 2: Blue Collar Comedy Tour with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Eng-vall, Veterans Memorial Auditorium KANSAS CITY Today: Ray Charles, Music Hall Saturday: Glen Campbell, Oak Ridge Boys, Ameristar Hotel Casino Thursday: Dark Star Orchestra, Bruce Willis and the Accelerators, Ivan Neville, Uptown Theatre Jan. 26: Robert Earl Keen, Beaumont Club circumstances for that voice and her personality to come out on record. Kent Wolgamott Shakira "Laundry Service" Shakira's first English-speaking album, "Laundry Service," came to life after a seemingly endless wait.

It was worth it. It is intriguing and surprising to listen how the Colombian-born actress, model and singer includes South American pan pipes, Brazilian drums and an Argentinean bandoneon to her songs. "Whatever, Whenever" (tided "Suerte" in the Spanish version included on the album) intermingles rock with the softness of the Andean instrument. "Objection" is a mix of tango with rock, refreshing and full of contrasts. The predominantly Middle-Eastern 8.

"MIssundazstood," Pink 9. "Stillmatic," Nas 10. "Rock Steady," No Doubt FROM HOMER'S 1. "Word of Mouf," Ludacris 2. "Venaculas," Venaculas 3.

"8701," Usher 4. "Weathered," Creed 5. "Silver Side Up," Nickelback 6. "Cocoon Club," Pomeroy 7. "Day Without Rain," Enya 8.

"Pain Is Love," Ja Rule 9. This It," The Strokes 10. "Diary of a Sinner," Pablo 4 COURTESY PHOTO "Eyes Like Yours" (English lyrics by her pal Gloria Estefan) is the English version of "Ojos Asi," which was the last song of her Crevious album. Vibrant and ighly rhythmic, it loses the richness of its Spanish counterpart but shows us how different genres can be mixed in a sultry way. Shakira wrote the songs, composed the music and produced the entire album.

But despite her good command of English, the disc doesn't reach the richness of "Donde Estan los Ladrones" or the melodies of "Pies Descalzos," two of her most successful productions. It seems that all the poetry of her lyrics gets somehow diluted when she doesn't write in her native Spanish. I just hope this new Shakira, now blonde, toned and sexy, doesn't get Britney-ized by the music labels. ESo Leturia Knight Ridder Newspapers Area concerts This listing of concerts and selected club shows was obtained from Pollstar. Ticket information is not available for each show.

Those seeking tickets should contact Ticketmaster or the venue. OMAHA Jan. 18: Dark Star Orchestra, Music Box; Ricky Van Shelton, Ameristar Jan. 25: Wayne Newton, Har-rah's Council Bluffs Jan. 31: Willie Nelson, Music Hall Feb.

8-10: Arlo Guthrie, Or-pheum Theatre AMES, IOWA Feb. 14: Emerson Drive, Beaumont Club Feb. 15: Arlo Guthrie, Yard-ley Hall Feb. 17: Creed, Kemper Arena Feb. 26: King's Grand Emporium; The Chieftains, Midland Theatre LAWRENCE, KAN.

Saturday: The North Mississippi Allstars, The Bottleneck Jan. 27: Adema, Granada Theatre Jan. 30: Willie Nelson, Lied Center Feb. 8: Fu Manchu, Bottleneck Feb. 21: Nashville Pussy, Rev.

Horton Heat, Granada.