The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 51

LIVING Thursday, May 13, 1999 E5 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Weekend at Home ON MUSIC Latino heartthrob is hard to resist One of those entertainers who sizzle and spark like an exposed electrical wire, Ricky Martin is, undeniably, hot stuff. An original member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, a onetime soap opera 1 throb I Columbia Records "Ricky Martin" Ricky Martin. C2Columbia. 14 tracks. Grade: long.

The 27-year-old is the point man for a new wave of Latin crossover pop acts, which include the actress and dancer Jennifer Lopez and salsa star Marc Anthony. Much as the chart-topping "Livin' La Vida Loca," in which ska and swing rhythms happily collide, the songs on "Ricky Martin" portray the singer as an obsessive lover gripped by risky desire or dripping in sweat and sexuality. Overseen by Emilio Estefan Jr. (Miami Sound Machine) and the songwriter Desmond Child, the music is extensively produced, yet uncommonly detailed for this sort of formula project. There are the requisite duets (with Madonna and vocalist Meja, another Latino success in the wings), and and a scene stealer at this year's Grammy there are cheesy love ballads All I Ever Had," complete with sitar and lyrics that sound like Hootie the Blow-fish leftovers).

But when the polyrhythms are rumbling percussive ideas are lifted from Brazilian drum traditions, New Orleans second-line funk and Washington go-go music, as well as the expected wealth of Caribbean sources and Martin's energy surges, it's shockingly irresistible. Steve Dollar Soundline number: 1 50 Awards, the singer has enough charisma and sex appeal to be a star even if he had no talent. He does, though, and that's lucky for everyone involved: Ready or not, expect to hear a volley of pulsing, rhythm-charged hits from Martin's Columbia debut all summer "Ryde or Die." This week's No. 1 pop album warrants the attention, but not because of DMX. His input on three singles withers -when held up against the skills of producer Swizz Beatz.

The newcomer's rhythmic way with salsa Ya Southern -bounce and 1 more muscular bass of make the tracks often more engaging than the names Jay-Z, rhyming over them. Sonia Murray Soundline number: 375 ROCK "Bourbonitis Blues" Alejandro Escovedo. Bloodshot. 9 tracks. Grade: Austin, Texas-based performer Alejandro Escovedo is like a one-man history of American indie -rock.

He's done fierce. He's done mellow. He's punked out and he's honky-tonked. "Bourbonitis Blues" reflects all of these modes. It's split between sometimes inspired covers (a hauntingly slow version of the '80s punk anthem.

"Sex Beat" that drains the adrenalin from the Gun Club's manic original) and mostly gritty origi nals that revel in crotch-hugging rhythm guitar and juke joint bravado. As thoughtful, low-key nods to John Cale and Lou Reed (a blissful "Pale Blue Eyes," with Atlanta native Kellf Hogan) make clear, though, Escovedo is as devoted to artsy folk- rock as he is to the roots agenda' that characterizes the Austin scene. That guarantees there's never a dull moment. Steve Dollar Escovedo opens Saturday for Gillian Welch at Variety Playhouse. Soundline number 520 COUNTRY "The Whole SHeBANG" SHeDAISY.

Lyric Street. 1 1 tracks. Grade: Three pretty young women, sweet harmonies, tight black pants, Gap T-shirts, long blond hair, breezy pop melodies, some fiddles to keep it country. Sound familiar? While it's only natural to dismiss this new sister trio from Utah as Dixie Chicks clones, SHeDAISY is a much richer act than its copycat packaging suggests. The 11 tunes on this debut are sassy, young countrypop for the "Felicity" crowd, built upon the songbird voices of siblings Kelsi, Kassidy and Kristyn Osborn.

While the Chicks are rooted in bluegrass, SHeDAISY is more mall pop. Imagine Wilson Phillips singing Faith Hill's "This Kiss." But what keeps this conceit from evaporating as fast as Heaven Sent is the songwriting talent of Kristyn, (who co-penned every song here) and the production of Shania TwainMutt Lange proteg6 Dann Huff (Shane Minor). Miriam Longino Soundline number 210 RAP "RydeorDieVol. RuffRyders. RuffRyderslnterscope Records.

15 tracks. Grade: This compilation album serves as the formal introduction to a label and production team that's been impressing hip-hop listeners for more than a year. Ruff Ryders' barking rapper DMX is the only artist to have two albums debut at the top of the pop charts in one year. And on both of those 1998 million-selling efforts, DMX took every opportunity to mention his label, revving up interest in Prodigy whiz's pastiche sizzles Prodigy mastermind Liam Hewlett's "Prodigy Presents the Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One" (XL, 8 tracks) plays like the recipe for one of his band's records. He melds old school funk with old school punk in a furious cut-and-paste mix album that flows seamlessly despite the disparate elements.

A scorcher At the other end of the spectrum, U.K. DJs Sasha and John Digweed mine a progressive house groove on "Expeditions" (INCredibleUltra, 20 tracks). The two-disc set travels across the dance music spectrum, demonstrating the duo's penchant for stylistic diversity. Icelandic octet GusGus returns with one of the best dance-centric sets of the year. A dirty, grinding organ riff kick-starts the band's sophomore CD, "This Is Normal" (4ADWarner 11 tracks), and the roller-coaster ride begins.

There must be something funkalicious about the water in Reykjavik Since the dawn of this decade, British trio Saint Etienne has brought the spirit of '60s pop to dance floors worldwide. Sarah Cracknell's sugar-Coated vocals and the sophisticated melodicism of Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs' music combine to create a singular style. The threesome never shies from experimentation, though, as evidenced on the new six-song EP "Places to Visit" (Sub-Pop). Just when it threatens to get too outre the dulcet tones of La Cracknell return for the beautiful "Sadie's Anniversary." Shane Harrison Saint Etienne performs Monday at Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points. Backstreet Boys return for more What becomes a boy band most? For the current crop of teeny-bop crooners, it's slick, sexy packaging.

As long as group members can step adequately through robotic choreography, wear suburban hip-hop clothes with style and stare sultrily into a video camera, their musical talent is beside the point. "Millennium," the third album by Orlando's reign drop. There's rough-looking A.J. McClean, brooding, tattooed well, you get the idea. No doubt the album will spawn a slew of hit videos, just as its 10 million-selling predecessor, "Backstreet's Back," did.

Even now, legions of little girls around the country are calling MTV and breathlessly requesting the clip for "I Want It That Way," the album's first single. Expect videos for "Larger Than Life" and "It's Gotta Be You" to be MTV staples in the months to come. And the songs? Predictable in the extreme. But who cares when there are photos of clean-cut Brian Littrell, brooding, thin, splayed against a white wall Doug Hamilton Soundline number: 490 "Millennium" Backstreet Boys. Jive.

12 tracks. Grade: ing pre-fab fivesome, comes with lots of pictures. There's hunky blond Nick Carter, brooding, barefoot, squatting in a shallow pool of water. There's slickster Kevin Richardson, brooding, goateed, stroking a black vinyl back- SOUNDLINE: You can hear excerpts from the albums we review. From your push-button telephone, dial 511.

When asked for your four-digit code, enter 8600. Then enter the Sound-line numbers at the end of each review to hear sound bites from that album. Each call costs 50 cents. (Outside the Atlanta metro area: 900-950-05 1 1 99 cents per minute.) ii ii ii il ii i ii ii J.D. Salinger love letters going on the auction block ASSOCIATED PRESS New York Author Joyce Maynard is selling love letters she received from the reclusive J.D.

Salinger, Sotheby's auction house said Wednesday. Salinger wrote 14 letters between April 1972 and August 1973 to Maynard, whom he romanced for nine months. Their relationship began when she was an 18-year-old Yale University student and he was a 53-year-old heralded author. Maynard quit school to live in an isolated cottage in Cornish, N.H., with Salinger, who has shunned public life. The letters run the gamut from formal to smitten to impersonal, reflecting the course of their rela tionship, which he ended in March 1973.

Maynard last year revealed Salinger's eccentricities and fixations in her memoir "At Home in the World." The 80-year-old author of "The Catcher in the Rye" last wrote for publication in 1965. The letters may fetch up to $80,000 at the auction June 22, Sotheby's officials said. Some See a Problem with Alzheimer's. fur? 4tmilMCLriSjCitmsfrf am a- zir A 1 I 'J- 1 1 1 tSa33W' We See a Person with Alzheimer's. It's not easy to watch a loved one struggle with Alzheimer's or to care for someone with impaired memory.

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