The Daily Sentinel from Grand Junction, Colorado • 29

It may not be country, but Wynonnas latest, Tell Me Why, is great Memorial Day Tributes Live, potted plants. Many varieties and colors starting at $-j75 Mizushima Farm 3051 BVi Rd. ju Orchard Mesa 434-9353 30 Music reviews ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS 7PM DREAMER 7PM THE FORTUNE 7PM fSr MMT TWO RIVERS REALTY, INC, Channel 14 Call Today for details on adding Encore 245-8750 TCI Cablevision of Western Colorado SM We're taking television into tomorrow John Sloan OwnerBroker Associate For Professional Real Estate Service Call John Sloan Today 241-3939 Proudly Announcing Our New Director Beverly Brenner-Morris Sentinel wire services Wynonna, Tell Me Why (MCA) When, is country music not country music? Thats the question raised by Wynonna Judds new album, Tell Me Why. It looks country, what with contributions by Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Lyle Lovett, Naomi Judd and producer Tony Brown. And its surely going to be sold as country, particularly after the tripleplatinum success of her last album, Wynonna.

It just doesnt sound particularly countryr- Granted, a lot of what comes out of Nashville these days doesnt sound particularly country, but whats going on here runs a bit deeper than merely mixing a few pop tunes in with more typical country fare. What you get with "Tell Me Why is pretty much a steady diet of gospel and blues, with nary a two-step or honky-tonk lament in sight. One song, the Carpenter-penned Girls With Guitars, even includes a smidgen of Smoke on the Water not exactly standard repertoire for country pickers. But if Tell Me Why marks Wynonna Judds break with the conventions of country music, thats the only sense in which the album is a departure. Because no matter how much her sense of style might have changed, her basic approach remains as it was on Wynonna.

Listen to the albums title tune, for instance, and what youll hear is essentially the same kind of singing that energized the likes of A Little Bit of Love. Likewise, Rock Bottom rides along on the same sort of Memphis groove that drove her 1992 hit, No One Else on Earth. And the only real difference between the sound of last years My Strongest Weakness and this years Is It Over is instrumentation. Otherwise, she handles them with the same blend of soulful expression and intensity. In other words, she hasnt lost anything in the transition from country to pop.

But she has made gains both as a singer and as an artist. For one thing, she really understands how to exploit the power of her voice, whether by raising it in a joyful gospel shout for Baby King or by pulling back just enough to reveal the sorrow beneath a song like I Just Drove By. Even better, shes not afraid to take chances. Thats why Yesterday stands out as one of the albums most exciting moments, for not only does she wring very drop of anguish and venom from-the songs you-done-me-wrong lyric, but she delivers those lines with a bluesy fervor that recalls Robert Crays best work an unexpected association but completely appropriate for the song. So to get back to our original question: When is country music not country music? When its sung so distinctively and so well that the usual pigeonholes no longer apply.

And that's definitely the case with Tell Me Why. J.D. Considine World Party, Bang (Chrysalis) World Partys third album contains some of the most cynical pop dialogues with the Big Gay since Randy Newmans -Gods Song in the 70s. In one comically operatic interlude, God tells man to take care of the planet and man responds, (Expletive) you. Elsewhere, man ventures into space and comes face to face with the Deity, who dejectedly says, Im worried about my creation.

If Karl Wallinger continues to see the world as doomed, he also still expresses hope. With literary elan leaning toward C.S. Lewis, he turns his attention to the good things he believes exist before and will remain after the big titular bang, i.e. lov' physical, emotional and spiritual. Musically too, this is a love album, as Wallinger gives a more-distinctive-than-ever stamp to a pop fabric woven from threads of Lennon, Dylan and the Stones, with a strong leaning to their soul roots this time.

From soaring pop to jungle-frenzy rock to sensuous funk-soul, Wallinger is consistently engaging and thought-provoking a combination that stimulates hope itself. Steve Hochman Anthrax, Sounds of White Noise (Elektra) Amazing how the simple switch of singers can totally transform a band. By replacing the urban street attack of fired Joey Belladonna with the suburban operatics of former Armored Saint vocalist John Bush, the New York-originated group goes from creative, if erratic, metal pioneer to predictable, if dynamic metal mainstreamer. This no longer sounds like the band that broke ground by collaborating with Public Enemy though PE scratcher Terminator does make a guest appearance on 1000 Points of Hate, one of the albums intense highlights and a welcome break from ponderous lyrics. There are other equally solid moments on the album, including hypnotic stun-guitar work on Room for One More and the dreamy, though not quite spooky enough Twin Peaks tribute of Black Lodge (inspired and orchestrated by "Peaks" musical director Angelo Ban-delamenti).

Burns overbearing vocal posturings, though, detract from the sharp music, without offering enough character to compensate. Hes just too much in the same Ian Gillian-David Coverdale-Ronnie Dio school as thousands of other metal singers: The cool thing about Anthrax usedtO be how it steadfastly stood apart from that crowd. Steve Hochman She brings 13 years of clinical experience and a Florida Mental Health Counselor's License to Grand Junction. Her credentials include Masters degrees in both Mental Health Counseling and Public Health Policy and Management. PSL Pathways Behavioral Healthcare helps people who are struggling with addictive behaviors.

Pathways' professionals are here to assist individuals in finding their own pathways through life stresses, without resorting to unhealthy addictivebehaviors. SL PresbyterianSL Lukes Healthcare System 518 28 Road, Suite B103 Grand Junction, CO 81501 (303) 241-4241 We have provider relationships with most insurance companies.