From pag: 38 Counting Crows lincup from time to time. The trio have put together a blues/blue- grass/folk/country hybrid that’s heavy on the acoustic accents. It’s a more threadbare Walk On. The album opens up with the rollicking “Lincoln Town” and moves through a steady stream of winners, including the catchy “Gone” and “Take it Back”. Other high notes | include an introspective “God’s Golden Eyes”, the deliber- ately-repetitive title track and “Take i it Back”, a bluesy, bassy tune that would make Robert Johnson proud. Hiatt proves he’s still at the top of his game with Crasing Muddy Waters. — Jan Christian-Sorensen B kick Lenny Kravitz — Greatest Hits (Virgin Records) ’ That Lenny. Kravitz; so thoughtful. A greatest hits album just before Christmas. This one, riding the usual wave of pre-holiday compilations and retrospectives, is actually worth picking up, however. - It’s an excellent selection of Kravitz's best tunes since he hit the music scene — outright winners include “Are'you gonna go my way”, “Rock and Roll is - Dead” and “Always on the Run” while such understated tunes as “Believe” and “Can’t. get you off my mind” also lend a hand. * Kravitz made room for his new chart-topper, “Again”, on the -- album, as well as his remake of The Guess Who's «American Woman” which was featured in Austin Powers If last summer. — Jan Christian-Sorensen @ xexke — Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska (Sub Pop Records) On this aewly-released album, an eclectic group of musicians come together to offer up different takes on the Boss's songlist for his haunting rural masterpiece, Nebraska — a bleak yet brilliant album that gained him auto- matic admittance into canon of American songwriters alongside Woody Guthric and Bob Dylan. Highlights include Chrissie Hynde and Adam Seymour's rendition of “Nebraska” (you can actually understand the words this ame!); Dar Williams’ “Highway Patrolman, Deana Carter’s “State Trooper”; Ben Harper's take on “My Father’s House”; and husband- wife singers/ songwriters Michael Penn and Aimee Mann, who perform “Reason to Believe”. One bad spot. One horribly bad spot — Hank Ili’s country hatchet job on “Atlantic City”. Besides the regular 10-song slate that was on the initial album, three songs were original- ly recorded during the Nebraska sessions but later scrapped — “I’m on Fire”, “Downbound Train” and “Wages of Sin.” The three castofis show up on this album, however, and are performed by . Johnny Cash, Raul Malo of the Mavericks and Damien jurada and Rose Thomas, respectively. Whether you like them or not, anybody who enjoyed Nebraska will have fun hearing the new renditions of the Springsteen classics. — Jan Christian-Sorensen Win Erykah Badu's new ep “Grammy-award winner Erykah Badu’s debut album .- Baduizm (1997) established hev as ene of contamporary ‘ &b's great original talents. Her new CD Mama's Gun continues her distinctive approach to classic soul style with yelp from musicians such as Roy Hargrove, James Poysat, Zuestiove, Stephen Marley and Miami's “Clean Up Woman” Betty Wright. Like D'Angelo, Badu manages to make a seamless transition between old and new r&b. Tirneless one world. To win a copy of Mama's Gur tell us the Philly group uestiove drums with. Send your entries to Erykah Badu Contest, North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Avanua, North Vancouver, BC V7M 2H4. Attn: John Goodman. You can : fax entries to 985-2104 or e-mail to . Deadlina for the contest is Friday, Dec. 1, 5 p.m. CDs courtesy Universal Music, S Sap fein: in D Major yh S. Bach» co-presentation Juno Award winner James Keelaghan Lcd ys Dec 2. @ Spm : , Roots musician ‘who sings like it hurts! ._- Oh Susanna Dec 16 @ 8pm 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver Box Office: 990- -7810 ° re Conductor Wayne Riddell C.M. Associate Conductor: Tony Funk Messiah Karina Gauvin, Daniel Taylor, Nils Brown, William Sharp, Pacific Baroque Orchestra Saturday, December 16 7.30 pm Orpheum Theatre Sunday, December 17 3.00 pm Orpheum Theatre Tickets *34/526/524 adult, 534/521/520 Senior/Student Ticketmaster outlets: 220-3311 or www.ticketmaster.ca Group rates for 10 or more ... Sid at 921-8588 atS2i8588 Tewoonsy & FEE: _, Renowned jazz pianist — Kenny | Werner - concert with’ “a” A” Band &