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Charlie Louvin
"Charlie Louvin Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs"
Tompkins Square

Proudly sounding all of his 81 years and backed by a solid group, the
surviving Louvin brother revisits the timeless trove of melancholy
Americana he and his older sibling, Ira, waxed on their hit 1956 album,
"Tragic Songs of Life."

Charlie's disaster material—including "Wreck on the Highway," which
echoes Ira's demise—sounds dated only because few singers perform
topical material nowadays. And the "murder" songs, you may be relieved
to learn, deal mainly with untimely, accidental deaths. Yet "My Brother's
Will," "The Little Grave in Georgia," and the rest of these saddies
still pack an emotional punch that's largely due to Charlie's faltering
pipes. He sounds as though he knows all too well whereof he sings.


Asha Bhosle
"Precious Platinum"
Times Square

As Bollywood's preeminent "playback" singer (her songs have been mimed
in nearly 900 films), Asha Bhosle holds the distinction of being the
world's most recorded vocalist. Quality matches quantity in Bhosle's
case, and the soprano sounds as lively and assured as ever on this album
released in celebration of her 75th birthday.

A thorough pro, Bhosle sings in four Indian languages (untranslated,
alas) on tracks that veer into jazz, reggae, Latin rock, and bhangra
(Punjabi dance music). Bhosle has been studying Indian classical music,
and it shows in the polished and thoughtful ornamentations that make
everything she sings sparkle. If you're new to her music, start with the
gorgeous "Tum Jo Mile" or "Kamsin Kamsin Main." If she captures your
heart as she has South Asia's, you're in luck: 13,000 more Asha Bhosle
tracks await your discovery.