Entertainment

SECOND ACT TOPS FIRST BEAUTIFULLY

*QUENCH

The Beautiful South

Mercury Records

It’s taken nearly a decade, but The Beautiful South has not only lived upto the promise of its wonderfully twisted, melodically stunning “Welcome to The Beautiful South,” the band has topped it. And on the new disc, “Quench,” the group returns to its original vocal lineup.

“Quench” opens strongly with the syncopated pop piece, “How Long Does a Tear Take to Dry?” Here, in a vocal he says/she says, Briana Corrigan and Paul Heaton fight, apologize, pine for the loss of each other, reconcile and then fight some more. Using The Beautiful South formula of candy-wrapping bitter pills with tasty melodies, Briana coos sweetly here the words, “The flowers smell sweeter the closer you are to the grave.”

Between that first disc (“Welcome”) and “Quench,” Miss Corrigan left the group, citing “musical differences” for her departure. Her voice was missed in the interim, but thankfully those musical differences were worked out for this collection. On paper, it really shouldn’t have mattered whether she was in or out of the group – when you consider how similar Heaton’s and her voices are – but their dynamic together is undeniable. In duet, they produce a sexy and compelling vocal dialogue, even if there is no actual romance.

Besides the band’s incredible pop craft that lies somewhere between Herbie Mann’s “Memphis Underground” and Traffic’s “Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys,” The Beautiful South’s greatest attraction is those lyrics that never dumb down. The band rightly never underestimates us and treats listeners as intelligent and demanding.

According to The Beautiful South’s staggering sales figures for its debut “Welcome” disc, one in seven British households owns a copy of the collection. “Quench” is an even better album and offers us another chance to experience what the Brits already know.

*THE RECITAL

Luciano Pavarotti

Q Records

As fans of Luciano Pavarotti know, there are few discs available that feature the tubby tenor in recital, accompanied by a solo piano. This rare live performance, taped in 1989 at the Gran Teatre Del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain, features the master in 23 songs by composers Puccini, Verdi, Bellini, Donizetti and some non-Italian guy named Mozart.

On first listen, without the strings and other elements of the orchestra, the disc sounds thin. In subsequent spins, after your ear adjusts to the sound, its essential vocal purity is revealed as the collection’s greatest strength. Pavarotti’s powerful, manly voice, supported by only the sparse piano work of Leone Magiera, is inspiring. Yes, Magiera’s operatic piano interpretation is top-shelf, yet the focus never shifts from the tenor on this all-Pavarotti, all the time, recording.

Pavarotti once voiced his enthusiasm for this very performance, saying it was a great opportunity: “This is the kind of program tenors have always sought.” It is also the kind of performance opera lovers want to hear. It is interesting to note that this recording was made prior to the fire that nearly destroyed the 152-year-old Gran Teatre in 1994. The hall is currently being restored.

*A CHEAP AND EVIL GIRL

Bree Sharp

Trauma Records

Bree Sharp strips her psyche naked for her “A Cheap and Evil Girl,” one of the year’s best debut records. Miss Sharp, a 23-year-old citizen of Skyscraper Park, by way of Philadelphia, has delivered a spirited collection that has guts and staying power.

You may have already heard her song “David Duchovny,” a passionate, lusty plea to the star of the hit Fox series “The X-Files” that has been a top request on New York radio for the past month. In spite of the fun of that song – which pants in sweaty repetitions, “David Duchovny, why won’t you love me?” – Sharp’s disc isn’t a one-song novelty album.

Musically, she isn’t afraid to show her folkie roots, yet Bree has a sharp pop sensibility that stiffens to edgy rock, especially on the overdrive title track, “A Cheap and Evil Girl,” and the song “Guttermouth,” a girl’s survival guide to the big city. The disc is filled with easy hooks and songs that draw from her experiences on the streets of the city. The album is mostly nimble, heartfelt pop that only gets sappy on a couple of tunes. Considering this is a first effort, it is excellent.