There are a couple of things stopping U.S. audiences from realizing that World Outside My Window, the debut album from soul singer Glenn Lewis, is one of the more brilliant, satisfying R&B albums of the past year. For starters, Lewis hails from Toronto. When you think of the future of…

Multiple-choice time. Recently the following words were uttered: “Ain’t no way that SPM can be a human being.” Who said them? a. the prosecutor during SPM’s molestation case b. a disgusted juror on that same case c. a pissed-off grandmother after hearing about the case on the news d. none…

Various Artists Good Will Hunting (Capitol Records) Most movie soundtrack albums function more as marketing ploys than coherent musical statements. Songs are either tagged on as blatant record-company favors or used to sell a piece of Hollywood hackwork on VH1. Gus Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting is a different story…

Janet Jackson The Velvet Rope (Virgin) Mariah Carey Butterfly (Columbia) Is it mere coincidence that two of pop music’s most angelic, transcendent songstresses both have a new release in the stores — which, by the way, both proclaim to be their most emotional, personal, and gut-wrenching project to date? Sure,…

Concrete Blonde y Los Illegals Concrete Blonde y Los Illegals (Ark 21) For decades Los Angeles has been a center of American punk rock and its descendent genres. And for much longer the city has been a focal point for Latin culture in the United States. But while the pairing…