Estefan

MI TIERRAGloria Estefan (Epic 53807)However much this collection of Cuban music might look like a homecoming, Gloria Estefan's "Mi Tierra" could just as easily be considered a voyage of discovery. Even though Estefan has long been a staple on the Latin charts, her music rarely delved into the Afro-Cuban idioms celebrated here, tending instead toward sentimental ballads and salsa-fied dance pop. This album makes up for lost time, however. Not only is the music wonderfully authentic in its blend of richly rhythmic dance tunes and gently percolating ballads, but Estefan herself has never sounded better, lending luster to the sad, insinuating melody of "Volveras" and navigating the call-and-response chorus of "Hablemos el Mismo Idioma" as confidently as Celia Cruz ever could.

The Purple One to reign at Target Prince is coming to a Target near you. The superstar is releasing a three-disc set through the retailer at the end of this month. The set will include two new albums as well as one by his new artist, Bria Valente, for $11.98. Prince is just the latest entertainer to release new music exclusively through a major retailer. AC/DC and the Eagles were among the acts who sold millions of CDs through their partnership with Wal-Mart. The CD set will be on sale at Target and its Web site on March 29. Honoring Milk Fresh from his best actor Oscar for his performance as Harvey Milk, Sean Penn is pushing California to officially recognize the late gay politician's birthday.

GLORIA ESTEFAN has been in the international spotlight for only a brief five years. Despite this, the singer's career seems to have come full circle.Estefan, who along with Miami Sound Machine helped pioneer Latin dance-pop, made headlines in March 1990, after a bus crash left her with a damaged spine and a questionable future. But Estefan underwent a speedy, dramatic rehabilitation that astounded and delighted both her doctors and fans.In fact, Estefan's recovery was so rapid that she released a new Epic Records album, "Into the Light," and embarked on a worldwide tour less than a year after the accident.

He smashes records. He brings home more gold than any other Olympic athlete in history. He triggers global swoons every time he slips off his shirt. Michael Phelps not only hails from Baltimore, he also dolphin-kicked right back here after Beijing to buy a home even when he could have lived anywhere. As if that weren't enough, he's single-handedly helping local restaurants survive the recession with his famous sumo-worthy meals. How many bands that hit the big time have a homage to their hometown built into their very name?

He smashes records. He brings home more gold than any other Olympic athlete in history. He triggers global swoons every time he slips off his shirt. Michael Phelps not only hails from Baltimore, he also dolphin-kicked right back here after Beijing to buy a home even when he could have lived anywhere. As if that weren't enough, he's single-handedly helping local restaurants survive the recession with his famous sumo-worthy meals. How many bands that hit the big time have a homage to their hometown built into their very name?

When VH1 aired its big "Divas Live" special in April, some folks wondered how Gloria Estefan sneaked into the line-up. After all, when it comes to making a bravura display of vocal virtuosity, Estefan is not on the same level as fellow VH1 divas Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, or Mariah Carey.But if Estefan isn't quite a diva in the pop or operatic sense, she surely qualifies as a disco diva. She made her name belting out dance tunes with the Miami Sound Machine, and still owes a sizable portion of her audience to such oldies as "Conga" and "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You."

He sounds excited, calling from inside the Museum of Sex in New York "You ought to check this place out, man," says DEL, 27, a newcomer on the urban / pop scene. "It's pretty good, I hear. This is my first time here." It's strangely fitting that he's conducting a phone interview from such a place. Throughout the singer's slick debut, Go All Night, and in promotional shots, it's obvious that he's selling what he seems to have naturally: sex appeal. "I'm aware of how important image is in this business," says DEL, whose real name is Francisco Del. "But I gonna be myself.

The Purple One to reign at Target Prince is coming to a Target near you. The superstar is releasing a three-disc set through the retailer at the end of this month. The set will include two new albums as well as one by his new artist, Bria Valente, for $11.98. Prince is just the latest entertainer to release new music exclusively through a major retailer. AC/DC and the Eagles were among the acts who sold millions of CDs through their partnership with Wal-Mart. The CD set will be on sale at Target and its Web site on March 29. Honoring Milk Fresh from his best actor Oscar for his performance as Harvey Milk, Sean Penn is pushing California to officially recognize the late gay politician's birthday.

INTO THE LIGHTGloria Estefan (Epic 46988)Gloria Estefan has never been known as one of pop music's deepest thinkers, having built her career around material that avoids issues deeper than dancing or romancing. But "Into the Light" is a very serious album, indeed. Obviously affected by last year's near-fatal bus accident, Estefan now addresses everything from faith to fatalism to family ties. Although that does lead her into some interesting new ground musically, like the gospel lite of "Coming Out of the Dark," Estefan's earnest, upbeat lyrics are long on cliche but short on inspiration.

WOODSTOCK '94Various Artists (A&M 31454 0289)Now that the mud has dried and the hype has finally died down, perhaps it's time to ask whether Woodstock '94 really was the major musical event its promoters promised. Certainly in terms of marquee value, the double-CD set "Woodstock '94" delivers an impressive array of talent, from Joe Cocker to Cypress Hill and Blind Melon to Metallica. In terms of quality, however, the set isn't quite the bargain it seems. It isn't that the music is bad, just that so little of it is great.

He sounds excited, calling from inside the Museum of Sex in New York "You ought to check this place out, man," says DEL, 27, a newcomer on the urban / pop scene. "It's pretty good, I hear. This is my first time here." It's strangely fitting that he's conducting a phone interview from such a place. Throughout the singer's slick debut, Go All Night, and in promotional shots, it's obvious that he's selling what he seems to have naturally: sex appeal. "I'm aware of how important image is in this business," says DEL, whose real name is Francisco Del. "But I gonna be myself.

Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, Shania Twain and Mariah CareyVH1 Divas Live (Epic 69600)Are we in the midst of a diva devaluation?It certainly seems so. Everywhere you look, somebody is being hailed as a diva. An Entertainment Weekly cover story recently listed some 31 different kinds of divas - and didn't even touch on the world of operatic divas (Maria Callas was, by most accounts, la diva de tutte dive).But the strongest proof that we're facing a diva glut is "VH1 Divas Live."

When VH1 aired its big "Divas Live" special in April, some folks wondered how Gloria Estefan sneaked into the line-up. After all, when it comes to making a bravura display of vocal virtuosity, Estefan is not on the same level as fellow VH1 divas Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, or Mariah Carey.But if Estefan isn't quite a diva in the pop or operatic sense, she surely qualifies as a disco diva. She made her name belting out dance tunes with the Miami Sound Machine, and still owes a sizable portion of her audience to such oldies as "Conga" and "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You."

Starting OverReba McEntire (MCA 11264)Imitation may be mere flattery elsewhere, but in the music world it's more often meant as a means of illuminating an artist's influences. That's part of the reason Reba McEntire recorded "Starting Over," a collection of songs she describes as having "influenced me, and ultimately the music I record." McEntire's selection of songs ranges from the expected, Crystal Gayle's "Talking In Your Sleep" and Linda Ronstadt's version of "You're No Good," to such out-of-left-field oldies as the Michael McDonald/Gladys Knight hit "On My Own," and "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by Diana Ross and the Supremes.

WOODSTOCK '94Various Artists (A&M 31454 0289)Now that the mud has dried and the hype has finally died down, perhaps it's time to ask whether Woodstock '94 really was the major musical event its promoters promised. Certainly in terms of marquee value, the double-CD set "Woodstock '94" delivers an impressive array of talent, from Joe Cocker to Cypress Hill and Blind Melon to Metallica. In terms of quality, however, the set isn't quite the bargain it seems. It isn't that the music is bad, just that so little of it is great.

Just as imitation is supposed to be the sincerest form of flattery, cover versions are today's favorite way to pay tribute. And paying tribute is all the rage these days.Flip through the bins at your local music store, and you'll find literally dozens of tribute albums, offering homage to everyone from the Carpenters to Kraftwerk to Kiss. A few have even been best sellers, like the country-oriented "Common Thread: Songs of the Eagles," which was a fixture in the Top-20 earlier this year. And more are on the way, including albums devoted to the music of Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Starting OverReba McEntire (MCA 11264)Imitation may be mere flattery elsewhere, but in the music world it's more often meant as a means of illuminating an artist's influences. That's part of the reason Reba McEntire recorded "Starting Over," a collection of songs she describes as having "influenced me, and ultimately the music I record." McEntire's selection of songs ranges from the expected, Crystal Gayle's "Talking In Your Sleep" and Linda Ronstadt's version of "You're No Good," to such out-of-left-field oldies as the Michael McDonald/Gladys Knight hit "On My Own," and "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by Diana Ross and the Supremes.

Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, Shania Twain and Mariah CareyVH1 Divas Live (Epic 69600)Are we in the midst of a diva devaluation?It certainly seems so. Everywhere you look, somebody is being hailed as a diva. An Entertainment Weekly cover story recently listed some 31 different kinds of divas - and didn't even touch on the world of operatic divas (Maria Callas was, by most accounts, la diva de tutte dive).But the strongest proof that we're facing a diva glut is "VH1 Divas Live."

David Broza is a folk-rock musician in the truest sense of the term. "When people ask me, 'So who would be your biggest influences?' I say, 'Jimi Hendrix and Woody Guthrie,' " he explains.Born in Israel, Broza "grew up" on Woody Guthrie. "My mother was a folk singer, and that's what we'd hear in the house," he says, over the phone from Tel Aviv. "Then, when I got a guitar and thought about playing, Hendrix was the big thing for me. Or Clapton, or Cream, or anything the Doors did. Anything electric."

MI TIERRAGloria Estefan (Epic 53807)However much this collection of Cuban music might look like a homecoming, Gloria Estefan's "Mi Tierra" could just as easily be considered a voyage of discovery. Even though Estefan has long been a staple on the Latin charts, her music rarely delved into the Afro-Cuban idioms celebrated here, tending instead toward sentimental ballads and salsa-fied dance pop. This album makes up for lost time, however. Not only is the music wonderfully authentic in its blend of richly rhythmic dance tunes and gently percolating ballads, but Estefan herself has never sounded better, lending luster to the sad, insinuating melody of "Volveras" and navigating the call-and-response chorus of "Hablemos el Mismo Idioma" as confidently as Celia Cruz ever could.