CRANK IT LOUD

Reviews of hot new discs

By Bobby Reed

John Mellencamp

Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits
(Island/Universal)
The former Johnny Cougar didn't burst onto the national scene with a fully formed artistic vision, but he evolved into an articulate, socially conscious tunesmith. Until the inevitable box set appears, this double disc collection will provide the best retrospective of John Mellencamp's career-37 tracks, including all 22 of his Top 40 hits. Among the highlights are two new songs, as well as the poignant character study "Jackie Brown," the populist anthem "Small Town" and the chart-topping ditty "Jack & Diane."

Dolly Parton

Live and Well
(Sugar Hill)
With over 3,000 compositions to her credit, Dolly Parton is one of the most important and prolific songwriters of all time. In recent years, she has focused on mountain and bluegrass music, as illustrated by this double CD recorded live at Dollywood in 2002. Her concert is a mixture of country classics, autobiographical anecdotes, bawdy humor, and acoustic-based arrangements of tunes by Bread ("If"), Collective Soul ("Shine"), Led Zeppelin ("Stairway to Heaven") and Neil Young ("After the Gold Rush").

Holly Williams

The Ones We Never Knew
(Universal South)
Songwriter Holly Williams' brilliant debut album stands on its own, outside the formidable shadow cast by her family tree. (Her grandfather was Hank Williams, Sr.; her dad is Bocephus; and her half-brother is Hank III.) Holly's sophisticated folk-pop is on par with that of other non-twangy songwriters like Shawn Colvin and Aimee Mann. Although she's only 23, Williams is a mature artist who avoids easy rhymes and singsong melodies. This intimate, confessional album tugs at the listener's sleeve and demands close attention.