All 'N All [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] [EXTRA TRACKS]
Earth Wind & Fire

Not exactly a concept album, All 'n All (1977) nevertheless was Earth, Wind & Fire's biggest attempt yet at making a big statement. With several interludes providing musical links--and cultural and spiritual heavies such as Shakespeare and Buddha depicted on an inside-cover spread--it had all the trappings of a major extravaganza, while keeping the songs at radio-friendly lengths. That those songs included the perfectly named "Serpentine Fire" and the Stevie Wonder-style brotherhood anthem "Fantasy" helped make the record one of EW&F's most popular: as of the mid '90s, 3 million copies had shipped. This sparkling remaster includes three bonus demo, live, and alternate-mix cuts.

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Bigger & Blacker [EXPLICIT LYRICS]
Chris Rock

With Bigger & Blacker, Chris Rock teams up with producer Prince Paul once again; the duo snagged a Grammy together for their work on 1997's brash Roll with the New. Bigger is a cutting-edge mishmash of studio skits, live recordings, and crazy musical numbers with guest shots from Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ice Cube, Biz Markie, Gerald Levert, and others. The bulk of the album is road-tested live material (mostly recorded at the Comedy Corner in West Palm Beach, Florida, in May 1999) that ranges from the difference between ghetto and suburban shopping malls to taxes, homophobia, insurance, and women. Sandwiched between the live bits are a send-up of N.W.A.'s "F**k the Police" with Ice Cube; a ribald interpretation of "Brown Sugar" with Biz Markie; and "Me and ODB," a hilarious, pimped-out ghetto fairytale set to the funky beat of AWB's "Pick up the Pieces." Rock's inescapable appeal lies in his delivery--his manic energy teeters on the edge, reined in just enough so that it remains on this side of manic. Bigger & Blacker shows that Rock is equally at home whether flexing his standup material in front of a live audience or goofing in the studio.

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Blaque
Blaque

In a spoken interlude midway through their debut album, teen R&B trio Blaque protest comparison to TLC. Never mind that everything from attitude to production on Blaque owes a lot to that zillion-selling act and that the group is a collective protégé of TLC's Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes. Not that there's anything wrong with that; in fact, while hardly earthshaking, the disc is a stylish entry in 1999's soul stakes. Blaque's material isn't always top-drawer, but several cuts make real marks, particularly the single "808" and the '60s-retro-chorused "I Do."

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Da Real World [ECD] [EXPLICIT LYRICS]
Missy Misdemeanor Elliott

"She's a Bitch" isn't just the first single from Missy Elliott's much-awaited sophomore album, it's a statement of pride that repurposes that five-letter malediction for our heroine's own uses. The spirit of freedom and strength it represents reverberates throughout her tough-minded Da Real World. Elliott and creative cohort Timbaland shine again, hijacking song forms and beats, shifting tempos in the middle of tracks, and incorporating guests such as Outkast's Big Boi, Aaliyah, and Eminem to heighten intensity and drama as in a good film. Elliott and Timbaland are still in their early 20s, and it's a smart bet that they'll be around when their 30s roll up.

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Diana [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Diana Ross

Perhaps Ms. Ross's most indispensable solo work, the 1980 Diana hooks her up with the Chic organization and eight good to really, really great songs for a disc that glows with rhythm and good feeling. The Boss herself has rarely sounded finer, as Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers seem to anticipate just what she can do vocally and aim the music at the bull's-eye. One bets that Debbie Harry wished she'd gotten hold of the sassy "Give Up" for her own Edwards/Rodgers-helmed KooKoo.

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Gratitude [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] [EXTRA TRACKS]
Earth Wind & Fire

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Heart Of A Woman
Etta James

There's no doubting the power and passion of Etta James's voice. That alone is enough for her to give Aretha Franklin a run for her money, and on Heart of a Woman she gives that voice free rein. Something of a companion to 1998's Life, Love & the Blues, Heart of a Woman takes what feels like a deliberately feminine approach, from the selection of the material to its arrangement. If there's a weakness to the result, it's that James's voice often overpowers the music, leaving the mood-setting piano and gentle guitar in the dust. The strongest moments occur when the music rises to match James's singing, as with the sax solo on "My Old Flame," the smoky piano on "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," and the overall building of intensity toward the end of "You Go to My Head." Another highlight is a reworked version of James's classic "At Last."

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That's the Way of the World [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] [EXTRA TRACKS]
Earth Wind & Fire

While not quite in a league with Stevie Wonder's best '70s albums, That's the Way of the World finds Earth, Wind & Fire taking a similar path to good effect. Melding rock, funk, jazz, and African influences, the group also works its positive messages--belief in oneself, understanding of others--into each track. "Shining Star," one of the greatest singles ever, leads off the set, but the title track, "See the Light," and "All About Love" keep the good vibes flowing with a minimum of sappiness. This excellent remaster contains a passel of bonus demo versions.

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The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. I. [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] [EXTRA TRACKS]
Earth Wind & Fire

Like a lot of second-wave funk bands, Earth, Wind & Fire were adept at balancing slickness and rawness. While their albums were occasionally spotty, the outfit achieved truly miraculous moments like the rocking "Shining Star" and the gloriously syncopated "September." (Come to think of it, the screaming guitar of the former was also nicely set off by its rhythmic flow.) In a have-you-never-been-mellow decade, their positively seemed mostly realistic. With something like their powerhouse transformation of "Got to Get You into My Life"--pulling one of the great Beatles covers out of the awful Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie--they could make even the most churlish listener believe anything was possible.

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