Brad Webber

Oleta Adams Evolution (Mercury) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) If she hadn't been discovered by a couple of rock stars as she sang at the Kansas City Hyatt, Oleta Adams could have been a...

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Liberator (Virgin) (STAR)(STAR) Barry White's bass vocals pop up midway through OMD's "Liberator," an ode to the disco era that spawned the techno-pop troupe in...

Gutterball Gutterball (Mute) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) This B-act "supergroup" rotates around ex-Dream Syndicate front man Steve Wynn, whose vocals sidle along at a countrified pace. Wynn's sauntering style diverts from his taut...

Book of Love Lovebubble (Sire) (STAR)(STAR) With their smarmy faux-English accents and synthesized programming entrenched in early-'80s Eurodisco, New York City's Book of Love is an anachronism, a transmutation of...

Trash Can Sinatras I've Seen Everything (Go! Discs/London) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Scotland's Trash Can Sinatras follow their sparkling 1991 album "Cake" with a 14-song collection pulling in Beatlesesque melodies and poetic, if...

Front 242. 06:21:03:11 Up Evil (Epic) (STAR)(STAR) Belgium's Front 242 keeps pounding away with the message that man can conquer technology. However, the electronic quartet drowns in a current of...

Bjork Debut (Elektra) (STAR)(STAR) 1/2 Sugarcubes singer Bjork Gudmundsdottir delivers the quirky, quavery vocals that made the Icelandic troupe one of the more refreshing additions to alternative music in the...

Tasmin Archer Great Expectations (EMI) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Superb lyricism, gorgeous pop tunes that mine a diversity of emotions, and a soulful set of vocal chords netted Tasmin Archer the 1993 BRIT...

Michael Franks Dragonfly Summer (Reprise) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) 1/2 Pop singer Michael Franks is the epitome of the middle-of-the-road singer. The issue, however, is that the road in question meanders through the...

Miranda Sex Garden Suspiria (Mute) (STAR) 1/2 The singers of Britain's Miranda Sex Garden-Donna McKevitt, Kelly McCusker and Katherine Blake-will never be mistaken for the Consort of Musicke performing the...