Female Rockers Have Fun With ‘Spirit Of ‘73’

Various Artists “Spirit of 73” - 550 Music/Epic

Any compilation that features the top female alternative rockers of the day - Babes In Toyland, Letters To Cleo, L7 & Joan Jett, Sarah McLachlan, etc. - merits special attention as an event album. This one happens to consist of animated covers of such maximum-nostalgia pop, disco, and rock staples as “If I Can’t Have You,” “We Are Family,” “Dreams,” “Cherry Bomb,” “Have You Never Been Mellow,” and “Killing Me Softly With This Song.”

The album is just plain good fun.

Faith Hill “It Matters To Me” - Warner Bros.

Faith Hill more than surpasses her expectations with this solid and stellar sophomore outing. She continues to demonstrate her remarkable musical diversity, which ranges from ballads to rockers and to such moving contemporary social comments as “A Man’s Home Is His Castle.” The single, “Let’s Go To Vegas,” is the lightest thing on here.

Liz Phair “Juvenalia” - Matador

All’s Phair in love and war on this scintillating new EP, which includes the definitive rendition of the Vapors’ “Turning Japanese” as well as the arresting, piano-based new “Animal Girl,” cut live in Holland. Tossed into the bargain are five tunes from Liz’s legendary GirlySound bedroom tapes.