Sears soars on new album

“Nothin’ But Good” (DECCA) — Dawn Sears

A few years ago, with her country-music career failing to take off, Sears was ready to give up and enroll in medical school.

As “Nothin’ But Good” shows, that would have been Nashville’s loss and medicine’s gain.

Sears never did go back to school, as Vince Gill asked her to be one of his backup singers, the start of a friendship that also makes a mark on this album. They give it a professional polish, with Gill playing guitar and singing harmonies and his band backing Sears.

Sears is a versatile singer, sad on “Little Orphan Annie,” melancholy on “No Relief In Sight” and boisterous on “It Was Too Late.”

“Nothin’ But Good” is the debut release on the re-activated DECCA label, formerly the home of Kitty Wells, Patsy Clines, Brenda Lee and Loretta Lynn. While Sears doesn’t belong in such company yet, she shows definite potential.

“Strategem” (Giant) — Big Head Todd & The Monsters

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then “Strategem” has flattered many different artists.

This album bolsters the argument that it’s all been done before. One cut sounds like the Doors, another like Led Zeppelin, a third like John Hiatt. It’s one thing to borrow from influences, another to sound like a rediscovered tune from a classic act.

This isn’t to say that “Strategem” has no redeeming qualities. It’s like a colorful flower garden. There’s intriguing imagery, but nothing that will endure. It’s a pleasant place to spend some time, but you wouldn’t want to live there.

All in all, “Strategem” isn’t a career-affirming effort for Big Head Todd & The Monsters.

“Groove On” (East/West) — Gerald LeVert

Following in the great traditions of such seductive, emotional vocalists as Marvin Gaye, Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross comes Gerald LeVert.

The son of O’Jays member Eddie LeVert, LeVert has made a mark both as a third of the group LeVert and as a solo act.

“Groove On,” LeVert’s second solo release, only serves to embellish his growing reputation. On such heart-wrenching ballads as “I’d Give Anything” and “How Many Times” and on such seductive numbers as “Let the Juices Flow” and the title cut, he shows off an impressive range, both musically and emotionally.

LeVert has also made his rep as a producer, and that shows in the polish of “Groove On.”

Despite the inroads made by rap, hip-hop and New Jack Swing, Philly soul is alive and well in the person of Gerald LeVert. And “Groove On” proves that he’s a worthy successor to soul acts that have come before.

“Faithfull: A Collection of Her Best Recordings” (Island) — Marianne Faithfull

Marianne Faithfull is one of the few who can truly be called a rock ‘n’ roll survivor.

Girlfriend to the young Mick Jagger, Faithfull grew older quickly in an environment of sex and drugs and rock `n’ roll. A teen angel who released “As Tears Go By” in 1964, the drug-addicted Faithfull was considered a ghostly apparition by the early ’70s.

Yet she showed her creative powers remained intact with the release of “Broken English” in 1979. “Faithfull” draws on that album and four since then, revealing a woman who’s been to hell and back and lived to tell about it.

Faithfull shows her many moods on this collection, none of them happy. She’s regretful on “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan,” sexually jealous on “Why D’Ya Do It” and mournful on her version of Patti Smith’s “Ghost Dance.”

Rather than being just a footnote in Rolling Stones’ history, Faithfull has proven herself to be a musical force in her own right, with “Faithfull” shining proof.