Reviews: Kevin Federline, Willie Nelson

Reviews: Kevin Federline, Willie Nelson

Kevin Federline 'Playing With Fire': Aidin Vaziri | If we reviewed this CD, we would have to acknowledge that Kevin Federline is a legitimate artist and not just some former backup dancer with a penchant for cigarettes and strippers who bum-lucked his way into marrying Britney Spears and making her babies. We would also have to pretend to forget all the other milquetoast rappers that came before him -- Vanilla Ice, Snow, 3rd Bass, Ugly Duckling, House of Pain -- and listen with open ears. And, finally, we would have to sit through songs like "America's Most Hated" and "Lose Control" (which inexplicably includes the lyrics "This is that hip-hop flava with a little rock 'n' roll") without losing our breakfast. There is no way any of that is going to happen.

Willie Nelson 'Songbird': Aidin Vaziri | There was a time when the idea of getting Willie Nelson into the studio with Ryan Adams would have inspired open-mouthed ecstasy. But with what seems like 17 albums between them released in just the past year, now it feels as if the label mates simply don't have anything better to do. It couldn't possibly feel more disjointed, with Adams and his band the Cardinals pressing their current fetishes -- Grateful Dead-style noodling and amplified rock 'n' roll -- upon an oddly submissive Nelson. The collaborators trample through Gram Parsons' "$1000 Wedding" and the Dead's "Stella Blue" before declaring an uneasy truce on a couple of vintage Nelson originals and a passable cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." If they thought they were pulling a Johnny Cash, they should seriously think again.