from MusicCoolio's Gangsta's Paradise (Tommy Boy) is not only a superior record, it also has some reach. Constructed around a glorious Stevie Wonder sample and propelled to the charts as part of the "Dangerous Minds" soundtrack, the title tune is a lament for the hood that stops safely this side of corny. Over likable beats, Coolio says believable stuff about love, family life and getting wasted every which way. And the video for "Too Hot," a song about AIDS, is a most convincing condom commercial.
Of all the teen idols in the late Fifties who couldn't decide whether to be Elvis Presley or Frank Sinatra (even Elvis was ambivalent on that one), Bobby Darin stands way above the crowd, for both his talent and his range. Writing much of his own best material, he was equally at home with rock and roll, pop and folk, which is how his boxed set As Long as I'm Singing: The Bobby Darin Collection (Rhino) is conveniently divided. He knew how to sing, and what else matters? "Splish Splash," "Dream Lover," "Mack the Knife," "Beyond the Sea" -- they're classics, and many of the 92 other cuts here should have been.
The big bands made jazz and American pop music synonymous in the Thirties. The five-CD boxed set Big Band Renaissance (Smithsonian Collection) helps explain how the swing era liberated the jazz orchestra. Compiled by bandleader Bill Kirchner, the set is separated into categories. You'll get it all -- Ellington, Basie and even Quincy Jones -- with a big punch.