Dig These Discs :: Pink and Celine Dion

P!NK: FUNHOUSE

In her fifth studio album, the shape shifting pop star known as P!nk chronicles the breakup and ultimate divorce from ex-husband Carey Heart with decidedly bi-polar results. Sure, the infectious break anthem "So What" could easily stand up to Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone" on a bad day. Similarly, "I don't Believe You" would make an excellent pop companion piece to "Who Knew."

Still, P!nk's new album is either hooky hits or introspective ballads, and it's a bit of an odd mix. "Sober", the rumored second single, is odd and uninvolving. However, the lead single and "Bad Influence" prove she can get take over radio and get a crowd riled. Furthermore, the vulnerable, beautiful "Glitter in the Air" and "Crystal Ball" convey genuine pain and heartbreak, and P!nk is unique in that her raw vocals literally can sear into the soul, an unlikely effect from a pop songstress. Some of those quiet moments reveal potential, but on the whole, "Funhouse" is a missed opportunity.

MY LOVE: CELINE DION

Attention Celine Dion fans, those who haven't yet pick up a greatest hits collection from the divine diva may want to read this. "My Love" spans the record breaking artist's catalogue of love songs and offers up the best of the best. The album actually closely mirrors her current tour which is now playing throughout the United States. New recording "There Comes a Time" offers up more of the same power ballad formula that has made Celine a worldwide phenomenon, if a bit mundane.

The live recording of "My Love" is a bit more interesting. The Linda Perry written track apparently brings Dion to tears when sung, as exhibited here. All of the other hits are here, including "The Power of Love", "It's All Coming Back to Me", and "Beauty and the Beast" among them. Still, "The Prayer", a goosebump inducing duet with Andrea Bocelli, is sorely missed, as is Celine's collaboration with Frank Sinatra on "All the Way." Minor flaws aside, this is still a pretty solid comprehensive collection on the whole.