Lou Reed
Coney Island Baby (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
RCA/Legacy
A revamped and reissued release of Reed’s 1976 album, this edition features six new cuts and liner notes penned by Reed himself. Among the previously unreleased B-side tracks that will drive Reed devotees wild are “Crazy Feeling,” “She’s My Best Friend” and “Coney Island Baby” recorded over 30 years ago with Reed’s former Velvet Underground collaborator Doug Yule. As emotionally compelling as the original release, this sonically upgraded version allows us a fascinating insight into a work, though widely respected, never given full appreciation for its groundbreaking value. Reflecting real emotions about real people, this is an earnest work that not only defies the passage of time, but transcends it.—Aly Wilansky
Elíades Ochoa
A La Casa De La Trova
Not until he was featured in the celebrated documentary film Buena Vista Social Club did guitarist and singer Elíades Ochoa catch the American imagination. To Cubans he was already known as ‘the Lion of Santiago’, a virtuoso of mythic talent. With his latest album A La Casa De La Trova, Ochoa rewards aficionados by treating a range of styles—he plays trova, sones, guarachas, and, of course, guajiras. The average listener though will simply note the spare and infectious melodies of one of the six-string’s true masters.—Mike McPhate
Friends with Money
Sony Pictures Classics
After a big, splashy opening night premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Friends with Money was suddenly lost in the shuffle of this year’s early summer blockbuster films. The small independent film, now out on DVD, is a superb, realistic drama that captures female relationships better than any episode of “Desperate Housewives.” Friends centers on Olivia (Jennifer Aniston), who is single, works as a maid, smokes pot and suffers from depression. She is supported—and judged —by her close-knit, long-time friends (Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand and Joan Cusack), who are all married and enjoying wealthy lives in Los Angeles. Throughout the film, Olivia realizes that the people she believed had everything are just as emotionally battered as she is. And each married woman realizes that she is just as messed up as Olivia. Writer-director Nicole Holofceneer (“Lovely and Amazing”) exposes uncomfortable relationship truths with a script that is real and fresh. The dialog is witty, funny and true. Holofceneer unveils their pains, insecurities and flaws in a smooth and fluid manner as the characters deal with their problems. The DVD is slim in the bonus features department but makes up for it with an audio commentary track with the director that is informative.—Paul Chi
