by MATTHEW HAYS

It’s difficult to know whether to laugh or cry at the latest incarnation of Liza Minelli. Now, the songstress and actor has returned for the umpteenth time, fresh from another stint of rehab and freshly married to another husband.

Her latest album Liza’s Back (BMG), a recording of her live comeback concert gig in New York, is an impressive collection of songs, and rest assured that her voice has remained notably strong. Though Sinatra’s recordings got weaker and weaker as he grew older—with many fans suggesting he should have thrown in the towel sooner rather than later—Liza’s vocal range, though slightly reduced, is still well worth listening to. Here, she offers up a funny/sad opener “Liza’s Back” (in which she sings about throwing away the bottles of pills and going back to AA), a couple of unfortunate numbers (including “Crying”—a big mistake) and many of her very best (“Money, Money,” “Cabaret,” “Some People,” “New York, New York”).

But then there’s the rest of her tattered persona. Just like mom, Liza seems to be teetering on the edge of another breakdown. Witness her frequent stints on Larry King Live, during which she appears like a train wreck, unfolding in ultra-slow-motion. She had a problem, she tells Larry, but groom David Gest helped her to overcome her drug and booze woes. “I didn’t really know what it was,” she told King a few months back. “Then I realized I had alcoholism, which is a disease.” Funny, but I remember her telling Phil Donahue about precisely the same revelation 11 years ago when she was promoting Steppin’ Out. I guess you’re only as good as your last rehab stint (or however that saying goes).

Then there’s hubby. Smug, self-satisfied and more than a little bit weird, it’s difficult to tell if Gest is indeed well-meaning or some kind of queer Svengali. Sitting next to him, Liza becomes the ultimate personification of vulnerability, which, I presume, is one of the factors that keeps us unendingly fascinated by, concerned for and listening to Liza. :

by GERARD DEE

The celebrated soul label Motown has definitely got the Yuletide beat locked down this season, with a couple of hot releases designed to make the perfect musical statement. First, there’s the soundtrack to the documentary about the Motown house band, the Funk Brothers. Standing in the Shadows of Motown pays tribute to these unsung musical heroes and features all surviving members, as well as musical appearances by Meshell Ndegeocello, Gerald Levert, Ben Harper, Montell Jordon, Chaka Khan and the notorious Bootsy Collins.

The Funk Brothers also make an appearance on the double disc retrospective, A Cellarful of Motown! Like the soundtrack, this release concentrates on artists who were not in the spotlight on the legendary label. With the exception of a few stars like Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder, this disc has an accent on little-known but impressive talent.

Not to worry, the label made sure not to ignore Stevie. He gets his own retrospective with The Definitive Collection. With 21 Wonder-full tracks, from 1963’s “Fingertips (Part 2)” right through to ’85’s “Part-time Lover,” it captures some of the best music ever made by arguably the biggest star Motown ever had. The set’s only shortcoming is, with Stevie, enough is never enough. So for rock-solid fans who need the full 10-minute version of “Do I Do” or other gems like “As,” don’t forget about the four-disc box set Stevie Wonder: At the Close of the Century.

A growing legend in his own right, R&B crooner Brian McKnight comes full circle on From There to Here. The disc features such McKnight classics as “One Last Cry,” “Crazy Love” and “Back at One.” The set also includes a couple of new tracks, “Let Me Love You” and “The Way I Do.”

Finally, the new sound of Motown was alive and well in ’02, so if you’re thinking stocking stuffers, don’t sleep on the debut set by Canada’s own Remy Shand, The Way I Feel; the sophomore disc by the exquisite India.Arie, Voyage to India, and Things in the Game Done Changed, the latest effort by a true renaissance soul man, Dave Hollister. Happy soul holiday! :