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STAN RIDGWAY Anatomy (New West Records, 1999) As lead singer for the 1980s pop band. Wall of Voodoo. Stan Ridgway was behind the nasal-toned voice on the quirky radio hit "Mexican Radio'- Not to be cast off as a one- hit wonder. Ridgway has since recorded a string of solo albums with eerie songs about hard-boiled characters and dusty border towns. Recently. he's delved into film and television scoring. Anatomy. with a cover showing a pistol. a knife and a fallen lover. may well be a nod to Anatomy of a Murder. Otto Preminger's 1959 film starring Jimmy Stewart. And it would make sense: the CD's 12 tracks are filled with textural synthe- sizer effects and could easily double as a film soundtrack. Anatomy's songs conjure up the stark atmosphere of pulp murder mys- teries. with lyrics describing faded beauty queens and troubled loners ("Deep Blue Polka Don. Contributing to the cinematic quality of Anatomy. Ridgway includes three instrumental tracks. among them "Murray's Steakhouse Story.- a tense dirge that wouldn't be out of place in a 1940s thriller. Yet Ridgway is definitely a product of the 1980s. as he reminds us in "Susie before Sunrise'- Here a galumphing synthesizer duels with Reagan-era heavy metal guitar. prompting flashbacks of New Wave haircuts and narrow neckties. The Melody at Night, with You (ECM,1999) Keith Jarrett's solo piano pieces are clean and tranquil: chords change smoothly and delib- erately while melodies dance easily up and down the keyboard. unencumbered by bravado. Although Jarrett is a jazz veteran who cut his teeth with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. the Charles Lloyd Quartet and Miles Davis. he is perhaps best known for his work on solo piano. Albums such as The Koln Concert and the landmark 10-record set Sun Bear Concerts stand out as touchstones of Jarrett's distinctive sound. On The Melody at Night, with You. Jarrett continues in this meditative vein. interpreting standards by the Gershwins ("I Loves You Porgy-'. Paul Francis Webster and Duke Ellington Wild Irish Rose: -Shenandoahl. Listening to these stripped-down renditions. it's hard to fathom the Jarrett of 30 years ago when he was hammering away at a synthesizer alongside Chick Corea in Davis' fusion group. It didn't take long for Jarrett to change direction. of course. and immediately after departing Davis' group he abandoned synthesizers and electric keyboards altogether. In 1971 Jarrett started recording for ECM. the label he's still with. A year later. in 1972. he began the acclaimed improvisational concerts that yielded some of his most pop- ular recordings. forming the legacy leading to The Melody at Night, with You. Jarrett remains a versatile musician equally at ease playing classical or jazz. and again displays his formidable talent as a unique jazz stylist on this latest album. Excessive moments aside. Anatomy's cacophony of sound effects enhances < .•.. , .. ...""""'.,,--='~..,....,.,.,-,-..,-...,,..,.. ___ ~--=-=,....,.,"""~ Ridgway's well-turned lyrics. much like a good soundtrack enhances actors on screen. "'~<:;''2~jl~' n Got It Bad and That Ain't Good-) and specially arranged traditionals ("My