Chynna Phillips

Sugary, commercial pop/rock isn't necessarily a bad thing, and in fact can be fairly enjoyable in the right hands. But Wilson Phillips are much too sweet for their own good. This debut album – which amazingly went five-times platinum during the early 1990s – is about as lightweight and sophomoric as it gets. Chynna Phillips' weak singing on such homogenized, mundane fluff as "Impulsive," "The Dream Is Still Alive," and the chart-topping "Hold On" isn't even remotely convincing. Compared to Phillips' saccharine performances on "You're in Love" (another major hit) and "A Reason to Believe," even Tiffany and Debbie Gibson's debut albums have some bite.

This is a big step forward for Carnie and Wendy Wilson and Chynna Phillips. Their first album, which was a phenomenal success, was shiny and happy and upbeat for the most part; this follow-up is murkier, with denser arrangements and hooks that aren't quite as obvious on first listen. This works both for and against the group. With their soaring harmonies, they bring a joyful brassiness to the hopeful "It's Only Life," which is this album's "Hold On" – though it is far from being a blueprint. The affirmation of love on track nine, "All the Way From New York," juxtaposed with track ten, the sexy rocker "Fueled for Houston," works, and it is the brightest spot on the album.

California Dreamin' reminds us that '60s pop paragons The Mamas & The Papas had an appealing new sound, made some terrific records, and left behind a legacy that lives on more than 35 years after they called it quits. This hour-long documentary, originally aired on PBS, has all the standard elements of the genre: interviews (including some from 2004 and '05 with surviving members Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty, as well as 1986 recollections by John Phillips, who died in '01, and a few brief words from Cass Elliot, who passed away in '74), photos, home movies, and a generous helping of music clips…