Aaliyah One in Million's title aptly sums up the dichotomy between Aaliyah's vocals
and the album's songwriting. The desire to both call itself unique
and yet appear accessible and familiar splits the album into disparate
sections. Like the phrase "one in a million," the work is buried
in dead clichés and formulaic rhymes. Her love is predictably
"hot like fire," and will "take you higher." Your love, on the
other hand, is "one in a million" because it goes "on and on and
on." "It's not the things I say/ It's the way I say it," Aaliyah purrs
- truly, her voice does its best to redeem dull verses. In the
title song, her soprano trills each word of the chorus in a different
key. She moves through scales as deftly as if she were skipping
up and down a set of stairs. In "If Your Girl Only Knew," she's
like a lounging tiger, coyly teasing and refusing her prey. For
someone who was on the charts before she could vote, Aaliyah has
undeniable vocal talent that survives dreadful compositions. If
she ever gets an adequate songwriter (or learns to do it herself)
her music might someday sparkle. - Elva Ramirez It's a fact: Bob Marley won't be recording any new music. It's
also a fact that, since his death in 1981, Marley sold more albums
did while living on the planet earth. There have been three 'best
of' packages and several theme CDs (Talkin' Blues, Rebel Music) in the past few years. All of which sold well, demonstrating
not only the continuing power of Marley's music but also the public's
desire for some decent reggae. Fact of the matter is, no one has
come close to taking over the throne on which the King of Reggae,
the Honorable Robert Nesta Marley, resided for so many years.
So we keep getting new packages of old Marley music. Dreams of Freedom is the first posthumous Marley release to readily experiment
with his recordings, reworking them into ambient versions that
sound a bit like Spiritualized visits the Third World. Oddly enough,
it's an experiment that works for a couple of reasons: Marley
was such a great songwriter and singer that no spacy overdubs
or eerie-sounding background vocals can detract from that. Plus,
producer Bill Laswell has a unmistakable respect for the Tuff
Gong's music and did his best to reinterpret Marley's songs without
being exploitative. The selection of songs on Dreams of Freedom is an interesting mix. There's a few of the 'softer' Marley favorites
like a dreamy, piano-sprinkled "Waiting In Vain" - one of four
songs without Marley's vocal lead - as well as a hearty dose of
the more militant music that Island was always hesitant to promote
while Marley was alive, including "Burnin' and Lootin'," and "Them
Belly Full (But We Hungry)." On the more strident songs, Laswell
wisely took a more strident approach to the mix, with the omnipresent
reggae 'chinka-chinka' rhythm being pushed along by cosmic guitars
and echo-laden backing vocals. For new instrumental bits, Laswell
recruited some stellar musicians, including Japanese keyboardist
Tetsu Inoue and Senegalese percussionist Aiyb Dieng who add subtle,
graceful touches. Laswell wisely chose not to cut up Marley's
vocals on any of the tracks. He removed them entirely on a few
songs - letting the I-Threes wail in the background - yet the
memory of Marley's voice seems woven throughout the album, even
on the songs where it's physically absent. Some hardcore Marley fans may find this dreamy, and at times eerie
approach to his music hard to handle, but it does add something
new to the Marley mystique. Island has said that Dreams of Freedom
will be the first installment of an opened-ended series in which
various producers and remixers will reinterpret Marley's songs.
It'll be a tough act to follow. - Nicole Pensiero Lovesongs for Underdogs? How about Punk Songs for Post-Puppy Love? And, on the canine
tip, while singer/guitarist Tanya Donelly's debut solo album ain't
shoutin' out no futuristic bow wows for the atomic dogs, it is
offering more of Donelly's unique impressionistic lyrical and
musical portraits. Donelly's awkward fit in rock music history:
She's too old to riot grrrl and too smart to rock and roll. Fortunately,
in that distaff void (with some notable exceptions) between Suzi
Quatro and The Gits, Donelly had the smarts to co-found three
of the most consistently fascinating bands of the past decade:
Throwing Muses, The Breeders and Belly. What these three rock
groups had in common was a penchant for heady, humane and challenging
rock-pop. As with the two Belly albums, Lovesongs for Underdogs, although satisfying song-for-song, often finds Donelly sounding
generically "alternative." While the lyrics still often mirror
the obscure cadence of unedited Freudian sessions, the music is
less oblique and increasingly 120 Minutes-friendly. The best songs
take some chances: "Bum," featuring a throbbing drum machine fronted
by a multi-track of Tanyas; "The Bright Light," an endearing song
best self-described as "a voice so rich just the sound of it is
forever nauseating"; and "Mysteries of the Unexplained," a lilting
Smiths-like acoustic number. Only "Breathe Around You" receives
total paws down: it's a wannabe Torch Song for Pop Kids. - Arthur Lizie Yamo When God created disco and new wave, mere seasons from each other,
he probably never thought they'd commingle. But with the former's
ability to stretch the most meager beat and the latter's ability
to tart up tired old guitars, the extended rock dance mix was
born. Though former Housemartin Norman "Fat Boy" Cook and ex-Kraftwerker
Wolfgang "Yamo" Flur's music doesn't emulate the hollow synth-drum
and woodblock mixes of yore, their cheesy spiritedness does. Fat Boy Cook's Chemistry is dance music for people who hate dance music but want to dance.
It's Motown moderne. Unlike electronica's current obsession with
anger and sadness, Fat Boy makes joyful techno at its simplest
- block-rocking beats, familiar house breaks and seething high-energy
synths mix effortlessly with rock and roll. "Goin' Out of My Head"
uses the ultimate rock hook - The Who's "I Can't Explain" - and
a guitar solo straight outta Loverboy to lead you to a Muzak-like
melody. Goofy, but it works. The Beck meets Ennio Morricone whirl
of "The Weekend Starts Here" tweaks hip-hop's current electric
wine-bar piano groove obsession with a chorus that repeats the
title incessantly. How Huey Lewis. Though often reminiscent of Ryuichi Sakamoto's melodic twists
from YMO, it is the enviable hokiness of Yamo's drum tracks and
sweetly soppy lightness of being that makes this Pie both slightly kitsch and coolly tart. Moving a chirpy groove
through the grittiest analog-sounding synths, songs like "Mosquito"
and "Stereomagic" jiggle and tweet their way through your head.
"Owomonoman," with its Les Baxter 'n' Korla Pandit loopiness,
will lull you into an imaginary breeze. But don't get too comfy
on that recliner. A terror-struck "Guiding Ray" comes on like
the Velvet Underground - relentlessly pounding with off-the-beat
rhythms; aggravating enough to make you want to consult a neurologist.
Party pooper. Recorded live at Los Angeles' Mint Club all of four months ago
(on June 4), Royal Crown Revue's new release bursts from its tracks
like a winning Derby pony: with a fine-tuned, muscular sound,
relentless speed and natural grace. Their adrenaline-pumped "Barflies at the Beach" features lead
singer Eddie Nichols' words in a bracing interpretation of Louis
Prima's swing classic "Sing Sing Sing." Their rendition of jazz
standards like Duke Ellington's "The Mooch" and Johnny Mercer's
"Something's Gotta Give" shows a meticulous study of big band
swing orchestration and a fearless streak of innovative interpretation.
On "Hey Pachuco," the chemistry of urgent drum beats, stinging
brass exclamations and Nichols' luscious, masculine voice comes
close to rivaling live recordings of Ellington in concert. RCR swings so hard they could break Big Ben's pendulum - they
have that rare combination of youthful spunk and experienced finesse.
- Elva Ramirez Various Artists What's Up Matador, a double-disc set from New York-based Matador Records - who,
along with Chicago's Touch and Go and Seattle's Sub Pop, comprise
a "Holy Trinity" of sorts - set my condescending indie-rock heart
aflutter upon its arrival. Matador is a label I grew up with, and disc one, the label's 24
"Favorite Tracks," offers a history of the label and its stable's
coming of age. Kicking off with "Tom Courtenay," by Matador band
number one Yo La Tengo, and spinning through tunes by Pavement,
Superchunk, Pizzicato Five, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The
Fall, Guided by Voices, and a dizzying lineup of other "classics,"
the compilation's first half is basically a hit parade for bands
without hits. But the slightly self-aggrandizing first disc is countered by humility; disc two
is a collection of 20 unreleased tracks - less-guarded moments
and tongue-in-cheek outtakes from the bands I grew to love and
love less as others loved them more. Pavement covers Echo & the
Bunnymen's "Killing Moon" with Steve Malkmus adding impromptu
lyrics: "Cucumber, cabbage, he's the yo-yo man." Jon Spencer begs
you to "Dig My Shit," and Pizzicato Five wraps things up with
"Happy Birthday," written for a Japanese commercial and bearing
no resemblance to the party standard. Jet Set, a smaller indie label also based in New York, is less
established than mighty Matador and offers a more narrow focus.
Songs For the Jet Set is a 12-song comp featuring the efforts of six bands firmly based
in the Holly Golightly '50s - it's equal parts Henry Mancini and
Brasil '66. Tomorrow's World offers up the samba-licious "Leslie
Phillips in Santiago" and Loveletter will get veterans' panties
in a bunch with "Barbarella." Wallpaper goes clavichord kooky
on their eponymous track and South American Getaway follow suit
on "Expo Tenerife." There's not much stylistic diversity here,
and as far as new spins on old forms, well, there's one or two.
Throw this on at a party after Whipped Cream and Other Delights and you won't miss a beat.
One in a Million (Blackground/Atlantic)
Bob Marley
Dreams of Freedom: Ambient Translation of Bob Marley in Dub (Island)
Tanya Donelly
Lovesongs for Underdogs (Reprise)
Fat Boy Slim
Better Living Through Chemistry (Astralwerks)
Time Pie (Hypnotic)
Royal Crown Revue
Caught in the Act (Surfdog)
Various Artists
What's Up Matador (Matador)
Songs For the Jet Set (Jet Set)