C'est La Vie -
Henri Dikongué
Pop/Rock, review by j. poet
"C'est La Vie" tips its hat to the international cadences of the African
Diaspora by embracing reggae, samba, salsa, soul and jazz as well as the
expected Cameroonian rhythms of makossa and bikutsi. (04/08/98)
Night and the City - Charlie Haden and Kenny Barron
Pop/rock, review by j. poet
Those currently enamored with the ironic hipness and faux feeling of the
Lounge Revival should give "Night and the City" a listen to find out what
real sophistication is all about.
(03/30/98)
Paint It, Blue: Songs of the
Rolling Stones -Various Artists
Pop/rock review by David Pulizzi
It must be a pleasure for the Rolling Stones to sit back on the tour jet
with "Paint It, Blue" on the headphones, listening in wonder as their old
heroes chase their coattails for a change
(12/10/97)
Classics for moderns
Classical, review by Tim Riley
Ten new classical music recordings that even a novice will want to own. (7/15/96)
Han-Na Chang, cello
Classical, review by Tim Riley
The masterful debut CD from cello whiz-kid Han-Na Chang. (11/18/96)
Through the Trees - Handsome Family
Pop/Rock, review by Randall Roberts
The third record by the husband-and-wife duo of Brett and Rennie Sparks,
a.k.a. The Handsome Family, "Through the Trees" is emotionally wrecked
music for nature lovers.
(03/04/98)
Happy Birthday to Me - The Muffs
Pop/Rock, review by Patricia Romano
With Courtney Love having shed her smeared lipstick and baby-doll
dresses for Armani suits and a nice disposition, The Muffs' Kim Shattuck
takes over as punk Princess. (05/24/97)
Never Home - Freedy Johnston
Pop/Rock, review by Scott Rosenberg
On his third songwriting masterpiece in a row, Johnston keeps his bleakly
beautiful songs from wafting into the ether.(3/12/97)
Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 - The Who
Pop/Rock, review by Scott Rosenberg
The Who live at the Isle of Wight: An angry, soaring "Tommy" (12/20/96)
Perfect From Now On - Built To Spill
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Rosenthal
They're "Perfect From Now On": Built to Spill's guitar-rock masterpiece (01/30/97)
1987-1991 Box Set - Galaxie 500
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Rosenthal
Defunct minimalists rock on in 4-CD set. (11/15/96)
Hazel - Red Krayola
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Rosenthal
Art rock pioneers "The Red Krayola": Drunken, inspired poetry (12/16/96)
The Will to Live - Ben Harper
Pop/Rock, review by Michael E. Ross
Ben Harper understands the breadth of modern music's vocabulary, from folk
to urban blues, reggae to rock, and "The Will to Live," Harper's diverse
and occasionally brilliant new album, signals his arrival at an impressive
command of that vocabulary. (07/01/97)
Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan - Chaka Khan
Pop/Rock, review by Michael E. Ross
Sizzling tribute to a funk goddess. (11/21/96)
New World Order - Curtis Mayfield
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Michael Ross
After a tragic accident, Curtis Mayfield returns with a triumphant new R&B album.
Text-only version. (10/14/96)
Older - George Michael
Pop/Rock, review by Michael E. Ross
Pop smoothie George Michael returns from a rough trip through corporate no-man's-land. (5/20/96)
Revenge! - Charles Mingus
Jazz/R&B, review by Michael E. Ross
A rare recording captures Charles Mingus and his group at a pivotal moment -- in 1964 Paris, on the eve of saxophonist Eric Dolphy's departure from the band. (7/1/96)
Peace Beyond Passion - Me'Shell Ndegeocello
Hip-hop/R&B, review by Michael Ross
Me'Shell Ndegeocello's "Peace Beyond Passion" gives society's hot buttons a polished push. (7/22/96)
Wilderness - Tony Williams
Jazz/R&B, review by Michael E. Ross
The creative spirit of Tony Williams, the late jazz drummer and father of
fusion, is captured on "Wilderness." (3/10/97)
Slow Dirty Tears The Hangovers
Pop/Rock, review by Roni Sarig
Like Dylan's Grammy winner, the Hangover's "Slow Dirty Tears" is an
understated and unexpected gem. (04/27/98)
Easy Listening For Armageddon - Mike Ladd
Pop/Rock, review by Roni Sarig
While "Easy Listening" is full of trip-hop's musical signposts, the tracks
are always spare and elastic enough to accommodate what's really trippy:
Ladd's free-form, stream-of-conscious, over-the-top and deep-down-inside
verse.
(07/24/97)
Too Far To Care - Old 97's
Pop/Rock, review by Roni Sarig
Sure they've got the Texas pedigree, the Western shuffle beat, and the blue
yodels to qualify them for coverage in the No Depression zine, but based on
their major label debut "Too Far To Care," the Old 97's is pop, not
alt-country.
(08/18/97)
Arkology - Lee Scratch Perry
Pop/Rock, review by Roni Sarig
As both a producer and all-around demented genius, the Jamaican-born Lee
"Scratch" Perry is without peer. Though "Arkology" captures only a fragment
of his career that spans five decades, it includes some of his best work.
(08/07/97)
The Mollusk - Ween
Pop/Rock, review by Roni Sarig
Made both before and after the water pipes burst in their winter beach
house/studio, it's no surprise that Ween's "The Mollusk" is thoroughly
soaked with wet metaphors -- but the best part is hearing how much fun Gene
and Dean are still having. (07/03/97)
"Curtains" - Tindersticks
Pop/Rock, review by Allen Sheetz
Irony and pathos -- strange bedfellows in contemporary British pop music --
commingle like ingredients in an extra dry martini on the London-based
Tindersticks' third full-length release, the crafty and pointillistic
"Curtains."
(07/16/97)
Crescent City Soul - Various Artists
Jazz/R&B, review by Tony Scherman
A new four-CD box, "Crescent City Soul" digs deeply into the hot, soulful world of New Orleans r&b. (4/6/96)
Kundun: Music From the Original Soundtrack - Philip Glass
Pop/Rock, review by Jack Skelley
Tibetan instruments deepen and enrich Philip Glass' minimalist style,
resulting in what is perhaps Scorsese's most strangely satisfying
soundtrack since Peter Gabriel scored his "Last Temptation of Christ."
(01/09/98)
Bohemian Rhapsodies - Leila Josefowicz with the Academy of St. Martin in The Fields, Sir Nevill Marriner
Classical, review by Jack Skelley
Leila Josefowicz, a lovely 19-year-old, is part of the recent crop of
cover-girl violinists. Reaction to her latest Philips album, "Bohemian
Rhapsodies," is mixed, but perhaps she deserves the success she's getting.(08/14/97)
Old friends -Simon & Garfunkel
Pop/Rock review by Jack Skelley
Captured here, Simon & Garfunkel's tone -- perfectly pre-Nixon, pre-sexual
revolution, pre-cultural chaos -- crystallizes a more wistful zeitgeist
(11/26/97)
Immigrant Sons - The Farmdogs
Pop/rock, review by Rennie Sparks
If you've ever wondered why Bernie Taupin remained in Elton John's
shadow,Taupin's new CD with his side project, The Farmdogs, does much to
answer the question
(02/09/98)
Live at Soldier Field - The Rolling Stones
Pop/Rock, review by Rennie Sparks
It was hard not to love the Stones when they played at Chicago's Soldier
Field Tuesday night. At the concert that kicked off their long-awaited
world tour, the rock icons were clearly aiming to please (09/25/97)
Low Estate - 16 Horsepower
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
16 Horsepower: hellfire-and-brimstone pop
(01/26/98)
Immobile - Autour de Lucie
Pop/rock, review by Natasha Stovall
The latest from the French pop band Autour de Lucie sounds like everything
the Cranberries should be, with none of that band's taste for pretension
(02/24/98)
American Teenage Rock-n-Roll Machine - The Donnas
Pop/rock, review by Natasha Stovall
The Donnas may say they're "Seventeen, and already going nowhere" -- but
their kickass music says otherwise
(02/10/98
Yeah, It's That Easy - G-Love and Special Sauce
Pop/Rock review by Natasha Stovall
G-Love returns to the original spirit of jamming with his soulful new
"Yeah, It's That Easy."
(11/11/97)
My Soul - Coolio
Rap/hip-hop, review by Natasha Stovall
Coolio has an ear for using just the right musical spark on his knockout
new album, "My Soul," jamming with samples as if they were other
instruments, but never letting himself be carried by them.
(09/05/97)
Do It Yourself - The Seahorses
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
A passel of English blokes as dedicated to the revival of opulent '60s Brit-pop as John Squire's Stone Roses ever were,the Suire-fronted Seahorses rev up jangly guitars and fat choral vocals like Vespa scooters on "Do It Yourself." (06/24/97)
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Michael Brook Remixed - Star Rise
Pop/rock, review by Natasha Stovall
The South Asian/British DJs on "Star Rise: Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn and
Michael Brook Remixed," implicitly understand the connection between Qawwali
worship music and the modern dance floor
(02/23/98)
"Jackie Brown" Original Soundtrack - Various Artists
Soundtrack review by Natasha Stovall
Featuring 13 songs plucked from the late '60s/early '70s black soft-soul
golden years, the "Jackie Brown" soundtrack showcases Quentin Tarentino's
near unrivaled skill in making a mix-tape
(12/22/97)
Anthology: The Colpix Years By Nina Simone
Jazz/R&B, review by Steven Stolder
Three decades of rage and passion: A sterling Nina Simone collection (12/19/96)
Preemptive Strike - DJ Shadow
Pop/rock, review by Natasha Stovall
Fusing hip-hop break beats with forays into soul, funk, jazz, new age,
classical and real-life-whatnot, DJ Shadow takes us down long, winding
rivers of sound on "Preemptive Strike."
(02/04/98)
Retrograde - Friends of Dean Martinez
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
If nothing else, the Friends of Dean Martinez are sincere as hell --
lounge lizards without the sneer and drifters without the con, who
thankfully leave irony out of their repertoire on the instrumental
"Retrograde."(07/14/97)
Butch - Geraldine Fibbers
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
It's hard to draw a straight line between where the Geraldine Fibbers' punk
roots end and their country obsession begins, but on their new, nearly
perfect, "Butch," both camps are equally represented.
(07/31/97)
Let it Come Down - James Iha
Pop/rock, review by Natasha Stovall
Iha has everything a good songwriter needs: nuance, sensitivity, nice
words, an ear for melody and that sixth sense for conceiving tunes
impossible to get out of one's head
(03/11/98)
Ghostyhead - Rickie Lee Jones
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
More than anything else that she does, it's Ricki Lee Jones' singing that
drives people into paroxysms of worship, and on "Ghostyhead" -- a mix of
hip-hop, electronica and experimental music -- it's still her voice that
provides the most transcendent moments. (06/27/97)
"Drag" - k. d. lang
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
k.d. lang knows that when it comes to love we all have addictive
personalities: "Everyone thinks that they know what they want," she
breathes on "Drag," her new album of covers. "But sometimes your drug
chooses you." (06/16/97)
Carnival - Wyclef Jean featuring Refugee Camp All-Stars
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
Fugee Wyclef Jean's "Carnival" is a collection of intricately mixed tracks
that weaves traditional Caribbean music with healthy chunks of classic pop
chestnuts and endless samples so fleetingly familiar, they dance right on
the tip of your tongue.
(07/25/97)
Contents Under Pressure - Various Artists
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by D. Strauss
Who dropped the Bomb? The "Contents Under Pressure" compilation oddly normalizes hip-hop's avant-garde (08/26/99)
Dig Your Own Hole - Chemical Brothers
Pop/Rock, review by Terri Sutton
With its hip-hop influenced hybrid of techno and rock, the Chemical
Brothers' "Dig Your Own Hole" is dangerous enough to seduce all your sullen
guitar diehards into crashing the all-night disco party. (04/09/97)
Springtime - Freakwater
Pop/Rock, review by Terri Sutton
Born before country went "insurgent", Freakwater has flown the flag of
righteous imagination for going on five albums, and on their latest, they
complicate country music's standard issues from evil to workers' revolt
(01/23/98)
So We Go - The Hang Ups
Pop/Rock, review by Terri Sutton
With their graceful,frisky hooks, melancholic choirboy harmonies, and
pensive moods, the Hang Ups show they're proudly twee, cheerfully sensitive
and shamelessly addicted to beauty on "So We Go." (05/09/97)
Raw Deluxe - Jungle Brothers
Rap/Hip-hop, review by Terri Sutton
As usual, the New York rappers The Jungle Brothers -- who introduced Tribe
Called Quest and inspired De La Soul -- can't help but come up with catchy
refrains and slamming beats on "Raw Deluxe." (06/04/97)
The Fawn - The Sea and Cake
Pop/Rock, review by Terri Sutton
The Sea and Cake has jilted New Wave bounce and tickle for a more subdued,
almost atmospheric groove on "The Fawn." (04/04/97)
On Holiday - Tony Bennett
Jazz/R&B, review by Charles Taylor
Tony Bennett's beautifully weathered tribute to Billie Holiday. (2/6/97)
Life - The Cardigans
Pop, review by Charles Taylor
The Cardigans' American debut, "Life," evokes the spark and fantasy of pop at its best. (4/6/96)
To the Faithful Departed - The Cranberries
Pop, review by Charles Taylor
On "To the Faithful Departed," the Cranberries' craftsmanship gets buried beneath a wave of socially conscious gruel. (5/6/96)
Coming Up - London Suede
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
With a pop craft so confident, it's hard to resist, the London Suede
attempt to navigate the fine line between the discontents of pop culture
and its pleasures on "Coming Up." (04/18/97)
Miracle of Science - Marshall Crenshaw
Pop, review by Charles Taylor
Although out with the in-crowd, Marshall Crenshaw is a master of pop song-craft. (7/29/96)
Cut You - Penelope Houston
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
In "Cut You," Penelope Houston, formerly of the ur-punk band The Avengers, delivers psychotic lyrics in a soft, pleasant tone. (3/9/96)
Evolution - Martina McBride
Country, review by Charles Taylor
Martina McBride may be capable of more genuine emotion than any female
singer working in country pop right now, and her latest album, "Evolution,"
is a set of empowerment songs delivered by a singer with the chops -- and,
what's more important, the passion -- to plumb romantic loss and confusion
and resentment.
(09/18/97)
Meet the Real You - Noise Addict
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
The sound of 10,000 kids with guitars (1/27/96)
"Resigned" - Michael Penn
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
For a (more or less) sensitive-guy/singer-songwriter, Michael Penn has an
appealingly untrustworthy side. Combining his self-possessed singing style
with orchestrated pop, he becomes both Romeo in black jeans and
Casanova in a double-breasted suit on "Resigned."
(08/08/97)
The Glass Intact - Sarge
Pop/rock, review by Charles Taylor
"The Glass Intact" offers the exhilaration of hearing a young band
find their voice and the satisfaction of feeling you're being talked
to honestly, directly, as an adult, free to join the conversation
(03/20/98)
Nearly God - Tricky
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Charles Taylor
An ominous beat and vague fantasies of utopia from trip-hop artist Tricky. (8/5/96)
Sweet Sixteen - Royal Trux
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
The Royal scam: '70s boogie from post-punk pranksters (2/19/96)
Lisa Stansfield - Lisa Stansfield
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
On her recent self-titled release, Lisa Stansfield makes mature make-out
music and some of the lushest dance music around.
(08/01/97)
Nearly God - Tricky
Rap/Hip-Hop, review by Charles Taylor
An ominous beat and vague fantasies of utopia from trip-hop artist Tricky (8/5/96)
Pop - U2
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
U2's "Pop" gives the nod to electronica and captures the end-of-the
millenium moment.(3/13/97)
Just Say Noel - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
Beck, Aimee Mann and Sonic Youth warble Xmas classics. (12/10/96)
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