Capitol Nashville
The hype surrounding "Sevens" was curtailed somewhat when it was announced that the album would not be released to coincide with Garth Brooks' Central Park concert last summer. Although publicly it was attributed to the change-over in management at Capitol Records, doubts were raised about the quality of the album itself.
With the release of "Sevens," Garth Brooks successfully silences these rumors. The 14-track album is his finest in years.
Often, country music is labeled as all being the same, lacking creativity and ingenuity. This album goes against that stereotype and thrives on its musical diversity.
It does contain more traditional country songs such as "Longneck Bottle," "Cowboy Cadillac," and "She's Gonna Make It." Even these tracks, however, contain the same crossover elements that have helped make Brooks' music famous.
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| Country superstar Garth Brooks returns to the top with the long-delayed "Sevens," an album that was initially to be released to coincide with Brooks' free concert in Central Park four months ago. |
With yet another twist of musical styles comes the track "Two Pina Coladas." If the title doesn't give it away, the track has the feel of a Jimmy Buffett tune.
Like all of Garth Brooks' music, one thing does remain true to country music - his trademark singing voice. His ability to sing intense emotional lyrics in a country key has made him truly a legend. It has also made the words he sings memorable. Practically all of the songs on this album showcase his voice but there are a few tracks that clearly stand out above the rest.
The rousing "How You Ever Gonna Know," with its inspirational words - "How you ever gonna know / If you never dare to try" - is a fast-paced tune that produces a memorable foot-stomping chorus.
But as in the past, it's the slow songs where his voice is really given a chance to shine. "I Don't Have To Wonder," a song about having someone you love marry someone else, starts off somber and than climaxes with "I took your ring from my pocket / And I held it one last time / Watched the diamond sparkle / I drew back and let her fly." The intensity in which these words are sung is enough to drive even the toughest of cowboys to tears. Another track that has this intense emotional level is "A Friend to Me." This track is even more uplifting.
This album also includes Brooks' now legendary duet with Trisha Yearwood (a former backing vocalist of Brooks'), "In Another's Eyes." Already a hit due to its release on Yearwood's best of compilation, it tops an already solid list of tunes.
"Sevens" comes when Garth Brooks is perhaps most needing of another great album. With it, he proves his ability to maintain himself as a true country superstar.
- Curtis Zimmermann
Mercury Records
It may come as a shock to some, but all rappers from New York don't sound like Bad Boy, The Firm or Jay-Z. In fact, those performers are more the exception than the rule. Most rappers from New York have spurned radio and crossover appeal in favor of more conventional B-boy material. Nas and Mic Geronimo followed this path in both of their now-classic debut albums ("Illmatic" and "The Natural," respectively), as did Mobb Deep and Capone 'n' Noriega.
Mercury recording artist Diamon D also goes this route with "Hatred, Passions, and Infidelity," his sophomore effort.
If you're looking for catchy R&B dance songs or superficial, materialistic Mafia raps, look elsewhere. Diamon D flies in the face of hip-hop trends, and sticks to the formula that made him and his D.I.T.C. crew (which includes rap veterans Lord Finesse, Big L, Showbiz & A.G., Fat Joe, and O.C.) into one of the most respected crews in the Rap industry: raw, no-frills beats, tough-as-nails battle rhymes, some ghetto commentary, a little bit of ghetto serenade and a lot of D.I.T.C.'s trademark "New York guntalk." There's nothing fancy or lavish about songs like the melodic "Flowin,'" and Big L has a special message for crossed-over rappers on the vicious "5 Fingas of Death" (which features the rest of the D.I.T.C. crew).
As the name of their crew implies, Diamon D digs deep in the crates, putting together the most raw grooves from the most obscure music tracks. You'll be able to find only one song on this album that sounds exactly like the song it sampled (the cheesy "Cream 'n' Sunshine") and that is the only throwaway song on the album. Each beat complements Diamon D's flow perfectly, such as the relaxed "This One," and the bombastic "The Hiatus."
The previously mentioned D.I.T.C. crew (namely Fat Joe, A.G., Big L, and Lord Finesse) represent very well, but this album is also blessed by the vocals of A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg, super producer Pete Rock, and Sadat X, as well as on-album endorsements from Kid Capri and Busta Rhymes. Out of all of these guest appearances, though, the most impressive ones are from Diamon D's protégés John Dough, Don Barron, and K Terroribul. These are three MC's you definitely need to be on the lookout for in the future.
Of course, an album like this isn't for everybody. Only the fans of real, classic, New York hip-hop will be able to appreciate the freestyle-type flows of "Gather Round" and "K.T.," or the funky, upbeat "Can't Keep my Grands to Myself," or the ghetto play-by-play of "No Wondah." Others won't be able to get with the fact that the theme of the album isn't catchy R&B-styled songs or cookie-cutter party songs that make you get up and dance. In fact, MTV and most radio stations wouldn't touch an album like "Hatred, Passions, and Infidelity" with a ten-foot pole ... and real hip-hop fans wouldn't have it any other way.
- JuQuan Williams
Evildoers Beware!
Hopeless Records
Some say it's just generic punk-ska music. Others swear they're the best band in the state. Whichever way you call it, Mustard Plug has put out a fun, catchy record that will not disappoint.
It's hard to believe that any good music comes out of the Michigan area, but with the mild success of punkers Suicide Machines, and now the good, fun-loving boys of Mustard Plug, Detroit looks to be a hotbed of talent for up-and-coming ska-flavored bands.
"Evildoers Beware!" tends not to be too serious, which lends to its charm. The production, for a micro-indie release, is stellar, and makes the record all that much more enjoyable. "Box" opens the album. It starts out as just a tale of a guy in a box, but includes a very subtle social commentary: "Look at yourself / You're living the same / Locked behind walls that your brother has made / You were born in a box, you work in a box, you live in a box / and you'll die in a box / so much more that's outside your sphere / But you walk on by never knowing how near."
The entire album is filled with horns, catchy choruses, and a lot of great rhythms, although at times the songs start to sound a little bit alike. Some of the highlights include the funny "Miss Michigan," the driving rhythms of "Beer (Song)" and "Suburban Homesick Blues."
In the midst of all the crappy local bands that shoot all throughout the Detroit area, it's good to see that a band with a grasp of what talent is actually exists. Mustard Plug has a dedicated and rowdy fan base, and it's no wonder with the songs that comprise "Evildoers Beware!" in its arsenal. Soon, other states might start to catch a whiff of the Mustard Plug, too.
- Colin Bartos
Atlantic
Anyone who's looking for the same rock riffing that one would find on any standard Stone Temple Pilots record will not be disappointed by the self-titled, first release by Talk Show.
The STP side project currently features everyone in the band, minus lead singer Scott Weiland.
Apparently, this recording was made last year while the rest of the band had a lot of time on their hands due to Weiland's stint in rehab.
Although the album features some very catchy guitar riffs, one can't help to think about whether this record is more of an audition for lead singer Dave Coutts than an experiment by the rest of the band.
You might also be either happy or pathetically disturbed to find out that Coutts tries to even sound like Weiland throughout most of the album - and we all know how experimental and original Stone Temple Pilots are with their real lead singer.
Therefore, what we are left with is a band who is undeniably musically talented, but lacks a sense of originality due to the fact that they recruited a new lead singer that sounds just like their old one.
That's not to say that this record is without its high points.
The extremely catchy first single, "Hello, Hello," may be power pop at its finest, with a melodic hook that disguises its contrived lyrical content ("Fractured fairy on the funny page / Southern belle she's on the northern stage").
The same can be said for much of the album, most notably on the very tongue-in-cheekily titled "Everybody Loves My Car," a song that scores on melodic content but fails to connect on an emotionally sincere level due to trite lyrics such as "Broken records play / Shoes left out all day."
One can't help but feel that both STP and Talk Show (and believe me, they are the same) come across as a group of musicians who had to shear their heavy metal mane once Nirvana rendered the likes of Ratt and Mötley Crüe obsolete.
It would be a legitimate assumption to say that the debut of Talk Show and STP for that matter, proves that these musicians are heavily influenced by '70s guitar rock and that they even attempt to expand on their sound by trying to put an "alternative" spin on their main influences.
What results is often a sound that is irrefutably tight and well produced but lacks heart and conviction that make lyricists like Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli the best in the business.
- Lucas Rakocija
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| When Stone Temple Pilots' vocalist Scott Weiland, second from left, entered rehab, his bandmates recorded an album under the pseudonym Talk Show. |
12-10-97
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