Grape gets 'Stupid' with second CD

REVIEW
	Black Grape Stupid Stupid Stupid Radioactive Reviewed by Daily Arts Writer Aaron Rennie

Likewise, Black Grape frontman/guiding force Shaun Ryder is a versatile performer - he plays Sean Connery's bad guy sidekick "Bully Boy" in the forthcoming "The Avengers," and comfortably unleashes his mean hybrid of rock, dance, funk and hip-hop for club kids and soccer hooligans alike - yet he is completely out of his head at all times.

This is a man whose rap sheet for drug busts was so long that he temporarily couldn't get a visa to tour the U.S. in 1996, so instead he entertained American journalists in communist Cuba. This is the same man whose tour bus was pulled over by police officers who smelled pot inside, so Ryder decided to wake up his tour manager by turning on a chainsaw in front of his face (he was unsuccessful).

Ryder and his Black Grape bandmates - rappers Kermit and Psycho, guitarist Wags, keyboardist/saxophonist Martin Slattery, drummer Ged Lynch and bassist/producer Danny Saber - continue their merry partying ways on their sophomore album, "Stupid Stupid

Courtesy of Radioactive Records Shaun Ryder has two major roles in 1998: He's frontman of Black Grape and sidekick in "The Avengers."

Stupid." Like the group's '95 debut, "It's Great When You're Straight ... Yeah," "Stupid Stupid Stupid" contains bawdy humor, catchy choruses and danceable rhythms.

The album commences with "Get Higher," recently featured on "The Jackal" soundtrack. In addition to its funky beats and Ryder's falsetto on the chorus, the song is notable for its Ronald Reagan impersonator, who says, "Tonight I can report to you that former President Bush smokes marijuana regularly. And there's one more thing: Nancy and I are hooked on heroin."

Not for the prudish or faint of heart, the following track, "Squeaky," includes one of "Stupid Stupid Stupid"'s numerous sexual allusions: "I wanna get cheeky with you / I wanna get squeaky inside you." In his strong Manchester accent, however, it sounds like, "I wanna get jiggy with you," but I digress.

Saber, who has also produced the likes of David Bowie and the Rolling Stones, does a fine job layering the song's big riff with the throaty ragga rap of Kermit, giving the tune a commendable balance of urban hardness and Caribbean bounce.

"Dadi Waz A Badi" is a fantastic track, which will be a sure-fire fiesta fave if it is ever given proper exposure. The chorus - "You got it / I want it / You know I'm gonna get it" - is just as catchy as that of one-hit-wonder Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping," except about a million times less annoying. All the instruments mesh perfectly, while the admittedly less-than-Dylanesque lyric, "My daddy was a good guy, he wore a good guy's hat / Any chick with massive tits my dad just had to shag," will likely produce a chuckle or two.

Other highlights include "Spotlight," an uplifting love (?!) song complete with horn flourishes, and "Lonely," a winning remake of Frederick Knight's 1972 soul hit, "I've Been Lonely For So Long." And despite a couple of filler tracks and Ryder's frequently out-of-whack vocals and questionable lyrics, "Stupid Stupid Stupid" is definitely a worthwhile investment if you're in the mood for good, dirty fun.

02-24-98