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November, 1999 |
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November, 1999 |
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FEATURES Interview
with Glen Danzig Departments
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RATT Ratt (Portrait) The boys are back for more with their latest CD simply titled, RATT. The members may have changed, but the music is better than ever. This CD is filled with radio rock anthems like "Live For Today", "So Good So Fine" and "Over The Edge." Warren DiMartini demonstrates his searing guitar solos and combined with Stephen Pearcy's vocals, Robbie Crane's heart pounding bass and Bobby Blotzer's drums - it is clear to see that these guys haven't lost any momentum. They are still in your face with this offering, produced by Richie Zito and featuring eleven new songs. Along with their own songs are collaborations with top song writers like Mark Hudson, Taylor Rhodes and Jack Blades. "Gave Up Giving Up" has been referred to as a neo-Van Halen (circa Van Hagar) romp that captures the defiant mood and energy that made heavy metal so enticing in the first place. RATT fans will love this CD... those who didn't expect much from these guys on their second time around might be surprised by the group's in your face rock 'n' roll... -Michelle M. Biggs DANZIG 6:66 Satan's Child (Evilive9/E-Magine) Darkness, Sex, Evil, and Rock -n- Roll all out of control equal Danzig 6:66 Satans Child. Only few people with the exception of Glen Danzig that can present themselves in this way. It's been three years from Danzig's last release, but this marks his come back in full force. Sure, it's still a bit different from Danzig of yester-year, but a good portion rocks just as much if not somewhat better. I feel this release is a much better effort from blackacidevil (Danzig 5). I think what Danzig did with this release was take the new sound they were trying to achieve in their previous album, and coach it and give it much more direction giving listeners more emphasis with these melodies of mayhem. With former band members Eerie Von and John Christ gone solo, Danzig shows up this time with newer members Lazie on bass and Joey C. on drums who both happen to not be to shabby. The CD opens with " Five Finger Crawl" a killer tune followed up by other cool tunes like "Lilin", "Cult Without a Name", "Cold Eternal" and "Apokolips" among a few more. The typical heavy guitars, the werewolf like howls and earth-shattering macho shrieks are still here with cool inside visuals. The way it sounds Danzig is just trying to change its musical sound slightly to go along with the change in times. The way others have tried to change their sounds to grow and "mature" such as ummm...Metalli ...Mega...uh...the Scorpio...oh nevermind, I won't go there. This release proves Danzig victorious musically and as a bonus the CD also has a killer eye-grabbing cover created by comic book artist Simon Bisley. With this release Danzig knew in what direction they wanted to go and the effort shows. - Jason Elkins SHOESTRING Representin' Til The World Ends (Tommy Boy Records) Shoestring hails from Flint, MI and is down with da Midwest's hottest rap mafia, Dayton Family. Like Dayton Family, Shoestring's topics range from snitch eradication ("Snitch Killer", "Take That M.F."), a love story ("Following A Star"), eulogizing dead homies ("Twist Up And Roll"), yearning for the almighty dollar ("Greedy") and lyrical bragging ("Elie"). Producers Steve Pitts, George Pierce and Cory Peterson bring the cliche' eerie pianos, whining synthesizers, bubbling bass, and uptempo beats to Shoestring's hardcore bravado, which may bore rap listeners outside of Shoestring's area code or state. The group's car-bumpin', "crunked-out" fans might revel in Shoe-string's gritty rep of "doing dirt" in his hometown, but musically and lyrically speaking, he almost represented wackness on this CD. - Trent Fitzgerald MELISSA FERRICK Everything I Need (What Are Records?) Melissa Ferrick's third studio effort, Everything I Need, is exceptional. Drummer extraordinaire Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting, Frank Zappa) and guitarist/ producer Rob Laufer (Fiona Apple) help make this album a rich, dynamic work. I love Ferrick's style and how she doesn't try to make life's simple lessons more complicated than they are. Their simplicity, like the songs in this album, does not correspond to their worth. Every emotion Ferrick set out to capture in this album she did.wonderfully. Although many of her songs were quite serious, some were also light-hearted. "Asking For Love," a song about a girl alone in a bar approached by eager men, was one of my favorites and had me laughing out loud. Every woman will relate to the lyrics, "Hey wait a minute, what makes you think you're what I came for.I came here to drink!" At only 28, it's quite obvious this Massachusetts native has already lived (suffered), enough to learn the truths that are only found through disappointments. Fortunately for us, and Ferrick, her struggles have not broken her - but made her into an even stronger woman, armed with her newly-learned wisdom and confidence to face the future straight in the eye. This album is exploding with the sounds of someone who has been reborn and sees the world through new eyes. I think this is only the beginning of a lot more great music to come from Ferrick. - Brianna Piec brianna@entertainmentpress.com PUFF DADDY Forever (Bad Boy/Arista) Philosopher Herman Melville once said: "A man has who never failed cannot be great." Which may speak to Puff Daddy's solo career after this release. Hated by some, loved by many, Puffy may achieve his first failure-musically not financially-with his new CD Forever. While not as thrilling as his last CD, No Way Out, Puff Daddy balances his love for God and the pandemonium of haters who seek to dethroned him on this uneven project. "PD2000", which blasphemously samples Public Enemy's classic song, "Public Enemy #1" is a mediocre - albeit head nodding - track at first listen, but grows on you after a couple of spins. Puffy's remake with his laid back "cat in the hat" rap of accruing money and respect is lifeless. As urgent as "PE #1" was to hip-hop, Puffy could at least sound as if he had something to prove. Unfortunately, it's your basic by-the-numbers rap song doing what it suppose to do: get the CD sales going (it's already platinum) and the asses wiggling. Nevertheless, memorable moments are abound when P-Daddy's hosting guest stars. On the anthemic "Real Niggas", he's lyrically sharp along with utterances from the late Notorious B.I.G. and Lil' Kim's searing rap. On "Journey Through The Life", he hangs gracefully as guest rappers Nas and Philly native Beanie Sigel outshine him with their hardcore street bravados. Then P-Daddy carpetbags to the Midwest and adjusts his rhyme flow with Chicago speed rapper Twista on "Is This The End", and Ohio rapper Bizzy Bone on "Angels With Dirty Faces", (while sampling Earth, Wind & Fire's "Fantasy" along the way). Then near the end he gives solemn praises to God on the heartfelt "Best Friend." In conclusion, what makes Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs great-despite some of the failed songs on here, is he's truly this century's great progenitor of the "ghetto-fabulous" hip-hop idiom. That, unlike this CD, will probably last forever and that my "playa hater" friend is just the way the story goes. - Trent Fitzgerald COCO Hot Coco (RCA) Her debut CD is long overdue. After a long hiatus between SWV's last CD and raising her son, Coko (nee Cheryl Gamble) is back. She has titled her CD Hot Coko and damn if she ain't right...it's hot! In fact, after a couple of spins it super sizzles. Her handsome voice as it courses through snatches of slow, steamy and funky R&B is sensuous. This is especially true on the quiet storm ballads like the tear jerking "So Hard To Say Goodbye" and the lovely duet with label mate Tyrese on "If This World Were Mine" (a remake of the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell classic). Production-wise, everything sounds lovely. Although her first single, "Sunshine" eerily sounds like Jennifer Lopez's "If You Had My Love," producer Rodney Jerkins redeems himself on the bumpin' "I Ain't Feelin You" (carefully sampling Teenie Maria's "Behind The Groove") and on the guitar funky "Don't Take Your Love Away." Despite some stumbles, Coko's disc marks her as the new diva ready to step up and carry the R&B torch into the future on a more soulfully grounded terrain. - Trent Fitzgerald YOUNGSTOWN Let's Roll (Hollywood) Youngstown's debut, Let's Roll is is a tasty slice of pop music. The 14 songs presented here are an even batch of fast paced, hip-hop dance songs such as "Pedal To The Steel"; and grooving romantic ballads such as the inspired, "Remember". This talented trio dish out lush multi-part harmonies that will appeal to those fans of such acts as Backstreet Boys and N-Sync. As a bonus, this CD also includes Youngstown's mid-summer hit single, "I'll Be Your Everything", which was featured as the theme of the Disney film, Inspector Gadget, and "It's Not What You Think" from The Famous Jett Jackson soundtrack. While there are many highlights on the album, a personal favorites is the heartfelt, "Jamie-Lee", written by group member James Dallas for his mother. It's a slow-paced salute to the importance of family. For a first effort, this talented group of singers have put together a really strong CD that should fare very well with teens given the current climate of the pop charts. Let's Roll is now in stores, so there's no excuse to not add it to your collection. If you don't have it yet... get it! Got it? Good. - Sarah Lounges (For more info on Youngstown turn to The Teen Scene column.) SAD HANNAH 1959 (Independent) The name of this band, which is a clever manipulation of a term from Buddhism, fits them. Every song on this disc is loaded down with sadness. Two songs on the disc, "Ticket" and "Show", are about the plight of exiled Tibetans around the world, displace by the Chinese in 1959 (hence the title). Their story is indeed an unhappy one, and Sad Hannah's music reflects this. The band's arrangements and lyrics are incredibly weighty and vocal delivery does not vary from song to song. The drum sound is tinny and the bass is buried in the mix., On the other hand, the guitar sound is very Smashing Pumpkins-esque which is, in itself, not necessarily a bad thing. A pleasant surprise was discovering an alternate version of a song called "Yesterday is Dead", which is tacked on the end of the disc. The vocals are brighter, and that alone makes it much better than the version that appears earlier on the disc. I admire Sad Hannah's commitment to their cause. But, unfortunately, their music leaves me wanting. - Ben Likens PETE TOWNSHEND Live At The House Of Blues (Double-O/Platinum) Arguably, Pete Townshend is one of the best performers ever to grace a rock stage. This disc is a reflection of that status. Although he may not have as much hair as he did in the '60s and '70s, he still has his nose, as well as the passion and zeal for his art that has always kept him in the forefront of the rock scene and in the hearts of his fans. That passion and zeal was evident when Townshend played at The House of Blues last year to benefit the Maryville Academy for abused children. The disc, released to commemorate the performance, as well as raise more money for Maryville, contains many a great song and unique arrangement. Townshend uses a very authentic sounding drum machine as well as several excellent live musicians such as Jon Carin (who's played with Pink Floyd), Jodi Linscott (the percussionist veteran of Who and Dave Gilmour tours), and Chucho Merchan (Colombian bass player and Townshend's good friend). The songs include "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," "Magic Bus" (with guest vocalist Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam), "You Better You Bet," "Now and Then" (the touching love song from his 1993 Psychoderelict album), "Let My Love Open the Door," and "Won't Get Fooled Again," all of which sound wonderful with unique, refreshing arrangements. If you're a Who or Townshend fan who would like to help a worthy cause and hear tune after great tune, this CD will not disappoint. - Ben Likens CRYPTIC VISIONS Cryptic Visions (Independent) This N.W. Indiana band plays heavy metal...but don't ask me to make any comparisons...because they don't really sound like anyone else out there. In fact, I challenge anyone who picks this disc up to write back with any comparisons. This ain't no Sabbath, this ain't no Zeppelin, this ain't no Megadeth or Metallica... So by now you are probably saying, "Okay already ya jerk...you told what it ain't...now tell us what it is!" What it is... A rock solid debut effort that shows a real maturity of the players in the way they utilize tempo changes, odd time signitures, dramatic shifts and subtleties. From that statement you might presume that Cryptic Visions plays progressive metal and you would be right...to a point. There are Dream Theatre-like moments of over-the-top pomp and glory; but there are also Iron Butterfly-style slabs of sonic thickness. It's impossible to peg this group into a comfortable little niche. For although they often sashay into vibrant excursions rife with instrumental forplay and cascading vocals, the lush melody lines soon give way to meaty and speedy metal assaults. These break the songs out of their prog-style arrangements and invite plenty of head slamming. Jeff Bagherpour that shows he can blaze on guitar with the best of them. To his credit, he also shows the good sense to know when a song needs him to lay back for the sake of dynamics. At those times, he bends his strings gingerly, releasing notes that glide smoothly and sweetly around the lyrics and nuances of the songs. While the guitar parts are often accented nicely with Michele O'Day's keyboard fills (adding to the above-mentioned subtleties), she came into the group late into the recording of this project and thus is not used here to her fullest capabilities. Hopefully, future recordings will allow her more opportunity to stretch out on future recordings. The rhythm tracks (again, often laid out in odd time signatures) tend to creep up in a thundering manner that hits like a quake on the fault line. Drummer Brad Burger and bassist Phil Fouch are who give this collection a lot of its darkness. Throughout this set 11 track set of original work, the vocals by Russell Barron (little brother of Winterkill singer, Randy Barron) are very powerful and articulate. Like that "other" local Russ (Klimczak) from Ion Vein, young Barron is showing himself to be one of the better heavy "singers" to emerge from the Chicago metal scene in years. Although Barron needs to work a little more on control and stamina for his on stage performances, this CD proves that in the recording studio, few in this market can touch him, including his big bro. What I like about most about Barron, is the knack he has for carrying the listener along on what are quite lengthy (the average song is 7-plus minutes) tales of dark, medieval inspired lyrics. While not one of the better known local metal acts (yet!), Cryptic Vision really delivers the goods on this collection, putting to shame the releases from acts who have been around a lot longer. - Tom Lounges |