SOUND CHECK.Afroman/``The Good Times'' (Universal) For Afroman, every day is a green day. The whimsical Palmdale-born rapper sees the world through red-rimmed eyes, as his multiformat runaway party smash, ``Because I Got High,'' makes clear. The first hip-hop novelty act Novelty Act is a short story by Philip K. Dick. It involves a dystopian future in which the characters' lives are based on entertaining the female President of the United States with "novelty acts". of the decade keeps the bong bong 1 n. A deep ringing sound, as of a bell. v. bonged, bong·ing, bongs v.tr. To cause to sound with a deep ringing noise. v.intr. lit in this just-issued debut, which will either flatline or become one of the year's biggest sellers. Leaving little to chance, the outrageous breakout hit is also featured on the ``Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' soundtrack. Afroman (Joseph Foreman) offers his funky, over-the-top frat-rap flowing over slickly produced, irresistible old-school soul jams - B-3 organ, wah-wah guitar, fatback fat·back n. The strip of fat from the upper part of a side of pork, usually dried and salt-cured. Noun 1. fatback - salt pork from the back of a hog carcass drums and all. You can guess Afro's party line. Along with ``Because I Got High,'' there's ``Let's All Get Drunk,'' ``She Won't Let Me...,'' ``Tall Cans'' and even a ditty dit·ty n. pl. dit·ties A simple song. [Middle English dite, a literary composition, from Old French dite, from Latin dict called ``Palmdale,'' which is unlikely to ever become the city's official theme song. The entire thing is engaging twice through, especially if you're an eighth grader who thinks it'd be, like, totally awesome to chill with Silent Bob. On a side note, the cover, based on the design of High Times magazine, is a stoner's delight. Three and one half stars - Fred Shuster Various/``Have You Had Your Vitamin B-3 Today?'' (Label M) Various/``Head Jazz'' (Label M) In the age of downloaded music and CD burning, do we really need to buy compilation albums any more? The answer is an unqualified yes, provided the collections are put together with the passion and smarts of Label M's Joel Dorn Joel Dorn is an American jazz and R&B music producer and record label serial entrepreneur. He worked at Atlantic Records and 32 Jazz, Label M, and Hyena Records are among the record labels he started. He calls himself "The Masked Announcer". . Dorn produced some of great Atlantic jazz albums in the '60s and '70s, and he specifically created Label M to reissue those classic cuts. These two compilations are beauties, doing what the form should do: introduce and entertain. ``B-3'' collects classic and little-known Hammond organ grooves by the likes of Jack McDuff "Brother" Jack McDuff (September 17, 1926-January 23, 2001) was a jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz era of the 1960s. , Jimmy Smith and John Patton There are several persons named John Patton:
``Head Jazz'' is designed for late-night listening. It's a perfectly sequenced set of psychedelic jazz, funky blues and Southern soul. (David ``Fathead'' Newman's take on the Stones' ``You Can't Always Get What You Want'' is worth the price alone.) The thought and feeling that went into this compilation are in ample evidence. Besides, anyone able to segue from Jimmy Scott to Roland Kirk to Ornette Coleman - and make it work - is aces in our book. Four stars - Glenn Whipp Sugarcult/``Start Static'' (Ultimatum) Vintage Elvis Costello meets Blink-182 on this sweet debut by Santa Barbara's Sugarcult. The menu here is high-energy pop-punk where boy meets girl, loses girl and goes bonkers. Revenge mantras aside, highlights include the restless teen anthem ``Stuck in America'' and the down-'n'-out ``Bouncing Off the Walls,'' featuring a cameo from Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett. For dessert? Hidden track ``Underwear,'' the perfect icing on this tasty confection con·fec·tion n. A sweetened medicinal compound. Also called electuary. . Three and one half stars - Sandra Barrera Derailers/``Here Come the Derailers'' (Lucky Dog) If for nothing else, this Austin country band's first Nashville album gets a pass for ``Bar Exam,'' a sterling example of a honky-tonk metaphor so tipsy it falls right off the stool. Other than that, there are a couple of nice tear-jerkers, one insightful relationship study in ``You Know What She's Like,'' a funky cover of ``Mohair mohair, hair of the Angora goat or a large group of fabrics made from it, either wholly or in combination with wool, silk, or cotton. The Angora goat, native of Asia Minor for 2,000 years, is bred in other lands, e.g., the SW United States and South Africa. Sam'' and way too many corny corn·y adj. corn·i·er, corn·i·est Trite, dated, melodramatic, or mawkishly sentimental. [From corn1. , Jim Lauderdale co-writes. Vocalist-guitarists Tony Villanueva and Brian Hofeldt drum up some Buck Owens-style energy, but the Derailers often sound like country traditionalists who really, really want to hear themselves on the radio. Three stars - Bob Strauss Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros/``Global a Go-Go'' (Hellcat/Epitaph) As primary theorist of the Clash, gap-toothed singer-guitarist Strummer was the brains behind one of the best and most influential bands of all time. Strummer's unexpectedly remarkable new solo set once again tears down walls and marches into occupied territory - folk-fused rock with international touches and socially aware lyrics recalling Beat poetry. Best cuts include ``Johnny Appleseed'' and ``Cool 'n' Out,'' both fueled by Strummer's choppy, explosive rhythm guitar and gruff, committed vocals. Nice one, Joe. Three stars - F.S. Laurie Anderson ``Life on a String'' (Nonesuch none·such also non·such n. 1. A person or thing without equal. 2. See black medic. none ) This is the first album of new material in seven years from the New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. singer-songwriter. ``Life on a String'' is rooted in Anderson's 1999 show ``Songs and Stories of Moby Dick'' but she has scrapped much of its high-tech aspect and added new songs and a simplified approach. Still it would be easy to see Anderson in her performance-artist persona - her singing is more sing-song than soaring, though her voice has a wonderfully rich timbre timbre Quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument, voice, or other sound source from another. Timbre largely results from a characteristic combination of overtones produced by different instruments. , which helps gives an authorial feel to her wry, sly songs. And indeed the songs have a storylike, observational quality to them. There are meditations on death in ``Slips Away'' (``You told me you had no idea how to die, but I saw the way the light left your eyes/ And after all the shocks the way the heart unlocks.''); on loneliness in ``Pieces and Parts'' and technology in ``Dark Angel.'' The album benefits from Hal Wilner's gorgeous production and Van Dyke Parks' clever orchestration on ``Dark Angel,'' highlighting Anderson's dramatic (though rarely hummable) tunes. And the title cut, which is the last on the album, is just one of those songs that just stays with you: ``Some people know exactly where they're going/ The pilgrims to Mecca, the climbers to the mountaintop/ But me I'm looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. just a single moment so I can slip through time.'' Four stars - Rob Lowman ``Alive & Lickin,' '' Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks (Surfdog Records) Thirty years is a long time between records, even if they're live records. But while Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks have been busy recording and writing studio material, they haven't released a live disc in, oh, a generation. The Licks' last live record was 1971's ``Where's the Money,'' but a listen to their new live CD, ``Alive & Lickin' '' shows they haven't lost their touch. Their touch for wickedly intricate instrumentals, that is. As vocalists, they're not the sharpest Ginsu steak knives in the drawer - but instrumentally, this disc shines. Hicks has always been known for his playfulness, and ``Lickin' '' shows he hasn't lost his bent for off-center, off-kilter lyricism lyr·i·cism n. 1. a. The character or quality of subjectivity and sensuality of expression, especially in the arts. b. The quality or state of being melodious; melodiousness. 2. . On the album's lead-in, he harmonizes a record-selling pitch: ``Don't be a chicken, get `Alive & Lickin.' '' He follows that up with a misguided take on the standard ``Don't Get Around Much Anymore "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" is a jazz standard with music by Duke Ellington and lyrics by Bob Russell. The tune was originally titled "Never No Lament" and was first recorded by Ellington in 1940 as a big band instrumental. Russell's lyrics and the new title were added in 1942. ,'' with new lyrics: ``Missed the toilet last night. Went all over the floor/Cleaned it up with my toothbrush. don't brush my teeth much any more.'' If you can get past this navel-gazing, things do improve dramatically. Other well-known ditties like ``How Can I Miss You (When You Won't Go Away)'' and ``The Piano Has Been Drinkin' '' benefit greatly from Hicks' hamming at the mike. Vocal help from female back-up singers the Lickettes may make you think of the Manhattan Transfer - but it does round out the Licks' stripped-down country-bluegrass jam band sound. And the more atmospheric tracks like ``Shootin' Straight'' have 30 years of guitar, fiddle and mandolin mandolin (măn'dəlĭn`, măn`dəlĭn'), musical instrument of the lute family, with a half-pear-shaped body, a fretted neck, and a variable number of strings, plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum. virtuosity built right into them. That's the good news here: Talent follows selndulgence, often to their credit. Two stars - Theo Douglas ``Gigi,'' Gigi (Palm) Close your eyes and listen. Ignore the foreign dialect and just listen. That's the best advice I can give for ``Gigi,'' a new album from the gifted Ethiopian enchantress Ejigayehu ``Gigi'' Shibabaw. Gigi sings in her native Amharic, but the cultural divide is broken within minutes of listening to her ethereal voice, a rare instrument in itself. Her range rivals today's greatest pop stars, her flow matches the best r&b. But it's her uniquely foreign chantlike vibrato vi·bra·to n. pl. vi·bra·tos A tremulous or pulsating effect produced in an instrumental or vocal tone by minute and rapid variations in pitch. that gives Gigi her magical charm. The music itself is just as accessible. Traditional drum rhythms, chanting and waves of percussion you'd expect to find in a drum circle drum circle, n a spiritual, communal, or therapeutic music experience in which participants join together in a circle with drums, move, dance using various percussion instruments, voices, and other devices. mix with elements of hip-hop, jazz and reggae, showcasing the 27-year-old artist's modern sensibilities. At times heartbreaking and at others, inspirational, ``Gigi'' is an album that addresses themes that Americans and Africans share: love, heartache, nature, religion, struggle for freedom and civil rights. Even if you don't Even If You Don't is a single released by the band Ween in 2000 on Mushroom Records. Formats Enhanced CD single Includes the quicktime video of "Even If You Don't" directed by Matt Stone & Trey Parker of "South Park". understand a word, ``Gigi'' is an educational experience. Four star - Heather Wood CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Joseph Foreman) (2 -- 5) no caption (cd covers) |
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