SOUND CHECK.MATISYAHU: ``Youth'' (Sony) - Three stars Yiddish lyrics, yarmulke and Sabbath-respecting work ethic work ethic n. A set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. work ethic Noun a belief in the moral value of work aside, Matisyahu - the Hasidic beat-boxer with a penchant for grammatically suspect jam-band reggae - is not a particularly groundbreaking musician. He is talented and pleasant to listen to, though. And his ever-growing popularity has mostly quieted his ``novelty act'' naysayers. With his band's third album, the Brooklyn-based singer revisits his bread-and-butter themes of spirituality, fidelity and the search for fulfillment with a clean, studio-produced sound. The disc certainly offers variety. There are moments of pure Bob Marley (``What I'm Fighting For''), hip-hop (``Jerusalem'') and Phil Collins-esque moral solitude (``Late Night in Zion''). Mostly, though, Matisyahu seems preoccupied with his disaffected suburban fan base. The album's title track - but not its strongest - reads like a ham-fisted ``skateboarders of the world, unite'' checklist of the symptoms of adolescent malaise. Groups like Sublime have rallied these troops; the pothead-turned-orthodox Matisyahu calls for them to channel a greater good, to ``make the right move'' and ``storm the halls of vanity, focus your energy.'' You don't come to Matisyahu for nuance, but in some ways he is a welcome relief from the oiled honeys and faux punk bands 0-9
in full Music Television U.S. cable television network, established in 1980 to present videos of musicians and singers performing new rock music. MTV won a wide following among rock-music fans worldwide and greatly affected the popular-music business. . - Emmanuelle Soichet KID ROCK: ``Live Trucker'' (Atlantic/WEA) - Three stars More than just a bunch of concert tracks, Kid Rock's first live album shows why this colorful Detroit rap-rocker is a steady draw throughout the country. The 13-track set captures hard-driving arena fare like ``Devil Without a Cause,'' ``Cowboy'' and ``Bawitdaba,'' and sturdy ballads ``Picture'' (done here with Gretchen Wilson  This article needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.You can assist by [ editing it] now. ) and ``Only God Knows Why,'' delivered with the Kid's usual full-throttle swagger, backed by the high-octane Twisted Brown Trucker Band. Even without being able to witness the pyro, go-go girls and ghetto-fab furs used in the stage act, there's plenty of macho bluster all around. Ultimately, though, ``Live Trucker,'' whose cover art is an homage to fellow Wolverine wolverine or glutton, largest member of the weasel family, Gulo gulo, found in the northern parts of North America and Eurasia, usually in high mountains near the timberline or in tundra. State rocker Bob Seger, should've been a DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. . - Fred Shuster VAN MORRISON: ``Pay the Devil'' (Lost Highway) - Three stars The Irish rover brings his scatty phrasing to a collection of country classics (and three of his own new compositions that fit right in with the `50s-through-'70s, Nashville tavern vibe). Orchestrations are more low-key expert than blazingly virtuosic, and some of the chorus work is a little too clean for tales of lonely isolation and heartbroken alcoholism. But the Belfast Cowboy always brings unique vocal stylings to familiar old lines. While it may not always sound like real country, this disc comes mighty close while always being interesting. - Bob Strauss WICKED WISDOM Wicked Wisdom is a nu metal band featuring Jada Pinkett-Smith (also known as Jada Koren) as lead vocalist, Pocket Honore on guitar, Rio on bass, Thomas Pridgen on drums, and Cameron "Wirm" Graves on guitar and keyboard. : ``Wicked Wisdom'' (100% Womon) - Three stars Bet you didn't know Will Smith's wife is a Joan Jett-style rocker. Fronting nu-metal outfit Wicked Wisdom, actress Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (born September 18, 1971) is an American actress and singer. She is married to actor/rapper Will Smith. Biography Early life Jada was born September 18 Jada Koren Pinkett in Baltimore, Maryland to Robsol Pinkett, Jr. is so convincing, she could get the Fresh Prince bounced out of Bel-Air. This self-titled 10-song debut is highlighted by the radio-ready ``Something Inside of Me,'' a hard, funky slab of metal boasting a message of female empowerment, expletives not deleted. Opening cut ``Yesterday Don't Mean,'' meanwhile, captures the energy and musicianship of this L.A. club band, and remaining cuts showcase a fusion of funk, punk and thrash-metal's heavier-than-thou guitar and drums. If the acting gigs ever dry up, Smith has a nice sideline in demented screaming. - John Wareham RHETT MILLER Rhett Miller, born Stewart Ransom Miller II in Austin, Texas on September 6, 1970, is the lead singer of the alt-country band Old 97's as well as a successful solo musician. He graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas in 1989. : ``The Believer'' (Verve Forecast) - Three stars Old 97's fans - a stubborn, protective and altogether odd lot - will undoubtedly buy, but not necessarily embrace, this new solo album from frontman front·man n. 1. also front man A man who serves as a nominal leader but who lacks real authority. 2. Music A leading singer with a group. Miller. Produced by George Drakoulias (Tom Petty, Black Crowes), the disc is rowdier than Miller's 2002 poppy ``The Instigator in·sti·gate tr.v. in·sti·gat·ed, in·sti·gat·ing, in·sti·gates 1. To urge on; goad. 2. To stir up; foment. [Latin ,'' but the rave-ups seem a tad forced, lacking the firepower that the band would bring to the music. But the hooks and one-liners that mark Miller's best work are present, and on the sorrowful sor·row·ful adj. Affected with, marked by, causing, or expressing sorrow. See Synonyms at sad. sor  row·ful·ly adv. ``Fireflies,'' he and Rachel Yamagata make like a 21st-century Gram and Emmylou. That the highlight - an acoustic lullaby version of ``Question'' - is an Old 97's song will confirm the belief of die-hards that Miller should stick with his mates, but I say you take what the man gives, and ``The Believer'' ain't half bad. - Glenn Whipp CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) no caption (MATISYAHU) (2 -- 6) no caption (CD covers) |
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