Eve 6 Horrorscope (RCA)
Eve 6's pop comes pumped up in the high-Gatorade style of athletic guitar punk. Gnarly tales, confessions and observations about how "real life plays tricks on the brain," courtesy of extroverted leadman Max Collins, sprint through the Los Angeles trio's Horrorscope. It's an almost perfectly consistent follow-up to the band's successful 1998 debut -- perhaps a tad too consistent. After strong openers like "Rescue," built around a fast, metallic rhythm track, and "Promise," which looses a big, riffy chorus, Horrorscope sounds a little same-y. Still, Eve 6's pop-punk professionalism has produced a decent second album and could well pave the way for a richer third one. (JAMES HUNTER -- RS 846)
Hepcat Push 'N Shove (Hellcat/Epitaph)
Though lumped in as part of the Nineties third-wave ska movement, Los Angeles' Hepcat have always maintained closer ties to the original Jamaican sound than any of their punked-up counterparts. On albums like Out of Nowhere, Scientific and Right On Time, Hepcat reclaimed ska's soulful harmonies and Caribbean swing, while sidestepping mere revivalism by infusing their songs with plenty of R&B, jazz and pop elements. Throughout Push 'N Shove, the band toy with this synthesis even further. They give torch songs a heavy dub treatment on "Prison of Love" (featuring seductive vocals from Dance Hall Crashers vocalist Karina Denike), while "Live On" is straight-up soul in all but rhythm. Brenton Wood's Sixties R&B classic "Gimme Little Sign" also gets a rocksteady retrofit. But as if to prove their mastery of the ska language, they turn out the strictly Studio 1 sound of the title track, a recording that couldn't sound more authentic if they had buried the tapes in Kingston soil. (MICHAEL ANSALDO)
Tsar Tsar (Hollywood)
With their biggest coup so far having been landing the opening slot on Duran Duran's summer tour (they share the same label), this spangly group of Los Angeles power-pop disciples will have to come up with much more than the paper-thin tunes that make up their self-titled debut album if they expect to make it to September without getting pelted off the stage by a hostile crowd of Eighties buffs. After offering the solid sugar-rush charge of "Calling All Destroyers" (bizarrely, not a cover of the Marc Bolan & T. Rex track of the same name) as an opening salvo, Tsar quickly succumbs to charm-free kitsch, rolling out heavily ironised Cheap Trick knockoffs like "Kathy Fong Is the Bomb" and "The Teen Wizards." Not exactly what the world was waiting for. (AIDIN VAZIRI)
Carl Cox Mixed Live (Moonshine)
In the last few years, British decksman/producer Carl Cox, a tough house music DJ, has slipped down a few notches in year-end polls as the masses slurped up gooey trance space-capades. Luckily, though, these things come in waves and word from across the pond is house is working its way back. And who better to lead its fierce unrelenting reemergence than Cox? What makes this mix so great is not the fact that it is menacing and intense, but that, like a bootleg, it brings in the unfiltered sounds of the crowd. Club nights are always participatory and recording it captures the unbridled intensity and enthusiasm both Cox and his fans had that night. Among a flood of studio produced lifeless mix CDs, it's nice to have one with a little humanity. (JOLIE LASH)
Slobberbone Everything You Thought was Right was Wrong Today (New West)
If the Pogues were twice as loud, a little more clear-headed and from Texas instead of Ireland, they'd have been Slobberbone. It's the Pogues that come to mind more than any country or southern rock influence on Everything You Thought was Right was Wrong Today (album No. 3 from the Dallas-area rawkers), particularly on the outstanding acoustic hangover opener "Meltdown." "Hey baby, it's the end of the world/have a good time," groans frontman Brent Best as the mandolin and fiddles stumble in. Things get a lot louder on the next track, but overall the smart, reflective Everything You Thought finds Slobberbone working their roots more than their rock -- albeit without sacrificing any of their rough and tumble songcraft or trademark crunch. (RICHARD SKANSE)
BTla Fleck and the Flecktones Outbound (Columbia)
Swinging from New Orleans blooze to Western-frontier celebration -- all in the space of sixty seconds -- BTla Fleck and his trusty band the Flecktones do what they do best: change musical skins while illustrating fearless musicianship. Aaron Copeland himself would be impressed with Fleck's interpretation of his "Hoe Down" and admire how the banjo virtuoso has taken the instrument from a strictly bluegrass idiom into the realms of jazz, pop, R&B and hip-hop, Indian classical traditions and Afro-pop (where the banjo originated centuries before) virtually singlehandedly. Fleck's latest effort inhabits all those musical folds comfortably and without apology. Organist John Medeski (of Medeski Martin and Wood), folk-pop singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin and keyboardist John Anderson of Yes, among others, helped Fleck record the album in his native Nashville, and each guest seems equal to Fleck's high-flying forays into styles and cultures. (MARIE ELSIE ST. L+GER)
Gene Defcon Come Party with Me 2000 (K Records)
Gene Defcon falls solidly into the strange-but-endearing pop savant spectrum next to such recently-illuminated outsider luminaries as Wesley Willis and Daniel Johnston (not to mention the strange-but-disturbing works of the Frogs). Employing members of fellow Olympians (Washington, that is) hailing from such indie-punk bands as the Bangs, Bratmobile and others, the helium-voiced, cherubic Defcon weaves the kind of off-the-cuff, deceptively-simple narratives that made a name for lo-fi forebears Beat Happening. Defcon's sing-song compositions owe much to the Jonathan Richman branch of the punk tree, but they also go to the root of the isolated strangeness of Devo's very early blasts of idiosyncratic mutation. The forty-seven(!) confessionals penned by this Texas-born "life of the party" are DIY diaries of a life (apparently) lived without inhibitions. It's hard to take the innocence with the disturbed, but it's all presented without a hint of a wink -- and in Defcon's hands it's irresistible. (CHRIS HANDYSIDE)
Union 13 Youth, Betrayal and the Awakening (Epitaph)
The lush, acoustic-based "Intro" gives way rather deceptively to the unstoppable punk rock assault of "The Game" on Union 13's pummeling third album. But that's the only punch they're likely to pull, as this East Los Angeles Latino hardcore quartet delivers messages of integrity and awareness throughout an impressive set. Loud-hard-fast rules on Youth, Betrayal and the Awakening, as the barrio spawned group launches skull crushing political rock like "A Short Supply Of Truth," the Spanish-sung "Buscando La Verdad" and the rage-fueled "Beyond the System." With the latter, Honduran-born vocalist Edward Escoto barks, "There's no truth in advertisement/can't you draw your own conclusions?" as his cohorts explode behind him. Union 13's early-Suicidal Tendencies approach may never be radio ready, but this aggressive record should be huge with the backyard half-pipe set. (JOHN D. LUERSSEN)
Patty Larkin Regrooving the Dream (Vanguard)
Patty Larkin's barrier-bending collection of songs, rooted in acoustic tradition, are linked by modern, experimental and retro blips between tracks; the nuanced cross-fertilization works. "Only One" merges folk blues with whispery vocals and ends up appropriately spooky; "Anyway the Main Thing Is" has an east-meets-west winding vocal refrain. But "Mink Coats" is the centerpiece: with its "Sweet Jane" riffing and piercing lyric, Larkin may have crafted her finest hour. Rethinking life's dreams, expectations, hopes and fears in song, her rich voice is ironically steady and matches the fluidity of her guitar playing quite effortlessly. Guitarists John Leventhal and Marc Shulman add shading to the basic multi-instrumental tracks that Larkin laid down with co-producer Bette Warner. Don't worry: the "new direction" won't rock the boat with anyone accustomed to her solid song-style. (DENISE SULLIVAN)
Fates Warning Disconnected (Metal Blade)
Since forming in the mid-Eighties, the guys in the progressive metal band Fates Warning have done little to convince anyone they are anything but. And God bless them for it. Though their albums have shown growth in both musicianship and songwriting skills, and though this album is heavier than their recent outings, there's nothing here either radically different or boringly similar to disappoint their fans. Recalling such like-minded outfits as Dream Theater and Queensr che, such songs as "One" and "So" favor sweeping dramatic epics over concise and catchy tunes, and operatic singing over happy-go-lucky vocals. "Something From Nothing" even starts off sounding like that most progressive of bands, Pink Floyd (specifically, the hypnotic song "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun") before adding some Rush-like crunch. So this won't make them the coolest kids on the playground, but their loyal friends will still like 'em. (PAUL SEMEL)
Bahamadia BBQueen EP (Atomic Pop)
In the four years since Kollage made an impact on a gangsta-rap-dominated landscape, Philadelphia hip-hopper Bahamadia has worked and recorded in Europe, hosted her own radio show in her native City of Brotherly Love and recorded this latest statement on the state of affairs of the heart and the streets. Even more lyrically precise than Kollage, BBQueen (for "Beautiful Black Queen") finds Bahamadia flowing about her absence ("Special Forces"), materialism and lack of self-respect ("Commonwealth") and the twisting of values and nature ("Beautiful Things") over backbeats and original musical lines that echo the drum 'n' bass of the London streets and reverberate with the hip-hop of Philly¦s underground clubs. This extended play may be only a teaser for the full-length Bahamadia plans to deliver next year, but it is a rare glimpse into the mind of a vibrant artist willing to explore sounds and rhythms in ways many hip-hoppers still wouldn't seriously consider. (ST. L+GER)
Various Artists A Tribute To Ozzy (Deadline)
With most tribute albums, the appeal ends up being more for fans of the bands involved than the honoree. But in taking a different approach, the appeal of this tribute to metal god Ozzy Osbourne ends up being more for fans of karaoke. Rather than whole bands, this features ad-hoc supergroups comprised of such metal vets as Jason Bonham, Yngwie Malmsteen, George Lynch, Bruce Kulick and Bobby Blotzer. Unfortunately, though, most of these songs -- most notably "Shot In The Dark," "Over The Mountain" and "I Don't Know" -- are played so straight that they sound as if someone just sang over the original music. Granted, the "someone" in question is usually a metal god such as Lemmy Kilmister, Dee Snider, Joe Lynn Turner or Vince Neil, but even having the curve ball Lisa Loeb warble "Goodbye To Romance" does little to dispel the image of lyrics moving up a TV screen as drunken fratboys wait their turn. (SEMEL)
Jimi Tenor Out of Nowhere (Matador)
Finnish producer Jimi Tenor's last album, Organism, was a little too heavy-handed, piling on the double-entendres and techno-enhanced porn funk to the point of nausea. On his latest, which was recorded last fall in Poland employing a fifty-five-piece orchestra, he learns the fine art of restraint. Out of Nowhere takes its pointers from Tenor's past work -- including touches of techno, cocktail jazz, and bedroom soul -- but is an altogether more coherent piece of work. The artist has finally settled into a Seventies film noir groove, streamlining his eclectic tastes into a soft-focus soundtrack that moves easily through space and time without compromising his maverick spirit. There are sly homages to Barry White ("Spell") and Prince ("Paint the Stars"), but the prevailing charm is uniquely Tenor's own. (VAZIRI)
Boiler Room Can't Breathe (Roadrunner Records)
Imagine that Rage Against the Machine, Sevendust and Faith No More are cars in a smash-up derby and Faith No More wins comfortably, and you'll have a pretty good bead on Boiler Room. Okay, so maybe they aren't the first settlers to stake out the territory they inhabit, but they sure know the terrain. This, their debut album, kicks you in the teeth with all the force of a subway mugging in NYC, the city from whence they hail. From the moment they leap out of the chute with the throat-grabbing "Do It Again," the intensity meter doesn't wind back for a second. BR's brand of neo-metal rock isn't anything new but the sheer energy of the delivery transcends all derivativeness. (In fact, let's be kind and call it pedigree.) Likewise, the lyrics are rote but effective. Boiler Room aren't really tilling fresh soil, but more than make up for it with the hard-core high octane. (ADRIAN ZUPP)
Lynn Anderson Live at Billy Bob's Texas (Smith Music/Razor & Tie)
Anderson has not exactly been in the public eye lately, and never made much of an impression on the pop audience, with the exception of her 1970 hit "Rose Garden." She demonstrates that she's a pretty respectable honky-tonk singer on this live set, which reprises "Rose Garden," along with her country hits "What a Man My Man Is," "You're My Man," "How Can I Unlove You," "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and "Keep Me in Mind." The band -- unlike some of the musicians who have backed singers on the series of Billy Bob's Texas releases -- is just straight ahead country, without frills like electric keyboards, synths or distracting backup vocalists. Anderson varies the program enough to keep this from being an oldies rehash, with country arrangements of the Drifters' "Under the Boardwalk," Ian Tyson's "Someday Soon" and (less appealingly) the Carpenters' "Top of the World." (RICHIE UNTERBERGER)
Toshi Kubtoa Nothing But Your Love (Epic)
Like his Western counterparts D'Angelo and Maxwell, dreadlocked Japanese vocalist Toshi Kubota is keenly interested in milking the mid-Seventies loverman canon for contemporary inspiration. Steeped in slow, deliberate grooves, sweaty wah-wah workouts and swarming falsetto voices (not to mention collaborations with the Roots, Angie Stone and Lucy Pearl's Raphael Saddiq), all the right details are seemingly in place, but one can't help get past the fact that Kubota is simply not a great soul singer. Nothing But Your Love, his second English language offering and ninth album overall, nails the mood, but rarely delivers the right emotion. There are times when the music and melody are sufficient ("It's Over," "Body Bounce"), but the overall result is generic, glazed R&B. (VAZIRI)
Cat Stevens Catch Bull at Four (A&M)
Cat Stevens Foreigner (A&M)
Cat Stevens Buddah and the Chocolate Box(A&M)
This second helping of Cat Stevens (another batch came out in May) contains Foreigner (1973) and Buddah and the Chocolate Box (1974), widely beat upon as subpar Stevens material. While they might not reach the heights that the singer/songwriter hit with Teaser and the Firecat and Tea for the Tillerman, there's more than enough reason (again) to dismiss compilations in favor of the individual albums. Catch Bull at Four, (from 1972 and the first reissue in this set) is a worthy follow-up to Teaser. With the fierce opener ("Sitting") and other well-known Stevens chestnuts ("Can't Keep It In") paired with some lesser-known gems ("18th Avenue," "Angelsea"), Catch Bull forms with its two predecessors a pretty solid trinity of first-rate Five-S (sensitive, searching Seventies singer/songwriter) work. The self-produced Foreigner is the album most unfairly sent through the meat grinder. The usual focal point of ire tends to be the eighteen-minute opening "Foreigner Suite." While lengthy, the track features all of Stevens' earmarks, they just happen to be strung together. Sure, the synthy keys in the middle sound dated (especially compared to the gorgeous piano that colors the suite's final few minutes) but hey, it was the Seventies. Paired with four other quality tracks including "The Hurt," Foreigner is worthy of a reprieve from its critical death sentence. The same case can't completely be made for Buddah. After sitting out on Foreigner, producer Paul Samwell-Smith returned to the fold, but the results are still spotty. "Oh Very Young" features the delicate piano, well-placed background vox and vulnerable Stevens that hits best and "Sun/C79" is a tasteful, lush update of his classic acoustic strumming sound, but from the overproduced opener ("Music") to the unabashedly smitten "Ready" and the over-pondering "King of Trees," Buddah doesn't quite stack up against the best of Cat Stevens. (ANDREW DANSBY)
Aaron Tippin People Like Us (Lyric Street/Hollywood)
It's no secret that "New Country" (or "Nashvegas") is formulaic. In fact, it's its very reliability that endears it to lazy shot-kicking radio listeners and jukebox fans. So why should Aaron Tippin be any different? Tippin, a minor league Garth Brooks if ever there was one, toes the party line, vacillating between sweetheart troubadour and weekend barroom warrior. His love of the common folk and the average life is espoused over and over on the record's eleven tracks, ranging from sentimental treacle ("Lost") to songs that are blatantly aiming for the "I Got Friends In Low Places" crowd ("People Like Us," "The Night Shift" and "Kiss This"). Unless there're no seats left at the country stardom roadhouse, Tippin and his deep, rangy, versatile voice should be around a while. (HANDYSIDE)
(JULY 25, 2000)
