Monday, October 21, 1996
Xzibit "At the Speed of Life" (Loud RCA) Xzibit was first
introduced to hip-hop heads through guest appearances on songs by
King Tee and Tha Alkaholiks. Then earlier this year, his first solo
single, "Paparazzi," dropped. Backed by an eerie track produced by
Thayod, Xzibit brazenly tore through the posturing and posing
present in rap music. The stage was set and expectations were high
for Xzibit’s solo album. He starts off his album with the lines,
"It took a long time comin’ but we waited/ Xzibit went from
underrated to most anticipated."
Throughout "At the Speed of Life" Xzibit lives up to these
expectations. Much of the album continues in the same vein as
"Paparazzi," with an angry Xzibit verbally attacking fake emcees,
money-hungry groupies, and any of his enemies that dare to stand in
his path. He is most angry on "Carry the Weight," an
autobiographical sketch which recounts his rough upbringing which
included the premature death of his mother and his father’s
subsequent remarriage, physical abuse at the hands of his father,
visits to juvenile hall, and being on his own since age 16.
His struggles with the hostility within is evident in the
chorus, "Niggas wonder why I sit up in the club and drink/ Say
‘what’s up’ to Xzibit and I still don’t speak/ I’m trying to
contemplate the next move to make/ gotta find some way to release
this hate." His hostility on the album does tend to get a little
redundant at times, as he seems to be angry on every track.
Xzibit does let go of his anger in time for the most moving song
on the album, "The Foundation." The song is meant as an open letter
to his infant son, in which Xzibit tries to teach him right from
wrong. On this song Xzibit shows he is able to stray from rap
music’s tried and true topics. The beat, which includes a sample of
Xzibit’s son crying, was produced by D.J. Muggs from Cypress Hill.
The album also features producers Diamond D and Thayod, as well as
guest appearances by Tha Alkaholiks, Saafir, Ras Kass and King
Tee.
"At the Speed of Life" is also a CD-ROM that includes the
"Paparazzi" video and an interview, as well as Xzibit’s biography.
But buy the album because Xzibit offers West Coast rap with no
gimmicks. Nelson Saldua Grade: A-
Manic Street Preachers "Everything Must Go" (Epic) Despite the
tragic disappearance of their guitarist/ lyricist Richey James,
these Brit-pop veterans have moved on to create a musically and
lyrically moving album that captures feelings of angst and coping,
with dazzling melodic rhythms. The album’s current hit single, "A
Design For Life," uses a string arrangement to elevate bassist
Nicky Wire’s dead-end lyrics ("we don’t talk about love/ we only
want to get drunk/ we are not allowed to spend/ and we are told
that this is the end").
The title track sounds like it came straight from the Who’s
"Quadrophenia" and "The Girl Who Wanted to Be God" is a hybrid of
’70s glam/disco and early ’90s Brit-pop. Yet their regression to
the past doesn’t undermine their ambitiousness; it augments it.
Lead singer James Dean Bradfield, who croons like Gene’s Martin
Rossiter and cries anthematically like a young Bono, sings with a
bleak passion. But with the Ride/Gene influenced "No Surface All
Feeling," crying "beg me to stop hate my face I know," and the
enduring "Enola/ Alone" ("but all I want to do is live/ no matter
how miserable it is"), Bradfield and the Manics create a prevailing
spirit, giving us the pain but hinting at some sort of promise. And
when all is said and done, even without Richey, it seems that
theirs is fulfilled. Michael Prevatt Grade: A
Wasis Diop "No Sant" (Triloka) Anyone from Paul Simon’s
"Graceland" fans to world trance fans can get into this. Diop’s
Western/ African rhythms and harmonies simultaneously radiate a
vivacious warmth and peaceful spirit. They hover between the drums
and deep male vocals of traditional world music and the more airy
arrangements of pop, easily bleeding into each other without being
repetitive. Diop is joined at the mike by female sirens Kaoru, Lena
Fiagbe and Nayanka Bell on many songs, and he lets the Senegal
Choir take center stage on "Dames Electroniques." Though they add
flavor to the album, it is definitely Diop’s resonating
vocal-chords-as-instruments that carry you into non-verbal aural
paradise.
His refusal to be pinned down to any country, language or genre
is made evident by the CD booklet, which includes African, French
and English lyrics and notes, though most of the album is in an
African language. The notes relating to each song are simple, only
a few sentences, but add to the charm and mystery of the album.
Diop explains that the "Dames Electroniques" (electric ladies)
could light up the bulbs in the sky (stars) with their singing. So
could Diop. Kristin Fiore Grade: A-
Vitamade "Everything You Need" (Bong Load Custom) Some punk
bands put out a CD of tunes that are entirely unlistenable because
of the production qualities or lack of talent. Others, much like
Vitamade, use the punk sound as the springboard to launch the sonic
assault that is so purposeful and invasive that it first catches
the listener off guard. After the initial shock wears off, the
songwriting talent becomes obvious. Hooks are used to get and keep
your attention, but usually never with so much skill.
The songs more often than not, run about 120 seconds and seem to
compact so much into a small time interval that your attention span
is kept at full alert throughout the length of the album. Instead
of sticking to the tried and true punk format of one song being
faster than the next, Vitamade starts off with two fast-paced
forays into punk rock, but by the fourth track it’s obvious these
guys are much much more. "Blame" actually makes it to three minutes
and deserves serious spin consideration on the rather boring
airwaves of alternative radio. The lyricist’s vocals are layered at
a level that is enjoyably listenable to, without going overboard by
falling into the background. If you like Everclear and their strong
level of accessibility, but find them a bit too much bublegum pop
for your tastes, then you’ve got to listen to this disc. Definitely
worth your time and your money. Mike Nazarinia Grade: B+
Blinker the Star "A Bourgeois Kitten" (A&M) The title of
Blinker the Star’s second album reveals all you need to know about
its content: nonsensical and ultimately insignificant-much like the
idea of an aristocratic cat. Singer/songwriter Jordon Zadorozny
opens the album with a disgustingly mediocre string of modern rock
staples, like "Black Eyes, Dull Care" and "Bluish Boy." Luckily for
Zadorozny, the louder music shades his lyrics enough to where the
listener doesn’t try to analyze them beyond their obvious
angst-ridden surface.
The fatal error, however, is made when Blinker the Star decides
to slow it down for the second half of the album, focusing mainly
on slow, dry, acoustic sounds that leave you no choice but to delve
into the lyrics. Aside from their melancholy tone of an adolescence
left in ruin, there isn’t much more to make from them. In fact, by
the time songs like "Bicycle Freedom" and "The Pick" come along,
you find yourself wishing the music was back. The only highlight on
the album is the title track,"Bourgeois Kitten," mostly because of
its somewhat catchy melody. To call it a melody, though, is quite a
stretch. Brian Remick Grade: C-
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