Thursday, 5/1/97 Soundbites
Various artists "Gypsy Passion – New Flamenco" (Narada) This
compilation features artists from all over the world who are at the
forefront of new flamenco – Jesse Cook, Armik and, of course,
Ottmar Liebert, among many others. It is also one of the most
dazzling displays of guitar playing since Hendrix lit his
six-string on fire. In a departure from the more traditional
flamenco, whose beautiful but often simple themes repeat throughout
the song without much fancy fingerwork, these melodies are all over
the frets at light speed. Playful, flawlessly picked scales, trills
and crisp passages that wind around each other create varied and
complex melodies and countermelodies. And though some of the pieces
would give even Segovia a run for his money, they sound light and
effortless, without the slightest hint of strain. Jorge Struntz and
Ardeshir Farah’s "Bola" and Armik’s "Gypsy Flame" are especially
impressive; if the passages were any faster, the notes would be
practically indistinguishable. But musicianship aside, the music is
beautiful in its own right. Each song has a flamenco backbone but
is fleshed out in a different style. At times, the warmth of the
percussion and bass and the spontaneous feel of many of the
melodies, as they wander in and out of scales, makes the album
sound like a candlelit jam session – of artists who have been
playing together for 20 years, that is. This should sound familiar
to anyone who has seen one of Liebert’s shows, with the musicians
sitting barefoot on rugs on the floor. Liebert offers one of his
faster, more popular songs, "The Night," whose minor-key mystery is
followed by the upbeat "Bola." It is one of a handful of songs with
dueting lead guitars that enrich the harmonies. Aside from Struntz
and Farah, famous pairs Sergio Lara and Joe Reyes, Ruben Romero and
Lydia Torea, and Willie Royal and Wolfgang "Lobo" Fink also appear.
Romero and Torea’s "Rumba Rumba Gitanita" is the only piece with
vocals and is more traditional than the other songs. Willie and
Lobo’s "Rockin’ Gypsies" ends the disc with violin and guitar
throwing the melody back and forth. The remaining songs focus
solely on guitar work, the hallmark of new flamenco. This album is
an excellent introduction to flamenco, as it represents many ages,
nationalities and musical influences – from classical to jazz, from
Canada to Chile. Kristin Fiore A- Jon Secada "Secada" (SBK) In the
five years since Jon Secada stopped being Gloria Estefan’s backup
singer and began recording his own albums, he has released six
records, three in English and three in Spanish. "Secada" is his
latest English disc, and it is a pleasant, melodic collection with
quite a few potentially strong singles. Nine of the album’s 10
songs were written and produced by either Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
(the duo behind most of Janet Jackson’s work who have also written
for and produced New Edition, Boyz II Men and others) or by
Secada’s longtime co-songwriter and co-producer, Miguel A. Morejon.
Both groups of songs sound great accompanied by the singer’s
powerful, soulful voice. The first single, "Too Late, Too Soon," is
actually one of the album’s dullest cuts. Much more listenable are
"Heaven Is You" by Jam and Lewis, "I Live For You" by Secada and
Morejon, and "Get Me Over You," by Secada, Morejon and
supersongwriter Diane Warren. This latest collection is much
stronger than Secada’s sophomore effort but definitely doesn’t have
the potential for four top-10 singles like his debut had. Jeff
Hilger B+ Tracey Lee "Many Facez" (Universal/Bystorm) Earlier this
year, Tracey Lee dropped one of the hottest party jams of 1997, his
first single "The Theme (It’s Party Time)." Featuring an
ill-sampled loop and a catchy chorus, "The Theme" set high
expectations for Lee’s album. His debut album, "Many Facez," fails
to live up to these expectations. The only track on the album that
matches the energy of the first single is "Keep Your Hands High."
On this track, Lee trades microphone responsibilities with the late
Notorious B.I.G., a pairing that will surely make listeners hit
their rewind buttons. Another notable collaboration is Busta
Rhyme’s appearance on "The After Party (The Theme II)." As always,
Busta dominates the spotlight with his trademark hyperactive flow
and Tracey Lee matches Busta rhyme for rhyme. But since this track
uses the same sampled loop as "The Theme" and is meant as a
follow-up to the first single, comparisons become inevitable. The
bottom line is, the sequel is not as good as the original. Tracey
Lee is a good rapper, and throughout his album he displays his
schizophrenic nature by alternating between five different
personalities. His talent shows in his ability to play five
different roles by employing five different vocal deliveries, which
are especially evident on the track "Many Facez." Yet this talent
is not given the proper platform to stand on, as the production is
subpar. The album is a good purchase based solely on the strength
of the four previously mentioned songs, but the rest of the album
is filler material. Nelson Saldua B- Pugs "Pugs Bite the Red Knee"
(Casual Tonalities) They don’t say it anywhere on the album, but
the indication is that Pugs are from Japan. Their partially English
spoken lyrics are meshed with their own tongue and set to truly
avant-garde punk tunes, incorporating American classics, like
"Tequila" into a speedy, highly metal guitar-laden thrashing. Horns
and organ notes seep out in exhausting, bone crashing stomps of
musical revelry. At the same time, the lead singer’s caustic voice
smashes up the jaunty melody, creating an orgy of shrill sounds and
overpowering instrumentals. Other times, Pugs focus on Zippy techno
beats that pound out like the heartbeat of an intoxicated crack
fiend just before slamming his head against the cold concrete in a
final send-off to the land beyond. The lead singer reserves these
moments for a softer, almost deadlier astral morph of vocalizations
and yodels in what very well could be Japanese. It could be pure
gibberish, but it wouldn’t matter. The words sound spunky enough,
regardless. For instance, the song, "Happy Boobooster ’99" includes
the words, "DO YOU Tu Tu Tu, Watashi No IDOL! / Hi, Hi! DO YOU Tu
Tu Tu, Watashi No IDOL!" which, when translated, mean, "Do you tu
tu tu, you are my idol! / Hi, Hi! Do you tu tu tu, you are my
idol!" Such a decoding proves quite helpful when attempting to
understand the inner motivations driving the band’s soulful
renditions. But, other times, when Pugs do more than overdrive
every noise-making device in sight beyond their current capacity, a
few gentler chords with more incisive lyrics (though foreign) do
come across. For example, the piece "Shizku Is Color of Tears"
includes the lines, "Tormented, like a doll/ Legs spread, knob
tightly wound up/ I get this sort of feeling just for you/ What I
want you to notice is the little good night kiss," and on it goes,
a sort of twisted love melodrama unfolding with every additional
line. Perhaps the closest current approximation to Pugs musically
would be a cross between Bjork, in her weirder moments, and Mr.
Bungle, a group which takes samples from every conceivable arena,
puts them in a blender and presses high speed. With this in mind,
listen to Pugs only if you suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder
or appreciate experimental music from the year 3000. Otherwise,
Pugs may steamroll right across you. Vanessa VanderZanden A-
Soundbites runs Mondays and Wednesdays. VARIOUS ARTISTS "Gypsy
Passion"