Eve “Eve-Olution” Ruff Ryder Records
The daunting task of giving Eve’s album paws is not as
difficult as it might seem. She already has two paws tattooed on
herself (one for each breast). I’d like to add two more to
her collection. After venturing into movies
(“Barbershop,” “XXX”), Eve holds down her
rapping end with tracks that fulfill. She’s rough, funny and
honest, but can be sensitive and reflective as well. It’s a
balanced album and even works as an album, beginning with bold
sexuality, switching to introspective relationships, and finally
diving into her personal life and a self-proclaimed message for
kids. It’s the clean Eve, as she says, “I straightened
up, I’m doing right.” No doubt about that. Her
laugh-out-loud funny skits deal with how she’s become a star
and is losing her hood connections. Even guest rapper Snoop Dogg
sounds cleaned up with lyrics that could have come from a public
service announcement (“ecstasy, bad habits, you better kick
it before it gets you low”), but quickly comes back by
telling us to choose the safe party choice, chronic. Eve’s
new album is enjoyable and shows a maturity of thematic development
and production design. She’s still funny as hell and worth
our attention, even if she’s not technically
“hood” anymore. -Howard Ho
Doug Martsch “Now You Know” Warner Brothers
“It was all too Jim Belushi,” says Doug Martsch,
regarding his own opinion of the blues prior to this album’s
conception. Unfortunately, his first solo outing is a little too
Joe Piscopo for us. There’s no denying the Built to Spill
frontman’s songwriting talents or guitar virtuosity. However,
the hubris that led Martsch to adopt a genre he admits not fully
appreciating or understanding results in an album that tarnishes
blues’ image. “Now You Know” is an album with
some pretty melodies and stellar guitar playing, but overall the
album sounds too monotonous and clearly inferior to his work with
Built to Spill. Songs like the beautifully string-laden
“Window” turn out to be the best songs on the album.
But on these Martsch resorts to the techniques that set Built to
Spill apart from the standard indie rock fare, and they seem
misplaced in the bluesy atmosphere. Martsch sounds like he’s
having fun stepping outside his natural skin, but why settle for
Joe Piscopo when you can have a Bill Murray? -Andrew Lee
Stereo Total “Musique Automatique” Kill Rock
Stars
“Musique Automatique” is a little throwback, a
little superficial yet embarrassingly fun, and it’s no
surprise that a member of the Strokes nominated it for this
year’s Shortlist Award. Stereo Total’s infectious pop,
complete with bargain-bin electronics and trebly drum beats, would
be the ultimate party album for the Power Puff Girls, and maybe a
few pop music lovers as well. Consisting of multi-instrumentalists
Francoise Cactus and Brezel Goring, this Berlin duo plays
embellished, elaborate music that sounds like it’s coming
straight out of a transistor radio, offering an oddball mix between
French pop and garage-rock production. Somehow, the combination
works. On “Nationale 7,” the group moves from Commodore
64 effects to raging guitars before stopping abruptly as if their
studio had a power surge. With most songs hovering around two and
three minutes, the group makes its marks in typical ADD-addled
fashion, perfect for their music style, which is pleasing in small
doses. -Andrew Lee