With its startling sonic attack and multiple layers of noise and melody, this British quintet has produced what is easily one of the best rock albums of the year so far. In a deceptively gentle voice that recalls Bread's David Gates, songwriter Thom Yorke leavens his edgy tales of paranoia and alienation. Whether it's the savage roar of the group's three guitarists or the insistent piano that pushes tracks like the haunting "Karma Police," Radiohead unleashes perfectly crafted pop songs that are as unnerving as they are lovely. (Capitol)
Wu-Tang Clan
Listening to a Wu-Tang record is no easy task. Unlike many hip-hop groups that surround their lyrics with user-friendly, recognizable loops and beats, the Clan constructs a much more unsettling sound. The 27 tracks on this overlong two-CD set are moody, dark and often ominous. Some rhythm tracks are built on a single piano note played over and over, giving songs an eerie, off-kilter appeal. At the same time, the nine-man Clan boasts multiple rappers who each brings his own persona into play. Wu-Tang is one of the most popular rap groups of the '90s, and Forever has a lot to live up to. For most of its 120 minutes it fulfills fans' expectations. But few groups, no matter how strong, can sustain their creativity for such a long stretch. (Loud)
Brownstone
In these days of sisters with sound-alike voices, Brownstone is one of the few female R&B groups with a distinct vocal style. Their swaying, three-part harmonies build, build, build, then soar into what could pass for a full choir. Unlike many of their counterparts, who seem too attached to mechanical, mid-tempo beats, Brownstone nails the emotional bull's-eye with their torchy, slow rhythm and blues. "You Give Good Love" and "5 Miles to Empty," the standout first single, recall the late-'70s hey-day of singing groups like the Emotions and the Jones Girls, when R&B albums offered groups more than a good excuse to flounce about in flashy videos. (MJJ Music/WORK)
Chantal Kreviazuk
Judging by her sparkling debut album, this 24-year-old from Winnipeg, Man., may be the next Alanis Morissette—or Rickie Lee Jones, or Joan Osborne. In fact, Kreviazuk might want to consult a rock-and-roll therapist; on these dozen varied tracks she exhibits more personalities than Sybil. Close your eyes and you'll think the lyrical ballad "Grace" is Rickie Lee's; "Co-Dependent" suggests a song by blues-belter Osborne; "God Made Me" echoes Morissette. When it comes to musical influences, Kreviazuk, who writes her own songs, has impeccable taste. Only time will tell if she can also stand apart from the crowd. (Columbia)
God's Property
The Dallas-based Christian group has crossed over to the pop charts thanks to this album's hit single "Stomp," which may be the first gospel song to sample a riff by psychedelic funk master George Clinton. Rousing, catchy and with a touch of hip hop, thanks to Salt-N-Pepa vocalist Cheryl James, "Stomp" is filled with so much joy, even nonbelievers will want to testify. Or at least hum along. Produced by Kirk Franklin, one of Christian music's more flamboyant figures, God's Property does a nice job of blurring the divisions between church and record chart. (B-Rite/Interscope)
Michael Penn
Yearning for more snap and crackling intelligence in your pop? With his slightly weathered voice and enough memorable hooks to keep you hanging on his words long after the music ends, Penn (actor Sean's big brother) may offer what you crave. In contrast to the bulk of his singer-songwriter peers, Penn puts equal emphasis on both confessional content and entertainment value. But unlike, say, Matthew Sweet on his recent albums, Penn doesn't knock himself out trying to be likable. While nothing on Resigned boasts the brilliant melodic punch of "No Myth," Penn's 1990 breakout single, the tragicomic "Me Around" and the power poppy "Like Egypt Was," in particular, are far catchier than their opaque titles suggest. (57/Epic)
The Boneshakers
There are plenty of bluesy touches to the Boneshakers' music, most notably wailing guitar solos by Randy Jacobs and a singer—R&B vet Sweet Pea Atkinson—whose rugged voice can suggest an evening of cigarettes and cheap whiskey. Still, there's a funky, vibrant bounce to much of the material on the duo's debut disc—a little Philly soul here, some Muscle Shoals-style horns there—that paints Book of Spells a warmer color than traditional blues. Much of the credit goes to Atkinson, whose vocals have graced albums by Was (Not Was), Bonnie Raitt and Elton John. His voice warms the soul like the evening speaker at a downtown mission. (Pointblank)
Various Artists
When she died of cancer in April, 49-year-old Laura Nyro left behind a legacy not only of classic hits ("Eli's Comin'," "Wedding Bell Blues," "Stoney End") but of a mold-breaking approach to songwriting. Fourteen artists and groups contribute to this homage (recorded before its participants knew Nyro was gravely ill) to a writer who influenced generations of musicians. From Suzanne Vega's taut "Buy and Sell" and Jill Sobule's sassy "Stone Soul Picnic" to Rosanne Cash's simmering "Save the Country" and Sweet Honey in the Rock's jubilant "And When I Die," Time and Love works on a variety of levels—all of them solidifying Nyro's legacy as one of American pop's more underrated masters. (Astor Place)
>Steve Poltz
A GLITTER IN JEWEL'S CROWN
THEY MET FIVE YEARS ago at Java Joe's, an Ocean Beach, Calif., coffee shop where Rugburns leader Steve Poltz, then 32, was gigging and Jewel Kilcher, a pretty 19-year-old with musical aspirations, was waitressing. Romance quickly percolated as the two began mooning over more coffee at Denny's and going on surfing safaris to Baja California. "Next thing I know, we started writing songs together," says Poltz, who offered the wisdom of his years to Jewel, an Alaska native who had headed south after graduating from high school in Michigan the year before and who was then living in her van. "I was a social misfit," admits Jewel, who says she was not exactly steeped in pop music history either: "I hadn't even heard the Beatles before I met him." But since childhood she had been writing poetry and performing with her parents, now divorced, in Alaska hotel lounges. At Poltz's urging, Jewel began singing once a week at the Innerchange coffee shop. "Within six months," he says, "there were limousines pulling up and people offering her record deals."
Jewel, of course, hit big with her 4 million-selling debut album, Pieces of You. And Poltz, now 37, achieved Most Envied Guy status as the semiclad hunk with whom she cavorts in the steamy video for "You Were Meant For Me," the über-hit cowritten by the pair. While Poltz, a Canadian raised in Palm Springs, Calif., is still waiting for his breakthrough, he has kept his good humor. "She went triple platinum," he says of Jewel's CD, which soared while his own 1995 Rugburns album Taking the World by Donkey flopped. ("We went triple tinfoil. I began asking her for advice.") No longer romantically entwined, the two remain close. Jewel says that Poltz is still "the only person who, when he sings, makes me cry." Adds Poltz: "There is just a cool chemistry we have.... It's nice."
- Contributors:
- Amy Linden,
- Jeremy Helligar,
- Mark Bautz,
- Craig Tomashoff,
- Billy Altman,
- Ken Baker.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
