Billy Corgan's first new group since the Smashing Pumpkins disbanded in 2000 (not counting a brief stint with New Order in 2001) bills him as Billy Burke. Alias or no, the singer-guitarist sounds a lot like a Pumpkin in a different patch on much of Zwan's solid if not Smashing debut. Although Zwan is more of a straight-ahead rock band than the alternative Pumpkins, Corgan is still the mastermind, so the album boasts his same art/alt rock sensibility on songs such as the epic, 14-minute "Jesus, I/Mary Star of the Sea," with its progressive and psychedelic flourishes.
The quintet, which also includes former Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and ex-Chavez singer-guitarist Matt Sweeney, displays a knack for breezier pop on cuts such as "Endless Summer," while venturing into more folky territory on tracks like "Heartsong." The highlight, though, is Zwan's Stones-esque turn on the brooding ballad "Of a Broken Heart," on which Corgan does his best Jagger imitation.
BOTTOM LINE: Zwimmingly executed
Lil' Romeo (No Limit/Universal)
Lil' Romeo wants to be the lil' Michael Jackson of rap. On his 2001 hit "My Baby" he borrowed from the Jackson 5 classic "I Want You Back." Here the pint-size 13-year-old reworks Jackson's 1972 solo single "I Wanna Be Where You Are" on the bouncy "Too Long." Many other tracks on his second CD also use hooks from songs that were released before Romeo's time (by such artists as Luther Vandross, Teena Marie and KC and the Sunshine Band). While his musical sources may be old-school, the rapper's appeal won't pass middle school on fun-but-flyweight party cuts like "Make You Dance," one of 15 tracks cowritten by Romeo and his dad, hip-hop mogul Master P (whose No Limit Records released this disc). Even sixth-graders might find songs such as "Clap Your Hands"—which restyles the group sing-along "If You're Happy and You Know It"—a bit juvenile.
BOTTOM LINE: For lil' hip-hoppers only
Album of the week
Sweet Honey in the Rock (Earth Beat!)
[
Just in time for Black History Month (February), the female a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock continues to keep African-American singing traditions alive on its latest album, which marks the sextet's 30th anniversary. With a sound rooted in the vocal arrangements and textures of black spirituals and hymns—while branching out into blues, folk and African styles—Sweet Honey makes music that is rich in history as well as harmony. On this disc—which was produced by singer-songwriter Toshi Reagon (daughter of Sweet Honey's Bernice Johnson Reagon)—the group educates and elevates on songs such as "Ballad of Harry T. Moore," based on the 1952 poem by Langston Hughes.
BOTTOM LINE: Pour on this Honey
Blake Shelton (Warner Bros.)
With a straight-on country music approach, tales of truck-driving and hard drinking, and a voice that at times echoes Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Mel Tillis and Jimmy Buffett, Shelton's second album has a fun '70s feel to it. The Dreamer even includes a dandy cover of "Georgia in a Jug," originally recorded by Johnny Paycheck in 1978 and written by Shelton's producer Bobby Braddock. Traditionalist that Braddock is, he brings a down-on-the-farm authenticity to tunes like "In My Heaven," which bashes lawyers while saluting Hank Aaron. Such songs prove that Shelton's splendid 2001 self-titled debut was no freshman fluke.
BOTTOM LINE: A good-time throwback
Ricardo Arjona (Columbia)
Singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona has been hyped as the Bob Dylan of Latin America. While that's a stretch, the Mexico-based Guatemala native has shown more lyrical depth and range than your typical Latin popster, offering up insightful religious, social and political commentary on songs such as 2000's controversial "Mesias" (which some misconstrued as prophesying the events of Sept. 11). On Santo Pecado (translation: Blessed Sin), Arjona takes on the hot-button topic of Mexico's rampant kidnappings. "La Nena (Bitácora de un Secuestro)" is a poignant, near-eight-minute tale about an abducted girl: "The hand that killed her chauffeur now muffles her screams/The girl is a one followed by zeroes today." (Unfortunately, such English translations aren't provided in the liner notes, so non-Spanish speakers won't be able to fully appreciate Arjona's artistry.)
Musically, Arjona shies away from the formulaic romantic ballads and dance numbers that mark much of Latin pop. On "Quesos, Cosas, Casas," he uses such untraditional pop instruments as clarinet, oboe, bassoon and French horn, while on the single "El Problema," which hit No. 1 on Billboard's Latin chart, he makes evocative, acoustic-based folk-rock that is no problem to enjoy.
BOTTOM LINE: Rich Ricardo
- Contributors:
- Chuck Arnold,
- Ralph Novak.
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!
