COUNTRY/ROCK
Hailing though he does from Romeo, Mich., Kid Rock has never been an apostle of romantic love, as he amply demonstrates on this obscenity-laced ode to drugs, hos and rock and roll. But as he makes the crossover from misogynist hard-rock rapper to misogynist guitar-strumming outlaw country boy—or "American Bad Ass," as the tattoo across his back proclaims him—the Kid is attempting to keep his redneck pimp persona intact even as he shows his sensitive side. "Have you seen a grown man cry/Or a child that's slowly dying?" he croons on "I Am," a song that stretches his vocal powers—and listener's credulity—with lines like, "I'll be a cowboy till I die." Oh, really? The swaggering, booze-guzzling, dope-snorting, "wifebeater"-wearing Kid Rock that fans love—and there are plenty who do, as this album's Top 10 debut certifies—is best heard here on tracks like "Hillbilly Stomp," with rock hero Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top on "guest vocals and beer" and—better yet—his chest-thumping power anthem "Son of Detroit." He's at his loutish worst on a braying duet with his patron saint Hank Williams Jr. on a song that is just as bad—or not as good, depending on your point of view—as its X-rated title suggests. A track like "Rock n' Roll Pain Train," the album opener, showcases Rock's strengths side-by-side with his gaffes. Lines like "Detroit City back in '99/Stoned out of my mind" are delivered without apology in a rasping, honky-tonk croon that lacks range but is loaded with personality. As a songwriter, Rock has never met a cliché he didn't like: "Stand strong in the storms of life," warbles the philosopher Kid. "The sun will always shine on you." Still, you gotta laugh along with a guy who sings (in "Run Off to L.A.," a Guns N' Roses homage written with Sheryl Crow): "All we need is just a little patience/But what do you do when your woman is too high maintenance?"
Kelis
R&B
CRITIC'S CHOICE
With her first two releases, 1999's Kaleidoscope and 2001's Wanderland, singer Kelis (full name: Kelis Rogers) failed to find the right song to put her quirky brand of R&B funk on the music map. She's finally got it on her third CD, though, in the deliriously fun first single "Milkshake." A banging club jam with a percolating groove, spacey programming and a chant-along chorus ("My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard/And they're like/It's better than yours/Damn right/It's better than yours/I can teach you/But I have to charge"), it ranks next to OutKast's "Hey Ya!" as the grooviest song on the radio. Although there is nothing else quite as delicious here, Tasty serves up plenty of fresh funk laced with crisp hip-hop beats and vocals that range from smooth to sassy. Singer Raphael Saadiq produced and performs on the shimmering soul ditty "Glow," while OutKast's Andre 3000 makes a dream duet partner on the Princely "Millionaire." But Kelis's pairing with rapper-beau Nas on the sexually explicit "In Public" lacks real heat.
Pearl Jam
ROCK
Having released 72 (!) different concert albums in 2000 and 2001, Pearl Jam continues to take a more-is-more approach. The band's latest, a 2-disc collection featuring 31 B-sides and rarities (11 of them previously unreleased) that the grunge gods have recorded in their 13-year career, is another attempt to satisfy completists. While the sprawling set has its share of dogs (like the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tribute "Sweet Lew," on which bassist Jeff Ament, making like Lou Reed, takes over lead vocals from Eddie Vedder), there is at least a single CD's worth of good finds. Pearls include the Springsteen-esque shuffler "Last Kiss," the breezy rocker "Undone" and the blues-tinged ballad "Yellow Ledbetter."
Bob Guiney
POP-ROCK
"Bring me my girlfriend and a bottle of wine/Bring me her future, just make sure it's mine," sings The Bachelor's Bob Guiney on "Girlfriend." Of course, he recorded that song and the rest of his debut CD before he chose his beloved, Estella Gardinier, on ABC's hit reality show. While his romantic prospects may be flourishing, however, the outlook for Guiney's recording career is decidedly less rosy. Although he can carry a tune and cowrote all 10 tracks, Guiney's generic pop-rock won't woo many music fans. He comes off as a Hootie wannabe on "Come Undone" while giving one new appreciation for Enrique Iglesias on cheesy mid-tempo numbers like "So Wrong," which are just that.
G Unit
RAP
After selling more than 5 million copies of his debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin', earlier this year, 50 Cent will be able to buy even more bling-bling with this release featuring the rapper with his posse, G Unit. While the disc doesn't come close to living up to Die Tryin', it should hold fans until 50's next solo album. Although 50 alternates on the mike with Lloyd Banks and Young Buck (as well as Tony Yayo, who is currently serving time for gun possession), he is still clearly the star of the show. His distinctive delivery, both mellow and menacing, boosts thug-lover tracks like the G-funkified "Baby U Got" and gangsta cuts like "My Buddy," an ode to firearms that samples Al Pacino's famous "Say hello to my little friend" line from Scarface. The other rappers display good camaraderie with 50 but can't match his lyrical flow. When Banks and Young Buck go solo—on "Smile" and "Footprints," respectively—the album suffers. Despite these missteps and a sameness to some of the tracks, the CD will keep people begging for more of 50.
- Contributors:
- Steve Dougherty,
- Chuck Arnold.
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!
