To the 5 Boroughs
On the Beastie Boys' landmark 1986 debut, Licensed to III, they famously incited suburban kids across America to "fight for your right to paaaar-tay." Eighteen years later, the Beasties are flipping the script. "We're gonna party for the right to fight," they rap on their politically minded sixth album, the trio's first since 1998's multiplatinum Hello Nasty. Now all grown up and approaching 40, the Boys—Adam Yauch (aka MCA), 39, Mike Diamond (aka Mike D), 38, and Adam Horovitz (aka Adrock), 37—are concerned with more than getting to their next kegger. But the results are sometimes juvenile. "Columbine bowling, childhood stolen/ We need a bit more gun controlling," they rhyme on the didactic "Right Right Now Now." Elsewhere, they take one of several swipes at President Bush on the jittery "It Takes Time to Build": "We've got a President we didn't elect." And they make a post-9/11 paean to New York City on the affectionate if somewhat corny "An Open Letter to NYC." The New York homeboys drop references to the Big Apple throughout To the 5 Boroughs, while musically drawing from the hip-hop that rose from the city's streets in the late '70s and early '80s. While not as sonically inventive as past Beasties releases, such as 1989's Paul's Boutique, the disc still finds the group making clever use of beats and samples (like the Sugar Hill Gang's 1979 classic "Rapper's Delight" on the old-school throwdown "Triple Trouble"). They rock the party on tracks like the funky-fresh "Oh Word?" and the first single "Ch-Check It Out," which show the Beasties are still at their best when at their brattiest.
RAP
The Cure
CRITIC'S CHOICE
This is shaping up to be the year of the comeback for '80s pop icons. First Prince, Morrissey and George Michael returned with their best albums in years. And now The Cure is back with a CD that will be just like heaven for fans of Robert Smith's goth gang. Following two disappointing studio discs, 1996's Wild Mood Swings and 2000's Bloodflowers, The Cure has found the remedy for its creative woes on this effort (which comes 25 years after the group's debut, Three Imaginary Boys). The band sounds reinvigorated by working for the first time with an outside producer, Ross Robinson (Korn), who brings a harder rock edge to tracks like the venomous "Us or Them." The Cure shifts between dark, dense soundscapes like the 10-minute epic "The Promise" and more pop-friendly fare such as "Taking Off," a giddy rush in the vein of "In Between Days." For his part Smith still has the same mournful wail and morose lyrics. "I can't find myself/I got lost in someone else," he sings on "Lost." But with this disc, the Cure has found its groove again.
ALT-ROCK
Stone Love
Along with Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and India.Arie, Angle Stone has been one of neosoul's baddest sisters since, sporting an Afro that would make Cleopatra Jones jealous, she made her debut with 1999's Black Diamond. On her righteous third album, Stone continues to carve out retro-'70s R&B rich in the tradition of greats like Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan and Betty Wright. The latter lends her down-home grit to "That Kind of Love," a hearty slice of southern-fried soul. Other guest vocalists include Snoop Dogg (on the breezy summertime jam "I Wanna Thank Ya"), Floetry (on the funky testimonial "My Man") and Anthony Hamilton (on the well-matched duet "Stay for a While"). But Stone, whose delivery combines the earthiness of Wright with the velvety smoothness of Sarah Vaughan, goes it alone on the humorous highlight "U-Haul" (produced and cowritten by Missy Elliott). Upon loading up the truck and leaving a no-good man, she slyly tosses off this disc's best line: "This is tragic like when Michael left the Jacksons."
R&B
Horse of a Different Color
For better and, unfortunately, for worse, Big Kenny (real name Kenny Alphin) and John Rich are not your usual country bucks. On Horse of a Different Color, this duo's debut CD, they even indulge, misguidedly, in rap on the rockish "Rollin' (The Ballad of Big & Rich)." While they generally perform with a self-deprecating wit, they also occasionally succumb to a crass approach on tunes like the tasteless "Kick My A—" ("Just because I kiss the prettiest girls and I drive my truck too fast/ Why does every body want to kick my a—"). And they're much more convincing when they compare themselves to John Wayne on the standout "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" than when they sing, "I'm a cowboy Stevie Wonder" on the jaunty "Real World." Despite these mixed results, Kenny, a veteran Nashville songwriter, and Rich, a former Lonestar member, make for an intriguing duo. And their backup band includes vital contributions from Adam Shoenfeld, who plays a vigorous, rock-infused electric guitar, and Mike Johnson on steel guitar. It's fun to hear musicians who cross genre lines so zestfully.
COUNTRY
Jamie Cullum, Twentysomething Alternately bringing to mind a male Norah Jones, Harry Connick Jr. with attitude or the second coming of Billy Joel, this 24-year-old British piano man, in his U.S. debut, is really something to get keyed up about.
Janet Jackson, Damita, Jo The Super Bowl flasher doesn't shy away from her girl-gone-wild rep on a sexed-up set of first-rate R&B-pop, with fresh help from producer-rapper of the moment Kanye West.
Julie Roberts, Julie Roberts This newcomer looks like Faith Hill and sounds like Bonnie Raitt on her ingratiating country-blues tunes.
Van Hunt, Van Hunt Looking for the year's best CD so far? The Hunt is over with this disc that lovingly revisits R&B's golden age.
N.E.R.D., Fly or Die Alternative hip-hoppers fuse new wave, 70s rock and Beatles-style pop into a quirky punk-funk pastiche.
Jet
The Australian rock band Jet has taken off with a platinum debut CD, Get Born, and a U.S. tour this month. We caught up with lead singer/guitarist Nic Cester, 25.
ON THE INSPRIRED "COLD HARD B——" "It's not about anyone, really. In fact, it's just this big stupid rock song. Not all of our songs are lyrically inept, but this one is. Don't listen to this song because it's not very good.
ON HOW THEY GOT THEIR BAND NAME There's a Wings song called "Jet." It's not a song that we're particularly fond of, but we just thought that would be a cool name for a band. It doesn't really have anything to do with Paul McCartney or anything.
ON THEIR FAVORITE CONCERT VENUE For sentimental reasons, the Duke of Windsor in Melbourne. That's the pub where it all started for us in Australia. It's a bit of a dive, but it's got a lot of charm. We kind of lived there for a while. We knew the guy who managed the bar, and sometimes he would let us just stay upstairs.
ON HOW THEY DEAL WITH JET LAG Have a drink on the plane. Then stay up as late as possible drinking when arriving in a new country. That will help you achieve the most intense hangover of all time.
- Contributors:
- Chuck Arnold,
- Ralph Novak,
- Cristina De Oliveira.
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!
