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Jan. 5, 2007 Every few years an album comes along so AM radio friendly, that it spawns a high expectations from a neophyte song writer. This writer either flourishes (1978-- Prince, For You), or vanishes (1987--The Hard Line According To Terence Trent-D’Arby. British songbird Corinne Bailey Rae is the latest member of this group. Rae’s easy flow puts one in the mind of Minnie Riperton’s Perfect Angel,and her poetic sensibilities are similar to Dido. The album has already spawned the hits Like A Star, Put Your Records On, Trouble Sleeping,and Breathless. There isn’t a single mediocre song in the mix. This is one of the best albums of the past ten years. The hooks are infectious and tuning into the lyrical wordplay is like being at a poetry reading. It’s not all up-tempo pop, but has a touch of blues as well (’Til It Happens To You). If there is a flaw in the CD, its in the accompanying booklet, as the lyrics and album credits are almost impossible to read unless one has a magnifying glass. Rae’s follow-up to this will tell whether or not she’s here to stay, or headed for Trent-D’Arbyville. I’m betting it’s the former, and the fact she’s easy on the eyes can’t hurt her in a MTV-conscious world. Grade: A+ In the 28 years since his debut, Prince Rogers Nelson has gone from Incredible highs (1999, Purple Rain, Sign O’ The Times) to years filled with work that was widely neglected. Involved in a tiff with Warner Brothers Records, he eventually changed his name to an unpronounceable glyph as a means of getting out of a contract in which he felt was tantamount to slavery (hence, his writing the word SLAVE on his face during live performances). His 43rd lp, 3121 is typical Prince: A pop, rock, r and b tour through music’s most innovative mind, with party beats, and a mellifluous ballad thrown in for good measure, including the Michael Franks-esque Te Amo Corazon. However, gone are the suggestive lyrics that marked his meteoric rise. (Rumor has it that he is now a member of the Jehovah’s Witness church). Like Rae’s album, the lyrics are oftentimes hard to read, raising the question when CD jackets are designed, why do record companies insist on printing lyrics in colors that blend with the background? A significant portion of the American public is over forty and wears glasses, so it might be wise to print the words to the songs in good ol’ black and white. This is especially true for Prince, who is known as a lyricist and whose verbal play is going to be closely examined by fans and critics. This is his follow up to the platinum-selling Musicology CD which many critics called a comeback, particularly after the less than stellar Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic. In the latter stages of his career, Prince has not been immune to throwing in generous amounts of filler material on his works, most notably on 200’s Crystal Ball.This lp is much leaner, and shows that Prince has a staying power that his rival, the so-called King of pop, rock and soul (you know who) must be envious of. Still, this isn’t Diamonds and Pearls. Grade: A- Al Gore’s picture and theory-heavy tome An Inconvenient Truth makes for interesting reading, but breaks no new ground on global warming. That is, we’ve heard it before. And while I’m inclined to agree with the theories put forth in the book, this will not sway the naysayers who think that man-made climatic changes are exaggerated. If nothing else, Gore might convince a few people that what man is doing is exacerbating a naturally-occurring phase of earth’s history. In many parts, the book reads like a Gore family vacation, laden with personal anecdotes, which I think distracts from the book. Some of the imagery does make one stop to ponder the question of whether or not these changes can be reversed and what the long-term effects are. However, Gore has been known for his hyperbole—after all, wasn’t it he who invented the internet? Grade: B- George Carlin’s latest tome, 3 x George: An Orgy of Carlin can best be described as an anthology, combining his first three books Brain Droppings, Napalm and Silly Putty and the book known more for its controversial cover When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? There is thirty-plus pages of new material here, as well as ground that George has covered before: Politics, his silly-serious deciphering of our strange linguistics and an assortment of strange musings on death, God, automobiles and pop culture. In short, the book is confirmation of Carlin’s comic genius, his grading out as one of the funniest stand-ups of all-time and his status as arguably the most clever funnyman working today. Grade: A- ------------ About the author: Timothy N. Stelly, Sr. is a 46-year old poet, novelist and aspiring screenwriter who resides in northern California with his three youngest children--Lawrence, Kimberly and Dante. He is a member of various writer's groups and has three novels in print, his most recent, "Like A Straight-Up Sucka," is available at www.lulu.com. website: http://stellbreadO@tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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