Reviews by Deseret News staff writers of recent "Unplugged" recordings:
ROD STEWART; "Unplugged . . . and seated" (Warner Bros.). * * 1/2
How does he do it? One could have been forgiven for thinking, upon hearing "Maggie May" or "Handbags and Gladrags" all those years ago, that Rod Stewart's ragged and raspy vocal chords were already about finished. But no, as "Unplugged . . . and seated" proves, his distinctive voice bellows and caresses as well as it ever did.
And what he basically chooses to bellow and caress here are his oldies - at the heart of this MTV-generated set are four songs from his breakthrough 1971 album "Every Picture Tells a Story," and most of the rest are from the late '60s and early '70s as well.
"We haven't done this together since we recorded it 22 years ago," Stewart says with mild shock as old mate (and near twin) Ronnie Wood joins him for their nonpareil version of Tim Hardin's "Reason to Believe." "Most of the band weren't born! Me wife was only 1."
It's as if Rod has disavowed his "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" disco phase. And well he should. For, as songs like "Maggie May" and "Mandolin Wind" demonstrate, he was unplugged before "Unplugged" was cool.
Stewart is his gritty old self on "Hot Legs" and the Faces hit "Stay With Me"; suggestively romantic, with string accompaniment, on "Tonight's the Night"; and tastefully authentic on Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately," one of the few songs he's selected that weren't associated with him a dozen or more years ago. (It's on 1991's "Vagabond Heart.")
"Unplugged . . . and seated" isn't particularly fresh - the arrangements pretty much adhere to his (preferable) studio originals, unlike, say, Eric Clapton's revisionism. This album's more like a nostalgic memory-lane evening with a pop-rock crooner who's still in fine form. Who would have thought it?
- Ray Boren
NEIL YOUNG; "Unplugged" (Reprise). * * * *
Neil Young has dabbled in an eclectic variety of music over the years: country, folk, hard rock, folk-rock, speed metal, rhythm and blues, synth-pop, rockabilly, etc. But his best songs are typically the acoustic tunes that focus the listener more on the poetry of his lyrics. They are songs found on albums like "Harvest," "Comes a Time" and, most recently, "Harvest Moon."
Now comes "Unplugged," a purely acoustic collection of 14 live tunes recorded during an MTV episode of "Unplugged" earlier this year. The collection includes but three songs from "Harvest Moon," the rest spanning a remarkable three-decade career that has established him as one of North America's premier songwriters.
The set, featuring primarily a solo Neil Young on acoustic guitar, harmonica and an occasional piano, includes relatively unknown Young tunes like "The Old Laughing Lady," "World on a String" and "Transformer Man," as well as fan favorites "Pocahontas," "Like a Hurricane," "Long May You Run," "Helpless" and "Needle and the Damage Done."
Certainly one of the most interesting cuts is a lethargic, bluesy version of "Mr. Soul" from his Buffalo Springfield days. While hardly comparable to the original white-knuckle rocker, this version drips with a sardonic melancholy that defines the best of Neil Young's songwriting.
And "Unplugged" offers but a sliver of Neil Young at his very best.
- Jerry Spangler
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT; "Unplugged" (Virgin Records). * *
Arrested Development's "Unplugged" album is an unbalanced concoction of instrumental and live performances with bits of speeches by Speech, their lead vocalist. With talk and music of revolution, AD continues its crusade for African-American change with this recording of a live MTV performance.
However, AD's approach here is tedious, because the album replays two versions of many songs provided in the group's only other album, "3 years, 5 months and 2 days in the life of Arrested Development."
Those lured by hit singles like "Tennessee" and "People Everyday" may be disappointed with the instrumental studio versions and raw sound of live performance. Still, for those interested in the what and why of AD's existence, "Unplugged" exposes the heart of the band with a down-home mix of music and dialogue, the type of performance Arrested Development enjoys giving.
AD's cutting-edge style of rap incorporates jazz, funk, blues and reggae in a bass-heavy format the group calls "Southern-fried funk."
- Irene Chen
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "Uptown MTV Unplugged" (Uptown-MCA). * *
"Uptown MTV Unplugged" presents live performances by Uptown-MCA rap, soul, pop and hip-hop acts Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Father M.C., Christopher Williams and Heavy D. & the Boyz. The album jams, and is great for a barbecue, dance or party.
It doesn't work as well for straight listening. The songs are fun, but the live spin makes the collection somewhat annoying in the solitude of a living room - unless the listener is really in an energetic mood (say, getting ready to go to a party or on a wacky date). Since it's live, there's plenty of screaming and background noise, and long, drawn-out endings (and middles). The songs themselves sometimes take a back seat to the other racket.
On "Talk to Me," Jodeci hacks up its radio version too much by adding parts of other songs, which would have been reasonably acceptable except for the fact that the extraneous song bits don't fit the style of "Talk to Me" - or of the group, for that matter. For example, Jodeci adds phrases of a rock/alternative song, which is irritating for a listener expecting to hear R&B/rap.
Jodeci's most listenable song on the collection is the "oldie-but-goodie" "Lately." This version of the tearjerker is pretty and melodic.
The Mary J. Blige cuts are pretty good, showing off her talent; they are reasonably unadulterated and jazzed up enough to appreciate.
For optimum enjoyment of this rap-soul-hip-hop album, a room full of party-happy people may be the way to go. That way the music comes across enough to fit the mood of the occasion, and the noise of the crowd on the live album will blend in with the sounds of a live crowd.
- Cathy Carmode