Following are reviews by Deseret News staff writers of new rock, classical-crossover, new age and soundtrack albums.
ALICE IN CHAINS; "Alice in Chains" (Columbia). * * *
After a short-lived "disbanding" and rumored drug problems, Seattle's Alice In Chains is back with a new release and same old attitude. The band that drove itself and fans into a frenzy with "Man in the Box" on MTV and was nominated for a Best Heavy Metal Performance Grammy hits the scene with a self-titled album.
The album's first single, "Grind," was prematurely leaked to radio stations in October and caused a fit among fans - though many people thought it was just a simple marketing ploy. The sound of "Grind," however, confirmed that Alice in Chance still has what it takes.
The rest of the album verifies this. It's tight and very Alice in Chains, with the band's omnipresent monotone vocals. Though the band does dabble in some acoustic sounds ("Heaven Beside You"), the majority of the album is pure depression grind, in the vein of early Soundgarden.
- Scott Iwasaki
KATHLEEN BATTLE; "So Many Stars" (Sony Classical). * * * *
Kathleen Battle takes a break from her usual classical offerings with "So Many Stars," an emotion-filled collection of songs that exercise her versatility.
From soft, touching spirituals ("Hush," "Steal Away") to dance-worthy Brazilian tunes ("Azulao," "Ninghe, Ninghe") to sweet-and-easy lullabies ("Cancion de Cuna," "The Little Horses") to - yes, she can't stray too far - a classical variation on Dvorak ("Going Home"), Battle is at the top of her game with the 15 cuts here; they don't come any better.
Mention should also be made of her accompanists, Grover Washington Jr. on sax, Cyrus Chestnut on piano, etc. (The track that's wearing out fastest on my CD is "He's Gone Away." Wow.)
- Chris Hicks
THE FLAMING LIPS; "Clouds Taste Metallic" (Warner Bros.). * * 1/2
The whine is back with the Flaming Lips' new album, "Clouds Taste Metallic." The band's sound has matured, with its bouncy slack tone heading for higher heights.
Loneliness and questions thread through the collection. It opens with the quiet "The Abandoned Hospital Ship" and turns raw with raw "Placebo Headwound" and "Brainville." "Guy Who Got a Head Wound and Accidentally Saves the World" is juxtaposed with the mellow blues of "When You Smile" and the driving rage of "Kim's Watermelon Gun." At the end is a new version of "Bad Days" - the song heard at Edward Nygma's apartment in "Batman Forever."
- Scott Iwasaki
THE BEAU HUNKS; "On To the Show . . . More `Little Rascals' Music" (Koch/Screen) * * * *
JOHN BARRY; "Moviola II: Action and Adventure" (epic soundtrax) * * * 1/2
If you enjoyed the first Beau Hunks album, "Little Rascals Music," you know what to expect with this "sequel," "On To the Show." The Dutch dance band uses original period instruments to remarkably and precisely re-create the music of LeRoy Shields, which was used in all those Hal Roach features and shorts of the 1930s - and not just for `The Little Rascals" but also Laurel & Hardy and many others. What is truly remarkable this time around is that after 50 cuts on the first album the Beau Hunks have somehow managed to come up with 50 more - without any overlapping and many that are still quite familiar! The result is a followup recording that is every bit as fascinating and fun as the first.
The distinctive, and sometimes bombastic movie soundtrack sounds of John Barry also get a sequel with "Movieola II: Action and Adventure," a followup to his first "Moviola" album of a couple of years ago. "Part II" begins with a suite of Barry's James Bond themes, beginning with a surprisingly slow-and-easy if dramatic rendition of "Goldfinger," which segues into equally tempered versions of the "James Bond Theme" and "From Russia With Love" (the only two compositions on the album written by others), followed by bits and pieces of "Thunderball," "You Only Live Twice" and others. From the album's "Action and Adventure" subtitle, one might expect this lengthy Bond sequence to be more rousing (and it picks up a bit with "007" and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"). But that's not really a complaint. Other cuts include music from the good ("Zulu"), the bad (the 1976 "King Kong") and the ugly ("The Specialist"), as well as a suite from "Dances With Wolves."
- Chris Hicks
VANESSA-MAE; "The Violin Player" (Angel). * * * *
STANLEY CLARKE/AL DI MEOLA/
JEAN-LUC PONTY; "The Rite of Strings" (Gai Saber). * * * 1/2
Move over, Jean-Luc Ponty, there's a new electronic violin in town. Sixteen-year-old Singapore-born Vanessa-Mae (actually Van-essa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson) has fused electronic and acoustic techniques, as well as rock and classical styles, to create a unique, energetic and quite thrilling first album, "The Violin Player." The opening cut, a rousing, upbeat take on Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor," sets the stage and is followed by seven terrific original numbers by her producer, arranger, conductor and keyboardist Mike Batt, as well as a fabulous cover of Mason Williams' "Classical Gas." The results are, to borrow the title of the 10th cut, "Red Hot." And that latter piece is co-written by Vanessa-Mae herself, providing the perfect, get-up-and-dance denouement. (This one doesn't just frequently rotate off my shelves, it dominates my CD player.)
And speaking of Ponty, he shows up on "The Rite of Strings," another acoustic-electronic mix, with Ponty, Stanley Clarke and Al Di Meola contributing three lengthy cuts each. Ponty's vibrant "Renaissance," easygoing "Change of Life" and the intense "Memory Canyon" are highlights, but Clarke (who teams up with Chick Corea for "Song to John," dedicated to John Coltrane) and Di Meola's pieces are also quite memorable. If you're not familiar with these veteran artists' work, here's the perfect sampler to get you started.
- Chris Hicks