Following are reviews of recent rock, heavy metal and contemporary jazz recordings.
ZZ TOP; "Rhythmeen" (RCA). * * *
Die-hard ZZ Top fans will be glad to know the band has released a new album, "Rhythmeen," that harkens back to an earlier sound as found on "Fandango" and "Deguello."
The album strolls through the songs in a bluesy, laid-back groove. The album's title cut starts things off, as the "little band from Texas" steps away from hit-single catch-and-scratch riffs as found in "Gimme All Your Lovin' " and "Sleeping Bag."
Instead, ZZ Top lays on the textures. There's a shadow of the Delta stride in the mouth-harp crescendo opening of "What's Up with That," which is followed by the murky bludgeon of "Vincent Price Blues."
When the cloud clears, a bit of primal voodoo shakes in "Zipper Job" and "My Mind Is Gone." Nor should we forget the disoriented thump of "Loaded" or the foreboding rumble of "Humm-bucking, Part 2."
SHERYL CROW; "Sheryl Crow" (A&M). * * 1/2
Sheryl Crow has already gained some notoriety with her self-titled followup to the hit album "Tuesday Night Music Club." The lyrics for the funky "Love Is a Good Thing" created a stir and got the album banned from Wal-Mart, which is mentioned in the lyrics:
Watch out, sister, watch out, brother
Watch our children while they kill each other
With a gun they bought at Wal-Mart discount stores.
If you think Crow's left the party anthem behind, you may be right. But she hasn't really stepped onto the soapbox, either, though her music is heavier and somewhat deeper.
Let's just say Crow's moved on.
The techno-sequenced intro to the opening song, "Maybe Angels," will throw some fans for a loop. But rest easy: She hasn't become Nine Inch Nails. It's just Crow testing new terrain.
Once the electric piano and mildly distorted guitars begin, the haze lifts. And when Crow's vocals come in, it's really her. But there is an edge.
Instead of re-creating "Tuesday Night . . .," Crow took the production controls herself. And it shows.
This time around, instead of bubble-gum strums, Crow nods to the vocal dynamics of Rickie Lee Jones and even Stevie Nicks. But Crow isn't either of those artists and makes a place for herself.
Mixing Rolling Stones-like riffs ("Hard to Make a Stand") and Latin percussion ("Superstar"), Crow brings a seductive flavor to her tunes. Then there's raw dynamics of the closing night-club blues bit, "Ordinary Morning," which throws you for a loop.
Crow makes the break. And though some will yearn for her catchy grooves, this album, artistically, is a move in the right direction.
CATHERINE WHEEL; "Like Cats and Dogs" (Mercury). * *
The darlings at last year's X-96 Big BASH show at Wolf Mountain have released the follow up to "Happy Days." But "Like Cats and Dogs" is really a compilation of throwaway tracks. While some do click, others should have stayed in the vaults.
The broad arrangements of "Heal 2" open the album. Once you get used to the arena sound, the tune isn't bad. The breathy mix of "Mouthful of Air" is one of those experimental romps that should have been put to rest. The pop harmonies and mile-wide guitar riffs make a bigger sound than it really is.
Then there's a feedback-trickle intro of "Saccharine" that sounds a little like Pink Floyd's "Echo" from the "Meddle" album. And speaking of Floyd, Catherine Wheel delves into a nostalgic remake of "Wish You Were Here." That song, surprisingly, is one of the strongest tracks on the album.
HIROSHIMA; "Urban World Music" (Qwest/Warner Bros.). * * 1/2
The mostly Japanese-American contemporary jazz ensemble Hiroshima returns with "Urban World Music," mixing familiar sounds with Asian flavors.
And as the title suggests, the music is textured with shiny streets of rhythm and blues ("Let Me Be Your Baby"), nighttime strolls ("Passion & Pain") and nightclub improv ("Koto Blues"). And, speaking of the koto, the band, in keeping with its Asian flavor, spices the tunes with that and another related stringed instrument, the shamisen, throughout the album.
Traditional Japanese drums, or taiko, and the flutelike shakuhachi also add their voices on "Through My Eyes," "Love How You Love Me" and "None of Us Are Free."
MANOWAR; "Louder than Hell" (Geffen). * * 1/2
Nothing's more surprising than a full-fledged "heavy metal" album released in this day of techno "Macarena" and "alternative" rock. Even more surprising is that the big hair and screaming guitars of Manowar have found a home on a major record label, not on an obscure indie from the back alleys of Kansas.
Yes, diehard metalheads, the new Manowar album is here. And it's a piece of steel that, at first glimpse, could be a nauseating "Spinal Tap" rip-off.
"Louder . . ." is filled with anthemic neo-epics like "Return of the Warlord," "Brothers of Metal" and the more progressive "Today Is a Good Day to Die."
Images of studded leather, ax-shaped guitars and cheesy posing occasionally flash through the mind as the flaying guitar solo "My Spirit Lives On" and "The Power" bullet from the speakers.
Then there's the formula-driven, piano-stained power ballad "Courage," which puts the band in the "being-tough-doesn't-mean-we're-not-sensitive" pigeonhole.
These hard rockers are reminiscent of vintage Judas Priest, and the songs just mentioned are the better tracks on the album. Even so: When the mortar's finally blown away and the dust has settled, many a metal fan will have an uncontrollable urge to play the album again.
LES CLAYPOOL AND THE HOLY MACKEREL; "Highball With the Devil" (Interscope). * * 1/2
Bassist Les Claypool takes things into his own hands with "Highball With the Devil," and though there are some parallels to his other band, Primus, this album is more than an offshoot project.
Images of surf ("Hendershot"), Led Zeppelinesque power ("Delicate Tendrils," which features spoken words by Henry Rollins) and Claypool's trademark goofy, hick-tone drawls ("George E. Porge" and the album's title track) serve up raw, innovative arrangements.
Claypool's string work tickles the ears, though the album does reflect some self-indulgence on his part. And despite some singing, this is basically an instrumental experiment in freedom for Claypool. That tack is backed up by the track "Me and Chuck," a duet between Claypool and guitarist Charlie Hunter.
RATINGS: four stars (* * * * ), excellent; three stars (* * * ), good; two stars (* * ), fair; one star (* ), poor, with 1/2 representing a higher, intermediate grade.