The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, July 22, 1997, Page 5, Image 5
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* SOUND
LAMB (Mercury)
(out of four stars)
As Portishead continues to equate
longevity with one album, several acts
(Sneaker Pimps,
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?..v.v**wwuj aic "" ;
vying to be the new 5 ',%-k _
| champions of trip- r
hop- iS* r
The group with I ^
the best chance of j I i k
doing this is the ; - V \
British duo Lamb,
whose self-titled
debut is perhaps the < ' Ha
best representation " ,
of trip-hop, >*
drum'nbass and soul n ^
What makes LAMB
Lamb such a
stunning record is that vocalist Louise
Rhodes and DJ Andrew Barlow master
the art of manipulating great hip-hop
beats while managing to create good
songs.
Rhodes' folk upbringing provides
her with a perspective that's absent
from other so-called trip-hop acts, and
her love of hip-hop makes her the perfect
singer for the crisp and elegant beats
of Barlow.
Take the schizophrenic drum'n'bass
' of "Cotton Wool," for example, which
somehow manages to be melodic even
though it's four times faster than any
1
Hi
A A *
ou in tne g
Portishead song.
"Lusty" is another drum'n'bai
excursion that's as brilliant for its bea
as it is for Rhodes'vocals.
Already a club favorite in the
homeland, "Trans Fatty Acid" takes tl
music to another level with atmosphei
and spacey sour
| effects, as the sor
- reaches a seve
mf $m nimuie uimax.
iy Things are slowc
H down for the intr
| spective "Zero" ar
"Feela," allowir
1 M Rhodes'lyrical ar
vocal talent to shin
1 a Sade song, fine
*1 Rhodes singing lin<
like "in these fe
hours a breath (
sunshine has turned to rain" over
melancholy violin.
Other songs like "Gold," "Close:
and the low end instrumental "Mergi
are highlighted by an underlying baj
and sharp beats that bridge the ga
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Lamb is a grab bag of great tune
for the listener fixated on trip-hop (<
whatever catch phrase the genre i
called).
This is easily one of the best releas<
of the year.
set0l"ls %
_J^k
254-7801 *211 Main St.
ice Hours - Mon.-Fri. 9:30 - 5:
ETC.
roove with th(
by Marcus Amaker, Features Editor
SOUND a
3S SARAH McLAGHLAN - SURFACING (.Arista)
x . . 1 : ui
18 (out of four stars) J
CI
*r Kate Bush. Joni Mitchell. Rickie P
*e Lee Jones. Theses are the names of the
^ best of the best-the female ^
singer/songwriters who shook up a male ^
dominated industry in the IQfs and ISO's. ^
n For the 90k, Ibri Amos, AniDiFranoo 1V
and Sarah McLachlan have carried the a
** flame of their predecessors with less "
?" commercial success, but just as much ^
1(3 influence.
Of those three, Sarah McLachlan 33
1(3 has always had the best chance of
^ becoming popular because her music .
' has never been as daring as Amos' or 11
36 as blunt as DiFranco's. Instead, a
*s McLachlan simply makes great music. P
38 Her 1989 debut Touch and its 1991 ^
w follow-up Solace only hinted at what P1
33 came full circle on her greatest work, &
a Fumbling Tbwards Ecstasy. A major
n tour, a marriage and two b-side CD's ^
rn later, McLachlan returns with Surfacing, 13
5 her first album of new material in four ^
38 years. J?
LP Surfacing is a stunning piece of 111
c- work, and just like Fumbling Ibwards ^
iS Ecstasy, the album plays like a dream f*
)r sequence of songs exposing Sarah's 11
ls innermost thoughts.
With only ten songs (one of which, *e
29 "Last Dance," is an instrumental), 11
Surfacing may seem sparse a first. But 11
beneath the surface, so to speak, lies ^
one of McLachlan's most amazing
5 latest musi
lbums. g
With the exception of the first single w
Building A Mysteiy" Surfacing doesn't ri
Dntain any overly catchy tunes like
ast hits "Possession" or *lce Cream." b
New songs like "I Love You" and N
?\ill of Grace" are more reflective and
thereal than her earlier material. "I
ove You" floats along like a cloud, as m
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Latin-tinged acoustic guitar. "Full of
rrace," which was originally on her
996 release Rarities, B -sides and Other
tuff, utilizes her trademark sound of
lulti-layered vocals and atmospheric
ackground music.
The true beauty of Surfacing lies
i the songs "Do What You Have to Do"
ad "Angel," in which Sarah and her
iano come to the forefront. "Do What
ou Have lb Do" is a true gem, and is
Dssibly the most melodic song she has
/er written.
Lyrically, Surfacing proves that
IcLachlan is still one of our generations
lost underrated songwriters. One of
le reasons why she is so appealing is
lat her songs not only appeal to the
stener, but also to the poet, who can
ppreciate lines like "can you look out
le window without your shadow getting
i the way."
The only drawback to the CD is the
rngth. Clocking in at just over 41
linutes. Surfacing leaves vou wanting
lore, especially after waiting for four
jars.
But maybe that's what makes it so
ESSfe*.
Suncloud
Costa Del
'Ogkley'i mltaMt hi
ic releases
ood- McLachlan has produced a CD
rith ten excellent songs, leaving no
oom for filler or any weak tracks.
Surfacing is elegantly dark and
eautifhl - in other words, classic Sarah
IcLachlan.
Mwrpdith Rrooks - RlurrinP
The Edges (Capitol): If it looks like
Alanis and sounds like Alanis, then
it must be Ala...uh, Meredith
Brooks, rating: F
Ben Harper - The Will lb Live
(Virgin): Harper's third album is ; smarter,
bolder and funkier than
anything he's done before. Elements
of folk, rock and blues shine cm album
highlights "Roses From My
Friends," "I Want lb Be Ready" and the
funky wah-wah guitar of
"Mama's Trippin'." There isn't a bad
song oh this album, rating: A+
Boogiemonsters - God Sound
(EMI): Not nearly as good as their
groundbreaking debut Riders of the
Storm, but God Sound is still a
solid release from two saviors of rap
music. Besides, how often do you
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bad words (!), songs about God
and MCs who actually have skills?
Think of the Boogiemonsters as a
baby De La Soul, rating: B
?IB
hbaisch iqoo i
& lomb i |
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