University of South Carolina Libraries
^ "I made this jar...," pottery of enslaved potter and poet on display through Dec. 19 at McKissick Museum. "Backyard Moasters" through June 8 at the South Carolina State Museum. Wednesday, June 10,1998 J 1 ETC. r< Lenny Krav n i i rorsoerg ni{ features editorWdKUS AMAKER Lenny Kravitz, 5 (Virgin Records): Until now, it has been easy to pre diet what each new Lenny Kravih album would sound like. Each full length LP was a little better than th< last, and maintained a sound thai could only be described as vintage Lenny Kravitz. But with his new CD, simply titlec 5, the multi-instrumentalist seems like he's starting all over. 5 contains < *7 J I 1 A 1 some 01 ivravuz s Desi ana worsi material. However, it is nice to hear him trj new things. "Black Velveteen," foi example is a forgettable neo-new wave dance song that sounds stuck ir the '80s. "Supersoulfighter," and "1 you cant say no," are other tracks thai toy with drum programming. Not all of 5 is different for Kravitz 'Take Time" sounds like a B-side frorr 1995's Circus, while "Little Girl's Eyes" holds its own against hits sud as "Believe" and "Always on the Run.' Hie best songs on the album dab We in funk If "Stone Cold flayer" wai released 20 years ago, it would be con sidered a soul classic. Hie same coulc be said for "Live" and "It's Your life." But it's almost 2000, not 1970, anci the retro feel of 5 will alienate some listeners. 5 is enjoyable and should bt admired for its boldness, even thougl it is a little uneven. Rating; C+ Hie Verna Cannon: Local music i ti i. * - snouianx De this gaxL^^^ stand . . , fO above ates an ongi- TT'x-JM nal sound that resembles some of _|p ^ the best indie- \>a^ rock bands that many people ^ V05,1 have never heard of 'Hveir self-titled -A lusic for ?views the latest music rel itz, Verna Cannon vvili 4* m attt i?a1 nnn new icicao debut CD features 10 k>-fi, dark and fl beautiful songs, most of which were I e written by lead - singer Molly I ; Ledford. Ledford I sings each track in a monotone voice Rfl that emphasizes 1 the mood of songs I i such as "Strange ^jjj0P j LuiiaDy, wisn t and the standout I "Antarctica." r Lyrics like "I I r know you meant I j well, but a cage is I i still a cage," mirror I f many of the topics I t of each song, I exploring themes of betrayal and disap- ^ i pointment within j relationships. [ i Dan Cook (gui- | tar, violin), Jay ^ ||tti|||^||g|^ Barry (bass), s Jonathan Bradley (drums) and I Ledford have pro- Virgin recording artist Leu duced a CD that is fe5-!t features the hit sing] I enjoyable on many ^ atmosp : levels, which is something rarely Another ph ; achieved on local albums. Rating: A+ mmntec ^ 1 Mover-indulj Ebba Forsberg, Been There ^ (Maverick / Sire Records): Not only is Madonna a great performer, k but she's a smart business | iruiuou, i>UU. VUC U1 U1C I 'JM* ^ ?Ju newest artists to be signed k ^L B to Madonna's Maverick record label is Ebba Forsberg, a quietly pas- P** |P sionate singer who sings equally passion- v*f ate songs. ? Forsberg sings B the occasional angry song (Til Do Fine"), but is ^0? best on slower ^ tunes such as I "Most of All," ^ the jazzy "Didnt Treat Ebba Forsben Me Right" and "Carried." There is out on Been There is a soothing ictuiu, wxauac caajf UJ gcv IUOL 111 Rtp L?4 JL The Gamecock the leases from re l, Ebba es Special to the Gamecock ay Kravitz's new album le "If You Cant Say Inhere of most of the songs, us: the album is barely 40 ig, making it void of boring, pent tortured songs. A shing album. Rating: A fs debut CD, Bee* Masse gional and nationa Dfjvrnnm f xy IAJ JL VV/XXJL u fans to ne^ staff writer!! LYERLY There are more bands in Athens, Ga. than bars, but few of them work as hard and have as much appeal as the pop-rock band Dayroom. For the past six years, these four guys have traveled throughout the Southeast almost nonstop. A little over a year ago, Dayroom released their latest CD, Contagious. In order to reach a wider audience, ftiic m will cnrtn fw awailahle in lanr. er chains such as Blockbuster Music and Best Buy. Previously one would have to search extensively before finding it in an obscure local record store, if found at all Unlike many of the obscure, experimental bands from Athens, Dayroom consistently offers strong musical hooks and straightforward lyrics. After the first spin of Contagious, dont be surprised if songs are already familiar A trademark of this band, though it has solid bass, drum and guitar work, is the infectious keyboarding. Even better than "infectious" is "groovy". These are some groovy keyboards, and they standout throughout this album Hie album has many strong single-worthy tunes such as "Wait a Minute," "Do What You Gotta Do" and "Come on Over," but the centerpiece Of the album is "Cheap Wine," a song that deserves to be played on any rock station. The chorus of "Cheap Wine," "Come over anytime, well open a bottle of cheap wine/ well wake up stinking like a wild irish rose...," can really get into your head, so be warned that you may be humming the words to yourself while driving just like a favorite commercial jingle. Local band, Jump Little Children, from Charleston, provides some inter_A i l i i ii i esung DacKing vocais ai we uegmmng and end of "Cheap Wine" If you prefer live recordings, then you might be interested in Dayroom's live tape, whidi was recently released. TVif ti)np mnt-ains reirts nf twn t > shows, one from the Georgia Theater in Athens and the other side from the Full Moon Studio in Watkinsville, whose facilities have been used by other local bands, such as RKM. Sporty Spice http://www.anffelfire.com /il/mek P^e5 8 J 1 bands. j__ reais v live EP This tape, released at the end of April, contains most of the "classic" Dayroom tones included on Contagious, as well as several additions. The best song on the album is, arguably, Till I Die," described as a "tear jerker" by one of the band membras. Ibis song is emotionally moving, which is hard to find from quite a fou7 han/ic u/hn are nn epp. ing how much noise can be beaten out of their instruments in the shortest amount of time. On a lighter note, every good band chooses a handful of cover songs that they play each night and, in a way, make their own, as R.E.M. did with the Velvet Underground's "There She Goes Again" or Hootie and the Blowfish with "Mustang Sally." TnrliiHpH nn Tlnvrmm's livp tanp is fl cover of the Talking Heads' "Once in a lifetime," a song you might have heard most recently on trailers for the new Jim Carrey movie, "Ihe Truman Show." On July 3, Dayroom will support a local staple for Columbia, Danielle Howie and the TWi trams. This will be Dayman's first Columbia appearance since their vacation, so they should be rested and ready to rock and roll. If nothing else, youll get a kick out of the lead singer dancing barefoot on his carpet, but Dayman has much more to offer than that WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10 Elbow Room: The Drag, CandeDa The Masquerade (Atlanta, Ga.): Union The Point (Atlanta, Ga.): Birds Swim Fish Fry, Maria Marraca, Tby THURSDAY, JUNE 11 Elbow Room: 'Die Goodies New Brookland Tavern: Sheldon, Nute Windjammer (Charleston, SC): Jah Works FRIDAY, JUNE 12 Elbow Room: Mystic Vibrations