THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 3, 1994 TAG: 9409030055
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Music Reviw
LENGTH: Long : 115 lines
LYNYRD SKYNYRD, ``Endangered Species'' (Capricorn) - Given the total cash-in this disc might have represented, it's notable that the group pulls off a good bit of what it tries.
The remnants of Lynyrd Skynyrd make their unplugged move with this 13-song set divided almost evenly between pre- and post-``Street Survivors'' songs. Singer Johnny Van Zant keeps things sly and understated, doing as well as anyone could standing in for his irreplaceable brother, Ronnie. Guitarists Gary Rossington and Ed King also shine; Rossington's solo on the opening ``Down South Jukin' '' is a rhythmically sound example of acoustic rock playing.
Skynyrd earns admiration for including two of Ronnie Van Zant's most politically challenging works, the anti-gun ``Saturday Night Special'' and the pro-civil rights ``Things Goin' On.'' The songs, done justice here, stand as reminders that this was never the empty-headed bunch of Southern yahoos some still think the band to be.
Still, it's undeniable that this smart, pleasant record loses steam in the second half, which is dominated by prosaic material written after the band's '80s reunion. That even parts of this risky experiment - Skynyrd's triple-guitar lineup was always loved for its electricity - are worth keeping is a testament to these fellas hanging in.
- Rickey Wright
Something new
MC 900 Ft. Jesus, ``One Step Ahead of the Spider'' (American)
Consolidated, ``Business of Punishment'' (London)
Both these acts have made the move from esteemed indie label Nettwerk to greener corporate pastures. And like other acts once narrowly categorized as ``rap'' - the Beastie Boys come quickly to mind - both these acts have redefined themselves with their latest output, with mixed results.
Mark Griffin, a.k.a. MC 900 Ft. Jesus, relied heavily on samples, sequencers and tape loops to craft his first two albums. This year finds the conservatory-trained musician spinning his often sardonically humorous tales of psychosis and neurosis over an amalgam of jazz, hip-hop and electronic experimentations featuring live players.
The dark thrills are numerous: ``New Moon,'' an Eastern-tinged jazz improv coursing under Griffin's deadpan, spoken-word saga of a woman's fatal car crash; a languid cover of Curtis Mayfield's socio-political commentary ``Stare and Stare,'' with trippy guitar-work from Vernon Reid; mind-melt ``Rhubarb,'' an oddly melancholic mix of found sounds and eerie synth tones.
And ``Who's that?/Oh, my little friend Cupid/Wearing a shirt that says I'm with stupid'' from ``If I Only Had a Brain,'' Jesus' current single of self-loathing, gets my vote for lovelorn slacker lyric of the moment.
Consolidated's painfully self-conscious revamp is less effective. Though the trio's still trading in P.C. radicalism - they're staunch advocates of women's, gay and animal rights - Consolidated's watered down the bite of their latest rant with a sprinkling of obviously made-for-radio tunes among their distinctive industrial hip-hop beats.
``Cutting,'' with its throbbing pulse and grinding guitars, is an obvious gambit for the alt-metal market. Its lyrics of the self-mutilation of caged beings will no doubt titillate the Beavis and Butt-Head crew. Other tracks like ``Worthy Victim,'' which resembles a Lenny Kravitz-esque take of Michael Jackson's ``Black or White,'' wallow similarly in surprisingly un-Consolidated-like accessibility.
But for all of Consolidated's apparent sell-out, the group turns it around with ``Recuperation,'' a freaked-out litany of pop music's concessions to commercialism. Seems Consolidated's learned the business of entertainment as well.
- Sue Smallwood
Coolio wears thin
Coolio, ``It Takes a Thief'' (Tommy Boy) - This month's new gangsta hit maker lives up to his debut album's title by rapping about carjacking, burglary and other fun pursuits on at least three tracks. Coolio's most impressive swipe, though, comes on the gold single ``Fantastic Voyage,'' built around a sample from the vintage Lakeside cut of the same name. Faster and more explicitly party oriented than recent smashes by Snoop Doggy Dogg and Warren G, the track is also an anomaly in the context of the rest of this disc.
Coolio changes attitudinal pace with several anti-drug numbers and the nostalgic soft-soul closer ``I Remember'' (which samples ``New Zoo Revue,'' among other things). But his pursuit of gats and gams becomes tiresome. ``It Takes a Thief'' does offer more creative borrowing than many recent hip-hop discs, though, and Coolio gets off several amusing lines.
- Rickey Wright
Buckshot misses target
Buckshot LeFonque, ``Buckshot LeFonque'' (Columbia) - A famous Duke Ellington quote has it that there are only two kinds of music: good and bad. Brothers Branford and Wynton Marsalis have long feuded publically about where to draw the line, Branford arguing for an appreciation of everything from bebop to Zeppelin as Wynton hewed to a conservative jazz and classical line.
Branford's call for eclecticism wins out on ``Buckshot LeFonque,'' a side project fueled by a post-bop/hip-hop fusion similar to that of recent discs by Guru and Greg Osby. While more satisfying and more wide open than those albums, ``Buckshot'' never feels as natural as Digable Planets' 1993 debut, ``Reachin'.''
The project's far-flung sources, ironically, hobble it. It's as if Marsalis were so in love with the idea of one record carrying an Elton John cover; a Maya Angelou recitation; jokes by his ``Tonight Show'' partner, Jay Leno; and plenty of rapping, scratching and Blue Note Records-style blowing that he lost track of how to shape it. So he doesn't.
The result is a well-meaning mess. John's ``Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters'' receives an interestingly soulish workout featuring singer Frank McComb - but does it need the added rap? Angelou's ``I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'' comes off almost as heavy-handed as if Marsalis pal Sting had provided the setting. An adult-contemporary ballad, ``Ain't It Funny,'' is a bore. And the mix of jazz, rock riffing, the late blues guitarist Albert Collins and mediocre rapper Uptown on ``No Pain, No Gain'' doesn't jell.
``Buckshot LeFonque'' is the result of good ideas, but Marsalis just might have taken on too much. Or he just might not be the man to do it.
- Rickey Wright by CNB