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CD Review:
SHAKIRA
Laundry Service
[Epic]
24-year-old Colombian heartthrob Shakira Mebarak has been called the
Latin Alanis Morissette, and judging from the virtuoso range of her voice,
the moniker seems appropriate. Finally released in Japan following a storm
of pre-publicity by Sony, this English-language debut smacks of a record
company attempt to position her as the female Ricky Martin. This is painfully
apparent on the opening track, "Objection," which sounds
dangerously close to Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca."
It's only when Shakira begins to show her South American colors,
on the Andean flute-assisted "Whenever, Wherever," (with
words by Gloria Estafan), or recall her Lebanese roots on the vaguely
Middle Eastern "Eyes Like Yours," or speak from the heart
on the intensely personal "Poem To A Horse," that her real
abilities begin to shine.
THE MUSIC
The Music E.P.
[Huts/Virgin]
You remember about this time last year, when the British music press
was salivating over The Strokes? Well get ready kids, 'cause the
next "saviors" of rock'n'roll are about to
spring their first EP on an unsuspecting Japanese public. And, while it's
hard not to wax cynical about this latest bunch of unruly 19-year-olds,
I have to grudgingly admit liking leadman Robert Harvey's wail
and his bandmates' over-the-top guitars. Comparisons are being
made to Oasis and The Charlatans, but a look even further back to bands
like Led Zeppelin is perhaps more to the point. They've got the
nerve to stretch out on pretentious guitar instrumentals (and play pretty
well, too), and the attitude to come up with songs like "You Might
As Well Try To F— Me." With luck these guys should get at
least their allotted 15 minutes of fame. The Music play Club Quattro on
April 25.
V.A.
Memories From Waterside
[Aosis/Victor]
With a mission to "deliver a refreshing kind of cool with just
the right amount of artistic essence," new jazz label Aosis brought
together for Memories a diverse group of players, among them top French
piano player Philippe Saisse, in a number of recording sessions. Sitting
comfortably in the "smooth jazz" category, the album is
restrained, and at moments funky, without being unctuous. Things get underway
with the nostalgic accordions of "Mare" by Cesar Camargo
Mariano, giving way to the acoustic guitar-and-vocals reverie of "By
The Stream." Philippe Saisse chips in two numbers including the
dreamy "Como La Lluvia (Just Like Rain)" and the breezy
"Watercolors." I hate to diminish this album with words
like "nice" and "pleasant," so instead just
imagine you're sitting at the beach on a warm summer day, without
a care in the world.
PET SHOP BOYS
Release
[Parlophone]
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe seem to have been making music since the
dawn of time, yet this is only their eighth album. Nevertheless, on Release
they show that they are still masters of the synthesizer and chanting
chorus. Eight of the ten tracks feature Johnny Marr on guitar (although
he isn't touring with them). The first single from the album is
classic PSB, a catchy pop tune called "Home and Away"—no
relation to the Australian soap opera—with a promotion video directed
by Wolfgang Tillman, winner of the Turner Prize for Photography—the
first time he has used video as a medium. Undoubtedly the boys are hoping
this new album will be more successful than their previous project, the
musical Closer to Heaven, which flopped in London's West End. And
from the rave reviews of their first concerts showcasing songs from Release,
it seems likely that it will be. Cathy Frances
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Bedrock Breaks - Compiled/Mixed by DJ Hyper
[Bedrock]
With techno boxed into a corner, big beat short of ideas, trance even
more so, and the term "house" so broad as to be meaningless,
fusions abound. "Progressive house" is one, but even that has
its sub-groups, and if this CD is any guide, the UK's successful Bedrock
party is firmly in the big-bass-line camp of house. Though one might wish
for lighter moments at times, its funkiness is infectious and—whether
you listen to the dancier "Heads Down" CD1 or the more left-field
"Late Night/Early Doors" CD2—will have you tapping your
feet, if not dancing hands-in-the-air around the living room. Meanwhile,
veteran Japanese house DJ Ko Kimura is set to bring the Bedrock franchise
to these shores with his own compilation under the same imprint due out
this month. Simeon Paterson
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