Aggielife
Astro Lounge
Interscope Records
ed
&
■ On their sophomore release.
Astro Lounge, Smash Mouth
proves that its first hit “Walking
on the Sun” was no fluke. Relying
om themes of problems within so
ciety and personal struggles, the
Hnd has made a very appealing
allernative/pop album.
I Us first single from the new re
lease, “All Star,” is a catchy little
ditty that will keep listeners’
haads bobbing and have them
singing along with the chorus,
“Hey now, you’re an all star/Get
your game on, go play”.
■ However, “All Star” is only one
oflthe many offerings that will get
listeners to smile and think at the
same time.
I Some of the other songs that
leave a mark are “Stoned,” “Satel
lite" and “Come On Come On.”
There is also a re-release of its hit
' “Can’t Get Enough Of You Baby”
from the Can’t Hardly Wait
Soundtrack.
■ If not for the bouncy rhythms
and catchy melodies, one might
think that Astro Lounge was a di
rect shot at “the man,” with all
the attention that Smash Mouth
pays to overcoming oppression
and fighting the system. But after
all is said and done,, the prevailing
sentiment is that these guys just
want to party and have a good
time. (Grade: B +)
Cibo Matto
Stereotype A
CD Courtesy
of Warner Bros. Music
One should not believe every
thing in the papers. Every trendy
30-something with a comb-over
and a ponytail is jumping on the
international music bandwagon
faster than European and Latin
acts can gyrate their hips. Cibo
Matto, then, should be a success
out of the box. It isn’t.
Judging from its first major-la
bel release, this album should
have sounded much better. Appar
ently, the idea of two little girls
from the Orient trying to capture
the American music scene in its
entirety on every single song was
too much for record execs to resist.
The end result is on the Space-
hog side of mediocre. Each song
combines queen bee rap, female
solidarity vibes and Everclear-ish
harmony into a decidedly terrible
whole. The entire record is so
Japan-pop generic it could substi
tute for a Sega Genesis game
soundtrack.
It is sad that two cuties from
the Far East with a boatload of tal
ent and a cultural view so different
from the average Orange-Julius
snarking American can be reduced
to producing a work so full of the
stereotype that Cibo Matto sounds
off against in their latest release.
Welcome to the American music
biz, girls. (Grade: C)
Various Artists
Austin Powers: The Spy
Who Shagged Me Soundtrack
CD Courtesy
of Maverick Records
It would be easy to give the new
Austin Powers soundtrack some
statement like, “It’s smashing
baby,” or “It’s groovy” but the
truth is it really isn’t.
The soundtrack is packed with
ho-hum covers of ’60s songs that
never really needed to be covered
in the first place. While covers of
songs such as “American Woman”
and “Word Up” may be fun to hear
once, they become tedious quickly.
Melanie G (a.k.a. Scary Spice)
does a cover of “Word Up” that
makes listeners scream for the days
when it was a bad Cherry Coke jin
gle and not the latest victim of
Spicemania.
The album does, however, have
a limited number of saving graces.
A skewering of Will Smith’s
schmaltzy “Just the Two of Us” by
Mike Myers playing Dr. Evil is roll-
on-the-floor hilarious. “From the
moment I heard Frau say I had a
clone/I knew I’d be safe because
I’d never be alone.”
Contributions from Big Blue
Missile (with Scott Weiland) and
Madonna (with Ray of Light pro
ducer William Orbit) produce
some high points, but the album
reminds us exactly why velvet suits
and go-go dancers became extinct.
(Grade: C-)
DJ Rap
Learning Curve
Higher Ground/Columbia
Records
On her American debut. Learn
ing Curve, England’s DJ Rap
shows that the world of dance
and electronica is not only for the
boys.
She forms tracks that are hard-
edged and gritty while mixing in
elements of jungle, drum and
bass and electronic pop.
The best aspect of the album is
that DJ Rap adds her own brand
of originality by infusing catchy
hooks while still keeping the
beats large and thumping. It is
not an easy task to perform, but
when it works the results are
amazing.
On cuts like “Bad Girl” and
“You Get Around,” she demon
strates her belief in the power of
women without alienating the op
posite sex — not the simplest task
in the world.
The best track on the album
has to be “Good To Be Alive,”
which was also featured on the
Go Soundtrack.
Learning Curve is a very ambi
tious album and shows that fu
sion of musical styles can be a
beautiful thing.
DJ Rap definitely proves with
this release that she can go toe-to-
toe with any of her male counter
parts. (Grade: B +)
Harry Connick Jr.
Come By Me
Sony Music
If you started listening to Harry
Connick Jr. because of his reputa
tion as one of the most promising
big band leaders of the 20th centu
ry and were baffled by his entrance
into the funk and doo wop scene,
then you will be pleasantly sur
prised at his return to what he does
best.
Connick’s latest offering Come
By Me is reminiscent of his earlier
works Blue Light Red Light and We
Are In Love. The album is a re
freshing balance of new works and
classic standards that showcases
his talents both as a composer and
musician. Connick uses both a 16-
piece big band and a full sympho
ny orchestra to demonstrate his
mix of compositional savvy and
equally impressive charm, as well
as his Bing Crosby and Frank Sina
tra influenced croon.
Songs like the title track and
“Easy For You To Say” demonstrate
his knack for writing timeless
pieces that would thrive in any era.
His renditions of classics like “Dan
ny Boy” and “There’s No Business
Like Show Business” would make
even Count Basie proud.
Connick is a true musician in an
era of wannabes who wouldn’t
know a melody if it jumped up and
bit them. When he is on, he can re
ally take the listener back to the
golden ages of swing and big band.
(Grade: A)
Vonda Shepard
by 7:30
Jacket Records
On her latest album, Shepard
takes a break from her usual Mon
day-night gig on TV’s “Ally
McBeal.” The result is a satisfying
departure from the covers she de
livers on the hit series.
Hints of Shepard’s powerful tal
ents were heard on the soundtrack
to “Ally McBeal,” but by 7:30 ex
plores her easy flowing alto.
The album’s opening track
clears away any idea that Shep
ard’s talent is limited to cover
tunes on a baby grand. Left to her
own devices, the album is a quiet
journey into the heart of a woman
with plenty to say.
The album’s lyrics are at times
uninspired, but Shepard’s voice
can mask the most trite line.
The album’s strongest track,
“Baby, Don’t You Break My Heart
Slow,” a tear-evoking duet with
Indigo Girl Emily Saliers, showcas
es Shepard’s full range of singing,
piano playing and songwriting
ability. The inspiring lyrics and
powerful piano build up to an
emotive crescendo.
The majority of the album is
ideal rainy day music that is quiet,
yet powerful.
However, Shepard doesn’t real
ly divest herself of the “Ally
McBeal” stereotype, which will
plague her long after the show has
run its course. (Grade: B)
Mike Maddux
— Stephen Wells
,lisdo' (
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TfiniES fiRE on sntc noun
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don £
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MSC Education Exploration presents
Violence in America
Dr. Jane C. Conoley
School Violence...Going Postal ...What is at the core of violence in our society?
Wed, June K. 1889* 3:00 p.m. *282 MSC
Con vers* Littleton* Jonesboro* Pearl* West Paducah
ne views expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the MSC or Texas A&M University.