This month, we review CDs from Adam F, Zwan, Ms. Dynamite, K-OS, Massive Attack and Ill Kidd.
Artist: Adam F
Title: Drum and Bass Warfare
Label: System Recordings
Rating: 4
A few years ago, UK drum and bass producer Adam F relocated to the States and took a shot at hip-hop. The result, the massive, guest-packed Kaos, proved the Liverpool native was no one-trick pony. The cycle has now come full circle with Drum and Bass Warfare, a double CD of jungle remixes of those Kaos tracks. For the most part, the remixes, supplied by the likes of Bad Company, Roni Size, and a plethora of others, keep the original hip-hop vocals intact, rather then just throwing in a few snippets here and there. The end result is devastating. Hearing the likes of Method Man, MOP, and Guru on top of hyperactive beats is like hearing them for the first time. The energy is off the charts. Tracks appear in both unmixed and mixed formats, the mix coming courtesy of turntablist Craze. --Douglas Adams
Artist: Zwan
Title: Mary Star of the Sea
Label: Warner Bros.
Rating: 4
Billy Corgan has emerged from the rubble of the Smashing Pumpkins with a simple, hook-filled gem by his new band, Zwan. Always an interesting songwriter, if not the most adept vocalist, Corgan's new pjoject is a showcase for stripped-down, basic rock arrangements that focus thematically on the happiness of love. He has ditched the self-loathing and overwrought electronica experiments of his past to blast out a fun, joyful collection that's a mixture of '70s arena rock with traces of metal and punk. Zwan is powered by a three-guitar attack, supported by a capable bassist and ex-Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlain. Notwithstanding the incredibly catchy hooks, blissful melodies and uplifting lyrics, the CD isn't all sunshine and roses, but clearly Corgan is in the best mood of his career. He has never sounded more assured; his delivery is powerful, aided by pitching his songs in lower registers than past efforts. Zwan is a welcome band in a desolate rock landscape, clearly deserving of a wide audience. --Steve Geise
Artist: Ms. Dynamite
Title: A Little Deeper
Label: Interscope
Rating: 2 1/2
Ms. Dynamite is huge in England. She went from MCing on underground dance music to singing on chart-busting R&B. Now she's set her sites on the US and, despite one very catchy hip-hop track ("Dy-na-mi-tee"), she's destined to fail. Why? Because, with very few exceptions, Americans don't dig UK hip-hop and R&B acts. No matter how hot they are (All Saints, please stand up). A Little Deeper isn't terrible as far as R&B goes. Dynamite's got a great style and seems like the kind of girl who'd be friends with your younger sister. You had a little crush on her and flirted with her when she came over, but when she left you forgot all about her and went back to working on your car. --Douglas Adams
Artist: K-OS
Title: Exit
Label: Astralwerks
Rating: 2 1/2
Yawn. Merging hip-hop and R&B isn't very revolutionary, as the press material for rapper/singer K-OS' album Exit would have you believe. LL Cool J was throwing down for love straight from the get go. Sure, LL's ballads were kinda wack but hey, he was living up to his name (Ladies Love Cool James) and still he could rock bells. K-OS' approach is much more milquetoast and touchy-feely. Lyrics about stealing the sun from the sky coupled with acoustic guitars and piano try for a Stevie Wonder/Bob Marley/Edie Brickell vibe, but it falls pretty flat. Even the heavier hip-hop numbers, with script-flipping lyrical passages and boom-bap beat programming, never make it past the "nice try" stage. Oh well. --Douglas Adams
Artist: Massive Attack
Title: The 100th Window
Label: Virgin
Rating: 3
Massive Attack's latest, The 100th Window, picks up exactly where its 1998 classic Mezzanine left off, sounding like an extension of the same recording sessions. This proves to be both good and bad. It's great to have the band back, with its signature sound mostly intact, but also discouraging to find so little innovation from this trailblazing outfit. This is very much a paint by numbers affair, although to be fair MA's palette is extremely rich and multi-layered. Lengthy, menacing, down tempo electronic tracks? Check. Vocal contribution from longtime collaborator Horace Andy? Check. New female guest star muse? Check (that being Sinead O'Connor). Somewhere along the line though, they left out the soul. Tracks seem to wander aimlessly in search of inspiration, finally winding down after an average of seven minutes each. Luckily the production values are top-notch, providing an atmospheric and enveloping sonic landscape for those willing to explore. Fans of Massive Attack will not be disappointed, but there's little here to draw in new listeners unfamiliar with their legacy. --Steve Geise
Artist: Ill Kidd
Title: Ill Kidd
Label: Ruffnation Records
Rating: 2
Do we really need another Kid Rock? Meet Ill Kidd, another fine white rapper/musician in the vein of Rock, Everlast, and, um, Beck. The Kidd has taken his love for hip-hop and country and fused them into one, radio-worthy whole. It's like Sublime without the punk, "Take This Job and Shove It" without the sincerity, and a frat house without the pretense of education. Tracks like "Donkey Song" and "Better Not Come Around" will probably be huge, thanks to their laid back melodies and sing-a-long choruses. Like Beck's "Loser," they're instantly recognizable and infinitely hateable. But that's kind of the point: Ill Kidd wouldn't be a player if he didn't have his share of haters. --Douglas Adams