This month, we review CDs from Spiritualized, Bent, and Sir Mix-A-Lot
Artist: Spiritualized
Title: Amazing Grace
Label: Sanctuary
Rating: 3 1/2
Spiritualized is the UK's top psychedelic rock band. Strike that: it may be one of the UK's only real psychedelic band left standing. Its albums are monumental events -- the last, 2001's Let It Come Down, featured the kind of orchestration last heard on a Moody Blues LP. The only real place left to go was back to basics, and that new direction is reflected on Amazing Grace, whose 11 tracks were each learned and recorded in one day with minimal overdubs. While the more immediate sound can result in some exciting songs -- the balls-to-the-wall rocker "She Kissed Me (It Felt Like a Hit)" and the gospel-tinged "Lord Let It Rain On Me" -- too often the stripped-back arrangements reveal lazy songwriting. The ballads are, as always, beautiful, but with four rock 'n' roll tracks that all sound pretty much the same (someone likes The Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog," it seems) you're left with a patchy album -- and for Spiritualized, that's a first. Let's hope Amazing Grace isn't the beginning of a trend. --Douglas Adams
Artist: Bent
Title: The Everlasting Blink
Label: Guidance Recordings
Rating: 3 1/2
Until the genre known as "chill out" burns up and is replaced by some other flavor of the month, we can continue to enjoy the great little albums that come out of it, like Bent's The Everlasting Blink. Sounding somewhere between Groove Armada's Vertigo and a random dip into the record bins at a thrift store, The Everlasting Blink finds Bent creating sweet pop songs with unique twists. Most of these "twists" come in the form of extended, sampled vocals from unexpected sources: The Captain and Tenille, David Essex and country music singer Billie Jo Speers. Throw in some brilliant slide guitar by the incomparable BJ Cole and a few mellow beats, and you've got the perfect soundtrack for sitting on the porch and sipping a beer, or lying on the beach and watching the waves roll in. Summery good stuff. --Douglas Adams
Artist: Sir Mix-A-Lot
Title: Daddy's Home
Label: iMusic
Rating: 3
It's been seven long years since Seattle's premier baller, Sir Mix-A-Lot, dropped a bomb on the public. True to form, Mix returns to the game, expertly mixing the pimplogical with the comedic thanks to his Too Short-meets-Flip Wilson persona. While Daddy's Home may not be up to par with vintage Mix, it still manages to bring some serious BOOM, wrapped around pimplistic lyrical spew, all the while keeping the tongue planted firmly in cheek. Songs range from the lewd "Big Johnson" to the insightful "Till Da Sun Comes Up," the latter showcasing Mix's deft commentary on the current state of the music industry. The beats are pure Mix, keeping the BPMs in the red, providing ample bass blast and even interpolating Macy Gray (check "Game Don't Get Old"). But what really makes the album is Mix's pervasive personality, manic flow (his influence on the likes of E-40 and other modern MC masters in undeniable) and his unabashed Seattle stride, which he makes no bones about flossing with lyrics like, "This is Bill Gates country, fool! Mega pimpin'!" True indeed. --Spence D