G. DepChild Of The GhettoA disappointing effort. The beats are OK but the rhyming skills are not much beyond mediocre. It almost started to sound like a Dr. Seuss book. A bad one at that. This guy cannot say a single sentence without making every word rhyme. Now some of you may say that's what rapping is all about. Actually, NO. That's like saying poetry has to rhyme. Anyway, G.DEP is not actually rhyming words, he's just using the same word to end every sentence. Having Puff Daddy on the CD didn't help. I respect Puff for how good he's done for himself, but the way he puts albums together is questionable. All of his little extra "uh's" and "uh huh's" he throws on some tracks is overkill. Those of you who love PD and all the acts he works with will probably be into it. Track #4 is supposed to be the hit. "Special Delivery" has a pretty dope beat, but that's about it. The lyrics are terrible right from the start. Within the first 20 seconds of this track PD ruins the whole thing. Sorry Puff, but until you find another artist like Biggie, your saga isn't going anywhere. Track #14, "Dope Fiend" is actually the only good number on this whole CD. But Puffy keeps his reputation of jackin' beats; this track has an old school beat playing in the background, while G. DEP tries to rhyme over it. But listen for yourself. -chux
Smashing PumpkinsRotten ApplesYes we were all saddened by the break up, but hey we still have their music. Smashing Pumpkins shared many years of great music with us, but unfortunately everything has to come to an end. "Rotten Apples" is a compilation of greatest hits, and they had some big ones. This CD starts out really strong with "Rhinoceros" and one of my favorites, "Drown", which was featured on the movie "Singles" soundtrack. Of course they included "Cherub Rock" and another tune that everybody loves, "Today". I could go on forever telling you each and every song that's on this CD but then SP fans know all of the hits. There's more than the greatest hits though. For instance, "Landslide", Billy Corgan's great rendition of the old Stevie Nicks song. I don't know what it is about that song, but it really connects with Billy Corgan's vocals. The second disc contains 16 songs and ten of those are previously unreleased tracks. Yup, that's right, you do not own every single Smashing Pumpkins song unless you own this CD. The second disc is a collection of B-Sides and rarities. Some of the songs have a different style than what we may be used to from SP, but just to hear them with different styles makes them even that much better. As for future work we'll have to see what Billy Corgan intends to do. -chux
The StrokesIs This ItThere's been a lot of hype surrounding this band. Deservedly so, in my opinion. This is a band with some talent that can make something different without coming off contrived. The Strokes are an East Coast band with a sound straight from the 1970's punk rock scene. They've got that old school look and the perfect sound to go with it. This CD makes you feel like you're listening to an eight-track in a basement with the obligatory Sex Pistols poster up on the wall and with white clouds of smoke - you get the idea. A lot of music fans have been waiting for a group like this - especially with the dominance of teen pop of late. Reviewing music, I have to listen to many different kinds of CD's, but I have not recently come across a work that has this type of feel to it. The Strokes have somewhat of a punk influence, mixed with some good rock and roll. The Beatles meets The Ramones. Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying that these guys are as good as either; however, they do hearken back to the those pioneers. Most of you are probably familiar with track #7 "Last Nite". It's being played on MTV and radio stations nationwide. I personally have other favorites besides the hit - basically any other track from 1-11. Oh wait, that's the whole CD. Why not? "Is This It" has variety, style, originality and displays musical talent. Give this CD a chance and it will become one of your favorites. -chux