CDs
Guilty Simpson
Ode to the Ghetto
Stones Throw Records
Rating:000
Sonics:00
The roster of producers on Guilty Simpson's debut album is as star-studded as another guilty Simpson's legal team. Detroit MC Simpson, a disciple of the Kool G rap school, has a tight, slow flow. He won't blow you away technically, but Guilty hits hard and throws in complex rhymes at unexpected times. His style really works against the eclectic lazy-beat style of Madlib, whose five tracks are nice. The rest of the album is uneven, with highs from J Dilla and Babu but no real cohesiveness. The recording has nice delineation and frequency range, but the sound is all one volume and comes from one place. Babu's "Kill 'Em" is three minutes of uninterrupted bass to taunt your passengers.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
PS3
Rating:0000
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is to video games what Raiders of the Lost Ark was to moviegoers. OK, wrong generation. Maybe the analogy would work better if we inserted the new Indiana Jones movie instead once it hits theaters. There is a very cinematic feel to Uncharted. In fact, there are 100 minutes of in-game cinematics with great production value. This may be the game many PS3 enthusiasts have been waiting for, as it maximizes the power of the console. The story line is involving and game play is a lot of fun. Soon we'll be categorizing games by movie genres. If so, this is an excellent action adventure.
Donita Sparks + The Stellar Moments
Transmiticate
SparksFly Records
Rating:0000
Sonics:000
Transmiticate is totally not a word. It doesn't even exist on the Internet. Donita Sparks did whatever she damn well pleased with her new album and its title. Minus most of L7, Sparks puts forth a record that isn't forced. It doesn't cast about for a place on today's scene. The album just rocks out. Riff-heavy goodness is joined by some punk, some pop, some levity and some light. The recording features well-mixed vocals but lacks bass. Be honest, though, you came for the pedal-pushed guitars. Tracks like "Fly Feather Fly" won't disappoint.
Jacky Terrasson Mirror
Blue Note
Rating:00000
Sonics:0000
While listening to Jacky Terrasson play the piano, I found myself looking at my hands and telling them that they suck. Can they play piano with a gorgeous mix of rhythmic wizardry and lyrical beauty? Can they master amazing dynamics and precision? Can my left hand play with fury and grit while my right only deftly brushes the ivories? No. Terrasson's hands are nothing less than brilliant. Mine couldn't tie shoelaces until the age of six. Mirror is Terrasson's first solo piano album, and it allows him to freely explore rhythm and melody on a mix of standards and new tunes. The recording is lush and clear. It's a worthy benchmark for discerning your system's dynamic range.
MLB '08 The Show
PSP
Rating:0000
The winter meetings are over and it's time to play ball again. The '08 version of The Show isn't a huge improvement but overall it doesn't disappoint. The game is more realistic than ever and game play was enhanced in some key ways: Umpire Personalities combined with Interactive Hot and Cold Zones and Player-scaled Strike Zones, Release Point Pitching combined with Adaptive Pitching Intelligence and the Pitch Command System. There's also a new Progressive Batting Performance feature, which will both reward players for superior performance and penalize them for hitting slumps. And The Show goes deep with its Pitcher/Batter Analysis feature, offering a breakdown of how a batter performs. Enough to keep you busy until the World Series.
Otis Taylor
Recapturing the Banjo
Telarc
Rating:00000Sonics:00000
In Recapturing the Banjo, noted bluesman Otis Taylor unites some of the best blues musicians around to reconnect the banjo to its African roots and disconnect it from the slow hillbilly kid in Deliverance. The banjo is an instrument open to showcase the virtuosity of men like Guy Davis and Alvin Youngblood Hart. The album jumps from modern to old blues and sounds beautiful. The mix allows bass and drums to provide a solid backbone to the intricate string work. Vocals have impact. You can hear each of Keb' Mo's finger picks hit in succession on "Live Your Life."