Friday, May 3, 2024

Music

FEATURES

Beenie thrives with Neptunes

Ben Landes
September 11, 2002

Beenie Man takes the world of hip-hop, electronica and garage rock and blends it with the subtle ambiance of reggae with “Tropical Storm.” Still in his 20s, this Jamaican dancehall DJ firmly left his mark on the music world in 2000 by winning a Grammy for his previous major label release, “Art and Life,” which won Best Reggae Album. On his new album, Beenie enlists a colorful spectrum of artists who keep the vibes soaring with feel-good tunes and beats to keep you movin’. Producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes have co-written an album of memorable grooves, such as the first single “Feel It Boy,” which features Janet Jackson’s signature voice flowing beside funky electronic riffs. The airy guitar track “Street Life,” adds a nice R & B flavor to the storm.

FEATURES

South African rockers find success with American debut

Seether is definitely a band to keep your eye on. Formerly known as Saron Gas and hailing from Johannesburg, South Africa, Seether is taking a big step forward by releasing its American debut “Disclaimer.” Its blend of emotional hard rock and soft melodies is sure to strike a chord with the American population.

FEATURES

Same songs, but whole new energy

Ben Landes
July 31, 2002

Remix albums are all the rage among rappers and hard-rockers these days, but usually prove to be complete flop or an album with only one or two decent songs. And to make a remix a band should have a few albums to its name to have enough good songs to actually remix. So a band has got to have a lot of guts to remix its debut album and put it out two years later.

SPORTS

Same songs, but whole new energy

Ben Landes
July 31, 2002

Remix albums are all the rage among rappers and hard-rockers these days, but usually prove to be complete flop or an album with only one or two decent songs. And to make a remix a band should have a few albums to its name to have enough good songs to actually remix. So a band has got to have a lot of guts to remix its debut album and put it out two years later.

FEATURES

Nellyville continues the success

As Nelly heats up video and radio stations with his new single “Hot in Herre,” his newly released album, “Nellyville,” sits atop of the Billboard 200 chart, selling 1.2 million copies in its first two weeks. Since Nelly hit the rap scene in 2000 with his album “Country Grammar,” which sold $7.8 million, he has heated up the charts with big sales.

FEATURES

Stuff gives fans what they want

When the Dave Matthews Band’s sixth major release hit shelves Tuesday, the trail of “Busted Stuff” marked a return to roots that most long-time fans will eagerly embrace.

FEATURES

Lavigne adds talent to young female artists

Ben Landes
July 15, 2002

When you think of young and beautiful female artists, everyone’s mind has unfortunately been scarred with images of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and the rest of a long list of untalented schmoes that have plagued music for too long. Please welcome the new minor to hit the airwaves and skate all over the superficial valley girls of yesterday.

FEATURES

Crows continue with good tunes

Ben Landes
July 10, 2002

What can I say? If you’ve ever bought a Counting Crows album and enjoyed listening to its mellow blend of rock and folk, then you’ll undoubtedly love this one, too. When its first radio hit, “Mr. Jones,” constantly badgered airwaves across the nation in 1993, the band was bound to catch on quickly. Nine years later, the seven-member band has released its fifth album, “Hard Candy,” a sweet collection of 14 tasty tracks (one hidden) proving that singer Adam Duritz still longs to be Bob Dylan. Produced by Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews Band), the Crows have done what few bands can do - stick with what they’ve always done and not follow the current trend of sellouts.

FEATURES

Glassjaw defies categorization

Ben Landes
July 10, 2002

Once in a while, a band comes along set to change how music is perceived. A painfully passionate and unique band who endures the selfish music industry to create an outlet for themselves and its devoted fans.

FEATURES

Sonic Youth remains fresh on Murray Street

Tanee Elston
July 10, 2002

With any artist’s music, the object should be to move something within the listener - if it does that, it’s a unique piece of work, like “Murray Street” by Sonic Youth, the group’s newest album that grooves on almost every song. This rock group began in the early 1980s and is still hot.

FEATURES

Obscenity cripples Big Pimpin potential

Tanee Elston
June 26, 2002

“Big Pimpin” is back with some of the hottest gangster rappers in the industry. The compilation is set for release July 2. The album includes 16 tracks by artists such as Snoop Dogg, Ice-T, Too Short, DJ Quik, Silkk the Shocker, Master P. This underground hip-hop compilation is strictly for fans who can relate to popular rapper ideology, such as Too Short’s theory about pimping women as a pastime. But what is “Big Pimpin” anyway?

FEATURES

Peace defies Gravity with 5th album

Ben Landes
June 24, 2002

Our Lady Peace is one of those greatly overlooked bands you just can’t help but love. Hailing from good ol‘ Canada, OLP has always put out memorable rock songs with fluctuating vocals that soar over the music. On its fifth album, “Gravity,” which comes only a year after its previous release, OLP continues to create quality records. Combined with a new guitarist, Steve Mazur from Detroit, and the services of Metallica producer Bob Rock, OLP has created a straightforward, aggressive sound that captures the essence of its live shows. The opening track, “All for You,” compiles various elements into one finely tuned package.

FEATURES

Jucifer fails to make its own noise

Tanee Elston
June 19, 2002

To be sinister or not is the question at hand when listening to Jucifer’s second album, “I Name You Destroyer,” a hypnotic grunge album full of rough guitar and vastly ranging vocals. Jucifer, a duo from Athens, Ga., consists of Edgar Livengood and Amber Valentine.

FEATURES

Roach continues to evolve

Ben Landes
June 19, 2002

The infectious rap-rock collaboration is back. But this time around fans of Papa Roach’s major-label debut may be a little surprised to find a new crowd at its concerts. Its latest effort, “lovehatetragedy,” has a more radio-friendly, rock ’n‘ roll edge to it. Singer Jacoby Shaddix focuses more on his singing than rapping and screaming the pain away like he used to.