SEAL - IV

Seal...  His first two albums seem to be what most people think of when you mention his name.  They don't consider the subsequent work.  And let's be honest, he hasn't had the same chart success he had back then.  But Seal is one of those unique artists...  Even if he isn't the same chart topping superstar he was, he's never left us or compromised the integrity of his work.  And "IV" proves it.

Seal's principal songwriting partner on this release is a man named Mark Batson.  I'm not familiar with him, but I can say he has an amazing grasp of various forms of music.  That will be more apparent as I break the album down.  'Get It Together' reminds me of 'Bring It On' from his second album.  Not just because of the positioning of the song, but the effect is has on the album as a whole.  The song is horn blowing R&B with tons of soul and a great rhythm.  It sets the ton of the album just like 'Bring It On' did.  It excites you, mellows you and prepares you for the journey you're about to take.  'Love's Divine' is the big single from this record and a song I've related to in my own life.  Although the tempo slows a little on this track, it stays incredibly solid and maintains the groove built up to this point.  The lyrics are tragically heartfelt and lovely.  'Waiting For You' introduces an almost urban beat.  Those great horns are back and the song moves at a jagged pace.  It seems to slow and speed up with a classical bridge in the middle.  It's also a great song!  So we've had a TKO right off the bat.

'My Vision' hearkens back to earlier Seal times.  It feels slightly out of place on this record and would've been more at home on his first album.  For fans of that record, I'm sure this number is a particular treat.  But it moves away from the traditional R&B/Soul feeling this album has created thus far.  'Don't Make Me Wait' starts out sounding like a spiritual before transitioning into a beautiful ballad.  'Let Me Roll' starts off pretty funky.  The music is very cool and the beat is groovy.  Another stellar track.  'Touch' is one of those ballads that are simply breath taking.  Once again, Seal achieves an amazing thing.  He writes and performs a ballad worth hearing.

'Where There's Gold' kicks in and you'll be shocked to hear a Reggae beat sliding underneath Seal's animated vocal delivery.  This one, although mellow, is still a strong number.  'Loneliest Star' delves into the more popular urban sound.  It's another delicate ballad.  'Heavenly...(Good Feeling)' is another one that might've done better on a previous album.  This one I can hear on his second album.  It's still a pretty good track and I like it a lot.  'Tinsel Town' keeps the echo effect on the drum patch and meanders along at a sexy pace.  It sounds like something George Michael would've recorded.  Very powerful song though.  Even with the softer music, Seal packs a punch on this one.  The disc ends with 'Get It Together (Reprise)'.  It's essentially an version of the song focusing more on an acoustic guitar in the arrangement.  It's a satisfying end to the disc.

Seal continues to deliver quality product even years after he's "Peaked".  This is a traditional soul artist who needs more exposure and opportunity.  His voice is majestic.  My final words:  A CLASSIC, WRITTEN IN CLASSIC STYLE!!!!

SEAL - IV
01. Get It Together
02. Love's Divine
03. Waiting For You
04. My Vision
05. Don't Make Me Wait
06. Let Me Roll
07. Touch
08. Where There's Gold
09. Loneliest Star
10. Heavenly...(Good Feeling)
11. Tinsel Town
12. Get It Together (Reprise)

ERASURE - I COULD FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU

Erasure...  What can you say?  They built themselves a loyal following during the 80's and 90's that's never waned.  Of course my interest lies mainly with Vince Clarke rather than musical partner Andy Bell...  But I admit, I enjoy Bell as a vocalist.  He's soulful and projects well.  He's also full of personality.  As a songwriter, I'm often baffled by his lyrics.  They're often nonsense...  Random words strung together.  But whether or not you get into the lyrics with Erasure is kinda beside the point.  What is lyrics do is paint a visual scene.  Probably more than any other artist, you can fit Erasure songs into your life easily because you latch on to one line and that sums up a moment in time for you.  The song then magically becomes that entire situation summed up in one glorious tune.  And you will always see it through that lens.  Erasure is a highly personal group for many people because of this.

'I Could Fall In Love With You' is the first single from the "Light At The End Of The World" album.  It's one of Erasure's dynamic pop efforts that could easily transition to a ballad under the right circumstances.  The music is light-hearted and fun.  The beat is energetic and Bell really invests himself into the vocal performance.  

The first two tracks are edits of a mix by Jeremy Wheatley.  They pretty basic mixes and stay relatively faithful to the original version.  They're more like arrangements of the existing tracks rather than an actual remix.  I'm happy with them.  

The next three tracks are edits of a mix by Lee Monteverde.  This mix has a heavier rhythm section and barrels along at a great pace.  Of the two mixes, it's the superior.  The 'Dub 2' is my favorite of the mixes.

The last track is 'I Like It'.  This is a non-album b-side.  It's not one of their strongest, but it's still pretty good.  The tempo is slower than usual for Erasure, but it gives Bell a chance to explore a more complex vocal arrangement.  I would normally write this track off, but if you listen to the whole thing, there are so many little interesting moments, you have to like it.  It forces you to dig it.

Erasure don't disappoint on this one.  You get great value for your money.  5 mixes, a b-side and the album version of 'I Could Fall In Love With You'...  My final words:  IT'S A WINNER, FOLKS!!!

ERAURE - I COULD FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU
01. I Could Fall In Love With You (Jeremy Wheatley Radio Mix)
02. I Could Fall In Love With You (Jeremy Wheatley Extended 12" Mix)
03. I Could Fall In Love With You (Monteverde Radio Edit)
04. I Could Fall In Love With You (Monteverde Vocal Extended Mix)
05. I Could Fall In Love With You (Monteverde Dub 2)
06. I Could Fall In Love With You (Album Version)
07. I Like It (B-Side)

TRACI LORDS - 1,000 FIRES

Traci Lords...  Who doesn't know that name?  She's infamous.  Of course for a gay kid, she was infamous in a fabulous way.  I was more impressed that she fooled an entire industry rather than turned on by her.  So for me, Ms. Lords was more of an icon.

At the time this album came out, I was really into Juno Reactor.  I was desperate for new material.  I'd search online for any and all information concerning them.  When I found out about this disc I was a bit shocked.  For a couple of reasons.  1) I realized I already had it.  I'd been given a copy at a release party, and 2) I hadn't listened to it.  I immediately put it in and for that year... 1995 or 96, this record was everywhere.  At least in Vegas.  'Control' and 'Fallen Angel' mixes were played at clubs and the songs appeared on movie soundtracks.  Traci was everywhere.

I think you can probably tell I like this record.  Both 'Control' and 'Fallen Angel' are amazing songs and both are collaborations with Juno Reactor.  An instrumental version of 'Control' appears in the "Mortal Kombat" film and 'Fallen Angel' appears in "Virtuosity".  The third track is another Juno number, 'Good-N-Evil'.  The change on the third is different and relies on some strange beat counts.  The music incorporates a horn sound giving it an old film score sound.  There's a bass heavy synth sound droning along under the main beat that drives the song forward.  I like it, but it's unusual.  Next up is 'Fly'.  She did this one with Babble, a band formed from members of the defunct 80's trio, The Thompson Twins.  'Fly' lacks a lot of the rave quality of the first three tracks and mellows the album out quite a bit.

'Distant Land' could be considered the first ballad of the album.  Mike Edwards of Jesus Jones is up to bat for this one.  The tune is subdued and mellow.  It's followed by another Juno Reactor collaboration, 'Outlaw Lover'...  I kinda consider this song the forerunner to 'Pistolero', a Juno track from one of their albums.  It's actually quite exciting and I love it!  Next up, you have another Babble tune, 'I Want You'.  One thing you start to realize quickly is that Babble and Mike Edwards all contribute slower beats and more trippy tunes than the rave material Juno Reactor provide.  

'Say Something' is about as fast paced as it gets for Mike Edwards.  It's a lightly arranged tune and quite groovy.  I really like this tune.  'Father's Field' is a collaboration with Babble and tells the story of a young woman being raped in a field.  It's a stark and abrupt.  The subject matter alone is controversial.  Whether or not the song is autobiographical is unknown, but if it is...  Very disturbing.  'Okey Dokey' rounds off the album and is Mike Edwards final cut.  It's a loose, fast paced, fun little number with nonsensical lyrics and Lords giving an impromptu Oscar acceptance speech.  It's light-hearted and completely at odds with the previous track.

So Lords is a complicated woman.  She transitioned from the porn industry to make an even bigger name for herself in other media genres.  She's smart, talented and if this album gives us any indication, she's deep and thoughtful.  Instead of taking the sure bet by creating dreamy dance tunes with happy-go-lucky subject matter, she challenges us with controversial tracks like 'Control' (which basically suggests getting over a broken heart by surrendering your will to another person....  Hardly standard or traditionally accepted form of treatment), and 'Father's Field'...  Wow.

One thing is certain, Lords is not going to be held to any standard we can think of.  She'll choose to challenge and defy.  In the grand tradition of Grace Jones, I think Lords could have a very successful career in music if she stayed focused on it.  My final words:  AN AMAZING FRESHMAN EFFORT...  LET'S SEE MORE.

TRACI LORDS - 1,000 FIRES
01. Control
02. Fallen Angel
03. Good-N-Evil
04. Fly
05. Distant Land
06. Outlaw Lover
07. I Want You
08. Say Something
09. Father's Field
10. Okey Dokey

LORDS OF ACID - GREATEST T*TS

This disc is actually part of a trilogy of greatest hits records by LOA.  On the heels of "Farstucker", "On The Racks" was released.  Europe saw a second greatest hits package, "Private Parts" that same year and two years later, "Greatest T*ts" came out.  

What sets this particular greatest hits package apart from the others is the inclusion of the three tracks released on "Private Parts" not released on any album.  Unlike "Private Parts", "Greatest T*ts" is a more solid collection.  It includes the most popular songs from the band as well as most of the songs they released as singles.  Most of the material is fairly well known among LOA listeners.  Here's a break down of the tracks and the albums they come from...  

There are four songs from the band's first album "Lust":  'I Sit On Acid', 'Rough Sex', 'Take Control' and 'The Most Wonderful Girl'.  The three tunes representing "Voodoo-U" are 'Crablouse', 'Marijuana In Your Brain' and 'Do What You Wanna Do'.  "Our Little Secret" also has three tracks...  'Pussy', 'Rubber Doll' and 'Lover'.

1999's singles collection, "Expand Your Head" gets a nod with 'Am I Sexy' and "Farstrucker" gets a shout out with 'Scrood Bi U'.

Lords Of Acid are often more of a novelty than a real musical force.  In some ways, they remind me of country music.  The majority of their work is based on sexual innuendo and shock tactic lyrics.  Country is similar.  The most popular songs are usually centered around a play on words taken to an absurd extreme.  The sexual nature of LOA's subject matter helps it avoid the more cliche song styling of American Country, but it can get old over time.  

They're like casual sex.  Often, there's no emotional connection, no soul...  Of the three new songs, 'Gimme Gimme' is raunchy beats and a demanding mistress, 'Stoned On Love Again' see Praga Khan taking over lead vocals (a rare thing for a LOA record), with 'Nasty Love' being the only remarkable number of the three.

Still, there's no escaping the strength of the hit material they've included on this record.  During their Heyday, the Lords were a force to be reckoned with.  And this disc makes sure we remember that.

Ultimately, this is a skip unless you fall into one of the following categories...  1) a die-hard fan looking for a complete collection, 2) a fan who wants the three songs in their first US release, 3) a casual listener who wants the hits and strong material only, or finally 4) a new fan looking for a place to jump off and get to know the Lords.

For the rest of you, buy individual tracks or get the albums.  "Greatest T*ts" may not be for you.  My final words:  A STRONG COMPILATION OF SOLID MATERIAL, BUT STILL SKIP-ABLE.

LORDS OF ACID - GREATEST T*TS
01. Gimme Gimme
02. Pussy
03. I Sit On Acid
04. Crablouse
05. Am I Sexy
06. Stoned On Love Again
07. Marijuana In Your Brain
08. Rough Sex
09. Rubber Doll
10. Take Control
11. Scrood Bi U
12. The Most Wonderful Girl
13. Do What You Wanna Do
14. Lover
15. Nasty Love
16. Gimme Gimme (Music Video)