ERASURE - LOVEBOAT

Until "Loveboat" came out, the last Erasure album I liked all the way through was "Chorus".  Because "Loveboat" wasn't released in the US until 3 years after it's release in the UK and Europe, my copy is an import from the UK.  I actually downloaded a pirated copy of the disc and listened to it before I bought it.  I couldn't believe it didn't have a US release!  I thought it was phenomenal!

In my opinion, "Loveboat" is one of their strongest albums.  There's not a single track on this disc I don't absolutely enjoy.  From the opening strums of guitar on 'Freedom' to the fade out on 'Surreal', I was completely hooked.  Each of the tracks is catchy, sensible and all around fun to sing and dance to.  It's rare for a pop band to release a disc loaded with one great tune after another.  For me, Erasure achieved that with this disc.

There are songs I like more than others, but when I play this disc, I put it in and let it go.  I have all the tracks memorized and I sing along without hesitation.  I find it engaging.  Even some of the slower tunes are above average.  'Where In The World' is a slower number, but it has some interesting vocals that make it fun to sing.  There's a difference in the drum sounds used on this record too.  It seems like Erasure got an upgrade in their sound banks.  The first track this is evident on is 'Crying In The Rain'.  When the song starts, you hear a drum I can only describe as matte finish drums.  It doesn't have much of an echo but it does sound funky.

On the next track, 'Perchance To Dream' we get more of the new drum sounds and an interesting vocal arrangement by Andy Bell as he sings part of the song in his falsetto.  'Alien' is a track that relies on Vince Clarke's trademark sound effects to build the song.  Fans of the band all enjoy Clarke's ability to fill the spaces between the chords with his electric whirs and pops.  It's part of the appeal.

My favorite track on the album is probably 'Here In My Heart'.  It reminds me of so many other Erasure tracks I've loved over the years.  One song in particular it reminds me of is 'In Your Arms' from "Cowboy".  My second favorite track is 'Catch 22' and it also fits into that perfect Erasure song category for me.  'Moon & The Sky' is a powerhouse tune.  You get some drums that sounds similar to the Linn Drum Machine clap sounds.  The bass lines are deep and the groove is funky!  This is an excellent jam in my opinion and I love the R&B soul feel to it.  It's very Prince-like.  

The final track on the album is 'Surreal' and for me, this song would feel right at home on "Chorus".  I adore it.

According to my online research, Madonna's Maverick label shelved the album for lack of a hit single.  I find that absolutely ridiculous.  I hear hit singles all over this record.  It did eventually get a US release.  Along with the cover album, "Other People's Songs" in 2003.  In my opinion, that was a huge mistake.  A band like Erasure has a hardcore following.  There are Erasure fans who will purchase anything the group puts out.  That being the case, Maverick could've been assured of at least a certain number of units sold.  I'm not sure what that figure would be but I'm sure it's more than most groups on that label could pull off at the time.

I think this is an album that Erasure expanded their sound, songwriting and musical styles successfully on.  It could be considered at experimental as "Erasure", but in this case, the result was much more positive.  I think they did exactly what they set out to do.  My second favorite Erasure album for sure...  My final words:  AN OVERLOOKED GEM IN THE ERASURE BACK CATALOG.

ERASURE - LOVEBOAT
01. Freedom
02. Where In The World
03. Crying In The Rain
04. Perchance To Dream
05. Alien
06. Mad As We Are
07. Here In My Heart
08. Love Is The Rage
09. Catch 22
10. Moon & The Sky
11. Surreal

PET SHOP BOYS - HOME AND DRY

This is the second disc in the "Home And Dry" single release.  This would be the one normally reserved for mixes and additional music.  Oddly enough, there are only three tracks on this disc.  The first is a mix of 'Home And Dry'.  It's an ambient mix.  Normally, I'd find this type of mix a little boring but I think it suits the song well.  I alternate between this mix and the original version depending on my mood.  But I like it enough to be happy it's on this release.

The next two tracks are versions of 'Break 4 Love'.  This is a collaboration between the Pet Shop Boys and Peter Rauhofer.  Rauhofer was a popular DJ and mixer.  He famously mixed music for artists like Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Cher and Alicia Keys.  The song was originally recorded by techno pop dance band, Raze.

The first cut is an edit of the song while the second is an actual mix.  The song is OK and they do an excellent job interpreting it.  If I had one complaint, it would be the extreme start and stop of the beat throughout the track.  It feels like they're dropping the bottom out and just leaving you hanging.  The song doesn't have enough substance to maintain a flowing narrative one can listen to without a solid beat happening underneath.  Neil does his best with the vocals, but they're just not strong enough to carry the track all the way through.

Sadly enough, they do the same thing on the mix.  They keep dropping the beat out or strip out all rhythm tracks with the exception of the bass drum.  That just creates a dull throb instead of momentum.  Still, it's nice to have these tracks on the single as they don't appear on any of the Pet Shop Boys albums except as bonus tracks on deluxe editions.

Like its counterpart, CD1, this disc comes in a slim case.  My final words:  A NICE COMPANION PIECE TO CD1 WITH AN EXCELLENT MIX AND MORE B-SIDES!

PET SHOP BOYS - HOME AND DRY
01. Home And Dry (Ambient Mix)
02. Break 4 Love (UK Radio Edit)
03. Break 4 Love (Friburn & Urik Hi Pass Mix)

ERASURE - COWBOY

I'm gonna try something different this time...  I've made a habit of trying to break the albums down into individual songs, but I think that gets tiring after awhile.  There are so many mediocre songs I have to try to find ways to describe.  So from now on I'm going to limit my comments to things that stand out and attract my attention.

This is the perfect album to start with.  "Cowboy" was released in 1997 on Madonna's Maverick label.  I'm not sure if this was Erasure's first release on that label, but I think it was the only one.  I might be wrong.

On the heels of the self-titled "Erasure" album, "Cowboy" saw Vince Clarke and Andy Bell returning to their traditional pop roots with catchy 3 to 4 minute songs instead of the experimental soundscapes they'd produced on "Erasure".  The more radio friendly atmosphere of "Cowboy" allowed the band some chart success in the UK and Europe.  Some of the band's singles were having impact in the US as well.

I first heard about this record not by following the charts or seeing it in the record store...  I heard the single, 'In My Arms' during the ad loop playing in a movie theater.  In the US, prior to the trailers, some theaters back in the 90's started experimenting with a looped audio track playing ads, trivia and short entertainment pieces in order to keep movie-goers from growing impatient as they waited for the film to start.  One of these clips was 'In My Arms' from Erasure.  The first time I heard it, I loved it and immediately went out and bought the album.

My impression was relief they'd moved away from the long songs of the previous album.  Now years later this disc has become what I consider the standard for Erasure releases.  I quite like Vince Clarke.  I think as a musician, he's amazingly talented and vastly unappreciated.  Because his focus is on electronic music and he works heavily with electronic instruments, he's written off by most folks.  He's not considered a genuine musician.  In reality, he's not only gifted, but able to write dramatically different and unique music pieces. 

Where Vince truly shines is sound engineering.  He creates so many different sounds unique to Erasure songs.  It's impossible for other groups to copy them.

On "Cowboy" Vince is in full form.  He generates catchy simple pop melodies, one after the other.  As usual, Andy Bell contributes the lyrics and vocals.  Their partnership seems to work well and their enjoyment in each other is forever present in their music.

Now back to what I consider a standard Erasure release...  "Cowboy" fits that description.  I can honestly say I like the entire album.  There's not a single song on here I think is horrible, but I'm not in love with it.  There are certain songs that stand out for me and if I'm creating a playlist there are tunes I'll take from this album.

'Worlds On Fire' is one of these, however my absolute favorite song on the disc is easily 'In My Arms'.  Perfect choice for a single and in my opinion, the perfect song on the album.  I love the sentiment.  I find it romantic and sweet.  'Treasure' is another song I quite enjoy.  I find it a bit of a musical mishmash, and the lyrics are a jumbled mess.  But all of that seems to come together during the chorus when Andy get down and really belts it out.

As a prelude of sorts to the cover album they did later on, the US version of "Cowboy" contains two covers.  One is 'Rapture' by Blondie, but my copy doesn't have this track.  I do have the second cover, 'Magic Moments' by Burt Bacharach and David Hall.  I've heard both and I love them both.  It's a shame my copy only has the one.  I wonder why.  Might have to upgrade it.

I'm an Erasure fan, but I'm not die hard.  I don't buy everything they put out.  Sometimes I mean to.  I think about it and I'll pick up a strange or rare bit here and there, but I've never committed to collecting them.  Maybe one day I will.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy individual discs as they come.  My final words: A RETURN TO FORM AND A SATISFYING ADDITION TO ERASURE'S GROWING CATALOG.  WORTH OWNING!

ERASURE - COWBOY

01. Rain

02. Worlds On Fire

03. Reach Out

04. In My Arms

05. Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me

06. Precious

07. Treasure

08. Boy

09. How Can I Say

10. Save Me Darling

11. Love Affair

12. Magic Moments

MICHAEL PENN - MARCH

I discovered Michael Penn through my research into Wendy & Lisa.  I was going through a period where I tried to find everything they'd ever done.  I read about them working on this disc and so I scoured used record shops in Las Vegas until I found a copy.  I didn't know much about him.  It didn't even occur to me he might be related to the famous Penn brothers, Sean and Chris.  Or that he was at one point, the brother-in-law of Madonna.  I just wanted to hear more Wendy & Lisa.

Oddly enough, after I bought the disc, I had a friend who saw it in my apartment and started singing the first song, 'No Myth'.  That's when I realized he'd had an impact.  Quite honestly, I didn't listen to the album until that point.  I'd listened to the one track Lisa and Wendy performed on, but I skipped the rest.  That was a huge mistake.

'No Myth' is one of the album's singles and aptly so.  It starts off with a strong beat and a catchy tune that doesn't stop from the second it starts.  When I look at pictures of Penn and view the artwork, I think about the dust bowl.  Recession period USA.  But that quickly fades with the irresistible rhythms that jump out at you.  Granted, there's an element of the past in just about everything he writes, but it's infectious and exciting.  'No Myth' is a wonderful song.  It's fun, energetic and compelling.  You can't listen to this one and not want to boogie down.  'Half Harvest' is the second number and it's significantly slower than 'No Myth'.  The beat picks up a bit during the chorus.  The lyrics to this one are a little confusing.  I'm not exactly sure what the song's about, but I feel like it's a social commentary piece and deals with something specific to Southern California.  But I have no idea what that might be.

'This & That' practically jumps out of the speakers at you and the punctuated guitar jabs are impulsive and exciting...  They blend well with the melodic chorus.  This song is a piece of brilliance.  I absolutely love it!  There's an element of the track that sounds like the Paisley Underground movement from the 80's.  Just marvelous.  'Brave New World' is another rocking number.  This one has a rockabilly sensibility to it and reminds me of a Stray Cats swing beat.  Enjoyable tune!  'Innocent One' is the first ballad on the disc.  It's a folksy tune with a tender vocal delivery.  It feels personal in many ways.

Next up is the reason I bought the album.  Although it's listed as one song, track 6 is actually two songs.  The first is an instrumental intro written by Patrick Warren called, 'Disney's A Snow Cone'.  It's followed by the cut featuring Lisa and Wendy, 'Bedlam Boys'.  'Bedlam Boys' has that deep groove Wendy & Lisa are so great at producing.  The song is phenomenal!  I can't praise it enough.  I feel like these two have an amazing talent to bring out the best in the people they work with and in this case, they help an extremely gifted musician create absolute magic.

'Invisible' is another song built around a strong beat.  Penn has a great sense of timing and avoids a common trap encountered by first time musicians...  He doesn't pigeonhole himself into a set tempo.  He's all over the place!  It's quite thrilling to listen to someone take a mid-tempo song and create urgency and speed through the vocals and melodies rather than the drums and bass.  'Cupid's Got A Brand New Gun' is the second ballad on the disc and highlights Penn's interesting vocal arrangements.  His complicated structures are showcased here.  This track has highly intense lyrics.  It's a profound description of love.  You could easily find your personal state of mind in this track.  He so aptly describes the surrender each person experiences during love.

'Big House' floats in with a country twang then settles into a rock number with some transitions happening on a third count.  I think this is a great track and I could see a number of different bands covering it successfully.  It's fantastic!  'Battle Room' is a different number once again highlighting his versatility.  It's a slower tune, but it doesn't settle into a ballad.  I find the lyrics on this one interesting as well...  Hiding highly charged emotional scenes away from public view.  This is a complicated songwriter with a wide vision.  He's able to draw from a variety of situations for his subject matter.  I find that quality in a songwriter compelling and interesting.  

The final number is 'Evenfall' and although from the title and it's position on the disc, you might expect a quiet outro of sorts, the track is lively and features some unusual instruments.  It features a horn arrangement I'd associate with older rockabilly bands from the 50's and 60's.  It's a blast at the end of a dynamic bit of music.

After finally listening to the record, I'm surprised Penn didn't do much better than he did.  His insightful lyrics, unusual composition style and daring musical approach makes him someone to pay attention to and follow.  I've sense bought other albums and I've enjoyed them as well.  My final words:  MARCH YOURSELF TO THE NEAREST WEBSITE AND BUY THIS GEM.  IF YOU ALREADY OWN IT, PULL IT OUT AND LISTEN AGAIN.

MICHAEL PENN - MARCH

01. No Myth

02. Half Harvest

03. This & That

04. Brave New World

05. Innocent One

06. Disney's A Snow Cone/Bedlam Boys

07. Invisible

08. Cupid's Got A Brand New Gun

09. Big House

10. Battle Room

11. Evenfall

JANET JACKSON - CONTROL

Shortly before this little disc came out, this artist's brother was enjoying the success of the most popular record of all time.  Imagine what the impact that would have on brothers and sisters who were also trained as singers and dancers but never achieved any solo success.  So now imagine his chart topping success followed almost immediately by his baby sister's disc that almost did as well as "Thriller".  

For those of you who weren't there, "Control" took over everything.  Girls at school were wearing their housekeys on their hoop earrings, kids practiced her dance moves during lunch and in the halls between classes.  If you missed recording it on cassette off the radio, you didn't have to wait long for another chance.

While fans dreamed of rivalries between Prince and Michael Jackson and squared up behind the star of their choice, Janet tried a different approach.  She knew she didn't want to go into the studio with a label, engineers and producers who'd worked with her family and the Motown sound for many years.  She wanted to do something new and exciting.  She was listening to the Minneapolis sound.  And she liked what Prince and other artists surrounding him were doing.  But she also knew her parents would never let Prince produce their baby girl.

So she did the next best thing.  She's met Jam & Lewis during her previous recording sessions in Minneapolis.  And they were excited to work with her.  But the trick was...  Blending the pop sensibility of Motown's hit making traditions with the vital and exciting energy of the Minneapolis sound.  She brought the experience and the knowledge of the Motown history and Jam & Lewis brought the Minnesota funk.

The blend was something new and exhilarating.  When it hit the streets, fans couldn't keep their hands off it.  Her parent's worried she'd sound like Prince, but Janet didn't let it stop her.  Ultimately, it was the blending of these two very different styles of musical tradition that helped Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis develop their own signature version of the Minneapolis sound.  And once the hits started coming, they never stopped.

With one declarative statement, Janet ...  Sweet little baby sister Janet, stepped out into the spotlight and seized control of her own life.  And her message, heard all the way around the world, was a very public wake up call to her family and friends.

Her first single, 'Control' was accompanied by a live performance video letting everyone know, this time she meant business.  And the album released single after hit single.  I think there are only a couple songs that didn't actually get a single release.

Listening to it now, some of the drum sounds are a bit outdated and there are songs where they rely heavily on old R&B sounds on the keyboards, but otherwise, the disc has held up. 'Control' kicks it off with just the right blend of both musical schools of production that you think you know what you're in store for.  Fans of The Time who know Jam & Lewis saw it as a Time performance.  But it was completely different.  For one thing, instead of the misogynist preening of the Morris Day character, this band was led by a woman.  Her dance moves were bold and avoided being overtly sexual.  She took the stage as a confident band leader and rocked the house down.  This is when we knew something special was happening.

Even now, the drum track on 'Nasty' sounds amazing.  It was such a different sound and no one really copied it.  Where Madonna empowered 80's women to own their sexuality, Janet empowered them to expect/demand equality and projected an image of a strong female archetype who didn't rely on sensuality to send a message.  In fact, the message of 'Nasty' was a demand for respect rather than objectification.  It was followed by, 'What Have You Done For Me Lately' which tells the story of a partner who takes his lady for granted.  All three of these songs were released as singles and had huge chart success.

After the progressive and new sounding opening of 'Control', 'Nasty' and 'What Have You Done For Me Lately', 'You Can Be Mine' sounds a little outdated and weak.  The message is empowering and as the song progresses, the music clears up and you get some wonderful arrangements from the masters of Minnesota funk.  It goes out on a high note.  Next up are two more tracks that saw single releases...  'The Pleasure Principle' and 'When I Think Of You'.  'The Pleasure Principle' is the first track appearing on the album not written by Jackson, Jam & Lewis.  However, it's written by former bandmate and Time member, Monte Moir.  Most of the original Time members went on to produce and write for other artists and they were all part of that Minneapolis sound.  Although this tune does have a distinctive quality that sets it apart from the others, it still sounds like it belongs in the fused sound they'd created.

Both 'The Pleasure Principle' and 'When I Think Of You' reached the US top five.  The next track is the one song that seems utterly and completely out of place on the record.  'He Doesn't Even Know I'm Alive' was written by Spencer Bernard.  Although I'm not sure where he comes from or how he hooked up with Jam & Lewis, he's been with them ever since and contributed numerous songs to their artists.  This one, however, sounds like dated Motown, not something that belongs with the innovative style of the rest of the album.  In addition, the song seems take the powerful strong woman Jackson has presented throughout the rest of the album and turn her into a tiny, frightened uncertain little girl.  It's demoralizing to see it happen.  This song would have better served the record if it'd stayed in a drawer for another artist.

I don't even consider it part if the album.  More like a filler track left over from her previous two albums recorded under her father's watchful eye.

The next two tracks set up a formula Janet would repeat a few times over the years.  Both are ballads.  It wasn't uncommon for her to save the slow music for the end of the album and use it to segue out of the disc.  'Let's Wait Awhile' is a song about abstinence and not allowing yourself to be pressured into sex.  Once again, Janet was empowering women to say no.  To control with whom and when they choose to engage in sexual conduct.  Although today this isn't seen as a radical concept, in the 80's it was still a topic people wanted to ignore and pretend didn't happen.

The disc ends with Janet gently but firmly rebuffing her beau in the middle of an intimate setting choosing instead to wait until the time is right for both of them.  'Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)' is both sensual and serious without being preachy or pandering to one specific ideal.   With this final track, Janet told an entire generation of women, intimacy is wonderful and can be extremely fun, but you have the power to say no.  You can stop at anytime.

The importance of this record and how it shaped women's roles in society cannot be taken for granted.  Madonna and other pop singers of the time wanted to free women from oppressive sexuality and allow women to enjoy and control sex.  But the message of "Control" branched out into virtually ever corner of society and expressed strength for almost every conceivable obstacle a young woman in that decade might face in her life.

Her social awareness, dedication to empowerment and strength made her an overnight icon.  The impact of this record may never be fully known.  But it does demonstrate a social awareness none of her family possessed in any great amount.  Her brother Michael produced and wrote songs he used to inspire change in others but his attempts were almost always extremely direct and lacked the inventive approach Janet took each time she planned an album.

My final words:  THIS ALBUM EMPOWERED ME!  HER BROTHER WANTED TO HEAL THE WORLD, BUT JANET CHANGED IT.

JANET JACKSON - CONTROL
01. Control
02. Nasty
03. What Have You Done For Me Lately 
04. You Can Be Mine
05. The Princeiple of Pleasure
06. When I Think Of You
07. He Doesn't Even Know I'm Alive
08. Let's Wait Awhile
09. Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)

FULL FORCE - DON'T SLEEP

Full Force is a band from New York.  They gained fame when they joined with singer Lisa Lisa and another R&B band called, Cult Jam.  The acts came together and formed one major group, Lisa Lisa with Cult Jam and Full Force.

For a few years in the 80's, they joined the ranks of pop royalty with a string of hits placing them alongside Madonna, Gloria Estefan and others.   But the members of Full Force never intended on getting famous as an act as much as they envisioned creating an empire built up around groups they produced and released.

Much like Prince, Full Force would write songs, record music and produce fully completed tracks for singers who were looking for music.  They would write music very similar to the Minneapolis sound and were quickly lumped into the same category with many of Prince's offshoot bands.  However, there is a distinct difference between the two.  Especially because Full Force has all members contributing to the sound whereas Prince is generally focused on his own vision of what something should be.

Full Force also seem to be more heavily R&B based whereas Prince listened to other types than just soul.  Another aspect of the band is they seem to be more open to new or different trends in Urban music.  In some cases, it works to their benefit because they're able to amalgamate new sounds into what they're doing.  On the other hand, it can also hurt them by making them sound like their chasing a sound rather than being innovative.

"Don't Sleep" starts out espousing some message about the African American community being subject to mental manipulation through the government and media.  They trumpet a call to arms and warn you, "don't sleep" or you'll  brainwashed.

However, the album then moves on to songs implying all kinds of sex.  I'm pretty sure their political message gets completely washed out by filling their disc with porno fluffer material.  The band members have great voices and they're talented musicians.  Many of the songs on the album are quite good, but they're not exciting enough to make me put it in the. truck and blast it out the window.

I was never partial to their production work and I didn't follow them back in the 80's.  The reason I picked up this record is because it was on sale used and I got it for virtually nothing.  They cover a song Prince wrote and gave to The Time.  'Girl' was the first song but not the last he wrote with that title.

It's a mediocre cover that doesn't really fit on the record.  And quite honestly, the disc is so singularly obsessed with getting into a woman's pants the subject becomes boring.  I never make it through the entire record.

I think as a group, they're talented and if they really focused on a message or pushed themselves, we'd see an amazing project.  But this album isn't it.

There's just nothing I really wanna say about this disc.  It does nothing for me.  Just nothing.  My final words:  MISOGYNIST DRAMA AND ONE PRINCE TRACK EVEN WITH UPDATED SOUNDS FAILS TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION.  SKIP IT, KIDS.

FULL FORCE - DON'T SLEEP
01. Intro-Lude (Hudlin' Brothers "No Snooze" Intro...)
02. Don't Sleep
03. Nice 'N' Sleazy
04. Quickie
05. If It's Cool Witcha Baby
06. Interlude (Quiet Storm)
07. Your Place Or Mine
08. Physical Commitment
09. Wait Till I Get Home
10. Interlude (2 Points)
11. Go Wit The Flo
12. Interlude (The Byrd Factor)
13. After All This Time (Ain't It Great To Be Black)
14. Girl
15. Sharon
16. Making Love On The Dance Floor
17. My Love Is Free
18. Interlude (900-Force Line)
19. God Will Fix It

ROBOTS - ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK

It seems soundtracks end up in my life one of two ways... I either need a song to further a collection by a certain artist or someone gives me the thing as a gift. This item falls in the "Gift" category. I don't really remember why it was given to me other than that it was. I can't even remember who gave it to me. I'm not sure there's a reason to break this one down as there's nothing that really jumps out at me when I listen to it. I like a lot of the music on it. It's got some really great pop, some generic pop and some really boring junk. I should mention the Fountains Of Wayne track. That one is really great and it's nice to hear the remix of the James Brown track. I like the Gomez track and the Steriogram number. They're all pretty exciting. The John Powell number has some exciting moments in it as well.

I guess if I don't write anything negative this will be a very short review... So I'll jump right in and point out a few things I really don't like about the CD. Ricky Fanté is trying waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy too hard to sound like James Brown. It starts out with an awesome beat and then dumps midway into some R&B Gospel workout. However you look at it, I'm too easily reminded of Brown and that makes Ricky a failure in my eyes. It's one thing to incorporate another sound into your own, but to emulate another performer unless you're a cover band is just pathetic. Remember all those Madonna clones in the 80's?

The Stacie Orrico track is total dribble. The music and vocal performance sound like something churned out of a Disney music camp who's soul purpose is to create generic pop clones. It makes me sad to say this, but everything about this number sounds completely by some producers hit making formula. It's really sad. And it also brings to mind my greatest fear... That future musicians and artists will all be mass produced and marketed through some corporate cog like Disney. After all, Disney produced the biggest names in pop music during the 90's and controls most of the major pop icons around today. Or at least is largely responsible for them.

The Earth, Wind & Fire track is another number I want to mention. It's written by Jam & Lewis who I absolutely love and normally follow when I can. However, this horrific number is so bad I'm almost convinced they've lost their skill. The first rhyme is, "Just take the time, to free your mind." If that isn't the biggest cliche lyric in the entire world, I don't know what is... They should lose their songwriters membership cards just for that couplet alone. And trust me when I tell you... The lyrics don't get any better. The cliches keep rolling in, one after the other until you're so overwhelmed with generic crap you can't even look straight. Do yourself a huge favor and take a pass on this turd of a song.

Overall, I'm more or less indifferent to this record. The songs I like are probably already on the band's other releases and if I ever get majorly into any of them, I have no doubt I'll find them elsewhere. My final words: IT'S OK... BARELY.

ROBOTS - ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK
01. Ricky Fanté - Shine
02. Chingy - Right Thurr
03. Fountains Of Wayne - Tell Me What You Already Did
04. Fatboy Slim - Wonderful Night
05. James Brown - Get Up Offa That Thing (All Dee Remix)
06. Stacie Orrico - (There's Gotta Be) More To Life
07. Earth, Wind & Fire - Love's Dance
08. WAR - Low Rider
09. Houston Feat. Chingy, Nate Dogg And I-20 - I Like That
10. Gomez - Silence
11. Steriogram - Walkie Talkie Man
12. John Powell Featuring Percussion Performed By Blue Man Group - Robot City

MADONNA - EROTICA

I actually own a couple discs by Madonna, though mostly for other reasons. I own one because Prince worked on it and the rest are singles. It's not that I don't like Madonna... I like her quite a bit. Just never really got into her musically or as a performer. Sadly, she kinda typifies the things I usually dislike about artists.

'Erotica' was a breakthrough album of sorts. Since her debut in the early 80's, Madonna's been linked to sexuality as securely as Captain's been linked to Crunch. Although her image was sexualized and seductive, she was hardly pornographic and her music wasn't really controversial as her publicists wanted you to think. Madonna was threatening because she portrayed feminine sexuality from a position of power. She was confident, secure and unphased by an industry known for objectifying women. I'd give her credit for taking popular music in an entirely new direction. She made it possible for Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, Britney Spears and others to step up to the plate and be taken seriously as artists. Whether or not that's all been for the good remains to be seen.

So along comes 'Erotica'... And for mothers across the country who feared their daughters turning out like Madonna, their worst fears were confirmed. Blatantly sexually suggestive lyrics, foul language and aggressive rhythms more dance oriented than previous efforts pushed her from pop icon to massive superstar. Her fans were growing up and so was Madonna.

To call this disc a masterpiece would be overdoing it. There's still a lot of lackluster Madonna filler music. But there are more great tunes versus ho-hum tunes here for you to sink your ears into. The first half of the disc, tracks 1-6 are all brilliantly written, produced and performed. The stand out numbers are easily the faster more dance oriented tracks. Madonna's released a number of ballads in her day, in fact one of the singles from this record was a ballad, but she falls in the same trap as most ballad singers... boring, uninspired throwaway tunes targeted towards the more cliche listener. Not a great place for her to spend lots of time. As a vocalist, I've always thought she was limited in range and somewhat weak. Her strength has always been in faster paced dance material.

My favorite tracks are 'Erotica', 'Bye Bye Baby', 'Thief Of Hearts' and 'Words'. But her smoldering cover of 'Fever' is also fantastic. 'Bad Girl' is another track I find amusing and then there's her tribute to oral sex, 'Where Life Begins'. An amazing group of songs from an exciting performer.

My final words are: ENJOYABLE AND FUN. Certainly worth your time and effort even if you're not a die-hard fan.

MADONNA - EROTICA
01. Erotica
02. Fever
03. Bye Bye Baby
04. Deeper And Deeper
05. Where Life Begins
06. Bad Girl
07. Waiting
08. Thief Of Hearts
09. Words
10. Rain
11. Why's It So Hard
12. In This Life
13. Secret Garden

MARILYN MANSON - LEST WE FORGET THE BEST OF

The one thing I've always loved about Marilyn Manson is what I call the great "galloping" drum beats they sometimes use. Adam and the Ants championed the loping drum sound back in the 80's and Marilyn picked up the banner for the 90's and 2000's. But that's not the only reason. I've also been drawn to the theatricality of this group. So much outrage over something so simple minded.

Marilyn Manson is one of those people who woke up one morning, looked out the window on his suburban neighborhood and said, "I'm gonna write and perform music based on everything a mother would hate." The band and songs were conceptually created to upset parents. In that sense alone, Marilyn Manson is a social experiment in modern parent/child relationships.

As a "Best Of" compilation, 'Lest We Forget...' fails to achieve a true "Best Of" title. I've always thought if you really wanted to create a "Best Of" record you'd let the hardcore fan base choose the tracklist. These are the people who would really have a say in what the best songs by the group actually are. In the grand tradition of record company formula releases, the "Best Of" is actually a single disc collection of released singles and oddities. But hardly represents the band's best work.

For the most part, I genuinely like the majority of the songs on this release. Marilyn Manson falls into a category of music I like to call "Go-Go Metal". Bands who use industrial beats and sounds, combined with new wave synthesizers, power chord guitar work and a theatrical approach to live performance. I've enjoyed bands in this genre for a long time. They have so many elements of entertainment I find exciting.

Considering I have all of Manson's albums, going through this disc song by song will be kinda pointless. Better by far to focus attention on the tracks that are safely assigned strictly to this release. The cover tunes are the most obvious. Depeche Mode's 'Personal Jesus' makes an appearance and the arrangement is fairly faithful to the original version. Of course the very subject matter and lyrics make it perfect for Manson's character to perform. In fact, after listening to his version, Martin Gore would have done better donating the tune to Manson first time around. It easily fits his image more than it ever fit theirs. And that's from a die-hard Mode fan.

Although Soft Cell's version is also a cover of the 1964 Gloria Jones classic 'Tainted Love', it's the first version of the song to gain any notoriety. Based on it's success, other bands have recorded the track or sampled Soft Cell's arrangement. From my understanding, Manson recorded this song for a movie soundtrack that used popular artists of the time covering 80s classics. Another track worth drawing some attention to is the cover of the Eurythmics classic 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)'. Although it appears on a regular album, it's interesting to see it among a compilation containing to many cover tunes.

I think I'd be interested in seeing Manson release an all cover tune record. He's done some brilliant covers. Like the cover of Danny Elfman's 'This Is Halloween' from Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" or David Bowie's 'Golden Years'. He's also performed live cover versions by other artists such as Madonna's 'Like A Virgin'. That would be an interesting CD.
My final word: TWO THUMBS UP. I quite like what's happening here. Great disc with some awesome tunes. Would be better if was titled 'Lest We Forget The Singles Of', but that's being nit picky (even if it is accurate).

MARILYN MANSON - LEST WE FORGET THE BEST OF
01. The Love Song
02. Personal Jesus
03. Mobscene
04. The Fight Song
05. Tainted Love
06. The Dope Show
07. This Is The New Shit
08. Disposable Teens
09. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
10. Lunchbox
11. Tourniquet
12. Rock Is Dead
13. Get Your Gunn
14. The Nobodies
15. Long Hard Road Out Of Hell
16. The Beautiful People
17. The Reflecting God

INGRID CHAVEZ - A FLUTTER AND SOME WORDS

This will be different in some ways. I'll be writing a review of an album I just got and am hearing for the first time.  Here's my initial impression... The most dramatic difference between this record and my other Ingrid cd is the amount of singing. It's a huge departure from her previous disc. Ingrid is probably most famous for the song she wrote for Madonna. She wasn't given a writing credit and later sued in court for compensation for her work. The song was 'Justify My Love'. This track is a typical representation of the kind of work Ingrid does. She recites her poetry over music. It's a unique sort of rapping. One I personally find beautiful. Her first album was amazing!

My exposure to Ingrid began when she appeared opposite Prince in the movie 'Graffiti Bridge'. She later released 'May 19, 1992' on Prince's Paisley Park label. It was genius material. And another example of how progressive and artistic a label Paisley Park could be. She failed to gain Top 40 recognition with her first effort, but I was hooked. I'm a sucker for poetry and she's an incredible poet. She's beautiful with words.

This disc is completely different from 'May 19, 1992' in other ways as well. While her freshman effort focused on love and other popular sentiments, this time she's distracted by other more esoteric concerns. There's a huge preoccupation with nature and weather. She celebrates the beauty of the natural world and how interconnected nature is with human life. The instrumentation is more subdued and lacks the heavy drum and bass sound of Prince. It feels more authentic and genuine.

I've really enjoyed everything I've heard so far. Thus far, my favorite tracks have been 'The First Darshan (Song For Ameera)', 'Back Roads', 'Tightrope' and 'By The Water'. Still, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out, the entire album is quite satisfying. As much as the first was. I'm even more committed to Ingrid now.

For those of you who know Ingrid's work, you'll look forward to hearing something new. You won't be disappointed. For those of you who don't... Check her out. It's worth the time and effort. My final word: ETHEREAL.

INGRID CHAVEZ - A FLUTTER AND SOME WORDS
01. Wing Of A Bird
02. Mine
03. Exhale
04. A Flutter And Some Words
05. The First Darphan (Song For Ameera)
06. Back Roads
07. By The Water
08. Path Of Rain
09. Returning To Seed
10. Tightrope
11. No Goodbyes
12. Terrible Woman
13. Isobel
14. A Flutter Coda