AALIYAH - AALIYAH

I already owned a couple of her older albums when I decided to buy this one.  My main reason for buying it is one track...  One track I just can't get enough of.  I actually burned a CD with that track just repeating over and over.  Anywho...

So I picked this up and as much as I like Aaliyah, I find the same pattern over and over with her music.  She puts out an album and I love a couple songs on it, but I don't get into the rest.  This one is no exception.  Which I hate to say because the week I bought this disc is the week she died in a plane wreck and I felt guilty for not liking the disc more.  I really wanted to listen to it over and over until I could hear more in it than I did.  

I guess that wasn't meant to be until a few years later.  The first two tracks, 'We Need A Resolution' and 'Loose Rap' are songs I don't find much use for.  They kinda drag and don't really engage me.  But then, we get 'Rock The Boat' and everything changes.  I may not have found much use for the album initially, but I do like her voice, her style and the way she carried herself.  In fact, the video for 'Rock The Boat' is one of my all time favorite music videos.  I think the dancing is unique, interesting and goes well with the music.  Plus, for a song that's rather sexual in nature, the video was softer, elegant and mellow.  The choreography was superb.  This amazing track is where the album actually starts for me.  It's followed by 'More Than A Woman' and I slept on this track until I saw the video.  It must be the same choreographer because the dancing is amazing and it adds a wonderful dimension to the song I didn't hear until I saw the video.

'Never No More' is a sparse production and the singing is beautiful but the song does little for me otherwise.  I know a lot of people really love this track, but I'm not one of them.  On the other hand, 'I Care 4 U' written by Missy Elliott is one I completely dig.  L-O-V-E, love it.  This is one powerful ballad and she doesn't pull her punches on it.  Wow.  Next up is 'Extra Smooth' and although it starts out sounding like an ad for breakfast cereal, it quickly gets funky once Aaliyah starts singing.  This is a number with a great deal of wit and style.  The music is heavily influenced by the beat but in this instance, it works really well.  The techno sounds are also interesting and offer a huge potential for remixing.  I ended up really digging this track.

'Read Between The Lines' sounds a little generic to me.  There were a lot of songs sounding like this when the album was released.  It reminds me of Destiny's Child and I never really got into that sound.  The first time I heard 'U Got Nerve', I thought I was listening to an old school Depeche Mode song.  The keyboard sounds on this track sound like they were engineered from one of DM's old 80's albums.  This is another track I love.  It's got a staggered beat and an intensity in the vocal delivery I find apprehensive.  Brilliant.  Adversely, 'I Refuse' is another Beyonce sounding tune.  Not fond of this track.

'It's Whatever' starts and I feel like I'm right back to 'Rock The Boat'.  It feels like you're floating underwater and then that trickling piano drops in with a punctuating drum patch and her vocals just drip over the chords.  There's a lovely build throughout the track and this is easily one of her most beautiful vocal performances.  'I Can Be' starts off like another delicate ballad, but then it kicks in with a driving guitar riffing and the direction of the song changes.  There's a lot of tension in this one.  'Those Were The Days' is a funky tune.  It's mellow and its got this groove that just kinda flows around you like smoke.  'What If' has that same tension 'I Can Be' has and that's no coincidence because they're written by the same person.

'Try Again' is the final track and one of best on the disc.  I love this number.  Aaliyah was more than just a beautiful woman, she was a vulnerable voice in a tough girl body.  She was the right role model for the right time.  A strong woman who still showed her feminine side and wasn't afraid to mix a tough attitude with sensuality.  When I re-listened to this album to prepare for this review, I was sad because in this piece of music, you hear so much potential and I know there would've been so much more Aaliyah had to offer all of us.  More she had to offer the music world.

My final words:  TRAGIC THAT THIS IS THE LAST MUSIC THIS VITAL ARTIST RECORDED.  BUT A BEAUTIFUL LEGACY NONETHELESS.

AALIYAH - AALIYAH
01. We Need A Resolution (Feat. Timbaland)
02. Loose Rap (Feat. Static From Playa)
03. Rock The Boat
04. More Than A Woman
05. Never No More
06. I Care 4 U
07. Extra Smooth
08. Read Between The Lines
09. U Got Nerve
10. I Refuse
11. It's Whatever
12. I Can Be
13. Those Were The Days
14. What If
15. Try Again

THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS - SURRENDER

I have three versions of this album.  One is the standard US edition.  The other two are advance promo issues.  One is the US advance promo and the other is the UK advance.  Both versions have slightly different covers.  The UK being the most unique of the two.  It's a cardboard sleeve made from recycled material.  At least I think it is.

Musically, this album is another triumph for the Chems.  The opening track is 'Music: Response' and it features a vocal sample by Missy Elliott.  This is a deep track that starts off somewhat light but falls into bass rhythm section that's off the charts.  It's absolutely brilliant.  The second track, 'Under The Influence' is just as smart.  It's got a driving beat that picks up right where the first album leaves off.  There's a girl saying over and over, "I was under the influence" and the frantic keyboards and beats makes you feel almost entranced as well.  I should not, on the US advance promo, this song is titled, 'Influenced'.  I should also note, 'Music: Response' was released as a single E.P. towards the end of the album's promotion period.  'Under The Influence' was released almost a year before the album as 'Electronic Battle Weapon 3' in an extended version.

The next track is another single, 'Out Of Control'.  I like the music, but I'm not a huge fan of the song.  Bernard Sumner is best known for his work with New Order, Joy Division and Electronic.  He's worked with The Chemical Brothers before and he's done good work with them in the past.  'Orange Wedge' features some island sounding percussion with some high pitched synth lines playing over the drums.  There's also something sounding vaguely like dogs barking.  'Let Forever Be' is another single and features Noel Gallagher on vocals.  Gallagher is the lead singer of Oasis.  And he does a great job here.  

'The Sunshine Underground' starts off with a keyboard line that evokes the anthem quality of many previous numbers.  The build is slow but cheerful and when it finally explodes, it's absolutely wonderful.  It has a similar quality to 'The Private Psychedelic Reel'.  These anthem tracks seem to have a 70's sound to them and they are positive and completely uplifting.  'Asleep From Day' comes up next and features another vocalist.  This time, it's a singer who's also worked with the Chems before.  Hope Sandoval, the dreamy singer from Mazzy Star lends her talents to this odd little gem.  I'm not exactly sure what the song is about, but it's quite relaxing and serves as the first true slow song on the album.

It's followed by a tune that builds the beats back up with a repeated scale building into a cascading collapse of sound.  'Got Glint?' is an interesting number and certainly adds to the conceptual nature of the album.  It's followed by the album's biggest and most well known single, 'Hey Boy Hey Girl'.  This is one of those tracks people expect to hear in concert and during live performances of any sort.  It's a staple of the Chemical Brothers discography.  And well deserved.  This number rocks the beat relentlessly.  Next up is another interesting track.  It's 'Surrender'.  The title track from the album.  It should be noted, on the US advance promo, the song is titled, 'Racing The Tide' and truth be told, I feel it's the more appropriate title.  When I hear this tune, I can imagine running along a beach jumping out of the path of oncoming waves early in the morning.  As the sun is coming up.  After a long night of merriment and happiness.  The peaceful come down for a crazy trip.

Jonathan Donahue, of Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips adds vocals to the final farewell track, 'Dream On'.  If 'Surrender' was the gentle come down from the trip of the album, 'Dream On' is the clear bird song of the morning lulling the night time revelers to sleep.  We truly become the Sunshine Underground.  Finding our peaceful places to dream while the day emerges and spreads out before us.

I don't need to go on and on about this album.  Pick it up, listen to it and find yourself convinced as much as I am.  My final words:  THE PERFECT MUSICAL TRIP FOR THE OPEN MIND.

THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS - SURRENDER
01. Music: Response
02. Under The Influence (Influenced)
03. Out Of Control
04. Orange Wedge
05. Let Forever Be
06. The Sunshine Underground
07. Asleep From Day
08. Got Glint?
09. Hey Boy Hey Girl
10. Surrender (Racing The Tide)
11. Dream On

JANET - DISCIPLINE

Back in the day, a new Janet Jackson CD was something to look forward to. I think it was about the time 'Janet' came out that I started loosing interest in her. It wasn't because she was getting boring... If anything, her music was becoming more diverse and I always like artists who challenge me. So what made me lose interest? I think it had more to do with the inconsistency in the quality of the material she was recording. I felt half the tracks on 'Janet' were throw away "filler" material. And subsequent albums have been the same. Not to mention the inordinate amount of segues littering her tracklists. On the first couple albums they were quite nice and clever, but as the discs progressed, she got carried away with it. Not always to the listening pleasure of her fans.

I stopped buying her stuff after 'Velvet Rope'. I'd pick up singles if I liked something here and there, but when this disc came out, a good friend of mine swore up and down this was "THE" record of the year and I had to have it. He played me a couple songs off the disc and I was convinced this was gonna be a great disc. I bought it. So was it a good choice or a mistake? Truth be told... I'm not sure.

Personally, I really really like Janet. I like watching her talk, perform and generally, I like her singing. She seems like a person I'd enjoy knowing. That being said, you can't base your appreciation of a musical work simply on your personal feeling toward the artist.

The segues are a problem. They're all over the place and annoying at times. Picking one segue theme and sticking to it would be advisable. She starts off with talking to what is implied to be an artificial intelligence who acts also as a friend. That would be fine if she followed through with it during the entire disc, but it only pops up a couple times. Instead of getting into the segues, I'll focus on the songs...

There are some outstanding musical numbers on this disc. The first song is 'Feedback' and it's awesome. Not only is it a great tune but the video is quite interesting as well. My absolute favorite track is 'Rock With U'. I'm not sure why this song appeals to me other than it's got an exciting beat and comes on fairly relentlessly. It's amazing! Other outstanding tracks include '2nite', 'Luv', 'Greatest X', 'So Much Betta', 'The 1' and 'Discipline'. 'Discipline' is extremely provocative and suggestive. It's very erotic and highly sensual. 'The 1' features Missy Elliott and is extremely funky.

This album is a departure from Janet's regular fare. She's not working with her long time producer partners Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. She's using different people who are bringing her a new sound, but her songwriting input has lessened greatly.

I think it's better than anything she's done in a long time. There are still some throwaway songs that are boring and skippable, but you get the sense she's moving into something new. Whether she embraces this change or not remains to be seen, but it's worth the purchase for the funky numbers. Time to rediscover this artist.

I'm hopeful for the future once again. My final words: HOPEFUL & PROMISING.

JANET - DISCIPLINE
01. I.D.
02. Feedback
03. Luv
04. Spinnin
05. Rollercoaster
06. Bathroom Break
07. Rock With U
08. 2nite
09. Can't B Good
10. 4 Words
11. Never Letchu Go
12. Truth Or Dare
13. Greatest X
14. Good Morning Janet
15. So Much Betta
16. Play Selection
17. The 1 Feat. Missy Elliott
18. What's Ur Name
19. The Meaning
20. Discipline
21. Back
22. Curtains