Tori Amos
Scarlet’s Walk
Epic
Marriage, motherhood and a last minute label change can be cathartic forces in an artist’s life and this much is evident among the lines of Amos’ newest offering. Her haunting voice and ethereal piano retain the strength of their convictions, though heavily flavored with the “casi-eighties.” The harsh bite of her cynicism is evident, but the highly personal note that always gave Amos’ work so much emotional fervor in critical circles has been replaced by a more political palate. Though this seems to take away some of what always drew us into her web, don’t count the album a complete failure as the beauty of her craftsmanship grows on you with each listen. Molly McKinney
Johnny Cash
American IV: The Man Comes Around
American
On the surface this record might appear as a doomsday sort of album, when in fact it’s a beautifully orchestrated narrative of a man coming to terms with his past and planting his feet firmly against his own end drawing closer with each passing day. There are covers of country classics (“Sam Hall” “Streets of Laredo”), newer pieces (“Hurt” “Personal Jesus”) and a heart-wrenching version of “Danny Boy.” Within every line the listener is allowed a peek into years on the road, addictions, and the ins and outs of Cash’s musical and personal career. And though many of the lyrics were not penned with his hand, there’s no question who owns this album. The Man has come around, again. Molly McKinney
Ben Folds
Ben Folds Live
Epic
Though his offerings with former band, Ben Folds Five, and his solo dishes thus far have been enjoyable, there’s just something about the power of Folds’ stage shows which captures an aspect the studio never quite seems to grasp. In addition to a solid collection of BFF favorites and solo work, there’s also a cover of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.” While it’s been said that it sounds too much like the original, Folds’ brings a heartfelt passion to the song that the original version never really had. It’s in Folds’ voice, the sound that sends chills down your spine. That’s where the magic lies. If this compilation of songs is any indication, it resides there still. Molly McKinney
Nirvana
Nirvana
Geffen
Man, writing about this record is like writing about Jesus. Unless you’re fleshing out the story, what to say? Luckily, I’m a believer, as most of the millions that buy this handsome retrospective will be. In addition to all the hits you know by heart (as well as the much-improved Scott Litt remix of “Pennyroyal Tea”), the disc also contains the fabled “You Know You’re Right,” recorded right before Kurt Cobain’s death. In what may well have been a revelation against his Own Personal Judas, the singer channels what little venom he has left towards what sounds suspiciously like Mrs. Cobain. So the Jesus reference is a little strong. Consider: love (or Love) may have killed them both. Tim C. Davis
DJ Quik
The Best of DJ Quik
Arista/BMG
No, the able title is not an oxymoron — the jheri-curled one who used to brag that “bitches just mad my hair longer than theirs” can rap — rather well, in fact. It’s the words themselves that get him in trouble — the same monotonous old litany/ grocery list of gangsterism that we’ve heard 10,000 times already. Like so many such songs, Quik wonders endlessly (and facetiously) why he’s still in the ghetto. Perhaps it’s because he can’t seem to think his way out of it.Tim C. Davis
Ride
OX4 The Best of Ride
The First Time Records
Nice little double-CD retrospective here of one of the original shoegazer bands. Up until the mid 90s, Ride were the unquestioned masters of the form, laying down cotton candy waves of feedback solid enough to sleep on, all the while drowsily keeping their head in the clouds. For the uninitiated, you’d be hard-pressed to get a better introduction to pop side of shoegaze than this disc: it contains all the necessary numbers (“Chelsea Girl,” “Birdman,” “Dreams Burn Down”), as well as tasty oddities such as “Black Night Crash,” an adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s auto-erotic novel “Crash.” Is it all-time classic material? Of course not. Worth raising a pint to? You betcha.Tim C. Davis
Chris Robinson
New Earth Mud
Redline
Black Crowes moppet Robinson has taken some time away from his more well-known band to put out a little solo disc with some across-the-pond mates he’s dubbed New Earth Mud. Hippie-referencing name aside, the disc is solid, and ought to appeal to Crowes fans, country-rock aficionados, and Kate Hudson completists. Robinson’s voice and verbal swagger still sound Georgia dry-cured and considerable, but the psycho-sonic backing suggests a West Coast potent strain of mellow gold. “Safe in the Arms of Love,” a nice mid-tempo love song, shows a good cross-section of the new formula: the barefoot rocker has finally added a little Carole King to his B.B. and Albert.Tim C. Davis
This article appears in Nov 20-26, 2002.
