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Recorded
Music
Reviews of new releases from Prince Paul,
Patrick Street, and Abbey Lincoln.
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Wholly
Earth
Abbey Lincoln
(Verve)
Of related interest: Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan,
Cassandra Wilson |
Once when I was working at a record store, a man stomped
in with the latest Abbey Lincoln CD and demanded his money
back. "She can't even sing right," he insisted. True enough.
The atonal style Lincoln gravitates toward isn't "right"
by most popular definitions, but this lady's got some of
the most effective, emotional vocals around the jazz scene.
Lincoln's singing is hearty and her intonation heavy; she
often bursts forth in exclamations that would seem equally
at home in an excitable karaoke session as on a professional
recording. The man demanding his money back may have confused
this with missing the mark. If you check out her early releases,
such as 1955's Abbey Lincoln's Affair...A Story of a
Girl in Love, you'll see she's able to commit to a smooth
vocal turn if she so chooses. Her latest, Wholly Earth,
is not as engaging as Devil's Got Your Tongue or
A Turtle's Dream, but it still puts forth a nice
collection of originals and covers for those jonesing for
a little more Lincoln in their lives. The title track is
quintessential Lincoln--metaphors about the Big Blue Marble
are backed by her boisterously bellowing "round" over and
over again. Her cover of "If I Only Had a Brain" pulls out
the song's lazy blues underpinnings and celebrates its perfection
with sparse musical accompaniment and vocals that come down
deep and dramatic. Can't sing right? You bet. Caryn B.
Brooks
Searching for quality Irish music takes effort year-round,
not just during the two days before March 17. What with
Windham Hill and its ilk trying to foist off New-Age harpies
(oops, I mean harpists) as "Celtic," it can be a real chore
to sift through all the dregs. But every St. Paddy's Day,
I'm compelled to find at least one new album to play before
inevitably getting trashed and blasting the Pogues' Rum
Sodomy and the Lash. This year, I found my love down
on Patrick Street. These respected vets' previous works
rank among the best neo-traditional albums, and the Street's
new live collection has just enough friendly fuzz to avoid
the sterility that sometimes leaks into studio recordings.
The instrumental medleys of jigs, slides, polkas and reels
are the most enjoyable. That's where the players' talents,
especially the brisk, warm-fingered fiddling of Kevin Burke
and Jackie Daly's sharp accordion breaths, skip to the fore.
On the vocal songs, Andy Irvine's slight brogue finds a
comfortable balance between emotional whisper and energetic
warble. So next time you're seeking tunes to go with your
Tullamore Dew, remember the name Patrick Street--it's not
a man, it's a destination. John Graham
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A
Prince Among Thieves
Prince
Paul
(Tommy
Boy)
Of related interest: Stetsasonic, De La Soul, The
Gravediggaz |
A Prince Among Thieves is a tale of ghetto drama
from that hip-hop skit master, the demented beatnut Prince
Paul. The joint is 77 minutes of ill entertainment, a tragic
tale of an MC struggling to break into the music game told
through well-written dialogue and storytellin' raps. The
33 dope-ass tracks pull listeners into Tariq's (played by
Breezly Brewin') quest to come up with a grand to finish
his demo for Wu-Tang Records. Tariq's man, True (played
by Big Sha), is a major drug dealer who convinces Tariq
to slang crack to get the money. Old school and new school
MCs fill out the rest of the cast, turning in butter performances
that propel the plot. Kool Keith plays the oversexed weapons
dealer Crazy Lou, and Big Daddy Kane drops pimp science
as Count Macula. Chubb Rock gives a raw rhyme as Mr. Large
over the bassy beatbox of Biz Markie. Chris Rock and De
La Soul provide the dark humor of crackheads feenin' for
a hit; Everlast takes the part of Officer O'Maley Bitchkowski,
turning out the overtly political "Men in Blue." Buckshot,
RZA, Special Ed, Sadat X, Kid Creole and Xzibit also add
their flavor to Prince Paul's opus, but it's Don Newkirk's
flipping of the classic "Moody's Mood for Love" that snatches
the golden ring. The most amazing aspect of A Prince
Among Thieves is Prince Paul's ability to assure that
each song maintains its power outside of the plot.
H.V. Claytor Jr.
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Willamette Week | originally
published March 24,
1999
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