admin @ Sun, 2006-09-17 11:00
The fiercest diva on the planet dominated 2003 with her Grammy-winning, multi-platinum solo debut, "Dangerously in Love," then continued her reign by reuniting with the Destiny's Child gals in 2005. And didn't she JUST have a smash with "Check On It" earlier this year?
Not likely. Just in time for her 25th birthday, Jay-Z's main squeeze pops out "B'Day," her second solo release, comprised of ten songs and a bonus track. Featuring overused hitmakers like The Neptunes, Swizz Beatz, Rich Harrison and Rodney Jerkins, to name a few, the album threatens to be a slick but superficial attempt to get Beyonce yet another hit.
But you know what? As Beyonce-weary as the world may be, only a true hater could find fault with "B'Day," a scorcher from start to finish. Beyonce macks her way through sexy come-ons, blowout jams, bump-and-grind numbers and throwback grooves, coming at you with the volume blaring away at 10.
Whereas "Dangerously In Love" portrayed Beyonce as the hopelessly romantic, sometimes vulnerable girlfriend, on "B'Day," Beyonce is in complete control of everything — from her sexuality to her bank account.
"Take my credit cards, the key to my house, take my car — long as you give mama some sugar," says Beyonce, singing like she's in a backwater juke joint on the sizzling, retro R&B track "Suga Mama." And on the sexy pillow groove "Kitty Kat," she vows to lock up her most precious asset when her man fails to truly appreciate it — "you don't want don't want my body? ... You would rather go and party? Somehow, somewhere I'll be naughty" she sniffs, adding the zinger — "your sex ain't all that."
And while Beyonce has never dished the dirt on her relationship with Jay-Z, it's hard not to wonder if there is trouble in paradise on songs like "Ring the Alarm," which has Beyonce frantically trying to hold onto her man — not for what he is, but all that he has. "She'll be rockin' chinchilla coats if I let you go ... she'll be rocking everything I own if I let you go" she pleads on the musically daring track, which intersperses blaring horns in between handclaps and heavy percussion. She sounds hyper, confused, paranoid — like she's about to throw some hot grits on someone in a second.
But it's the only track that features a Beyonce so mentally unglued by the prospect of losing a man. On the acoustic pop song "Irreplaceable," she reminds her soon-to-be ex that she's the mack daddy of that relationship, and she can quite easily find another man to step into the role of Beyonce's boo.
The best track on the CD — which features her real-life boo, Jay-Z — shows how just being graced with a touch of B can boost a man's entire profile. "I can do for you what Martin did for the people," she brags on "Upgrade U," with a cockiness and bravado that she previously kept under wraps.
Maybe that's why blogs are on fire with anti-Beyonce postings, why we're growing weary. She's just too good. Maybe we just can't handle it. Even Beyonce seems to acknowledge this with one of the great lines from "Upgrade U."
Tony Joe White turns his latest album, "Uncovered," into a summit of gruff-voiced old men who mine the blues with a simmering mix of sensuality and menace. He duets with such marquee names as Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Michael McDonald, J.J. Cale and the late Waylon Jennings, an impressive list tied together by a masculine musical sensibility and for turning the blues into something distinctively their own.
At age 63, White more than holds his own with his guests. The Louisiana native covers some of the best-known songs, including "Taking the Midnight Train" and "Rainy Night in Georgia," the latter of which became a classic R&B ballad by Brook Benton in 1970.
White offers steamy swamp blues in a baritone voice spiked with sharp-edged guitar notes and a slow-rising horn section that sighs rather than blasts notes.
White's previous album, 2004's "The Heroines," paired him with Shelby Lynne, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris and other soulful females. "Uncovered" may reverse the theme, but the focus on White's singular sound and his musical power remain the same. Both albums suggest White is an American treasure who has finally started receiving his due.
Following a promising self-titled debut in 2002 and the 2005 follow-up "Out of Exile," Audioslave's latest outing shows the band has confidently hit its stride.
Composed of former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell (vocals) and three former members of Rage Against The Machine — Tom Morello (guitar), Tim Commerford (bass) and Brad Wilk (drums) — Audioslave's "Revelations" may finally get disgruntled fans to appreciate the new collective instead of reminiscing about the past successes of the two former groups.
Commerford and Wilk apply rock-steady rhythm to every track — particularly "Original Flame" — while Morello continues to electrify with a showcase of guitar effects and harmonics.
The opening title track lulls you in before erupting into a scorching trademark Morello riff; "One And The Same" lays down a nasty wah-wah groove and contains one of Morello's finest solos. They also slow things up with a nice acoustic touch ("Until We Fall") and the psychedelic closer "Moth."
Cornell's wailing is every bit as strong as it was 15 years ago and his lyrics are still filled with colorful imagery and conscience — "Sound Of A Gun" laments the loss of innocence and he juxtaposes fear and hope on "Shape Of Things To Come."
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