Music Reviews
By Chris O'Connell
Blade II: Soundtrack takes leap, falls short of success
By Chris O'Connell
TSC Writer
I felt a bit betrayed when I sat down to listen to the soundtrack for New Line Cinema's film, Blade II, due in stores March 19. The CD boasts an all-star crew of rappers, RandB artists and techno DJ's, but falls short of expectations.
The album fuses hip-hop with electonica, including meshed tracks by artists such as Eve and Fatboy Slim, Ice Cube and Paul Oakenfold, The Roots and BT, and Mystikal and Moby. With these talented artists, I expected a much more exciting mix of aggressive electronic energy, but instead got a haphazard combination of two polar music extremes.
The concept of creating an album to capture the essence of a futuristic vampire film is hard to materialize, as this album proves. Although it is good to see a record studio like Immortal boldly attempt to mate two different genres of music, the result is sterile.
The songs have potential, with bumping bass lines and wicked scratches, but the rap lyrics poorly mingle with the gothic waves of trance techno, creating awkward moments of confused sounds, much like a first date gone awry.
We should keep in mind that a soundtrack couldn't fully be judged without the film to accompany it. Perhaps the malphonic mix of techno and hip-hop perfectly embodies the emotions of the chilling sequel Blade II, or as I suspect merely is a failed attempt at a new sound.
But whatever the case it would be nice to see more labels attempting a new sound and tweak this album more. D
Full Moon gives fuller sounds
By Cheryl Noland
TSC Writer
Brandy is one busy girl, or should I say woman? First, she announces her secret marriage to 25-year-old songwriter/producer Robert Smith and then she declares she's pregnant with her first child, all within a matter of weeks.
Let's just say a baby isn't the only thing on the way. Her long-awaited third album Full Moon - the first new CD since 1998's multi-platinum Never Say Never - drops Tuesday, March 5.
After four years away from the music business, Brandy has taken the time to grow both personally and professionally. She's considerably expanded her vocal range on Full Moon, most impressively on the ballads "When You Touch Me" and "Nothing." On the latter, she belts, "You cannot pretend that I don't even matter, you and I know better," convincingly portraying a woman in denial.
But Brandy also reveals a more forceful, aggressive side on many of her uptempo tracks, including her latest single "What About Us," produced by hip-hop guru Rodney Jerkins, known for his array of eclectic RandB beats. Coining her "B Rocka," Jerkins helps redefine Brandy's sound with synthesized grooves allowing a new attitude to shine through.
She even gets the indisputable "King Of Pop" Michael Jackson to provide backing vocals on another Jerkins-produced jam, "It's Not Worth It," where Brandy vigorously attempts to salvage a strained relationship.
Unfortunately, Brandy's heavy reliance on well-known producers doesn't allow her to control the direction of her career. I mean, how many different ways can she sing about true love and broken hearts? While she has certainly grown up, Brandy "B Rocka" still has a lot to learn. B