Category: Reviews

Artist: Cyclefly Title: Crave Label: MCA Rating: 6.5/10 Origin: Ireland Sound like: Bowie sleeping with the guy from Judas Priest and they invited Rush along for fun. Crave: “Selophane Fixtures” – You’ll like it. “Crowns” – Most potent and immediate track. “Tales From The Fishbowl” – Interesting. One thought: “No Stress” and “Karma Killer” –…

Artist: Avant Title: Ecstacy Label: MCA Rating: 4/10 Ecstasy: “Makin’ Good Love” – R. Kelly called and he wants his music back. “Thinkin’ About You” – Slow, subtle, sexy. Slow grind: “Call On Me” – average at best. “Thinkin’ About You” “What Do You Want” – A good melody can’t make up for the weak…

Artist: Tweet Title: v Label: Elektra Rating: 7.5/10 Tweet. Sounds like old school Motown is swimming in her blood. Hot: “Smoking Cigarettes” – A slow lounge act that never gets tired. “Beautiful” – Tender vocals combined with heart and soul. “Best Friend” – Gladys Knight was right and Tweet saw it all the way. “Opps…

Artist: Ashanti Title: Ashanti Label: Murder Inc. Rating: 7.5/10 Ashanti. Best none as a sidekick for the likes of Ja Rule on “Always On Time”, “How We Roll” with Big Pun and “What’s Love” with Fat Joe. So you’ve heard her, you just may not have realized it. Hot, hot, hot: “Foolish” – Not in…

Artist: Quarashi Title: Jinx Label: Columbia Rating: 6/10 Artist: Quarashi Sounds like: Beastie Boys From: Iceland Now Hear This: “Stick ‘Em Up” – Their style is so old school that you wonder if this record wasn’t lost for the last fifteen years. “Mr. Jinx” – Tight beats rapped around a smooth hook. “Weirdo” Skip It:…

Artist: Must Title: Androgynous Jesus Label: Wind-Up Rating: 4/10 Artist: Must Sound like: Matchbox 20 and U2, except one tries to sound potent and the other doesn’t care. A Must: If there were a song you needed to listen to I’d tell you. There is nothing here. Maybe: “Bubblegum Sleaze” – Bubblegum and sleaze? You…

Artist: Regency Buck Title: Deliverance Label: Dreamworks Rating: 5/10 Regency Buck. Daft Punk meets lost and wandering brit-rock. Notable songs: “Got A Little” – There is something good underneath all the overdone production, but just enough. “Eyes On You” – Finally they tone and tune it down a bit. Less is certainly more. Forgot them…

Artist: Celine Dion Title: A New Day Has Come Label: Epic Rating: 7/10 Celine Dion is making her way back to the mic after playing mommy for a while and saying she was retired. The question is whether A New Day Has Come can put Dion back on top. There isn’t much unexpected here. There…

Artist: Lionel Richie Title: Renaissance Label: Island Rating: 6/10 I think Cher caused a revival for faded stars when she took the world by storm with “Believe” because the past superstar Lionel Richie punches out the dance track “Angel”. Renaissance isn’t entirely a new, reborn Richie. Most of the album still sticks safely in what…

Artist: Hatebreed Title: Preserverance Label: Universal Rating: 8.5/10 The metal world has been waiting almost five years for a new Hatebreed album, and their major-label debut Perseverance will surely give the kids exactly what they need. After splitting from Victory records and embarking on huge national tours Tattoo the Earth (2000) and Ozzfest (2001), the…