While 2001-02 may not have been the most groundbreaking year in music, it did see some exciting acts evolve - such as Pink, Ja Rule, and Brandy. Unfortunately, we also had to witness some promising musicians take missteps (Ludacris), while lesser artists put out nothing better the usual banal claptrap they always create (Britney Spears). But we shouldn't complain - it could have been much worse. At least Ricky Martin and the Backstreet Boys have virtually disappeared from the pop airwaves and have been banished to adult contemporary stations.
Here is a flashback to some of the most memorable (and painful) sounds of the last nine months:
The Divas
In the overwhelming world of Divas, there have been three who have captured a ton of media awareness as of late: Pink, Ashanti and Tweet.While Pink made her debut in 2000 as another dance/techno pop queen, she stood out from the pack with her tough exterior and the voice of a leather-throated angel. Ashanti came to national prominence after tag-teaming with hip-hop heavyweights Ja Rule ("Always On Time") and Fat Joe ("What 's Love") on their Top Ten entries.
Though she has a major solo hit with "Foolish," Tweet is, and will probably remain a one-hit wonder after producing a not-so-subtle ode to her cuticles, "Oops, (Oh, My)."
While Ashanti and Tweet both have similar breathy and sensual voices, their music possesses an odd feeling of soullessness with grooves that just don't groove.
Pink, on the other hand, has churned out a classic with Missundaztood. Whereas she could have just retreated to the formula of the CD's first hit, "Get The Party Started," she instead showcases her talents on blues and acoustic tracks and even hooks up with Steven Tyler - and gives him a run for his money.
Pink gets extra points for being brutally honest and writing about her insecurities, and the fact that she lets down her emotional guard is appealing.
No Doubt: Rock Steady
I really didn't think that No Doubt had much life left after 2000's Return to Saturn, the lackluster follow-up to the mega-huge Tragic Kingdom. The group seemed to be heading in the same spaced out non-direction as the B52's, and seemed destined for the dreaded stigma of being a 90's band.
Guess hanging out with Moby and Eve the past couple of years really paid off for Gwen Stefani and company, because the band hit a major high note with Rock Steady in 2001. The bouncy "Hey Baby" was fun-yet overplayed, but the rest of the album contains many stronger moments - especially "Hella Good" and "Start the Fire."
Maybe Steffani's magic will eventually rub off on fianc?©e Gavin Rossindale, as Bush's most recent product went over about as well as Return to Saturn did two years ago.
Hip Hop
Three of the more anxiously awaited hip-hop releases were definitely those by heavyweights Ja Rule, Ludacris, and Fat Joe. Ja Rule's Pain is Love is quite possibly the best rap CD of the new millennium. Chock full of sort-of-romantic duets ("Always On Time" w/Ashanti and "I'm Real" w/Jennifer Lopez), alongside some of the better gangsta gits ("Dial M For Murder" and "Smokin And Ridin"), as well as the best use of a Stevie Wonder sample on "Livin it Up." Not only does Ja Rule have possibly the most appealing voice in rap, he also has the material to back it up.Ja Rule's recent releases are very unlike Ludacris' fairly juvenile Word of Mouf disc. Yes, he did have a big hit with "Rollout (My Business)," and a decent follow up with, "Saturday (Oooh Oooh!)." But the rest of the CD sees him trying too hard to be a "freak."
Obvious and repetitive songs like "Freaky Thangs" and "Get The F*** Back" are just tedious and way below his potential. Nothing on Word of Mouf even holds a candle to 2000's staggering "What's Your Fantasy."
While Fat Joe does owe a bit of a nod to Ashanti for bringing "What's Luv" into Top Ten province, his disc is still full of some of the best jams around. Full of party's tracks like "My Lifestyle" and "We Thuggin," Fat Joe is sure to be a part of hip-hop royalty if he continues on this track.
Sheryl Crow: C'mon C'mon
Sheryl Crow has been a serious thorn in the side of the music scene for way too long. Who actually ever told her that she was a "major" artist? And why does she have such a self-important attitude of a big "legend?" Just because she has dated rock legends like Eric Clapton does not mean their greatness just rubs off on her. And if it did, I'm With The Band author Pamela DesBares would be the greatest musician of all time.
Yeah, one would have to be a major downer not to appreciate a feel-good song like "Soak Up The Sun." But is rehashing the idea of sun worship on wax really a breakthrough? Well, sure - if this was 40 years ago and she was named Brian Wilson, it could have been. But jumping on the Beach Boys bandwagon - now?.
Oh well, I guess I can't blame her. She really is going to need a hit to move C'mon C'mon from the CD bins, because the rest of the disc is mainly filler that sounds like leftovers from her Tuesday Night Music Club days. Not that it is terrible - it's just kind of stale.
And if she wants to be taken seriously, she probably should have passed on the cheesecake photos that she posed for in last month's issue of Stuff magazine. Not really the kind of "stuff" a legend wannabe should be dipping into.
Andrew W.K.: I Get Wet
Yeah, the (original blood soaked) cover is kinda dopey and WWF-ish, but Andrew W.K.'s major label debut has probably been the definitive rock CD of the year.
With titles like "Party Hard" and "Party Till You Puke," there is no confusion that Andrew has no deep thoughts to share on I Get Wet - but that's the point.
This is the best revelry record so far this year, and Andrew W.K.'s two area performances at the Paradise this spring became the most exciting shows that Commonwealth Avenue has seen since the legendary club, The Rat, was demolished.
I Get Wet is also a nice break from the rock/rap overload we have been tolerating for the past couple of years. It's promising indication that (good) straight-ahead rock may see a re-birth. Finally.
Dance Remix
As a young tyke in the '80s, I remember the annoying trend of dance artists who had some success with a tune. They would go running to some "DJ Mixmaster" who revamped the song, turned it into a dance mix and released a "remix album."Huge singers like Madonna did this and even one time big acts like Bobby Brown and Milli Vanilli (sorry for digging up that old wound), jumped on the "remix" bandwagon. Fortunately, the albums were not all that successful (imagine, the nerve of the public not wanting to pay for the same song more than once) and the custom of remixing seemed to wither away.
But since the major success of the Jennifer Lopez/Ja Rule remix of "I'm Real," the door is now open wide for a return to the rehashes. So it was no surprise that Lopez was the fist to strike with J To Tha L-O!. Though it does have the new hit with Ja Rule ("Ain't It Funny"), the rest of the disc is just a mishmash of earlier Lopez hits. The most disappointing is the "Waiting For Tonight" remix, which turns out to be a case study in how to ruin a perfectly fine dance tune.
Destiny's Child and Shaggy did not fare any better with their similar projects. The man behind 2000's monstrous hit "It Wasn't Me" gives us two new versions of that smash, while lamely rehashing the reggaefied "Angel." Destiny's Child does have a couple of bright spots on This Is The Remix (e.g. "Bootylicious" and "Bills, Bills, Bills"), but the harder edged raps and tones, just don't suit this pop act. And now that TLC's future is uncertain (RIP - Left Eye), this is the most promising female trio we have at the moment.
And you though that the alleged New England drought was a scary thought.
B2K: B2K
MTV pop darlings B2K had the benefit of major promotional campaign saturation for their eponymous debut. Now hype can backfire, and while the group's first disc has been selling steady, it has not been reaching the numbers that it should be.
A catchy quartet of teen hip-hoppers, B2K is probably trying to appeal to the fans that have outgrown the teenybopper sounds of the last couple of years. "Uh Huh," is groove filled and irresistible, as is "Gots Ta Be."
B2K is probably what Boyz II Men wished that they could have sounded like at their age (or even now, for that matter).
Petey Pablo: Diary of a Sinner, 1st Entry
Petey Pablo's "Raise Up" is quite frankly one of the best hip-hop party tunes period (ranking right up there with DMX's "Party Up"). Though I have seen one too many calorically and alcoholicaly challenged bozo's at dance clubs take the line about "take your shirt off, spin it like a helicopter" to heart and wack some unsuspecting dance floor patrons with their Corona-soaked golf shirts.
With the exception of "Raise Up," Pablo has some other amazing moments on Diary Of A Sinner, with the contagious "La Di Da Da Da" and "Y'All Ain't Ready (Come On)".
Pablo is a promising and unique rapper, emerging from a sea of repetitiveness.
Britney and Brandy
Here is a prime example of two singers who both started in their teens and have seen different levels of fame. And while one is growing up, the other is just continuing to empty her parents' Visa account.Brandy has not has a hit since 1998's drab, "The Boy Is Mine." And while we're on it, it is beyond me why someone would want to rehash a bad idea of Michael Jackson's, which added up to the most embarrassing moment on his classic Thriller - "The Girl Is Mine."
Now in her post-Moesha days, the married and mother-to-be Brandy has really emerged from a three-year hiatus and created a great artifact in Full Moon. Her major hit, "What About Love" is stylish and alluring - as is, "Come a Little Closer." Coming from a singer whose career was seemingly over, Brandy has turned out to be more of a musical force than was once apparent.
Britney Spears, on the other hand. really should go away (and not just for three years, like Brandy). First off, I don't care if she is a "good girl," or if she really did the deed with Justin Timerberlake or not. Though a lot of people do seem to really care about her sexual status, they have a lot more to worry about than they realize, if they really do care!
And I certainly don't need to her hear her whine about her hormones in "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman." Also, her phony breathing on that major hit "I'm A Slave 4 U," is supposed to be a turn-on, but comes off as plastic and very non-sensual.
Maybe it's not so bad that her flick Crossroads was not quite as bad as Mariah Carey's Glitter. Hopefully, it will encourage her to do more celluloid work. At least if she's on a studio lot... she won't be in the recording studio.
