.CCLECTIC CIRCUS

reviews by Scott MacDonald unless other e stated.

NADA IS OFTEN SLAGGED WITH BEING excellent producer of hockey talent, but a 1 producer of musical talent. This week I'd to focus on some Canadian artists breaking ir way into the hip-hop, rap, and grunge nes; previously virgin ground for Canadian nt, as well as two more experienced acts. re is a lot of skill out there not named Tom shrane or Bryan Adams

LATINGS

5-- ALL THAT AND A PHOTOMAT 4-- BA DA BING 3-- IT COULD BE WORSE 2-- THIS IS WORSE 1-- KITTENS THROWN OVER BOARD AT SEA

iphidi Logik A Mission tic) m. the Falstaff area of Toronto, these high ool rappers were formerly known as Split -ision. They transform their “made for TV style’ into a collection of songs paralleling ir lives. ““Dear Dad’’ tells of their absence a father figure while growing up, while ood Kid’’ describes their common experi- cs while growing up. Artists such as Snoop egy Dogg, Tribe Called Quest, and Dr. Dre uence the sounds of Graphidi Logik heav- ‘Can I get a Yo”’ is being played heavily uchMusic right now, and is reflective of T party-jam sound

Freshmen

bout Girls

‘A)

Hop from the heart of Montreal. Tobe nice Id call them Color Me Badd with attitude, harsh I could call them NKOTB clones. er way, their vocals are smooth as they ure the essence of the ‘‘rap-dance’’ sound. could more than a flash in the pan, as the m is full of solid New Jack Swing style ic. Not to different from the rest, but at a step above the crowd.

D. ly Things A Gwan

(Sony)

Not to be confused with other reggae rappers like Shabba Ranks. Not to be confused with anyone with much in the way of talent. Per- haps some things are better left to the pros. Fear not, there is one redeeming song on the CD; the addictive “‘Secret Admirer’’ has a catchy sample of the disco hit ‘‘Ooh Boy’’. If you want reggae, buy a Bob Marley disc.

(2)

April Wine Frigate (Fre)

With the Eagles having their return tour, the Stones coming out of the geriatrics center, and Woodstock being revisited, April Wine was probably thinking, “‘...hey let’s cash in on nostalgia’. Really they should have given it up years ago. Nothing to report on the latest CD; a bad remake of “‘Tonite Is A Wonderful Time to Fall in Love’’ (almost a dance remake if you can believe it), and a cover of the Steve Winwood penned ‘‘I’m A Man’’, which will forever be linked to Beeman’s gum.

(2.5)

Various

Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young (Sony)

Some of Canada’s greatest musicians join to- gether to pay tribute to one of Canada’s musical greats. This two disc compilation (Out of the Blue and Into the Black) contains both an acoustical and electrical tribute featuring some ofthis lands finest talent covering Neil Young’s songs; unfortunately they’ve left off ‘“Rockin’ in the Free World’’, probably his greatest work todate. The “grandfather of grunge’ hasa large host of admirers ranging from Junkhouse, who doa rocking rendering of ‘‘Mr. Soul’’, to Larry Gowan who uses his haunting vocals to good extent on ‘“Heart of Gold’’. The best track may be the Waltons gritty, down to earth acoustical version of ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’’. (6S)

Courage of Lassie

This Side of Heaven

Bring together the words and voices of Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen

and the sounds of Zamphir, apply them to a . melancholy view of the world and you have .

This Side of Heaven.

Ron Nelson sounds like an older Gordon Lightfoot and a younger Leonard Cohen as he uses his soft, raspy voice to throw a blanket of depression over the listener. The loss of summer, the loss ofa lover, the fall of the rainforest, the loneliness of city streets lead the listener deeper into the quiet desperation of a life being lived.

Mady Schenkel provides the female voice throughout the twelve cuts, a voice that is as clear and crisp as Nelson’s is soft and raspy. Together a great combination, backed up by Rod Booth, Rachel Melas and various guest artists. Using primarily their own mate- rial these musicians provide a worthwhile lis- tening experience.

Urge for Going (written by Joni Mitchell), City of Tears, In Montreal City, The Rainforest Falls, The Desert Song and the title track This Side of Heaven tell of the sad truths of living; while two cuts, Kali Nichta (Good Night) and Kali Mera (Good Morning) wring out the sadness of the themes through the exquisite use of instruments and voice a la Zamphir.

This collection is not party material. Save it till 3:00 AM ona cold and lonely night then go with the music.--David Schneider

Sloan

Twice Removed

(MCA)

Halifax’s own grungish group is back with their follow-up to Smeared, which comes off much smoother. The harsh sounds are gone, replaced by rugged lyrics and flowing melodies highlighted by the single ‘‘Coax Me’’ which has a strangely Beatle-esque sound to it. Their single ‘‘Bells On’’ is about lead singer Jay Ferguson’s trip to PEI for his uncle’s funeral. I saw them play at the Misty Moon two years ago, and they have improved a hundred fold. (4.5)

Various

I am an Eagle

This album is the product. of the Legends Project which has brought many native musi- cians together to produce mainstream music with a traditional North American Indian flavor. The album conceived, produced and arranged by John James Stewart mixes vocals and instrumentals, with vocal numbers suchas the title track ‘‘IamanEagle’’ sung by Tammy Pierce. The vocals carry the album, but the instrumentals provide an effective mixture of modern instruments with traditional music makers including ankle bells, caribou and elk drums, plains courtship flute, and goat hoof rattlers. The collaborative efforts of artists with Cherokee, Mohawk, Oddawa, and Cree ances- try catch the North American Indian dream as effectively and as beautifully as a traditional dream catcher hanging in the moonlight. New age music with native spiritual twist makes for a good listen.--Dave Schneider

[ september 13, 1994 page 11] |”: