30 songs from the current crop that Rock and Shock and Genre-hop - Brief Article - Bibliography

Interview, Oct, 1999

EURYTHMICS Peace (Arista)

"17 Again"

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart cast a knowing eye over the troubled waters they've traveled on this glistening pearl of a song.

NINE INCH NAILS The Fragile (nothing/Interscope)

"Somewhat Damaged"

Has Trent Reznor finished going through emotional puberty?. From the sound of this still-harsh, yet nonadolescent self-assessment, yes.

THE MADD RAPPER

Tell 'Em Why U Madd (Columbia) "Dot vs. TMR"

An alternately flighty and gripping spin through the split-personality world of the modern hip-hop MC.

THE ALUMINUM GROUP Pedals (Minty Fresh)

"Paperback"

Frank and John Navin emphasize simple, evocative lyrics and arrangements that are equal parts Steely Dan and Burt Bacharach.

MEREDITH BROOKS Deconstruction (Capitol)

"Cosmic Woo Woo"

Brooks returns with her trademark directness, but a lighter heart.

GOMEZ Liquid Skin (Virgin)

"Hangover Girl"

Bongos and cymbals crash, as the quintet's singers implore some groupie from the night before to "be my hangover girl." A nifty reversal of the usual "Hey, I will respect you in the morning!" rock mythology.

ASH Nu-Clear Sounds (DreamWorks) "Wild Surf"

Twin guitars crest and crash. It feels like youth, summer, and a great way for this Northern Irish band to forget their hometown troubles.

BLINKER THE STAR

August Everywhere (Dream-Works) "All Dreamed Out"

This breathy, acoustic guitar 'n' off-kilter Casio ballad unfurls like an exotic tapestry.

GARTH BROOKS In . . . the Life of Chris Gaines (Capitol) "Right Now"

On this bouncy show-stopper, pop-wannabee Garth Brooks enters the land of zero twang.

JOHN PHILLIP SOUSA Sony Music 100 Years: Soundtrack for a Century (SONY Legacy) "The Washington Post March"

The first surviving recording by the world's first recording star is a brass-band marching ditty: rudimentary, melodic, rhythmic, repetitive, and still instantly recognizable.

MELISSA ETHERIDGE Breakdown (Island) "Breakdown"

Romantic Etheridge lives for the passion of precipice, where we fall in or out of love. "Breakdown" brings us to that moment, making the journey epic.

STEREOLAB Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night (Elektra) "Caleidoscopic Gaze"

Stereolab is one of the '90s most original bands because they're smart and sexy. Here, however, they're more egghead than estrogen.

DAVID BOWIE hours . . . (Virgin) "What's Really Happening?"

Cowritten by Alex Grant, winner of an Internet songwriting contest, this existential quest-song goes from moody introspection to guitar-driven tirade.

THE INDIGO GIRLS Come On Now Social (Epic) "Gone Again"

Down-home and rootsy. If country radio had any guts, this song would hit number one.

PRINCE The Vault . . . Old Friends 4 Sale (Warner Brothers) "It's About That Walk"

This sassy, big-band number - an outtake from his days slaving for Warner - is a paean to body language, in which the Artist is fluent.

JOHN POPPER Zygote (A&M) "His Own Ideas"

A Celtic-flavored rhythmic ode to self-transcendence.

ELVIS COSTELLO AND BURT BACHARACH The Sweetest Punch (Decca/Universal Classics Group) "1 Still Have That Other Girl"

On this duet with Cassandra Wilson, Costello and Bacharach establish themselves as the '90s equivalent of Rogers and Hart: lyrical, romantic, and inventive.

JIMMY LUXURY AND THE TOMMY ROME ORCHESTRA A Night in the Arms of . . . (Epic/WORK) "I'll Take Manhattan"

While the beats and scratching go nicely with old school jazz, Luxury isn't up to the task as an MC.

STING Brand New Day (A&M) "Tomorrow We'll See"

Sting has always sought sophistication, but sometimes found pretense. This bossa nova ballad about a Brazilian transvestite streetwalker lends his seventh solo album real elegance.

MATTHEW SWEET In Reverse (Volcano)"Trade Places"

The chorus hits you like a mallet, the fuzzboxes roar, and the harmonies are pure Pet Sounds.

BRYAN FERRY As Time Goes By (Virgin/Point Blank) "I'm in the Mood for Love"

The eternal lounge lizard draws a sensuous mambo mouth on this endearing standard.

HANDSOME BOY MODELING SCHOOL So . . . How's Your Girl? (Tommy Boy) "The Truth"

Superproducers Prince Paul and the Automator blend gossamer trip-hop and underground rap into an eerie inner-city symphony.

BARBRA STREISAND A Love Like Ours (Columbia) "I've Dreamed of You"

Against simple acoustic guitar and a symphony orchestra, her bravura pipes makes this pledge of eternal love feel fresh.

MOS DEF Black on Both Sides (Rawkus) "New World Water"

Mos Def takes his social consciousness to another level, essaying a sort of hip-hop equivalent to Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)."

Smokey Robinson Intimate (Motown) "Easy to Love"

Robinson floats so high in the upper atmosphere of the ultrasmooth that he's off the radar.

QUASI Field Studies (Up) "The Skeleton"

Sheer buttah from Portland's indie-pop gods.

DJ SPOOKY VS. FREIGHT ELEVATOR QUARTET File Under Futurism (Caipirinha Music) "File Under Futurism (Groove Protocol Mix)"

Aggressive breakbeats and a dark, fractured cello theme make this a satisfying drum 'n' bass song.

JANICE ROBINSON The Color Within Me (Warner Bros.)

"Nothing I Would Change" Robinson blends a defiant energy and narrative skills that recall Tracy Chapman.