• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Monday, December 2, 1996

Various Artists "Death Row's Greatest Hits" (Death Row) With the highly publicized trials of Tupac Shakur, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Suge Knight, it can be forgotten that Death Row Records is more than just criminal records.

All legal problems aside, Death Row Records consistently puts out classic hits. Since the record company's birth four years ago, Death Row has quickly established itself as the premier rap label by amassing an unparalleled string of gold- and platinum-selling albums and singles. These hits are all on the label's latest release, a two-CD greatest hits collection.

The first disc may as well have been renamed Dr. Dre's greatest hits, as the former president of the record label handled production on 13 of the disc's 17 tracks. Disc 1 contains the most renowned tracks from the label, as performed by Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, 2Pac and the Lady of Rage.

The smooth "Nuthin' But a G Thang" and "Doggy Dogg World," the inspirational "Keep Ya Head Up" and "Dear Mama," and the psychotic "Natural Born Killaz" are auditory testaments to Death Row's contributions to rap music.

One of the highlights of the first disc is "The Shiznit," a song in which Snoop Doggy Dogg displays his trademark laid-back freestyle flow over an equally mellow Dr. Dre beat. "No Vaseline," an anti-Dr. Dre song recorded by Ice Cube, is included on Disc 1 (although it was recorded on Priority Records) in order to dis the former president of Death Row Records.

The other half of the double-disc set is mostly comprised of remixes of the hits contained on the first disc. With Dr. Dre's recent departure from the record label, most of the production on these remixes is handled by Dat Nigga Daz from Tha Dogg Pound. While Daz is not on par with Dr. Dre, he is still an excellent producer in his own right.

The second disc's strongest song is "What Would You Do," a Daz-produced song performed by Tha Dogg Pound. Another highlight of the second disc is "Hit 'Em Up," an inflammatory song in which an angry 2Pac throws verbal assaults at Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy Records CEO Sean "Puffy" Combs. Songs like Michel'le's "Daydreaming" and Jodeci's "Come Up To My Room" show Death Row's intention of entering the rhythm and blues market.

"Death Row's Greatest Hits" is an excellent compilation. A must-have for rap fans, it contains many of the songs that were responsible for establishing West Coast rap as a powerful commercial force. The only disappointment is the omission of "Deep Cover," the first song that introduced listeners to Snoop Doggy Dogg.

It is hard to say what the future holds for Death Row, with Death Row CEO Suge Knight's impending jail sentence, but the label has established a history of ground-breaking songs. Nelson Saldua Grade: A

Enigma "Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi" (Virgin/Charisma) If it ain't broke, don't fix it. With Enigma's third release, mixmaster magnifique Michael Cretu has given the world another 50 minutes of incredible music that proves that some themes will work forever. "Enigma 3" is a perfect mix of infinitely deep ambient soundscapes that combines lyrics and melodies of various themes.

"Beyond the Invisible," released one month ago, is the obvious single that subtly combines styles from both of Enigma's two previous albums. The lyrics on this track are vague at best but transcend the traditional phrase to become more musical than lyric.

"Shadows in Silence" is a breathy, pensive melody that weaves in and out of major and minor chords and produces some interesting results. Cretu again illustrates his tremendous ability to generate yummy hooks on "TNT for the Brain" and "The Roundabout."

Some change has occurred from Enigma's 1993 release "Cross of Changes" in the sense that the lyrical content is reduced in scale on this album. Cretu has moved back to a slightly more ambient style where breathy melody takes more precedence than some of the intense rhythms that were introduced on the last album. Additionally, this album brings back the deep Gregorian chanting found on "Sadeness, Part 1" with consistently strong results.

Cretu has again proved his creative ability by limiting the music to what works ultra well. Beautifully written and mixed, this album is a must for both fans and newcomers. Damon Seeley Grade: A

Foxy Brown "Ill Na Na" (Def Jam) In a relatively short time, Foxy Brown has established herself as one of the premier female rappers. She has made a name for herself by appearing on L.L. Cool J's "Who Shot Ya?" and Jay-Z's "Ain't No Nigga."

On her debut solo album, Foxy shows that she is not a one-dimensional rapper by not overly relying on references to clothes, cars and alcohol. The first single, "Get Me Home," which features rhythm and blues group BlackStreet, is a sexy story of night-club seduction. Much of the album is steeped in Black Mafia tales, like "The Promise" in which she teams up with Havoc from the Infamous Mobb Deep.

The production on "Ill Na Na" was mostly handled by the TrackMasters, the same producers who handled L.L. Cool J's platinum album "Mr. Smith," so the beats on Foxy's album have that same rhythm and blues tinge to them. Method Man, Kid Capri and Jay-Z add their own distinctive flavors with their cameo appearances.

However, throughout the album Foxy shows her lyrical skills, and she is not overshadowed by these cameos. She also raises expectations for the upcoming album by the Firm, a group in which she is a member with Naz, AZ and Cormega. Nelson Saldua Grade: B+

Iggy Pop "Nude and Rude: The Best of Iggy Pop" (Virgin) You can almost taste the Quaaludes slipping down your throat after a decent chaser of champagne for your spinning head and a steady mainline of smack for your bulging veins. That's right, Iggy Pop has just released a collection of hits dating from as far back as his car-smashing days in the 1970s to as current as his more mellow, burned-out stage in the 1990s.

Old favorites like the rebel punk battle cry "Search and Destroy" play alongside more recent classics like "Candy," his poppy duet with bee-hived B-52er Kate Pierson. However, Pop proves the smoothest when he concentrates his intoxicatingly low voice on the opiated guitar jams of songs like "I'm Sick of You," where he just sort of lets his lyrics glide through a detached stream of soothingly repetitive verses.

The album even explores its share of bad 1980s tunes that, in retrospect, can be appreciated for their amusingly dated synthesizers and quiet ZZ Top guitar solos. All in all, "Nude and Rude," with an astounding 17 tunes to offer, spans the full range of Iggy Pop's musical career, taking an adequate sampling of his various styles and efforts.

And, just like his life, the work begins with super high-energy and jarringly low-energy pieces and ends with more mediocre, unemotional and grating projects like the song "Cold Metal," which is about as pleasing as being woken up to garbage men at 7 o'clock on a Tuesday morning.

Still, this album has been a long time coming. Vanessa VanderZanden Grade: A-

Soundbites will return Jan. 6.