12 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, December 3, 1993 0. Trying to By KRISTEN KNUDSEN They sing the popular song "If I Had No Loot," but the members of Tony Toni Tone don't have to worry about that. The self-described "Sons of Soul" have innovatively blended the sounds of original R&B stars James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles with the contemporary sounds of hip-hop and rap. Having toured already with Earth Wind and Fire, the Tonyies now have two hit albums to their credit, and are cur- rently on the road with Janet Jackson. With "Sons of Soul," their third al- bum, Tony Toni Tone further define themselves as the new generation in soul music. "It's old school meets new school," described guitarist D'wayne Wiggins of TTT's retrospective yet modern sound. "We grew up listening to a lot of the old soul music. A lot of that music was sort of our education. We bring R&B back also grew up in the era when rap came up onto the scene. So we kind of mix them both together. We start out with guitars and drums and bass and all that, and we kind of like color it with the hip hop vein." Whenever possible, D'wayne, his brother, singer / bassist Raphael Wiggins, and their cousin, drummer Timothy Christian Riley, prefer not to sample old soul songs, instead choosing to recreate the whole mood through new music. In this way, D'wayne said his band, along with rap and hip hop groups, is helping to bring back the R&B sound of yester- year which had been lost in the early '80s. "There was a lot of synthesized kind of stuff coming out (in the early '80s) and the drum machine stuff was real, real heavy,"D'wayne explained. "The drum machine stuff is real, real heavy now still, but when you incor- porate it with some of the real instru- ments, it's all different. (Back then), it went down to the point where people just concentrated and depended on those things. We incorporate that stuff into it but it's not our foundation." "This album has to be our greatest contribution to music," D'waynecon- tinued. "If the public really accepts it the way we hope then I think there 'It's what we originally grew up playing. There's a lot of real music on there and a lot of real instruments on there. A lot less of that overproduction stuff.' - D'wayne Wiggins of Tony Toni Tone will be a lot of people stepping forth and doing the real music thing again; bringing R&B back, and standing for what it's about." According to D'wayne, "Sons of Soul" differs from the group's first two albums in its strong adherence to the old tradition. Unlike "Who?" and "The Revival," "Sons of Soul" is not specifically designed for commercial success. "It's the latest so it's gotta be the greatest," D'wayne said. "It's what we originally grew up playing. There's a lot of real music on there and a lot of real instruments on there. A lot less of I . * Tony Toni Tone try to recapture the classic sound of the music they grew up with on their latest, "Sons of Soul." that overproduction stuff." Despite Tony Toni Tone's mini- mized concern for commercial achievement, "Sons of Soul" has been hailed by critics as a musical master- piece and songs like "Anniversary" have held it high on the charts. But to D'wayne, keeping the old soul tradi- tion alive has been just as rewarding. "When you sit back and you listen to a Marvin Gaye album, or an old Stevie Wonder album, you get a cer- tain feeling - it's a soul vibe," D'wayne said. "We would hope that (our album) could touch the souls of many people, as far as them respect- ing where original R&B comes from. Even if they're too young to remem- ber." TONY TONI TONE will appear with JANET JACKSON Saturday at, Joe Louis Arena and Sunday at the, Palace at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are 4 $29.75. Call TicketMaster for info. The University of Michigan School of Music Sunday, December 5 Faculty Recital Erling Bl6idal Bengtsson, cello; Katherine Collier, piano " Schubert: Sonata in A minor, "Arpeggione" " Boccherini: Adagio and Allegro in A " Bach: Suite No. 6 in D for solo cello " Koppel: Sonata for Cello and Piano (1956)-local premiere Recital Hall, School of Music, 4 p.m. Butterfingers Angel,. Mary & Joseph, Herod the Nut, & the Slaughter of 12 Hit Carols in a Pear Tree Play by William Gibson; directed by John Neville-Andrews Theatre & Drama Department Production Tickets: $14, $10; $6 students (764-0450) Power Center, 2 p.m. Digital Music Ensemble Stephen Rush, director; Ed Sarath, soloist Electronic art, music, and dance " Works by Corea, Rush, Prince, and Debussy, played on keyboards, synthesizers, samplers, and MIDI wind controllers " Fractal-based computer graphics; interactive video/MIDI "rug" McIntosh Theatre, School of Music, 4 p.m. Jazz at the Michigan League Buffet Michigan League, 5:30 p.m. Jazz at the Union University Club, Michigan Union, 6:30 p.m. Monday, December 6 Chamber Choir and University Choir Theodore Morrison and Jerry Blackstone, conductors " Works by Anonymous, Bruckner, Victoria, Willan, Ron Nelson, Britten, Holst, Berlioz, and Mathia. NOTE: Tonight's Jazz Composers Forum has been canceled. Tuesday, December 7 University Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestras Donald Schleicher and Gustav Meier, conductors " Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 " Debussy: Nocturnes " Kevin March: Aurora Industrialis-world premiere Hill Auditorium, 8 p.m. Thursday, December 9 Holiday Choral Festival U-M Women's Glee Club, Men's Glee Club, and Arts Chorale Theodore Morrison, Jerry Blackstone, and Jonathan Hirsh, directors " Britten: Ceremony of Carols " Morrison (U-M Director of Choirs): new work " Rutter: Gloria, with brass choir and organ " Seasonal works by Pachelbel, Peeters, Handl, and Betelehemu Hill Auditorium, 8 p.m. Jazz Composers Orchestra Rackham Auditorium, 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, December 9-11 Dance and Related Arts Project Interdisciplinary, collaborative theater event featuring dancers, vocalists, choreographers, composers, musicians, theatrical designers, sculptors, photographers, and writers Tickets: $5 (763-5460) Studio A, Dance Building, 8 p.m. Friday, December 10 Symphony Band and Concert Band H. Robert Reynolds, Gary Lewis, and Dennis Glocke, conductors " Palmer: Elysian Spheres (Symphony for Band)-local premiere " Works by Benson, Prokofiev, Arnold, Liadov, Adams, Schuman Hill Auditorium, 8 p.m. School of Music Faculty Recital Jean Kim. baroaue violin: Edward Parmentier, harpsichord Tevin Campbell there is no doubt the slow jams will soothe It's one for the CD nlaver I'm ready Qwest/Warner Bros. It's hard to say if Tevin Campbell is actually ready yet, but at the very least he is poised to be a premier heart throb to the next generation. After a first album of songs devoid of heavy sexual references (was he really 14 in '91?), Campbell's "i'm ready" is an endeavor full of high powered slow jams. (He's even got a mustache on the cover!) Last time Al B. Sure provided the majority of the production, but all that is lost with his exit is more than com- pensated for by the talents of Babyface (three tracks) and Prince (four tracks). All in all, the slow jams got sexier (but still sweeter), while the political and musical power of Prince's "Uncle Sam" and "Paris 1798430" add force to Tevin's incredible voice. It seems that Prince has begun to mold the youngster in his image in these songs - and although the implications for Tevin personally are quite terrifying, the musical results are great. Three of the four Prince songs were actually made in 1992, so it is difficult to ascertain the future of their hook-up. Regardless, the whole al- bum is quality, with preference going to the less polished Prince tracks, but for all those in the lovey-dovey mood .p yustn Hos. - Dustin Howes Greta No Biting Stardog/Mercury Newest in the line of cheesy metal bands passing themselves off as "al- ternative" is the foursome Greta (they let everyone know they're "on the edge" because one of the bandmembers wears a dress). Despite the semi-cool name and album cover, this band and its pseudo-intellectual metal posturings are predictably pre- dictable. "School On Fire" explores the fantasies of the bored high school student: "the teachers can all retire / 'cause I set the whole school on fire." The lyrics remain mired in adoles- cent, angst-filled cliches; "I'm so fucking hungry and horny and mad," from "Insomnia" pretty much sums up Greta's philosophy. Some of the lyrics are downright stupid and offen- sive: "He's going to get that cunt / She's going to pay for what his mother done" from "Off the Slug" and "My love is dead but I am unscathed / Her body is stiff but I have been saved... Bye-bye" from "Love is Dead" are laughable in their inanity. The trite lyrics and overall stale quality of the band could be redeemed if there was some substance to their sound, but once again Greta bores the listener to tears. Most of the songs are turgid, plodding numbers that give even the worst cheese-metal a bad name. The melodies and arrangements start off slow and go nowhere fast; Greta is one in a long list of bands that needs to learn that volume does not equal talent. "No Biting" is an apt title for an album this stale, repetitive and stupid: it's painfully obvious that Greta's musical ideas have no bite. -- Heather Phares Hash Hash Elektra It ain't going to wack you over the head with sonic brilliance. Well, at least it won't immediately. The tunes come off as the type of one-hit won- ders that grace the airwaves of 89X. After a few plays, however, the catchy hooks get imbedded in your brain and that's the sign of an effective pop record. Most of the songs are fun-filled and funk-alternative based along the lines of the Spin Doctors, but the departures are equally enjoyable. From the classic blues-rock of "In the Grass," to the punk rock opener "Twi- light Ball" and the Ride-esque "Op- eration Herve," Hash delivers solidly in all styles attempted. The most memorable song is the one with the best chorus - it's "I Forgot my Blan- ket," and it'll leave you humming. There's little that is brilliantly original about Hash, but the songs are catchy and diverse. The production is kind of light for a major label release, which is either a blessing or a draw- back depending on your perspective. - Gianluca Montalti Radial Spangle Ice Cream Headache Beggar's Banquet From the plains of Oklahoma comne Radial Spangle, a quartet that com-0 bines the hollow, moody artiness of early Sonic Youth with the loopiness of Mercury Rev. Dave Fridmann, the ex-bassist for Mercury Rev, engi- neered this debut effort and is respoh- sible for the cavernous sound of "Ice Cream Headache," exemplified by such songs as "Raze," "Gutter Chain" and "White Paper Basket." On "Canopy and Shoe," "Dream0 Problem" and "Birthday," the vocals of Alan Laird and April Tippens take the forefront, blending harmony and dissonance into a unique vocal coun terpoint to the sparse, jangly guitars and buried dlrums that are Radial Spangle's trademark. The sound on "Ice Cream Headache," though not, innovative and not nearly as bizarre as the group would like to imagine, is nonetheless entertaining and a goodO example of early '90's punk-pop. Radial Spangle makes astrong, though not explosive, debut with this album, which is not nearly so painful to listen to as the title might suggest. - Heather Phares Sex Clark Five Antedium Skyclad Sex Clark Five is one of the best bands you've never heard. Although they have a small but intense cult following, they have yet to break into the mainstream or even the alterna- tive mainstream. However, their lat- est, "Antedium," may garner them a few new fans. Their style, self de- scribed as "strum and drum," bor ' See RECORDS, Page 13 I THE BUTTERFINGE ANGEL _____A ~Nllf hfJOSEPHS~ ____DTilE SIAUGIITERof 4 I