8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 9, 1996 ", P T% Mandy Barnett Mandy Barnett Asylum Records Sergio Castellitto is "The Star Maker." 'StarMaer' shines, fades a n However you feel about country music, especially the low-risk, high- gloss sort this Tennessee-born singer presents on her debut, one thing's for sure: Mandy Barnett's got a rare pair of lungs and the attitude to match. A professional singer since age 10 and signed by Jimmy Bowen at 13, Barnett got her first big break two years ago when she landed the title role in the musical "Always... Patsy Cline." Playing a coun- try legendat the Ryman Auditorium didn't rattle the 20-year-old singer, and she at- tacks the 10 retro-flavored tunes on her first record with similar bravado. With her big, wonderfully rich voice, Barnett powers her way through bal- lads like "A Simple I Love You," wor- thy standards like Willie Nelson's "Three Days," the traditional "Wayfar- ing Stranger" and big, swinging num- bers like Jim Lauderdale's "Planet of Love" with equal aplomb. Barnett is a belter (and yes, her voice does recall Cline's golden pipes), and most of the time it works to her advan- tage, as on the fine first single "Now That's Alright With Me"(featuring Alison Krauss' puresweet backup vocals). Such a voice, however, can easily overwhelm the songs, and Barnett does indeed go overboard on the Kostas/Pamela Brown Hayes tune "Rainy Days" and Kelly Willis' "What's Good for You." Understandably, Barnett plays it safe on her debut, and she's picked a fine batch of tunes from some of the most respected songwriters in the business (Kostas, Nelson, Rodney Crowell). But a voice like Barnett's is capable of more than retro country -here's hoping she breaks some new ground on future efforts. - Jennifer Buckley Barenaked Ladies Born On A Pirate Ship Reprise Records sound both glib and troubled on the ballad "When I Fall," and does emo- tional acrobatics on the chugging opener "Stomach vs. Heart." While a tad more conventional than their previous releases, the music still retains its eclectic and highly spirited feel; this is no ordinary pop record. Hints of soul and jazz skirt around the pop structure of winners like "I Know" and "This Is Where It Ends." There are lots of memorable melo- dies here, but nothing that shamelessly cloys; the choruses stick with you and ring true without getting old. As an added bonus, a fantastic CD- ROM track is included on the disc. The Ladies deserve major credit for releas- ing the "enhanced" disc right away, instead of waiting a few months and getting their fans to buy the disc a second time. This is an excellent use of technology as well; sound clips, videos, home movies, a quiz and an extensive discography are all included. The overabundance of slow songs is perhaps "Pirate Ship"'s greatest short- coming. A few more rockers stuck in strategic places could seriously help out a record that tends to drag. Mind you, this is a minor problem. "Pirate Ship" is clearly one of the best discs so far this year. Pop music doesn't get any more eclectic or exciting than the Barenaked Ladies. - Dave Snyder By Jon Potlinski Daily Film Editor In its first 90 minutes, Giuseppe Tornatore's ("Cinema Paradiso") "The Star Maker" shines bright. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best For- eign Language Film this past year, the film examines the experience and jour- ney of a big-shot talent scout as he makes his way into the lives of ordi- nary people in Italy. In 1953, Joe Morelli (Sergio Castellitto) arrives in Sicily. As his DirectE beat-up truck rumbles into the Rc town square, he with Seri yells to the people andT through his mega- phone: "Citizens! Universalia Films in Rome invites you to participate in its hunt for 'New Faces In The Movies!'" The people flock to Joe, and, within his first few minutes in town, he con- vinces most of them to pay 1,500 lire for a screen test (they must read a seg- ment of"Gone with the Wind" for him). He promises all of them - with insin- cere winks and skeezy smiles-that he has the power to make them all stars. Within the first half-hour of the movie, Joe's camerabegins to roll; timid young men, policemen, children, war heroes, mothers and thieves willingly pay the money, hoping that this will finally be their big chance to get out of town and "make it big." Instead of act- ing, however, the townspeople reveal their souls to the camera: We see a homosexual man's eyes brighten as he dreams of getting away from the name- calling in town; we see bandits tell the stories of their heinous crimes; finally, we meet the Beata (Tiziana Lodato), the young woman for whom conniving Joe eventually falls. The film has much to offer- that is, g N2 before the Joe-and-Beata love-interest kicks in. Townspeople's tales add both tragic and comic segments to the film. A young boy (probably no more that 5 years old) recites his lines from "Gone with the Wind," and we are inclined to laugh; thin kid has no idea what he's talking about. A policeman flags Joe down on the road-not forspeeding - but instead so he EEVIEW himselfcantryhis hand at acting. The Star The stories draw Maker usin; for some, our hearts ache; others haveuslaughing so by Giuseppe hard that we are ready to pee in our Tornatore pants. All the io Castellitto while, High and iana Lodato Mighty Joe stands At Showcase over these ordinary At___hw__ase folks, promising fame and fortune to them all. We want to spit in his face; throughout the film, he dishes out false hope, and each time we hate him more and more. But of course, the stories cannot go on forever - and they don't. Joe takes his business to other towns to pull the same scam. Each time, Beata follows him, convinced that he is her escape from her awful life. Throughout the entire rest of the film, we are led to believe that Beata is nothing more than a mere annoyance to Joe. Near the end, however, Joe, letting down his sleazeball guard, tells her that she is the only one he's ever loved. As an audience, we are shocked by his words. Hold the show for a second - Joe treats Beata as if she's the little girl he's babysitting for. But he sleeps with her and proclaims his love? Sorry ... we just can't believe that one. Sergio Castellitto is perfect as the shifty Joe Morelli. With his cigarette perpetually hanging out of his mouth, and his air of confidence and sophisti- cation, he undoubtedly stands out from the crowds. Although we despise him at first, we are supposed to change our minds about him by the end. This, how- ever, is a challenge; Joe's metamorpho- sis from a slick jerk to sensitive lover and worldly man is subtle (or quite possibly not even there). Tiziana Lodato as Beata makes it even harder for us to accept Joe's change in character. Throughout the entire film, she annoys us as well as Joe. Lodato can never seem to say her lines without screaming. At the beginning, Joe sees heras a whining baby, and in our minds, he has absolutely every reason to. Ev- ery time she came on the screen, I found myselfwith yet another headache. While Sergio left his audience believing his "slick Rick" nature, Lodato left us with nothing - except perhaps the need to take two Excedrin. Interestingly enough, it was prob- ably even more worthwhile to watch "The Star Maker" in another language. From the start, I began to ignore the subtitles and concentrate on the visuals - and it didn't seem to matter at all. What makes "The Star Maker" shine is not the dialogue, but rather the faces and eyes ofthe people whose stories are told._ Black Power, NAACP, CORE and SNCC. when blacks could be found sitting in. standing up and fighting back have been replaced by a wasteland of selfishness and lost radicalism. We need to go back - to remember the times when an ex-drug dealer/pimp could return from prison to give the fight for equal rights its biggest push towards radicalism, times when a quiet unknown could shape the conscious of a people. That's why "A Tribute to Mrs. Rosa Parks" is such a welcome release. Verity Records has assembled some of today's most renowned gospel groups to pay tribute to the "Mother of the Move- ment," whose refusal to give her bus seat to a white stranger decades ago paved the way for a myriad of boycotts. "A Tribute ." features 12 songs by such legends as. OletaAdams, Chosen and FredHammon & Radical for Christ. It also include some eight interjections where Mrs. Parks herself speaks. With the soft-spoken speech of a grandmother, frail, yet with her wits still strongly intact about her, Parks gives important (albeit at times dull) messages. Sounds of Blackness' spectacular "Quiet Strength" opens with an outstand- ing, bass-filled musical sound meant to represent a small woman's giant convic tion. "Rosa" (John P Kee & The New Life Community Choir) features excellent music and singing and a group ofelemen- tary school-aged children detailing Mrs. Parks' life. The 11-member Rosa Parks Tribute Singers (featuring such names as Yolanda Adams, Tramaine Hawkins, Howard Hewitt and Bishop Paul Morton) did a beautiful job with "Something In- side So Strong." "A Tribute ..." is not simply one to Mrs. Parks; it is much bigger. It seeks to take the very spirit of yesteryear's civil rights fights and recreate it in hopes that those who don't care will come to see why they should. "A Tribute ..." offers an opportunity for the older to remem- ber and the younger to learn. Rosa Parks wasn't rich or famous. She didn't have powerful networks or connections to fall back on. She was a humble person who decided that sh would no longer allow others to maker mockery of her humanity. In our grow- ing apathy we desecrate the memory of Mrs. Parks and those like her who risked their lives to give a generation of un- born children historic new lives free of segregation's barriers. As a people, as a family, as a nation, we must clasp the spirit that pushed the Civil Rights Move- ment. We must constantly aggravate and agitate. And above all, we must never permit ourselves to forget. 4 -Eugene Bowen Various Artists A Tribute to Mrs. Rosa Parks Verity Records As a black man, looking just one year back, I am filled with trepidation about many things. I saw the trial of Susan Smith, a woman who killed her two kids and blamed her crime on a nonexistent black man, and I lamented the racial divide surrounding O.J. while many re- fused to put nearly as much effort into attacking Mark Fuhrman. I was appalled by every word Newt Gingrich, and basi- cally any other Republican, spoke, an- gered by the media's attempt to under- minethe beauty ofthe Million Man March by demonizing its central organizer Louis Farrakhan. I was generally saddened by what appears to be a concerted effort to undermine the very spirit ofcivil rights in this country. By far, the worst feeling I continue to have is a morbid realization that many of my race's members - especially teens and young adults - are highly apathetic to the drama unfolding before them. The days of Black Panthers and Maturity doesn't necessarily lead to boring music. A prime example of this old-but-still-rockin' maxim is "Born On A Pirate Ship," the latest from Ca- nadian sensations Barenaked Ladies. The Ladies manage to shed their juve- nile leanings without sacrificing qual- ity or fun. This band is absolutely huge north of the border, racking up giant album sales and countless hit singles, but remain relatively anonymous in the United States. With any luck, the perfect, quirky pop tunes and gorgeous vocal harmo- nies of"Pirate Ship" will change things. There's nothing here with the novel charm of previous Barenaked favorites like "Be My Yoko Ono"and "Grade 9," but the album is better for it. In continu- ing the maturation process that began with their previous album, "Maybe You Should Drive," "Pirate Ship" is stream- lined and accessible, relentlessly edgy and always original. The beauty of the Barenaked sound is the tension created by the alternately silly and serious tone. Lead singer Steven Page's voice is rich, soulful and wonderfully enigmatic; he manages to Tiziana Lodato in the house. -- - -- - I I These guys don't look that naked. . Mwo - h5.. :_ -"--- Evenings at the Rackham presents Welfare Reform and America's Future: Scholarship, Social Policy and Civic Responsibility 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 9, 1996 Rackham Amphitheatre (4th floor) Members of the community are invited to participate in an open and timely discussion on the question of public responsibility for social programs targeted to the poor and disenfranchised. Keynote speaker: University alumnus Roger Wilkins Noted Scholar, Educator, Policy Maker and Civil Rights Activist Panel of discussants: Sheldon Danziger, Professor of Social Work and Social Policy - -------------- 0. I