8 - The Michigan Daily - October 1, 1997 CRU delivers unforgettable debut, Oooh la la: Keenan Ivory Wayans exposes his chest hair in celebration of his new talk/variety show. w 0 Wayans programmesfor sorry late-night television CRU Da Dirty 30 Violator/Def Jam records The logo for Def Jam recording artists CRU is a "have a nice day" smiley face that is cut in half - and the missing half is replaced with half the image of a skull. Surprisingly, the logo says a lot about the music of Yogi, Chadeeo and the Mighty Ha, as their music is a strange - but enter- taining - mix of violence and come- dy. Everything about this group is mis- matched, from the aforementioned logo; to Yogi's laid-back, abstraction paired with Chadeeo's bold guntalk; to the strange conglomeration of mellow grooves reminiscent of A Tribe Called Quest and hardcore B-boy songs remi- niscent of Mobb Deep. CRU somehow manages to make the mismatches work, however, by employ- ing a tried-and-true formula: Make sure the grooves are head-nodders; make sure the lyrics and delivery are superior; make sure there are plenty of great guest stars (in this case The Lox, Slick Rick, Ras Kas, Tracey Lee, and even Antoinette ... remember her?) to add credibility, and - most of all - make sure there is at. least one definitive song that has everyone who hears it once eager to hear it again. In CRU's case, the definitive song is "Just Another Case," a haunting blend of eerie guitars, tightly deliv- ered street story and extremely catchy chorus. This is obviously the best song on the album, but there are a number of gems on the 30-track album: from the understated chords of "Fresh, Wild, and Bold," to the infectively simple bounce of "Bubblin," to the soothing R&B of "My Everlovin," to the neck-breaking "Bluntz & Bakakeemis." Yogi's throaty voice is the most notable, but Chadeeo and Mighty Ha complement him pretty well. As hard as it is to find them in the album, there are flaws. There are way too many useless interludes in the album (10 in all), and only about five of them are entertaining. One of these interludes is even thrown right in the middle of one of CRU's better songs ("Goin' Down"). Also, around five of the songs on the album don't come close to the quality of the other 16. "Lisa Lipps" is an annoying mix of Mighty Ha's annoying screaming and the annoying wailing of the sampled groove, "Gonie's Tale" and "The illz" are two subpar songs back-to-back and "Pay Attention" is just plain By Leann Dawson For the Daily Does television really need another talk show? Is that a resounding "no" from millions nationwide? But wait, what if it was something different, a new approach to late-night television, and maybe if it was hosted by someone R1 younger. a comedian like Keenan Ivory Wayans? Tht That could be good show. After all, -Wayans has stated that he wants to "wake you up, give you your last hour .of excitement" and return to the "vari- ety" format of years gone by. He wants to do something "different," and everyone knows that he's funny, so how bad can it be? Well, in this case, "variety" means a girl band that might be playing - if you don't look too closely, and the dreaded audi- ence participation slots - why do people actually want to volunteer for humiliation on national television? No doubt, some great talents have been discovered this way. Yet, on Tuesday night, as a female participator screamed her way through "Killing Me Softly," even Keenan had the grace to look embarrassed. Wayans introduces his show with a monologue demon- strating his comic talent, and the show has the required ele- nents of a lively program - a young audience willing to scream at the required signals, a mix of interviews and music. - The downfall is Wayans' lack of interviewing technique, hot to mention the lack of interest surrounding his guests. Has'anyone even seen Blair Underwood lately, let alone ;E ie CRU's debut album is one of the best rap albums released this year. care about his wedding video? The "stars" are either on their way up (Jenna Elfman, "Dharma and Greg"), or liv- ing in relative obscurity (Jasmine Guy). Needless to say, they have little to offer the audience in the realm of topi- cal entertainment news, or even interesting personal infor- mation. E V I E W At times it as though Wayans has invit- ed over some friends who have known Keenan Ivory each other for years to watch a few Wayans Show movies and generally not do very much. FOX Conversation is limited, stilted and weeknights at 11 often interposed with jokes between host and guest, which have no meaning for either the studio or home audience. Wayans asks no searching questions, and the tension and desperation of guests attempting to revive careers is obvious. At the same time, the audience is trying just as. hard to salvage a good time, and the interview ends abruptly with the feeling that they might just as well have been talking about the weather. The show lacks a sense of coherence and direction, with Wayans often appearing out of his depth during interview segments. Of course, this is not as apparent as it would be if they actu- ally had'some well-known names - perhaps there is method in the madness after all. As an attempt to diversify the content and racial mix of. guests on late-night talk shows it is certainly worthwhile, and Wayans will probably improve his technique with time. If anyone can actually stay awake through the entire hour-long episodes to find out then, please, let me know. wack. With some notable exceptions, the songs of "Da Dirty 30" are extremely high in quality. CRU's debut is definite- ly one of the better rap albums to be released this year, and by taking a chance on some unlikely combinations, has set itself up for longevity in the rap game. Anyone who is either a real hip-hop fan or a fan of real hip-hop absolutely has to have this album in their collec- tion. -JuQuan Williams Tanya Donnely Lovesongs For Underdogs Reprise/Time Warner Tanya Donnely, Ms. All-Around Thang, co-founder of Throwing Muses, member of The Breeders, front-woman of Belly, has just released her debut solo effort, q "Lovesongs For Underdogs." It seems hard to find any difference between this solo release and her last band, Belly, but does it really matter? Her music is pretty yummy regardless of any obvious similarities to past musical ventures. Femme .Donnely's candy vocals and sweet melodies juxtaposed with disgruntled, forlorn lyrics paint an ear-opening picture. Tanya's aptly titled, "Lovesongs For Underdogs,' is a collection of just that - love songs or lack-of-love songs. Many of the songs address the depress- ing let-downs and feelings of abandon- ment involved with love. Songs like "Bum" and "Landspeed Song" are obviously about misad- ventures with romance. The first sin- gle, "Pretty Deep," off "Lovesongs For Underdogs" is a perky alterna- pop tidbit that strums and thrums along regardless of its lyrical discov- eries. "The Bright Light" takes off with more up-tempo beats and soprano mus- ings over confusion and tough love. Tanya's warbling proves moving when in tandem with switchbacks between electric and acoustic guitars. "Landspeed Song" deals with frus- tration over lack of reciprocation in relationships: "I've sunk a lot into this venture / I expect returns / I've suf- fered all the slings and arrows / I know where it hurts." This track starts off dischordant and slow but readily flings into a rousing melodic car ride in which the engine runs on passion, not gasoline, and the rest-stops smell like roses. Keep me on this hypothet- ical highway as far as I'm concerned. "Swoon" gracefully skips through flowery fields of cellos, violas and airy guitars. The atmosphere is sultry and savory inside this concluding song. At this point, one begins to wonJ< what has been going on in Tany . life. Nearly every song on "Lovesongs For Underdogs" confess- es feelings of misguidance or igno- rance of the truth in some manner. Tanya, what have you been doing? Either all these songs don't evolve out of her own personal experience or Tanya's been hit by the "unlucky" stick one too many times. Overall, this album consistently gen- erates bittersweet flavors in your mu@ cal mouth, but a few songs lack the integrity to maintain this motif by rely- ing on mediocre guitars and basic drum patterns. "Breathe Around You" and "Bum%' are forced to plea "guilty" to this charge. "Clipped" borrows a classic surf rock riff, but the tune saves itself by quickly sailing off into a pink sunset of Tanya's woes. "Lovesongs For Underdogs" satisfO and spins yarns that swoon and swell around swirling spells of velvetymel- lowness. If you liked Belly, you'll like "Lovesongs For Underdogs" as.well, but get out the tissues, cognac andathose old love letters you thought you'dnever read again. - Chris Felax Northern Exposure Various Artists Ultra If you're heavily sedated and, have nothing to do this Saturday night, have I got an album for you! Sasha and John Digweed, a DJ duo from the UK, ofte DJs for NYC club Twilo's, haveteamed up to form a groovy sound to make you move, but instead, you'll fall right to sleep. Perhaps it's the fact that you've never heard of the groups they sam- ple, like William Orbit, Fuzzy Logic or Banco De Gaia. Or maybejt's just that the two have taken so .much Ecstacy that they don't notice their re-mixed ambient tunes sound mor like the jingles of a dime-store ra stick. If you want that Twilo's sound,; go back to New York. You won't have a dance club in your room with this in your stereo. - Stephanie JoKlein 11 Tanya Donelly Wednesday, October 1 3:00pm, Eldersveld Room Department of Political Science 5638 Haen Hall You are invited to meet with a program representative. Please stop by to discuss the program and opportunities in Washington, pick up an application and brochure. Refreshments will be provided. m m I