8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 10, 1998 MADONNA OPENS HEART AND SOUL ON 'LIGHT' Guitar rules Satriani's uplifting 'Planet' "Do I know you from somewhere?" asks a lush, seductive voice of a woman over the swirling beats of an electronic orchestra. The trippy dance break- beat that kicks in shortly after this full-voiced open- ing leads one to believe that the singer is any num- ber of well-trained electronica chanteuses. But once the chorus of "Kiss me I'm dying/Put your hands on my skin" is unleashed, the vocal cul- prit becomes unmistakable - only Madonna would have the bravado to sing such shamelessly poppy lyrics and make them credible, even likeable. And likeable Madonna is on that track, "Skin," and on all 13 tracks of "Ray of Light," her eighth studio pop album, as she lays bare her soul on catchy dance numbers and beautiful ballads. This all sounds like familiar territory to our fair Material Girl, but on this record, Madonna changes her tune. Enlisting famed electronic-oriented producer William Orbit, Madonna culls emotions and experi- ences from her 16-year, largely superficial career - "I traded fame for love, without a second thought," she laments on the soulful, album-opening "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" - to create a brilliant, ecstatic pop catharsis that all but eclipses Madonna Ray of Light Maverick/ Warner Bros. Reviewed by Daily Arts Editor Bryan Lark every mistake she's ever made, including the virginal writhing, gold-tooth sporting and naked hitchhiking of her sordid past. Here, she doesn't just live to tell the tale -- she tells it in sanskrit. The polylingual "Shanti/Ashtangi," like a prayer, only with a shuffling Middle Eastern back beat, hook-laden, the song's wailing style challenges Madonna's once thin voice to a steady build upward, with the clever, cryptic lyrics extending Madonna's range further than ever with its exuberant, near- screaming climax. Though Madonna the lyricist would hardly be called Dylan-esque, the album shows off Madonna's knack for writing classic pop songs. She even reteams with Patrick Leonard her collaborator on such classics as "Live To Tell,""La Isla Bonita" and "Like A Prayer." This collaboration yields pure pop heaven on such songs as the gorgeous, haunting first single "Frozen;" the millennial "Express Yourself" mas- querading as a disco mantra in "Nothing Really Matters;" and the dark, aggressive sensuality of the aforementioned "Skin." The impressive Leonard tracks also include "Sky Fits Heaven," the epic electronic capsulization of the two main focuses of Madonna's life right now: Her spiritual studies and her daughter Lourdes. "Sky fits heaven so fly it, that's what the prophet said to me/Child fits mother so hold your baby tight, that's what my future can see," sings the newly Ethereal Girl. With pursuits as spiritually and musi- cally fulfilling as these, Madonna has room to experiment with that future. Experimentation, both musically and lyrically, marks the entire album, but most strikingly on the satiric "Candy Perfume Girl," which employs a very grunge intro and then continues to pair post-modern beeps and beats with old-fashioned electric guitar flare-ups. That track apart, "Ray of Light" is about as far from an axefest as an album can be: the synths far outweigh the six-strings - not that there's anything wrong with that. In fact, "Ray of Light" is perhaps the first pop album, or any album for that matter, to successfully marry the cold synthesizer-driven electronica with the intimacy and sentimentality of pop music. "To Have and Not To Hold" and "Little Star" stand as the two most sentiment-filled songs on the record. The former bemoans a distant lover and the latter celebrates little Lola, with both teetering on the edge of processed cheese but prevailing with its subtle, restrained arrangements. Madonna, restrained? Well take comfort nostal- gia buffs, not all has changed with Ms. Ciccone. She is still advocating the need to open your heart - "Your frozen when your heart's not open" and "Your heart is not open, so I must go:' she sings in "Frozen" and "The Power of Goodbye,' a mid- album one-two punch that serve as the album's best two tracks -- as well as proving that she still likes to get into the groove, explaining why this is a tech- no album and not part of the "Moods" series. Madonna's "Ray of Light" is everything '90s pop should be: moody, funky. uplifting, sensual, catchi- er than Third Eye Blind. But why is Madonna flee- ing her masterpiece? "Ray of L ight" is all about confronting the past, deciding that "Nothing Really Matters" and mov- ing onward. But on the contemplative final track, "Mer Girl,' which has Madonna trying to escape her mother's death and her past as Boy Toy and Material Girl. Madonna declares "I'm still running today." Regardless of where Madonna's running, if she keeps shining as she does on "Ray of Light," she's headed in the right direction. Although he doesn't sport lovely, curly bangs, make videos for MTV, or wear way cool Adidas jumpsuits, gui- tarist Joe Satriani possesses the one aspect that so many new music acts lack - a love of music. With his 14- year career span and two G3 tours, Satriani might be the world's premiere electric guitarist. The passion Satriani evokes for playing guitar shines with his out-of-this-world excursion, "Crystal Planet." Toying with various techniques of jazz, blues and guitar shred, his new album feels at times raw and rugged - a pure explosion. By experimenting with different chords and styles, Joe Satriani Crystal Planet Epic Reviewed by Daily Arts Writer Chris Cousino Satriani breaches another height throughout the 15-song journey. Much of the album is a pre- cise, mystical questioning, a trip through unknown realms in a paradox of high energy and 10 Escaping from his standard raw pounding energy, Satriani adds a touch of heart with "Love Thing" and induces haziness with the murky "A Piece of Liquid." "A Train of Angels" explores Satriani at his best, contrasting his fiery passion and his low-key melody. Listening to "Crystal Planet" con- jures up visions of Bastien riding atop Falcor, the white flying dragon dog, in the 1984 film, "The Neverending Story." The soaring music is uplifting but somewhat distant, constantly searching for an answer. Satriani closes without providing a definite answer in the quiet solitude of "Z.Z.'s Song." Is there a question concerning the future of guitars? Will the new craze of sampling overtake the guitarist ? As long as Satriani is around, no way. melodic haze. "Planet" opens unabashedly with the high-flying "Up in the Sky" and moves on to the intense title track. The rough "Ceremony" is a fast assault coming in a brutish tour de force of guitar riffs. acts as the thematic centerpiece for the album, reflecting Madonna's newfound awareness of Eastern spirituality and fondness for cutting-edge dance music. Apparently, studying Buddhism and the Kabbalah, an ancient mystical branch of Judaism, really makes one want to rave up. Raving is the first order of business on the album's stellar title track, the first Madonna song in a long time to sound truly joyful. Fast-paced and Who's your Daddy? Big Bad CD is mony Jazz surfaces with big 'Smalls' An old adage once declared that there "ain't noth- ing like the real thing," and when it comes to live Jazz, well, generally, there ain't ... baby. A surprising new release, "Jazz Underground: Jazz Underground Live at Smalls Impulse Reviewed by Daily Arts Writer Aaron Rich Live at Smalls," however, cap- tures nearly all of the atmos- phere and allure of a dark night club, right down to the smoke-filled air and watery drinks. Smalls, a new jazz club in the greater New York scheme of things, is one of the con- temporary hotbeds of young jazz talent. And talent is what comes out wailing on this disc. keyboards. "Everything Happens to Me," performed by the Zaid Nassar Quartet, opens with a playful alto solo by the band leader and smoothly noves into a sweet, lyrical ballad. This tune puts the listener, and his or her sweet- heart, in a front-row seat of the basement club. A sweet piano solo by Sascha Perry slows down the tune and gives the audience - both live and syn- thetic - fodder for sweet lovin'. "Prince Albert," performed here by the Frank Hewitt Sextet, rolls along quickly and smoothly. This classy tune gives pianist Hewitt a chance to share the spotlight with three horns - and it works out royal- ly. One last notable track is the Jason Linder Big Band playing a Linder original, "Phat." With the leader on piano and no fewer than eight horns to back him up, this tune creates a full, rich big-bop- band sound. It's nothing short of its name. A major plus for this album is the real-crowd feel it conveys. The large Smalls audience is pre- Psst. Over here, I've got a secret to tell you. A band exists that is both pop- ular and (gasp) talented. I know this is hard to believe in the MTV-age of pre-packaged, less-than- gifted super-stars, but Big Bad Voodoo Daddy defies the odds by having both fans and finesse. If you're already a fanatic for the sounds of BBVD, you probably saw "Swingers" and during the climax of the film, paid less attention to the star- crossed lovers and more to the musi- cians playing "Go Daddy-O" and "You, Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight" in the background. If you have really bad taste, you also probably bought the soundtrack to Fox's "Party of Five" and The Charles Owens Quartet starts off with a fast- paced hard-bop tune, "Scenic Roots:' Clever puns are not the extent of Owens' talent, as his tenor sax work keeps the groove strong. This piece has a great feel that is backed up by strong percussion and nice sent on all of the cuts, clapping and screaming and getting everyone involved and excited. All of the tunes flow well into one another, regardless of the fact that the different artists recorded on different nights. This is a true testament to the good new-blood on the jazz scene today. Regardless of old adages, this disk is a great thing. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Coolsville/ EM I-Capitol Reviewed by Daily Arts Writer Stephanie Jo Klein discovered that the only song worth hearing twice was BBVD's "Cruel Spell." That said, you may have fig- ured out by now that Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has a sound that's jumpin', jivin' Drone rockers Yo La Tengo ride catchy 'Little Honda' Vill*" Distortion is an untamed force that dares guitarists to let it loose from ampli- fiers in studios and on stages, only to ruin quality music. Yo La Tengo tamed distortion early in its members' career. In each release since its debut album, "Ride the Tiger,"Yo La Tengo has perfected the once uninhibited art of distortion. "Little Honda," Yo La Tengo's latest effort, is no exception. "Little Honda," an EP of covers, begins and ends with the title track, orig- inally recorded by the Beach Boys. On this and every song on "Little Honda,'Yo La Tengo lives up to its drone rock title. The last track, which is hidden, is a live version of "Little Honda,' showing Yo La Tengo at its best. Maintaining the Beach Boys' poppy style, the band roughs the Yo La Tengo uittle Honda Matador Reviewed by Daily Arts Writer Jewel Gopwani track up with a faster beat and distorted guitars. Two of the five songs on "Little Honda" are sub- dued and feature monotone vocals: a version of "No Return" by The Kinks and "Black Hole" by The Urinals. These songs dis- play quality musicianship, but are not for listeners with short attention spans. Yo La Tengo does not end the album on a disappointing note. On Sandy Denny's, "By the Time it Gets Dark," vocalists Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley claw out of the man hole of monotony they were stuck in during the two previous songs. New and old Yo La Tengo fans will recognize and appreciate the depth of this EP If a couple of songs on the EP don't cause instant boredom and excessive yawning, drone rock might just be the next big thing. and just plain swingin'. On BBVD's self-titled major label debut album, the eight-man band from Los Angeles brings class and style to its original compositions, something so often lacking these days. From their pin- stripe suits and their fedoras to their brassy instrumentation and thrilling keyboards, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy exemplifies the reason that "bad" means "good." Though all the songs on the album use the same beautiful Big Band sound, a few are true standouts. "The Boogie Bumper" starts off the album with a wild up-tempo sound with piano and dueling brass to match. The album's third song, "King of Swing" is also dance inspiring. Despite the fact that lead singer Scotty Morris's vocals aren't so hot, sounding more like Bryan Adams with a cold, the song's driving beat still manages to do what every good song should do - it makes you* forget the time and place and believe a fun fantasy forjust a moment. The same goes for "Maddest Kind of Love:" Even though the lyrics are mildly cliche, the sexy slide of the trombone evokes men- tal images of loves lost better than any video ever could. The songs with ensemble singing are even stronger, adding a bit of a fun, flip tone to songs like the raucous "Go Daddy-O," which along with "You, Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight" were re* recorded after "Swingers. For all its creative energy and cool swing spirit, the only major flaw on the album is the cover of Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher." There's nothing wrong with the neat and clean instrumentation, but it offers nothing new or noteworthy. Covering a classic should be reserved for-urgent necessity, But whatever tune they play, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy constantly reminds the viewer what music is. Ya dig? It's money. P-P p MICHIGAN ORCHESTRA Steven Bizub, Music Director - A GnERwIN CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION - Evaluate student essays National Computer Systems is the nation's largest commercial processor of student assessments serving over 40 state-wide K-12 testing programs. NCS will be operating a scoring center in Ann Arbor for approximately 8 weeks. We are currently seeking people to assist with evaluating student responses to open-ended questions. If you have a degree from an accredited college or university with a background in reading, writing, science or a related field we have a great job for you. Teaching experience is a plus, but not required. For more information about NCS, visit our web-site at www.ncs.com. 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