9-The Michigan Daily -Tuesday, September 12, 2000 Outbound, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones; Columbia By Ben Oxenburg For Daily Arts Outbound shows that Bela Fleck & The Flecktones have come a long ways and possess the method and mind-set to take themselves even fur- ther. The Flecktones are continuing to do what they do best: Experiment. The band's tight sound is apparent as Bela and co. delve into a variety of differ- ent musical genres. In addition to their standard fusion of jazz, bluegrass, funk and pop, the disc also includes some heavy "global" influences, from folky Irish melodies to funky African rhythms. Shawn Colvin, John Medeski, Paul McCandless and Sandip Burman are a few of an assort- ment of guest musicians. Highlights include "Earth Jam," with fast pace and collection of ups, downs, crescen- dos and climaxes (not to mention an interesting bass solo/vocal jam by Vic Art and Life, Beenie Man; Virgin By Christian Hoard Daily Arts Writer Though Jamaican dance hall reggae sounds little like American rock n' roll, the two are both easy to do badly, with a cheap Casio keyboard for one, a cheap fender stratocaster for the other. But unlike many of his toastmasting brethren, Beenie Man doesn't take the easy way out. His sophisticated brand of dance hall brings together old school and new school (reggae and hip hop), touches of latin jazz, as well as some ingeniously-chosen samples. With "Art and Life," he's made a dance hall record that can make the kids dance and the critics smile. Considering that the record boasts a cast of guest musicians, ranging from Wyclef Jean to Steve Perry of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, and tunes that borrow from everyone from the Bangles to the Staples Singers, one- might wonder if Beenie's plate is a bit -Now: Volume 4, various artists; *niversal Music Group Cy Chris Kula Daily Arts Editor How do you think Eminem felt when, after sitting at the' top of the charts for most of the summer, his 'The Marshall Mathers LP was knocked from its pinnacle by a col- lection of teeny-pop hit singles? He probably loved it, because the tists on Now: Volume 4 are just that hot! This early-August release was .suite possibly the sign of the apoca- lypse. Forgoing the antiquated cus- :om of developing actual albums, the folks at Now threw together 18 straight-from-pop-radio hits onto one cd and watched it sell like the fall season of toe rings at The Icing. Tell you the truth, I didn't even *eed to listen to this ba4l boy to review it: Each and every 4 song on Now: Volume 4 were big, ol' radio hits. In fact, most of them were still getting beaucoup airplay when the disc was released. Let's take an artist roll call: Britney Spears is present, and she's hot. , The guys from Savage Garden are here, and they're hot (for eaclh other). 0 Ben Harper is here and - hey, what's a respectable musician like Ben Harper doing on this bupblegum platter? Well, it ,might have some- thing to do with the undeniable catchiness of his "Steal My Kisses" track (Benji, you're a pop criminal, but the jury finds you innocent this time). As for the young'uns who were snapping up the compilation, well, t n you really blame them? If I were 14 year-old girl (and I dwell on this scenario more than I really should), I wouldn't want to buy Train's whole album either: Just give me "Meet Virginia" - and if I could get Macy Gray's "I Try" AND Backstreet Boys' "Larger than Life" with that, too, then sign me up and call me Stacey. Remember what I said about the vocalypse? That might be a little harsh, but there's definitely a new moment on the pop music horizon, and I'm not talking The Robot. Already the pop compilation com- petitors are springing up, led by the similarly-designed Platinum Hits 2000. Can somebody perhaps come up with Abbey Road 2000 instead? Or at least Thriller 2000? Grade: D Wooten) , and "Scratch & Sniff," a jazzy song with a hint of reggae and funk so thick that I find myself mouthing the wah-wahs of the guitar each time I listen to it. "A Moment So Close," is too poppy and "Hoe Down" is an out of place bluegrass rendition of an Aaron Copland composition (the piece from the "Beef: It's What's for Dinner" commercials). The Flecktones still sound best on stage. Grade: B too full. What's remarkable is how well he makes all of it work, traversing from the roots-reggae of the title track to the sexy pop-funk of "I've Got a Date." And if you can't quite make out the words, that's alright: suffice to say that, like Beenie's music, his lyrics blend a touch of the sublime (artful rhyming) with a touch of the worldly (traditional dance hall sexual boast- ing). Grade: B+ Naturally, The Benny Green Trio; Telarc By Tom Sinas For The Daily Jazz pianist Benny Green has 16ng been identified as a "keeper of the flame" and a proteg6 of piano giant Oscar Peterson. His latest recording, this summer's Telarc release Naturally, is the fol- low-up to '99's These Are Soulful Days and features the same trio of guitarist Russell Malone and bassist Christian McBride, Unlike Soulful Days, which presented obscure melodies from the Blue Note vaults, Naturally boasts a blend of original compositions and solo piano fea- tures. While the similarity to the Oscar Peterson trio cannot be ignored, this trio ultimately bears resem- blance only in theory, not in prac- tice. The use of economical arrangements and steady, swinging time is apparent, but this group lacks the adventurousness and cre- ativity that was the hallmark of the Peterson trio. The arrangements are functional but lack attention to detail and the original composi- tions, while melodic and lively, do not take many chances. From the Art Blakey-esque "Pittsburgh Brethren" to the Ray Brown influenced "Captain Hook," the compositions read like more of a textbook of jazz personalities than a personal testament from Mr. Green. Bassist Christian McBride is consis- tent, while Malone's playing borders on corny. Grade: C Fantastic, Vol. 2, SlumVillage; Goodvibe Recordings By W. Jacari Melton Daily Arts Writer Finally, after over a year of being pushed back and being dropped from their label, Slum Village released the highly anticipated "Fantastic, Vol. 2." Tracks like "Climax", "Players" and "Raise It Up" have gained club, radio and commercial spot exposure. Much of this acclaim can be attributed to Jay Dee's production. He's the man behind hits like Q-Tip's "Vivrant Thing" and "Breathe and Stop," not to mention a good share of Common's latest album. His status allows him to recruit the likes of D'Angelo and Busta Rhymes to lend their talents to this album. However, SV is plagued by minimal lyricism. The verses on "Fantastic" are littered with references to sex, money and "tha D." Despite these .weaknesses, SV prevails with the work done by one of the most respected producers in hip-hop. Also, one can sense that they are having The Rising Tide, Sunny Day Real Estate; Time Bomb Records By Christian Hoard Daily Arts Writer Considering that Seattle's Sunny Day Real Estate is one of the pioneering "emo" (short for "emotional") bands, it's not surprising that The Rising Tide, the trio's fifth album, is chock full of both wounded-heart meditation and admirably lush songcraft. But for all of its laudable qualities - singer Jeremy Enigk's voice is one of them - SDRE is a bit of an acquired taste. Fans of mainstream rock will be put off by the relative hookless-ness of Tide's eleven songs and, like so many emo bands, SDRE is in desperate need of a sense of humor. If, in fact, SDRE were put on trial by the Indie Rockers, Enigk's lyrics would be Exhibit A for the Prosecution: "Killed By an Angel," to wit, kicks off the disc with the lines "Welcome to the lonesome world of Abel / Where every genuine fun and want to transfer that vibe over to their audience. That's one of the basic tenants of hip- hop that's missing in many of today's acts. In addi- tion, SV's album highlights Detroit's overlooked hip- hop scene. Grade: B brother's knife is set to slay you." Hmmm. Ultimately, The Rising Tide posits a dark fantasyland that might be nice to visit but would be a whole lot better if we were allowed to smirk once in a while. Grade: C Mk I I Mystery White Boy, Jeff Buckley; Columbia Christian Hoard Daily Arts Writer While he was alive, singer-guitarist Jeff Buckley exuded the same combi- nation of mysteriousness, tenderness and mythic cool that made James Dean a star. Since his death in 1997, Buckley has doubtless been doomed to enigma-hood each time someone has put "Grace" - the only LP Buckley finished - on the stereo. Buckley was also a man who clear- ly loved performing, and the upside to his occasional indulgence was that his shows had a fabulous looseness about them, a looseness which insured that his performances were never carbon copies of one another. On the appro- priately-named Mystery White Boy, the live album put together by his mother and former band mates, only "The Man That Got Away" clocks in at less than five minutes. The open- The Ecleftic: 2 Sides H a Book, Wyclef Jean; Columbia Records By Gautam Baksi Daily Arts Writer As producer, writer and member of The Fugees, Wyclef Jean established himself as the mastermind of a new class of emerging hip-hop stars from the Caribbean. After a successful solo album, Gone Till November, Wyclef's much anticipated sophomore effort, The Ecleftic, falls far short of his best work. The album begins with "Where Fugees At?," a feeble attempt to deter critics from inquiring about a possible reunion with his former band. His rhymes are somewhat sly, but not nearly as precise as those on Gone Till November, which utilized superior samples behind clever, endearing verses. The album definitely lives up to its eclectic expectations as Wyclef calls in a motley group of friends for vari- ended approach works particularly well on the plaintive "Hallelujah" (which incorporates a snippet of the Smiths' "I Know It's Over") and a cover of Big Star's "Kanga Roo," heard here with a raucous, high-speed jam tacked on. Mystery - like his all-too-brief career - nonetheless reminds us that there's plenty of room left in rock music for passion. Grade: A- ous tracks including Mary J. Blige, WWF's The Rock and even former country superstar Kenny Rogers. These featured performers create a disjointed CD that lacks coherency from track to track. In a poor attempt to display his guitar-rock skills and pay homage to Pink Floyd, Wyclef nearly buries the immortal "Wish You Were Here" with the addition of a hip-hop beat and rhymes. Grade: D+ Farmhouse, Phish; Elektra By Chris Kula Daily Arts Editor Farmhouse, Phish's first studio release since the fall of 1998, kicked off the summer record season back in May, and even with a full four months to absorb the new album, I'm still a little mixed on it. The disc starts beautifully with the reworked title track (the subtle vocal reprise at the end is one of the album's hidden gems), and the four/five/six block of the country- fried boogie "Get Back on the Train," the poppy "Heavy Things" and the horn-inflected "Gotta Jiboo" is excellent. The guest spot by banjoist Bela Fleck and dobro guru Jerry Douglas on "The Inlaw Josie Wales" is also notable. But after the first six tracks, instead of continuing on with a coherent vision ala 1996's majestic Billy Breathes, Farmhouse sort of tails off into a rough-hewn patch- work of unrelated songs. And that's not to say that tracks like the light ballad "Dirt" and the trance-dance "First Tube" aren't good tunes: they're well-played and well-pro- duced, they're just not well-placed on the album. Groove hard through those first six tracks, and then throw in the live tapefrom 12-6-97 at the Palace. Grade: B- - I ' FULBRIGHT PROGRAM FOR STUDY & RESEARCH ABROAD The IE Fulbright programs support study abroad in over 100 countries, providing grants for research, study and travel for selected countries, and various other opportunities such as a teaching assistantships. w