10 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 ARTS 4 Originality shaved off new 'Shop 2' record By Evan McGarvey Daily Arts Writer HIGH 'HEELS' ROMANTIC ENTANGLEMENTS HIGHLIGHT NEW COMEDY 4 By Lynn Hasselbarth Daily Arts Writer Loading the front end of a major motion picture soundtrack is nothing new for record companies desperate to package cheap, semi-listenable songs around the lead single. The soundtrack for Barbershop 2: Back In Business is a prime example in which not even a buoyant, mar- ketable single can Various redeem a disc oth- Artists erwise filled with absolute slush. Barbershop 2 That radio- Soundtrack ready anchor, Interscope Mary J. Blige and Eve's "Not Today," is a big-budget, Dr. Dre-produced single. Fittingly, Dre's plinking beats mold well with Mary J. Blige's robust voice. It's Eve, however, who steals the track. Instead of the sub- dued Eve we've seen in UPN sitcoms and Vin Diesel movies, we get a riled- up version who hurls fiery indictments to a former lover. It's a shockingly wel- come return to form. Clustered around "Not Today" near the top of the track list are Mya featur- ing Chingy and an honest-to-god Out- Kast song. Not Big Boi. Not Andre 3000. Both of them. After the mind- blowing separateness of Speakerboxxx / The Love Below, it's comforting to hear Andre 3000 and Big Boi together on "I Can't Wait". It's a bummer the song is monotonous and lacks the tag-team Courtesy or Interscope Didn't I used to be a rapper? style of past OutKast hits. Mya and Chingy do a competent remix of "Fall- en," a song originally from Mya's Moodring. The quicksilver shifts in the melody and arrangement keep the song moving and a little horn section and a little Spanish guitar prevent the song from being totally lackluster. Both the Mya and OutKast tracks seem like their sole purpose is not to create a total drop-off in quality from "Not Today." The rest of album man- ages that job quite nicely. Clipse and Mobb Deep both sound horrendously out of place. Like the Goth kids at cheerleading practice, their songs sound weighted down and far too dark for this light selection. You know you stick out like a sore thumb when your stabs at sinister thug-life are sand- wiched between Mya and Floetry. D- 12 sticks to their standard drunken-peon antics. Weak old-school samples doom the more pleasant cuts on this soggy, forget- table collection. In the year following the release of the Bad Boys II Sound- track, the bar for hip-hop soundtracks is just too high. Thankfully, the aging star of the Barbershop movie (and formerly talented MC), Ice Cube, stays away from this hastily thrown together piece. "How Much Do You Know About Love?" reads an amusing wall hanging in the lounge of Perfor- mance Network, Ann Arbor's local professional the- ater. The poster contains a collage of bad pickup lines, a "How Sexy Do You Feel?" quiz from "Cos- mopolitan" and a list of famous couples, past and present. The Performance Network has set a Spike Heels comfortable and humorous Runs through mood for its latest play, "Spike Feb.29 Heels," which will continue $22.50-$27.50 through the month of February. At the Performance With Theresa Rebeck's intel- Network Theater ligently written script and the sensitive stage direction of Grant Stokes, "Spike Heels" redefines soap-opera drama. Each character is thoughtfully developed and portrayed with deep honesty. Stokes notes that, "In order to bring out the reality of each moment, the actors searched for the truthfulness in each relationship." The play opens in Andrew's Boston apartment as he prepares dinner for his fiance. Played by Alex Mendiola, Andrew is a charming political philoso- phy writer who constantly professes his own elevated moral consciousness. Georgie (Clara Milarch), a sec- retary at a local law firm, lives in the floor above. She stumbles into Andrew's apartment with neon pink stilettos and fishnet stockings. Vivacious, short- tempered and more agitated than usual, she tells Andrew that his long-time friend Edward, also Georgie's boss, has threatened her in the office. While the opening scene is fraught with anger and betrayal, Andrew and Georgie express tender moments, unveiling the undeniable passion between these highly complex ebaracters. Andrew is struck by Georgie's youthful vitality and impatience and Georgie sees in Andrew a man who is yearning for change but too afraid to recreate himself. Through- out the play, the two learn that despite their feelings and hopes for transformation, they are painfully incompatible. Courtesy or Perrormance NetworK Michael Del Sordo performs in "Spike Heels." Edward provides the play's comic relief. Portrayed by Michael Del Sordo, this character is a fast-talking lawyer who treats all conversations like a courtroom cross-examination. In an edgy scene between the two men, Georgie becomes an entitlement, a prize to be bargained over. Desperate and manipulative, Georgie uses this competition as leverage for her own roman- tic interests. Lydia, played by Sarah Aniza Nelson, also adds to this love web. In the second half of the play, she storms into Georgie's apartment demanding an explanation as to why Alex has suddenly postponed their wedding date. A heartbreaking exchange between the two women sets a dramatic tone for a powerful scene between the four characters. It is here where the unpredictability and personal sacri- fice, sheer enchantment and comedy of relation- ships come alive. Controversy over Georgie's spike heels, tea and a box of Lucky Charms reminds us that love is painful, soothing and oftentimes just plain funny. The play ends with two characters reunit- ing after an agonizing process of growth and dis- cernment. The audience is left to decide whether these characters made the right decisions for themselves and if their relationship will last. A humorous and provocative piece of theater, this story spans the depth and rhythm of relationship building, reminding audiences of the power of honesty and forgiveness. I The new British invasion falters with Starsailor's LP Silence is Easy By Matt Kivel Daily Arts Writer whelming sense of familiarity. Starsailor played it safe and stuck to the formulas that MUSICR EVI EW **I Epic ballads, sweeping orchestrations and sensitive lyrics have all become staples of the British music scene. Starsailor scored a hit with their debut, Love Is Here, and were slated to join the ranks of Coldplay and Travis with their latest release, Silence Is Easy. The problem with Silence is its under- made their debut success- ful. Lead singer James Walsh has a fantastic voice that seems to blend the delicate croon of Thom Yorke with the soulful power of Richard Ashcroft. With such an amazing voice, Starsailor Starsailor Silence is Easy Capitol should be making Instead listeners are hit with 13 tracks of romantic whining and predictable orchestra- tion. The band should take a lesson from The Verve, who took risks both musically and lyri- cally to create one of the '90s best rock records, Urban Hymns. For all of its unoriginality, the album is not all bad. Standout tracks "Silence Is Easy" and "White Dove" were both produced by '60s rock legend Phil Spector. The title track is an example of Starsailor's ability to pro- duce emotion-driven rock tunes comparable to the likes of Coldplay and the Doves. "White Dove" is a delicate example of restraint and melody rarely found on the album. Without Spector's guidance, the band loses the emotion that is so vital to their brand of rock music. The bizarre disco shuffle of "Four to the Floor" is the most perplexing moment of the album as it serves to disrupt any rhythm that the previous songs had created. It is as though James Walsh watched "Saturday Night Fever" and decided to pay homage to the Bee Gees by writing this unnecessary track. "Shark Food" is a poor man's attempt at Lost Souls- era Doves, achieving mediocrity with sub-par lyrics and dull instrumentals. Throughout the album I am confused by the absence of the other musicians in the band. There is almost no intricate guitar or bass work and the guitar parts that can be heard seem to be pinched straight from Johnny Buckland's pocket. Silence isn't a bad album. Some of the tracks are actually quite beautiful, but on the whole it lacks the ambition and originality to be great. 4 more ambitious attempts at songwriting. F~. 'hI 4 Art Store blowout moving sale WE'RE CLOSING OUR ART STORE AND MOVING IT OVER TO University Activities Center www.um i ch.ed u/~ ua c asm - AMT K9 y I"m u prod'y presents |1tiniou es * Bridge Wilderness ' A* Mondays Mondays Union: Parker Room Union: Anderson ABCD 7:30 -9:30pm $5 7-9 pm $65 y g a cig LMassage Wednesdays Weesdays Uio: eke Ro ue RUnion: Kuenzel Room *Union: Parker Room $6 $.;~ 7-8 OR 8-9 pm $40 8-10 p m $6 rms~ yoa ."gnLanguag Wednesdays .Wednesdays Union: Welker Room Union: Kuenzel Room 7 pm $40 6-8 pm $76 Wednesdays Uio: Mondays SUnion: Blain Room U7-n10enelRpm5 7-9 pm FREE! -1*m 5 Bartending Tusy Monday's, Tuesdays OR Tuesdays Wednesday's Union: Billiards Room Union: U-Club 7-9 pm $45 5-6 pm OR 6-7 pm, $49 Classes start Feb 9 20091 Tegister Now @ MIC IGAN BOOK & SUPPLY! 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