Wednesday, July 16, 1997 - The Michigan Daily - 11
112 keeps it real on debut album
4P 112
112
Bad Boy Entertainment
The members of 112 have just
accomplished a number of firsts. As
the first male R&B group on the Bad
Boy label, these Atlanta
natives have dropped an
impressive self-titled
debut album. t
Surprisingly though,
this CD is nothing
like one might
expect from a :
group on the Bad
Boy label. One of the
most . appealing
aspects of this album is
that the songs aren't riffed
with a lot of fast, congested beats or
all-too-familiar samples from other
songs. In fact, the CD contains very
few up-tempo songs. With the excep-
tions of "Only You," the first single
released from the album, and "I'm In
Love With You," the remaining songs
have a smoother, more laid-back vibe.
The lyrical content of the songs is
also surprising. Instead of having a lot
of songs laced with foul language and
derogatory comments toward females,
this album is all about love, romance
and relationships. On songs like "This
-
Is Your Day," and "I Will Be There,"
the group is plenty chivalrous, but
without running the risk of beggin' or
being overly sensitive.
The vocal talent displayed on the
album is also a plus. This group can
truly sing, all instrumentation aside. On
songs such as "Now That We're Done,"
and "Can I Touch You," the four
group members blend their
voices together to create
f melodious harmonies.
112's vocal skills are
exemplified on
"Keep It Real,' a
song written in trib-
ute to producer Sean
"Puffy" Combs. With
a piano as its only
music, the group proceeds
to break it down while honor-
ing its mentor.
This album was very well construct-
ed, especially for a first-time effort.
There are no songs on the CD made
simply for the sake of taking up space;
all the songs have the potential of
becoming singles. 112 also displays a
certain level of poise. The manner in
which it performs "I Can't Believe,"
featuring Faith Evans, suggests the
maturity of a group that is far more
experienced.
Good music and talented vocals make
"112" one CD worth owning. With 19
tracks, there is sure to be something to
please almost everyone.
- Jessica Simmons
Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber
Roadrunner Records
Coal Chamber's sound is that of a
war machine gone haywire. This self-
titled debut album is hard-driven, in
your face and out of control. Coal
Chamber's style is similar to that of
Pantera and White Zombie, but Coal
Chamber has a much fresher element
to its music, much like the Southern
California sound of bands like Korn
and the Deftones. This album shows
Coal Chamber's ability to put out 14
decent tracks that will fill the listener
with more energy than a child who for-
got his Ritalin.
The album opens with "Loco," a
frenzied song with the lead singer,
Dez, screaming like a madman, "Me
Loco!" The resounding basslines on
this track and throughout the rest of
the album create much tension in the
music. Coal Chamber effectively
releases this pressure in the form of
absolutely chaotic choruses. The only
downfall to the album is this trend,
which does become a bit tiresome.
The song "Bradley" is one of the
best tracks on the album. The guitar
commences this song with a very
mechanical rhythm, with the bass fol-
lowing closely behind while Dez
sings, "Mom, these letters at
Christmas are driving me crazy." "Big
Truck" is another excellent song,
which has the sound of Clutch's
album "Trans-national Speedway
League." With its almost hip-hop-like
beat and futuristic guitar sounds, "Big
Truck" will please even the hardest of
rockers.
Coal Chamber creates its own ver-
sion of "The Roof is on Fire" in the
beginning of"Sway,"easily the hardest
version ever recorded. Another cre-
ative aspect to the album is the begin-
ning of "Pig," during which Dez calls
out in a genuine "souee" fashion to the
men in blue.
This album is a fine debut foe
young Coal Chamber, who, with a lit-
tle maturity, should be producing
some of the hardest, hippest and cra-
ziest music out there. Coal Chamber
is definitely on the right track.
- Brian M. Kemp
'Beer Games 2' describes entertaining methods of consumption
Beer Games 2: The
Exploitative Sequel
Andy Griscom, Ben Rand,
Scott Johnston, Michael
Balay
Mustang Publishing
For all you people with few brain
cells to spare, there now comes a book
that is bound to obliterate whatever
remaining brain capacity you have
left.
Following the success of "The
Complete Book of Beer Drinking
Games" comes the release of "Beer
Games 2: The Exploitative Sequel"
from a group of beer-loving boys from
the Ivy League.
How can there be a sequel to a book
that was supposed to be complete?
Well, it doesn't matter, because this
follow-up is chock-full of new beer
games for those booze junkies who
just couldn't get enough the first time
around.
From variations of Quarters to a
game called "U Chug" (The rules:
You point to a player and say, "You
chug." That player must chug), "Beer
Games 2" has games that will induce
various levels of worship to the
Porcelain God.
The games are rated by Boot
Factor, which measures the likelihood
that you will puke after the particular
game. A Boot Factor of 1 means that
your digestive system will be fine,
while a Boot Factor of 5 means that
you are guaranteed to
"Watusi with the
Big White
Woman." p :.Q
One of the
most interest-
ing games is =
called "Quick =
Draw" (Boot
Factor: 5), which
involves two players who
each wear a can of beer in a car cup-
holder on their belt. In classic duel
fashion, the players pace until the ref-
eree yells, "Draw!" Then the players
try to be the first to drain their beer.
It's definitely not brain surgery.
My personal favorite (the poet I
am) is a game called
"Up My Butt"
(Boot Factor: 5).
One player
begins by
"There is
(any random
word) up my
butt." The next
player makes basically
the same statement, but claims that
an object that rhymes with the first
player's object is up his butt. This
goes on until a player is at a loss for
a rhyming object, in which case that
player either has to drink, or chal-
lenge the player before him to find a
rhyming word. If that player can
come up with a word, then the chal-
lenging player must drink twice. If
the player can't, then he or she must
drink instead.
Overall, "Beer Games 2" will only
appeal to a limited audience. But peo-
ple who want to find new ways of
enjoying their beer will consider
"Beer Games 2: The Exploitative
Sequel" the' most helpful book ever
written ... at least since "The
Complete Book of Beer Drinking
Games."
- Julia Shih
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