12 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, July 6, 1999
Brandy intoxicates crowd at the Joe


Sy rian Norris
Daily Arts Writer
Although "Moesha," "I Still Know
What You Did Last Summer" and
"Cinderella" may have propelled
Brandy's fame as an actress, the
braided lass returned to her musical
roots with her first headlining tour.
Dubbed the "Never Say Never
Tour," Brandy made the tour's
Detroit stop July
~~~ 111 2 delivering a
great show for
Brady the near capacity
crowd at Joe
Joe Louis Louis Arena.
Arena, Detroit But due to this
July 2, 999 venue's odd stage
and crowd place-
ment, the audi-
ence had to strain
to see the perfor-
mances.
This inconve-
nience seemed
to make little
difference to the mostly female teen
crowd who waved and wore just
about anything with Brandy's likenes
or name.
From hats, T-shirts, posters and "I
Love You Brandy" signs, it was obvi-
ous that die-hard Brandy fans had
come out to see their subject of ado-
ration.
Norwood & Norwood
Management (owned by Brandy's
parents) brought along the entire ros-
ter of acts, consisting of C-Note, 702
and Silk.

ments, the overall look of the show
left one looking for a little more due
to its drab costuming and cliched
stage effects.
Thankfully all was made up for by
Brandy's captivating voice, a spec-
tacular band and imaginative chore-
ography.
The choreography included mock
fights during "Almost Doesn't
Count" and "The Boy Is Mine."
Pullies were also used to lift her
and two dancers twenty feet into the
air during "Sitting On Top Of The
World."
The show climaxed with a surpris-
ing and crowd pleasing cameo
appearence by Brandy's younger
brother and teen heart-throb, Ray J.
Brandy and the rest of the
Norwood & Norwood management
family had managed to put on a rous-
ing show that simultaneously
appealed to both the teens and young
adults in attendance.
The star appeal and talent definite-
ly shined through for both Brandy
and her three undercard acts, despite
the rather mediocre stage set back-
ground.
Make this the best
summer ever!
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Daily Arts.
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The Chemical Brothers seem to be very pleased with getting four stars for "Surrender."

Brandy spared no hits during her
performance, mixing slow and up
tempo hits from both her debut and
latest album.
The show contained the usual
arena level stage effects of bi-level
staging, multi-colored lights,
dancers and pyrotechnics.
But despite the use of these ele-

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EXOTIC DRINKS - WINES - COCKTAILS . r s

The Chemical
Brothers
Surrender
Astralwerks
On "Surrender," The Chemical
Brothers widen their scope further than
ever, incorporating the hi-tech sounds of
modern electronica into numerous song
formats. Unlike true techno, house or
drum n' bass, the music of The
Chemical Brothers primarily uses tradi-
tional song structures built around cho-
ruses and vocal hooks.
Because of its exploitation of tradi-
tional elements, "Surrender" lacks a
consistent style of its own at times. For
example, the first song, "Music:
Response" sounds like Kraftwerk jam-
ming with a funk band. A song later,
Bernard Sumner, of New Order, joins
the Brothers for an interpretation of
Sumner's group's "Out of Control." In
addition, Noel Gallagher, of Oasis, adds
his vocals for the Brothers' latest
Beatles-esque song, "Let Forever Be"
while Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star
guests on the Brothers' rendition of an
acoustic guitar ballad.
The best songs on "Surrender" disre-
gards traditional rock formulas and
focus more on dancy psychedelic exper-
imentation. Instrumental songs such as
"The Sunshine Underground" and "Got
Glint?" will confuse MTV audiences
with their unclear structuring and
strange sounds.
Yet adventurous songs such as these
and the up-tempo "Block Rockin'
Beats"-feel of "Under the Influence"
make "Surrender" an album with
enough appeal for not only those who
like their music hand-fed to them MTV-
style but also those searching for flesh,
colorful music with both ass-shakin'
beats and artistic merit.
Jason Birchineier-
Boom Boom
Satellites
Out Loud
Sony
**
Thne Japanese duo of Boom Boom
Satellites mark their debut with a sound
that falls somewhere in between techno,
jazz, and noise art.
Knowing that, one would expect to
find an album full of unique tracks.
However, what one actually finds are the
same syncopated rhythms and mechani-
cal motorcycle-like sounds track after
track.

Although songs range from the dark
ambiance of "Def" to the jazzy "Better
The Jam No. 3," there is not enough
variety to keep Out Loud from feeling
like a very long and unexciting ride.
Lvnne Blasius
Kenny Garrett
Simply Said
Warner Bros,
**
Apparently Kenny Garrett, recent jazz
star and critical darling, has chosen to
abandon the musical legacy of Duke
Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Charlie
Parker to follow in the dilapidated foot*
steps of David Sanborn and Chuck
Mangione.
The alto saxophonist's latest album is
an obvious and shameful ploy for popu-
larity in the smooth jazzradio market (or
"refuse" to all honest musicians). Which
is obvious when one hears the two tracks
"Organized Colors" and "3rd Quadrant"
near the end of the recording. The first
ascends to agonizing screams and
screeches reminiscent of late Coltrane-
the second brims with flowing licks aki*
to Phil Woods.
Much of the liability falls on Garrett's
choice to abandon his alto saxophone for
the soprano, which results in a sound
disturbingly comparable to another
Kenny who has a G in his last name as
well as a catalog of below mediocre
releases.
JohnU Uhl
Napalm Death 0
Bootlegged In Japan
Earache Records
Die-hard Napalm Death fans long
waiting for a live release and others
looking for the perfect album to crank
up and piss off their obnoxious dorm
neighbors can rejoice with the arrival
of "Bootlegged In Japan."
Recorded during the group's 199
tour, this album captures Napat
Death in all its frank brutal glory with-
out any overdubs. It is unfortunate that
the guitars throughout are not loud
enough.
Regardless, the group holds nothing
back here as it plays old and new
favorites from its long and illustrious
catalog of material such as, "From
Enslavement to Obliteration,"
"Unchallenged Hate" and "Hung." *
Live and raw, "Bootlegged in Japan"
is as soothing as skinny-dipping in a
pond full of piranhas.
Adlin Rosli

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