Music, message one on Beastie Boys ‘Boroughs’
Beastie Boys
“To the 5 Boroughs” (Capitol) ••••
On the last track of the Beastie Boys’ “To the 5 Boroughs,” after the three brash, white rappers have dispensed the inevitable “we’re so crazy” rhymes and revived ‘70s ad slogans, there comes a moment of undisguised idealism.
Over an infectious, chitter-chatter stutter-beat, the multiplatinum New Yorkers — back after a six-year silence — call for an international ban on weapons of mass destruction and visit several other items on the liberal to-do list.
Much of the blazing “Boroughs” is like that: genius juxtapositions of music and message, calls to consciousness disguised as playground taunts and bubblegum-grabby refrains. If you come to the Beasties looking to obliterate reality — after all, they’re authors of that enduring call to “fight for your right to party” — you leave “Boroughs” galvanized, thinking maybe it’s time to fight the power.
Back when they were young, the Beastie Boys were the comic relief on Def Jam’s roster. Today, unlikely survivors of the rap wars, they’re dishing out the mojo that feeds heads and moves hips, building coalitions and galvanizing souls under the cover of relentlessly funky party music.
— Tom Moon, Philadelphia Inquirer
Shedaisy
“Sweet Right Here” (Hollywood) •••
When this Utah sister act (Kristyn, Kelsi and Kassidy Osborn) made its debut in 1999 with “The Whole Shebang,” some questioned whether there was room for two largely self-contained, female country trios. Now that a large contingent of country radio and fans has exiled the Dixie Chicks, it’s sweet right here for Shedaisy.
After 2002’s adventurous “Knock on the Sky,” the new album sounds a bit conventional, but there is no denying its top-echelon writing, singing and production. The blissful hit single “Passenger Seat” is a highlight: lively, tuneful, a hint of traditional sound, no grit but a great-sounding record — sort of a “Goodbye Earl” with no body in the trunk.
Even when a few songs veer in blander directions, there are enough intricate harmonies and clever wordplay to keep you entranced.
— Ken Barnes, USA Today
Phish
“Undermind” (Elektra/Asylum) ••
On its swan song, the jam band’s noodling finally jells into something resembling intact songs. The first single, “The Connection,” almost connects all the dots from harmonies and emotional heft to disciplined rhythms and melodic structure.
But even at its most earnest and engaging, Phish’s 12th studio album feels vague and unfinished, falling short of the idiosyncratic, cozy music served up by its prototype, the Grateful Dead. The quartet repeatedly relapses into unfocused rambling, raising enough asymmetric clatter in “A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing” to turn Phish’s last splash into a gray wail.
— Edna Gundersen, USA Today
Marc Anthony
“Amar Sin Mentiras” (Sony Discos) •••
The Marc Anthony makeover is complete: a quickie divorce, a surprise wedding to Jennifer Lopez and the release of a new album that marks a complete departure from his salsa repertoire — all within the same week.
Lost in all the gossip and rumors is the news that this glistening collection of romantic ballads marks the best work of Anthony’s career. It evokes a lost era when well-crafted but heartfelt Latin love songs set the standard and crooners such as Jose Jose, Julio Iglesias and Emmanuel were international stars.
Anthony’s melodramatic style might have spoiled the once-gritty and grass-roots salsa scene. But his emotional, over-the-top approach is well suited for ballads that play on particularly Latin sensibilities. Anthony’s passion-drenched vocals, the beautiful, aching melodies, the lush orchestrations with the London Symphony — it’s enough to sweep away even cynics.
Now the bad news: Anthony plans to release another album with salsa versions of the same songs. His big mistake is thinking these two great genres are interchangeable.
— Agustin Gurza, Los Angeles Times