Korn keeps its hard edge on ‘Other Side’
Korn
“See You on the Other Side” (EMI/Virgin) ••• 1/2
Bad dreams don’t fade easily. And Jonathan Davis still hasn’t gotten over the traumas of adolescence, or the visions of death and abuse that have always fueled the confrontational music of Korn.
The band’s storm of rage and strangely tuneful hard rock has inspired a whole generation of listeners for whom Metallica is just too soft and cuddly.
Davis has his own agenda of sickness and anger, but there is also a bit of reinvention here – and not just from the absence of guitarist Brian “Head” Welch, who quit after a religious conversion.
There is a new clarity to the sound, a return to the direct, subversive melodies behind Korn’s best early work.
Guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer has no trouble filling the gap left by his former partner Welch. And the remaining players sound newly inspired, still obsessing over their creep-show effects, the bagpipe loops and heavy breathing and other weird interludes.
All in all, Korn remains comfortably outraged, morbid and confused.
Steve Appleford, Los Angeles Times
Lil’ Wayne
“Tha Carter II” (Cash Money/Universal) •••
Cash Money Records was once one of the most popular labels in rap, thanks to late-‘90s breakthrough hits by Juvenile and the “bling-bling” catch phrase popularized by flagship artist B.G.
While the label has suffered from the defections of those marquee acts, longtime Cash Money member Lil’ Wayne remains, and he had one of the biggest hits in the imprint’s history with last year’s “Go DJ.” Now Wayne has constructed a stark fifth album that highlights his aspirations to be respected as a premier rap lyricist.
The explosive, boast-heavy “Fireman,” complete with blaring sirens, wild keyboards and driving drums, is among the most memorable songs Wayne has released. He uses a mournful, blues-inspired track to salute his poetic acumen with the lyrics-as-weapons metaphor in “Shooter” and rides a smooth reggae beat on the hypnotic “Mo Fire.”
Several years into his prolific career, Lil’ Wayne seems to be settling into an assured groove.
Soren Baker, Los Angeles Times
INXS
“Switch” (Burnett/Epic) ••
The death of singer Michael Hutchence effectively gutted this Australian hit machine, but INXS lamely attempted to resuscitate its game with “Rock Star,” a TV reality show that yielded replacement J.D. Fortune and this appropriately titled comeback album.
“Switch” is no doubt a turn-on for young fans who discovered INXS during the talent search and have no qualms about having their bands built on assembly lines. But for those who recall the cool vocal stylings and sexual heat of Hutchence, it’s a definite turn-off.
The imitations here do not flatter Hutchence or honor his memory, and even such standouts as the teasing “Pretty Vegas” and funk-charged “Devil’s Party” only underscore Fortune’s role as a poser and the band’s desperate compromise.
Edna Gundersen, USA Today
Clint Black
“Drinking Songs & Other Logic” (Equity) •••
Randy Travis
“Glory Train” (Word/Warner Bros.) •••
Just when you thought it would never happen again, Clint Black goes and makes another good album. To be sure, this is no “Killin’ Time,” the singer’s instant-classic 1989 debut, but it’s far superior to his disappointing work of the past dozen years.
With just one misfire (the silly “Undercover Cowboy”), Black gets back to honky-tonk basics with a set of focused, catchy songs that flow as easily as the booze while addressing issues in the barroom and beyond.
Unlike fellow neotraditionalist Black, Randy Travis has had no trouble turning out rewarding music as his commercial star has waned. “Glory Train” finds the singer heading further along the country-gospel track he embarked upon in 2000.
The acoustic set ranges from rootsy, up-tempo sing-alongs (including two with the Blind Boys of Alabama) to solemn hymns with strings. With his velvety baritone and low-key delivery, Travis again brings warmth, grace and unswerving conviction to these stirring proceedings.
Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer
Sun Kil Moon
“Tiny Cities” (Caldo Verde) •••
“I Am a Rock,” “Long Distance Runaround,” “Silly Love Songs,” “All Mixed Up,” “Bad Boy Boogie” – they could form a classic rock radio playlist, but they’re all songs that Mark Kozelek has covered, either with Red House Painters or solo.
Now working under the name Sun Kil Moon, Kozelek turns his attention to indie-rock band Modest Mouse. “Tiny Cities” includes 11 of Mouse-man Isaac Brock’s compositions (in barely 30 minutes), slowed down into shimmering acoustic ballads.
Kozelek remakes Brock’s acidic, existential chants and rants in his own image: Brock’s pent-up frustration becomes Kozelek’s calm resignation, his melancholy baritone occasionally soaring into a fragile falsetto.
It works. Compared with the original versions, “Neverending Math Equation,” “Grey Ice Water” and “Ocean Breathes Salty” are nearly unrecognizable, but they’re beautiful in their own right.
Steve Klinge, Philadelphia Inquirer