From: leo@cp.tn.tudelft.nl (Leo Breebaart)
Subject: Kronto Singles Reviews Vol.3, #1
Reply-To: leo@cp.tn.tudelft.nl
Organization: Delft University of Technology
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 16:11:15 GMT
Followup-To: rec.music.misc
Summary: 1 Jan - 14 Jan


As usual, I start off the new year with a closet-cleaning reviewing session
of left-over singles from 1992.

The format of the reviews will be unchanged in 1993, incidentally, except
for one little detail: I now call it DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK instead of
LOSER OF THE WEEK. This may help clear up the confusion that arose a few
times in the past when the LOSER had more stars than other singles
mentioned in the review.

Even though this is now the third year of Kronto Singles Reviews, reader
feedback is still more then welcome -- I hate that feeling you can
sometimes get of talking in a vacuum. I don't care if you hate or love or
agree with or disagree with my reviews, it would just be nice if you could
find the time to let me know about it.

-----

This is part one of my 1993 new singles reviews. It's a review of more-
or-less new singles that have come to my notice over the last few weeks.
All opinions expressed are humbly mine. The rating system is simple:

****  = "Excellent", by the time you read this I will already have begged, 
        stolen or borrowed the album this song is on.
 ***  = "Above Average", if this song comes on the radio, I turn the volume
        up, and I will certainly try to get a hold of the album.
  **  = "Ok", this song is quite literally 'average', in the positive sense
        of the word. 
   *  = "Below Average", if this song comes on the radio, I turn the volume
        down, and pray for it to finish quickly.
 (0)  = "Worthless", songs that I can't understand *anyone* would like.

-----

WINNER OF THE WEEK:

THE PRODIGY - Out Of Space (***)

I can sometimes appreciate those 'gimmick' house tunes like 'Das Boot' or
'James Brown is Dead', but this is the first one that I truly *love*.  It
starts out as low-tempo reggae song, which quickly mutates into a wild,
uncontrolled gazillion bpm frenzy with a Smurf-like voice squeaking "We'll
take your brain to another dimension" over and over again.  Turn the volume
way up on this one, and you just might believe it.  Highly recommended,


DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK:

PETER GABRIEL - Steam (**)

Yeah, it's not a bad song. But it's also a blatant attempt to recreate the
success of 'Sledgehammer', which I would have accepted as perfectly
reasonable from any other artist, but from Peter Gabriel (I've said this
before) I simply expect *more* than just a "So" rehash, which, judging by
the singles, this new album looks more and more like. And is anybody else
getting a bit tired of Pete's Let's-watch-these-amazing-video-effects-for-
a-while video clips?


OTHER SONGS:

CHARLES & EDDIE - Would I Lie To You (***)

Oops, this ain't exactly a new single anymore, but somehow it slipped by in
previous reviews. I wanted to mention it anyway, because this is a pretty
darn good soft soul single (even if it shows its influences (Smokey and
early 80's Jacksons) rather obviously). The song has been a huge hit
everywhere, and I firmly believe that *not one* record company executive
could have predicted it.


SNAP - Exterminate (**)

Snap songs may not always be the most musically exciting ones, but you
gotta hand it to them that they do manage to come up with some interesting
titles (I *still* haven't figured out 'Rhythm is a Dancer' yet). The rest of
this song is your basic Snap formula-with-female-vocalist, nothing very
special.


INNER CIRCLE - Rock With You (*)

Lame-brained followup to 'Gonna Make You Sweat' needs DNA analysis to prove
it's any different from its predecessor. I thought 'Sweat' had a certain
charm to it, but this one merely tries to achieve another hit in the same
mold. Unfortunately, it is succeeding quite well in that aim...


A.L.T. & THE LOST CIVILIZATION - Tequila (***)

For weeks, I only knew this song as the "fun-ky fun-ky"-song, after the
tune's most striking feature. It is one of those old-jazz-trumpet-mixed-
with-hip-hop songs, and although it leans a bit too much on the jazz part
(I have no idea if the melody is sampled or original. I suspect the former;
it would be nice if it was the latter), the end result is very pleasing.


PRINCE AND THE NEW POWER GENERATION - 7 (*)

Maybe it's just me experiencing a major Prince burn-out, but this whining,
dragging song does not appeal to me at all. The fun part about Prince is
that you never have to wait long before an entirely different new album
comes out, though, so with any hope that will be another killer...


ROD STEWART - Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Mathilda) (***)

Songs like this really make me wonder why Stewart insists on releasing
up-tempo singles all the time -- I had almost forgotten how good a crooner
he can be with that raspy voice. This cover of an old Tom Waits tune is
perfectly acceptable MOR fare, with my only complaint being that it very
quickly gets boring when you hear it too often.  But other than that this
is definitely the best thing from Rod in years.


SHAKESPEAR'S SISTER - Hello (Turn Your Radio On) (**)

Sounds just like a Roxette ballad, frankly. Pleasant, in an unpretentious,
average sort of way.


FAITH NO MORE - Easy (**)

I can think of no reason at all why anybody would prefer this cover (with
lousy vocals) over the Commodore's original version (with great vocals).
Faith No More adds absolutely *nothing* to the song, but only relies on the
novelty effect of the unusual combination to yield them a hit. This should
have been a b-side.


-----

All remarks, agreements, disagreements, additions, or factual error
corrections welcome.



-- 
Leo Breebaart  (leo @ cp.tn.tudelft.nl)
Newsgroups: rec.music.reviews,rec.music.misc