MO BETTER BEATS

Rip It Up, Issue 240, 1 August 1997, Page 26

MO BETTER BEATS

LOST BOYZ Love, Peace, & Nappiness (Universal) After debuting last year with their most successful album Legal Drug Money (remember ‘Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz, and Benz’, and ‘Lifestyles...’), now comes a kindler, gentler Lost Boyz. Seems all that money they’ve made has smoothed out some of the rough edges — they’re a much more mature crew now. The track ‘Me and My Crazy World’ deals with the dilemma of juggling two relationships, and ‘Ghetto Dedication’ is the übiquitous ode to Biggie and Tupac. Even the title track is a positive rap, saved by its ragga tinged vibe and its Slick Rick loop. Good party music for rap fans. KULCHA Take Your Time (Warners) This Aussie four piece is actually made up of expatriate Kiwis/Samoans, and they had a big hit with'‘Fly Girl’ back in... urn, 1995? Their follow up ‘Shakka Jam’ was only a moderate success (we were onto their attempt to clone Fresh Prince & Jazzy Jeff’s ‘Boom! Shake The Room’), but Kulcha did achieve massive success in Australia and Asia. Now they’re back with a follow up album, and like Lost Boyz, they’re a little older and a little more sophisticated. The album has a depth to it not found in their debut, yet retains a degree of booty shaking groove. ‘Booty Funk’ is an obvious GFunk booty shaker, and even more obvious (lyrically) is ‘All I Want’, an ode to doing the nasty dance! They even cover the Temptations’ 80s hit (a big club classic in NZ) ‘Treat Her Like A Lady’.

WYCLEF JEAN Presents The Carnival, featuring the Refugee All Stars (Sony) It would be inappropriate to speculate on the future of the Fugees based on vicious rumours as to what was or wasn’t caught on video on an Auckland hotel security camera, or by the recent solo efforts of, first Lauryn Hill, and now Wyclef. Let’s just judge this album 0n... the music. It kicks! This is more truer to Wyclef’s Haitian roots, in that it carries a distinctive Carribean flavour on tracks such as ‘Sang Fezi’, ‘Jaspora’, and ‘Yele’; but it also retains his street appeal with ‘To All The Girls’ (sampling ‘Rappers Delight’, and Earth Wind & Fire’s 'Sunshine') and ‘Guantanamera’ (yes, that song, but cut up by Funkmaster Flex). This album is even better than the radio friendly ‘We Trying To Stay Alive’, and features guest vocals from Lauryn Hill (putting paid to those rumours!) and the Neville Brothers. ROBYN Do You Know (What It Takes) (BMG) Either she’s got the same skin disease as Michael Jackson, or girlfriend is white. Yup, she’s got blonde hair, blue eyes, and hails from Sweden, so I guess she’s white. But damn! She has got the

flava. Taking a very subtle sample from Hall And Oates’ ‘I Can’t Go For That’, this is a very smoove little ditty. Most enjoyable. OLIVE You’re Not Alone (BMG) Oh yes! This is the shit. Already a confirmed floor filler at house clubs everywhere, this 5 track EP contains various remixes from the likes of Ganja Kru, Oakenfold, and Rollo and Sister Bliss. Hard to say which one is best although for ‘total’ remixness I guess Matthew Roberts’ Cloud 10 mix gets bonus points. This is pure, fine house; haunting vocals and a beat that builds and builds. Love it! MICHELLE GAYLE Sensational (BMG) Sweet and soulful, Gayle also knows how to rock a party. This album features damn fine studio production and some amazing lyrics. ‘Fakin’’ is a magnificent diss to a good looking guy who thinks he’s all that — but ain’t (in the sack), and ‘lt’s A High’ features this marvellous line; ’Billie Jean can beat it / Get off the wa11...’, okay, so maybe you have to hear it to appreciate it. Gayle achieves some complex vocal arrangements and also co-writes a number of the songs on the album, proving she’s not just one of the current crop of good lookin’ ‘girl’ singers. 702 No Doubt (Roadshow/Warners) Speaking of good looking ‘girl’ singers, here’s three of ’em, called 702. A creation of Michael Bivens (New Edition/BBD), these gals rock! Once again, a great collection of hip hop flava’d R&B, with songs sampling everyone from Barry White, to the Jackson 5, to Matthew Wilder’s ‘Break My Stride’. The latter features a rap by Shyeim, with Misdemeanour doing double duty on both versions of ‘Steelb’, recorded on the album. This is a good, fun, party album, but you have to be worried when a group takes time out to thank their choreographer and vocal coach. BILLY LAWRENCE Paradise (Warners) Any woman who cites Stacey Lattislaw as one of her favourite singers gets bonus points on my scorecard! Lawrence writes or cowrites nine of the 10 songs here, and is already selling her songs to other artists (En Vogue, and Ray J). She’s only 24 years of age to! This is a showcase collection of fine soul, R&B, and pop, with just a twist of hip hop tossed in for good measure. ‘Come On’ features a rap from MC Lyte (and also appears on the Set It Off movie soundtrack), while Stickman and M 1 rapping on ‘Footsteps’. VARIOUS ARTISTS Retro: The One And Only 80s Album! (Polygram) ' A bold statement that doesn’t quite match reality - do you really think they’d give you every song you wanted on one album? Methinks volume two will be following. This one features dance classics from the 80s such as the Communards’ ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’, ABC’s ‘Poison Arrow’, and Level 42’s ‘Lessons in Love’. The latter featured bass playing that was the talk of Auckland’s synthpop set in the early 80s. The New Romantic stuff is not forgotten either, with contributions from .Visage (‘Fade to Grey’) and the all time classic ‘Tainted Love’, by Soft Cell. Other must-have tracks include ‘Come On Eileen’, and ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’. Judging by the success of the Retro club parties, this should prove a strong seller. This is a time warp down memory lane, and an ideal party album.

NICK D’ANGELO