MO' BETTER BEATS

Rip It Up, Issue 242, 1 October 1997, Page 30

MO' BETTER BEATS

MA-V-ELLE 3 Flow (Sony) Produced by Lava Lava, this is a mid tempo charmer that has ‘radio ’it’ writ ’ large all over it. Ma-V-Elle are three young women from South Auckland whose youth totally belies the sophistication of this track. Strong vocals and a simple yet effective R&B groove make this even better than their stunning debut single. Also features a rather spiffy acoustic version, and an extended (with rap) mix. LOLE J Feel Like Making Love (Deepgrooves) Deja vu here. Didn’t I already review this, or was it someone else? Ah yes, I got a demo tape of this three .months ago — great to see it's now out. Lole has a fantastic voice; rich and deep, she clearly could match any of the great soul/R&B singers. overseas. A shame that there isn’t a longer mix here to give Lole a chance to cut loose vocally, but then this is the radio single! Like Ma-V-Elle, this is another example if the fine indigenous talent here. : V COOLIO My Soul (Tommy Boy) Already dissed as lightweight by a few ears around; my player, I still - like this. Coolio likes to drop in some heavyweight lyrics over lightweight beats when you least expect it. Yeah, okay, he also drops lightweight lyrics too, but that’s just how it is. Coolio collaborates a number of times with 40 Thevs, the duo featured on his current radio hit ‘C U When I Get There’. Next up I’m picking ‘Ooh La La’, which loops Grace Jones, and will probably be huuuge. Other samples include Tom Tom Club and Raydio (Ray Parker Jr), with Montell Jordan guesting on ‘Homeboy’. Coolio fans won’t be disappointed. MR PRESIDENT We See The Same Sun (Warners) Rink-a-dink Eurodisco in a ragga stylee, made by Germans. This is the stuff that was packing outmainstream clubs last summer, though whether it will work again this summer remains to be seen. Lame raps and basslines designed for the rhythmically challenged, this

will find favour with the party crowd (people who like chanting and waving their hands on the dancefloor when the music tells them to) ... oh —dear god, this is truly truly awful. Please make it stop! ... must ... reach ... CD player... !! BIG BRUTHA SOUL Voyage To Brutha Land (AIM) Anyone who rewrites Elton John’s ‘Benny and the Jets’ into ‘Big Brutha Soul’ has got my attention! This is one weird-ass record. Brutha Soul is a purveyor of. something called Hippy Soul; although it kinda reminds me of the Hot Butteredperiod Isaac Hayes of the 70s. An excellent change from the usual, this is great weekend listening. Real old school funk with deep throat vocals. DJ POOH <1 Bad Newz Travels Fast (Warners) This old school G-Funk, with some heavy weight guest talent. Not that . ' Pooh needs it, he’s paid his dues. . Some heavyweight beats here too, just the sorta thing needed for Threat, Mista Grimm, KAM, and Tray D to get their teeth into. Also joining in is Roger Troatman with his very distinctive vocoder style. There are some complex musical sounds here, - including some uncredited old

school samples. Pooh sticks to a mostly positive lyrical content, although that doesn’t mean he thinks everything is peaches and cream. ZAP MAMA Poetry Man (Virgin) An almost note perfect cover of the original by Phoebe Snow. What more can I say? Proving that good songs are timeless, Zap Mama gives radio an opportunity to replay this 70s hit with 90s ’production (courtesy of Michael Franti). Beautiful. ~ -

ALLURE featuring LL Cool J No Question (Sony) No wonder LL is involved, Allure are four fine honeys who sing and writhe wonderfully. Sampling M’tume’s ‘Juicy Fruit’, the track is excellent radio material, although I’ll wait for an album before passing judgement. This kinda of stuff (three or four babes looking and sounding beautiful) comes out all the time. LL appears to be having fun.

NICK DANGELO