Word: sonics
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...Forms, Roni Size and his Bristol collective Reprazent look to jazz for sonic inspiration. Drum-'n'-bass music can be repetitive and droning, with mixes that last too long and rhythms that lack variation. The songs on New Forms, in contrast, display a jazz combo-like virtuosity, twisting, searching for variations on themes, moving in fresh directions after establishing a tone. Roni Size and Goldie have a lot in common: both of their new albums feature songs called Digital, both employ plenty of guest artists, and New Forms' soulful title track sounds like something from Goldie's debut. The most...
...Mind, "Love Sick," followed "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," and was given the most striking live interpretation of all the songs that evening. "Love Sick" sets the introspective tone of the new album with a moody sound and sedate tempo, and in concert, with a thick and reverberating sonic treatment applied to the instruments, it was particularly effective...
...Live are not tepid re-workings that ultimately ruin their classic sources. Badu's rendition of Chaka Kahn's "Stay" is one of the best songs on the album. With her back-up band wrenching every bit of swagger and boom, Badu goes from a husky scat to a sonic howl that sounds like Mariah Carey after a massive infusion of soul. She does a medley of "Boogie Nights," "All Night" and "Jamaica Funk" that will bring a smile to lovers of '70s funk everywhere...
Other Hatfield standards did not fare so well under the new sonic regime, as evidenced by an uncomfortably crunchy and hurried version of 1993's "For the Birds." A delicate pop confection in its original form, the song ended up sounding like an accidental high-speed dub. Though Hatfield's examination of new sonic landscapes is laudable, it would be in her best interests to selectively, rather than globally, apply them. The same problem cropped up on Only Everything, a virtual concept album which could have easily been entitled "50 Minutes of Mid-Tempo Tube Distortion...
...didn't always pick the most technically perfect versions, just the ones that best captured the energy of the band. His meticulousness has paid off. "Stop" and "Ain't No Right" are scorchers. The classic "Jane Says" gets a new treatment and wears it nicely. The 12-minute sonic bomb "Three Days" shows just why Jane's Addiction never failed to tear up a stage. Eric and Stephen play as if they were controlled by a single mind, Dave alternately soothes and destroys with absolutely stellar guitar work and Perry sings his guts out, as always. The most ferocious recording...