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Foxy Brown gets dogged out by people who claim she's just a fast-assed, ghetto-fabulous, raunchy-mouthed female willing to get paid for shaking her thing-thing. Then there are the headz who turn their thumbs down at the amount of help Foxy receives from Jay-Z. Foxy posing damn near nekkid for the cover of Chyna Doll and Jigga's lyrical contributions to the joint support their opinions. So what? The executive producing responsibilities for Chyna Doll rest solely on young Foxy's shoulders, and the joint is hot to death. The music production is typical of current Def Jam material, knocking the dome with steady, rhythmic thumps from Irv Gotti and Lil' Rob, Deric Angelettie, Swizz Beats, Mo' Suave House and Tyrone Fyffe. The drawback to Ms. Brown's album is that of 15 songs she goes for solo on four tracks. Out of these, "Tramp," the homage to Salt-n-Pepa, is the best, as Foxy overdoses the ears with her trademark nastiness, "Need five more bottles/ to get my shit wet/ you ain't even suck the tits yet." Even though her profane tirades make "Chyna Whyte," "Dog & a Fox" and "BWA" hard to listen to at times, her ferocious response to critics is worth checking. H.V. Claytor Jr.
If you've ever ventured into your local record shop's techno section and been vertiginously overwhelmed by the titanic number of completely obscure artists, don't fret, my friend; much of this electronica fad is utter crap--flat, disposable platters made by people and machines outdated before the disc is even shipped. There are, however, a few albums that make my head spin with delight rather than dizziness. Adam Dorn, operating under the name Mocean Worker, has crafted such a treat with Mixed Emotional Features. Highlights include: "Detonator," a deluxe slice of drum'n'bass topped with horns from a '60s cop show; "Jello Dart," a chunk of bad-ass future-funk ready for the Superfly 2020 soundtrack; the trippy hip-hop/jazz swirl of "Heaven @ 12:07"; the frozen synths sneaking through the heart of "Boba Fett"; "Counts, Dukes & Strays," which slinks to stand-up bass, muted trumpets and electronically brushed hi-hats; and, best of all, the orchestrated brass, timpani-punctuated beats and vibrating mechanical buzz in "Times of Danger." That's six highlights. There are 10 tracks, and the other four cuts are pretty sharp, too. That makes good odds for picking a winner--better than you'd get by diving blindly into that techno mess on your own. Glad I could be here to help. John Graham
The best film soundtracks embody the gestalt of the movie's main character. Wasn't John Williams' brilliant score for Jaws half the reason that damn shark was so terrifying? It's hard to imagine the film without the "naah naa, naah naa" strings that symbolized the lurking carnivore. The soundtrack for the wonderful Rushmore is equally important to the success of the movie, but unlike the Jaws album, this is one CD you'll want to play at home as you dance around with a broom. (You might want to do that with the Jaws anthem as well, but then you'd just be a FREAK!) Rushmore's soundtrack captures the essence of its main character, Max Fischer, a timeless chap who personifies individuality and persistence, by using jaunty, powerful and lesser-known tunes of the 1960s British Invasion. Creation's "Making Time" is infused with sharp chords that bring Max's quick pace to mind; Chad & Jeremy's hit "A Summer Song" perfectly expresses Max's heart-sick romantic side. If you haven't seen the film, don't worry--the soundtrack is a well-selected collection of the Kinks, Cat Stevens and John Lennon tunes that's enjoyable in its own right. For your added pleasure, Devo's Mark Motherbaugh (whose compositions have been popping up on soundtracks all over H-town of late) lends some original instrumental tracks. Caryn B. Brooks - - - - - - - - - - - -
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