The 100th Monkey “The 100th Monkey”
Self-releasedÂ
The 100th Monkey does nothing new here. Rhymes don’t flow
well, especially over beats that seem pre-programmed. The disc is
annoyingly full of false swagger and bravado typical of many
performers, but in this case not backed by talent. The lyrics are
comical. In almost every song, repetition drills each chorus home
with what feels like tiny needles invading brain matter with slow,
jabbing motions. Sampling quotes from President Bush on
“License to Kill” only makes the CD that much more
annoying. The opening music in “Why You Gotta Hate”
sounds like it was ripped straight from a ’70s porn.
“Why you gotta hate me cause you can’t be me?”
asks The 100th Monkey. There’s no hate here, simply relief
once the CD is over. ““
Kathleen Dunphy
3rd Strike “Lost Angel” Hollywood
Records
Spawned from the backlash to last year’s heroes of
nu-metal (new wave of revitalized heavy metal music) Linkin Park,
3rd Strike’s “Lost Angel” is advertised as a
harder-edged alternative to rap-rock’s boy band. However, in
their haste to sign the most thuggish band that walked through the
front door, the heads at Hollywood Records failed to notice that
their little pet project packs more bark than bite. Ironically,
bandleader and main songwriter Jim Korthe, the mandatory portly
lead screamer, is what makes “Lost Angel” the
unbearable downer it was destined to be. The adequate rhythm
section should drown out Korthe’s amateurish vocals in future
concert performances. He possesses the necessary emotional urgency,
but lacks the relentless power of a Rage Against the
Machine’s Zack de la Rocha. As a lyricist, Korthe relies too
much on his gang survivor persona to capture the listener’s
attention. The band pays tribute to Black Sabbath by recording the
2,146th cover version of “Paranoid,” the highlight or
low point of the album. “Lost Angel” has the potential
to single-handedly end the nu-metal scene ““ an achievement
that would be worthy of the full five stars. ““
David Chang
Yohany “Yohany” Durmar Records
On the first track of Yohany’s debut album, the aspiring
pop princess seductively asks, “Let me take you somewhere
where you’ve never been with anyone.” Sadly, she does
nothing of the sort. Throughout the 14 tracks of the self-titled
CD, Yohany manages to run through practically every pop
cliché, from the “I’ll be there for you when you
need me” track to the “don’t even try to get my
number, scrub; me and my girls are too much lady for you”
song. The music and production seem like scraps left over from the
newest Jessica Simpson or Christina Aguilera CD, with the industry
standards of stuttering cymbals and electronic, Cher-like vocals
circa “Believe.” And let’s not forget the
god-awful guest rappers and obligatory Spanish tracks. But not only
is Yohany’s disc formula bubblegum pop, it’s also
boring bubblegum pop. The beats are sparse and sound like the
producers mixed the album on their My First Casio keyboard. Yohany
had no part in the album’s songwriting or production, showing
her disinterested and insincere vocals that make much of the album
sound more like soda commercials than the work of an actual
performer. Perhaps the saddest part of this whole disc is that
Yohany actually has a pretty good voice. Though she’s no
Mariah Carey, her lightly-accented vocals could beat J-Lo or
Britney in a karaoke match any day of the week. Unfortunately,
karaoke is exactly what this under-produced, insincere scrap-heap
sounds like. ““
Alex Palmer
Mark Knopfler “A Shot at Glory” (Soundtrack)
Mercury Records
Â
As an astute director once pointed out, evaluating a music score
can be as difficult to review as a film’s sound effects or
cinematography. The soundtrack for “A Shot at Glory” is
enjoyable, including bagpipes that sound as if they were pure
emotion released into thin air, though not strong enough to stand
on its own away from the movie. This score still sounds like
background music. Although it’s well-done background music,
it feels as though action is missing. Once on-screen activities are
added, there is no doubt that everything will fall into place much
more completely. Once again, this proves that Mark Knopfler must
have been born with a pick in his hands, if not an entire guitar.
He is a talented composer, despite only doing so for films
sporadically, but in this case his engaging soundtrack has a
difficult time stepping ahead of the rest.  ““
Kathleen Dunphy