You can buy this disc by clicking this link: Sound Clip - "Feel So Good"
(Sound clips courtesy Music Blvd):
Title: "Harlem World" Artist: "Mase" Label: Bad Boy Records/Arista Reviewed By: Jill Williams Rating: 
"Mase" began a career fairly early. After being a rapper for about three years, he took off for Atlanta to see if he could make some things come together. While in Atlanta, he ran into "Puff Daddy," who signed "Mase" on his label, "Bad Boy Records." At 19 years of age, "Mase" managed to debut this album at #1 on the charts.
"Puff's Intro" does just what it says. It gives an overview of what the album is supposed to talk about. It's pretty, mellow, and clear. And the horn section is outstanding. Then we head straight into some slow rap with "Do You Wanna Get $?" The female background singers are wonderful. The rap itself is good too, but not my favorite part of the song.
"Mad Rapper" isn't music, but it is funny. There are several such interludes on the album, but this is the best one. I couldn't stop laughing when I heard this. So far, it's been the most fun thing on here. I only wish they didn't bleep out the obscenities. Actually, the whole CD seems to be edited for radio already. It's more annoying than anything, especially in the next song, "Will They Die 4 You." Seems like half of the words are missing.
"Lookin' At Me" is the song I've enjoyed most so far on this album. The background music and singers are paranoid sounding and very cool. In fact, it reminds me a bit of Micheal Jackson doing "Somebody's Watching Me" with "Rockwell." Some of the words don't make much sense or I don't understand how they connect, but it doesn't matter. It's still good listening.
Another good one is "Wanna Act." With Busta Rhymes chiming in, it makes for interesting listening. Then "Feel So Good" comes along and the horn section is again great, the background singers are terrific, and the beat is really something. They do takes on several diffferent songs including "Bad Boys" by Janet Jackson and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" by Micheal Jackson. This, the first single from the album, is by far my favorite song.
"24 Hrs To Live" is about all the things Mase would do if he had just one day left to live. Some things are nice, some are not so nice. It's a sad song, but it's certainly thought-provoking as well. "Wanna Hurt Mase" was another blast from the past. The chorus was a slightly altered version of "Do You Really Wanna Hurt Me" by "Culture Club." I couldn't help but laugh when I heard the beginning, but of course the meat of the song is more along the lines of life in Harlem.
Finally, "Jealous Guy" is Mase's first attempt at singing as opposed to rapping. It's not bad. It is clear, however, that rap is what he does best. I enjoyed the song mostly for the music.
With 19 songs on this album, it's hard to really cover them all. I tried to talk about the highlights. It's a very mellow CD musically, but not at all lyrically. The words are actually pretty strong, even with parts blanked out. I'm not a rap fan, so this review was a little difficult for me. I'm sure that those who are into the music would like this better than I did. I do think it's an above average album, but not necessarily my style. Considering it's already doing extremely well, I'm sure it's worth a look. If I liked several of these songs, that's got to mean something.
You can buy this disc by clicking this link: Sound Clip - "Imagine"
(Sound clips courtesy Music Blvd):
Title: "BRAND NEW" Artist: "SALT N PEPA" Label: Red Ant Available: Any Major Music Store Reviewed By: Donn Jehs Rating: 
Grammy - winning artists Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandi Denton) and DJ Spinderella (Dee Dee Roper) have been bringing us sexy, empowering and captivating music for over 10 years. from "Push It" to "None Of Your Business." So, what is "Brand New?" Well for starters the ladies have stepped out on their own to write and produce this album. Does this mean the old Salt-n-Pepa sound is gone? Not hardly! But it has grown wider to encompass more of their personal feelings on life, love, and spirituality. The mix is still solid with beats that go right to the dance floor and takes you with it.
From the opening cut, "RU Ready," S-n-P serves notice that "the girls with an attitude" are back with a sound as tight as their best from the past. Already in play rotation on radio stations it has been moving up the charts. It's the perfect song to open an album or a concert, throwing down the musical gauntlet. It is reprised with a remix to close out the album.
"Good Life" is a reflection on how far S-n-P has come since the beginning low budget days, and they revel in their ability to do the things they only dreamed of before, shopping, cars, even worrying about taxes. Living like "Nubian Queens." An R&B feeling imbues "Do Me Right" as the girls let you know they want to be treated right, and if they are, well . . . "Mad Lion" guests on the next cut, "Friends," a warning to those hanger-ons that surround the successful. Mad is like voice of temptation asking "Why you wanna be like that" and saying "I know you want to play the game" as the girls refuse to bite, and stand steadfast by their true friends.
Showing they still can hit below the belt, "Say Ooh" exudes the sexy, get it on aspect they have been known for. A feeling which is even more evident on the cut "Gitty Up" which has a Rick James loop and a sassy horn bite that jumps out of the speakers. This song is sure to be a dance favorite and will engender the very laviscious thoughts that S-n-P accuses the male sex of seeing in their lyrics. They may not like where other minds take their lyrics but certainly feel free to take advantage of that mindset.
A guest appearance by, of all people, "Sheryl Crow" on the cut "Imagine" visualizes a world without prejudice with Sheryl delivering a soulful rendition that blends well with the voices of S-n-P. Standards is what "Knock, Knock" is about - letting those former lovers out there know that they aren't welcome. The girls desires have changed and what they want in a man has changed too. Committment is the new buzz word.
In a turnabout on the standard trophy "wife/mistress" concept, the girls can buy the trappings of success including their own "Boy Toy." The cut "Brand New Side" is their description of their new sound and style. Ready or not, here they come and there's "no stoppin'." Have they changed? "Silly Of You" is their answer, and is a quirky little song that is the weakest cut but is immediately followed by the strongest cut, "The Clock Is Tickin," a cry out against abuse of women. It contains some of the toughest and edgiest lyrics on any of their albums. The music mix is as loud and ominous as the subject matter. Like "Lets Talk About Sex," the message may be encased in the music but there is no denying its importance.
"Hold On," with guest "Kirk Franklin and the Sounds of Blackness," steps furthest from their previous style with its gospel tinged lyrics and sound. It may be the harbinger of the new paths S-n-P are going down which may lead the girls in separate directions. So while this may be their best album it may also be their last.
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You can buy this disc by clicking this link: Sound Clip - "It's On Tonight"
(Sound clips courtesy Music Blvd):
Title: "IT'S ON TONIGHT" Artist: SAM SALTER Label: LaFace Records Available: Any Major Music Store Reviewed By: Francesca Garton Rating:
LaFace Records' latest debut artist, 19-year-old Los Angeles native "Sam Salter," is being described by the label as "a part of pop culture's latest wave of Generation-Xers on the urban music scene." Favoring a style and tradition reminiscent of R&B's golden days when artists like Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, and Stevie Wonder reigned supreme, Salter embraces the legacy set forth by classic, soul-driven R&B, and combines it with relationship issues meaningful to contemporary times. The result is Salter's first album for LaFace Records, "It's On Tonight," a collection of ballads and mid-tempo compositions that deal exclusively with everyone's favorite subject, l'amour. Love, that is, and what the average person will or won't go through to get it.
Salter is credited with co-writing 8 of the 12 selections on the album with his "production team" made up of producers Christopher "Tricky" Stewart & Sean "Sep" Hall, and writers Laney Stewart and Tab Nkhereanye.
Much of Salter's gospel-flavored sound began in the pews of Los Angeles' Faithful Church of God in Christ. From there, his participation in local talent shows eventually led to his demo recording finding it's way into the hands of LaFace Records' co-president, Antonio "L.A." Reid. Salter was promptly signed and sent to Atlanta to record the effort to be reviewed here. And in listening to this album, one can't help but notice the obvious influences cast upon Salter by his inspirational favorites, Stevie Wonder, John P. Kee, Commission, and LaFace Records' own co-president, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds.
The opening track, "Your Face," is a slow-tempo, low-key ballad that shows off Salter's smooth vocals to his credit. Following this is the album's first single, "After 12, Before 6," another slow-tempo composition which deals with the trials and tribulations of a man faced with the difficulties of catering to both the demands of a career and his "significant other."
Soulful and expressive, Salter does his best to create a sensuous and sultry mood. The pace picks up with the mid-tempo, bass-driven "It's On Tonight," a song that might be seen as a possible path the neglected woman in "After 12, Before 6" might take if her success-minded suitor doesn't soon set his priorities straight. The track "There You Are," a sweet and melodious tune that drops all the pretensions and power-plays of the male/female relationship and concentrates solely on the theme of love and devotion, is probably my favorite track of the album, for the simple reason that it is delivered in a style that echoes with genuine emotion and passion. I love compositions that sound like they speak straight from the heart and soul, and aren't simply written to sell CD's.
"I Love You Both" is another track worthy of mention. Slow-to-mid tempo, and with a strong underlying bass softened with lovely keyboards, this song speaks of a man's love and acceptance of his lady's baby, the result of a previous relationship. Very surprising subject matter by today's standards, and very sweet. The ballad "Show You That I Care" is another little gem, and brings back memories of the great days of R&B, when love songs could wrap themselves around a listener like a soft and warm blanket.
In the same style is the selection "On My Heart." Following is the catchy and mid-tempo composition "Coulda' Been Me," and finishing off the album is the remix of "After 12, Before 6," reworked in an up-tempo style far heavier in effects. I like this version even more than the other.The style seems more fitting to the lyrics, and the livelier instrumentation seems to suit the composition better as a whole.
Well, folks, I must say that, even though I did find the recurrent theme of the highs and lows of romantic relationships to be repetitious after a while, "It's On Tonight" stands as a very worthy debut effort for Sam Salter, and makes me realize just how sorely missed the tradition of the classic R&B influence has been in recent years.
Salter's vocals are smooth and rich, his range impressive, and he can easily take the listener to whatever world of emotion he sings of. I look forward to hearing more of his work as he matures over the years, and I must admit to being more than a bit curious as to his ability to treat material that is a bit more diverse in style. But for now, his current offering stands as a very pleasurable and welcome addition to the urban-based market. This is definitely a good addition to the old CD collection.
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