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Top Ten Soul Albums of 1990
Page 8
December 3
4/
Caron Wheeler, formerly with the British group Soul II Soul,
tops the charts with one of the ten best soul albums of 1990.
By Tun Little
Assistant Editor
The year of the new decade is almost
upon us, and as we look over the music that
has come and gone, what can be said?
Well, it was all right
Actually, the music was not that revolu
tionary as far as style goes, and it wasn ’ t the
most innovative thing in the world either.
One can note different forms of music
coming in and out house and hip hop making
hip house, reggae making a small come
back and black rock/hardcore groups com
ing on the scene.
But what were the best of this mixed up
year? What stood out as the best creative,
outspoken, stylish and sounding produc
tions? Janet Jackson? Good, but that was
1989. M.C. Hammer, you say? Not quite.
Vanilla Ice? You’re not getting any better,
so let’s go on to the list (no particular order):
Ice Cube —AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted
Yes, there are words of profane lan
guage and references to women as...well,
you know, but music-wise Ice Cube makes
a successful jump from N.W.A. to Public
Enemy producer Hank Shocklee. Once one
gets past those strong lyrics, he or she can
THE WINNERS
--L.L. CoolJ
Mama Said Knock You Out
L.L.’s fourth LP makes a statement
that he’s going to keep going on strong for
a few more years. Much better than tet
year’s, WalHng WithAPanther,Li^- has
taken new strides to stay on top of the rjq>
industry. Highlights include "The Boom-
ingSystem,”“Mr. Goodbar”and“ToTha
Break Of Dawn.” He also has a remixed
version of “Jinglin ’ Baby.” Good produc
tion work by Marley-Marl. Ratings: B+
-The Branford Marsalis Quartet
Mo’ Better Blues (soundtrack)
Although the movie is old, the sound
track has yet to hit hard on the charts. But
don’t be misled by that as Marsalis and
friends make the jazz sound perfect with
their masterful mixing of contemporary
andtraditicxial styles. The "Harlem Blues”
remake and the title track highlight this
one. Another bonus is "A Jazz Thing,” a
history lesson about jazz pioneers in a rap
version by Gang-Starr. Ratings: A-
THELOSERS:
•'Mantronix
This Should Move Ya’
Yeah, move ya to put on something
else. Ratings: D
-I>-Nice
^rambs On The Table
D-WeaL Ratings: D-
hear originality and style working in its best
fashion. What makes this album one of the
year’s best is that it’s a perfect example of
a black man being able to say exactly what
he wants to and say it how he wants to also.
On AmeriKKKa’s. Ice Cube makes a lot of
rappers coming from the West Coast seem
like the jokes they are. (No offense to West
Coast rap lovers.)
Deee-Lite — World Clique
The trio from Global Village, N.Y.,
shocked the dance world this year with their
sampling and styles reminiscent firom the
‘60s and ‘70s. House grooves and disco/
funk beats combined incredibily well, and
standouts such as “Groove Is In The Heart”
and “Good Beat” make Deee-Lite fans
anxiously awaiting their second effort. This
one should be in everyone’s record collec
tion.
Public Enemy—Fear Of A Black Planet
Remember this one? It seems as if this
was out a looong time ago, but it just goes
to show that music in 1990 has been trudg
ing along. Chuck D., Flavor-Flav and the
rest of the boys were in full effect— again.
It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us
Back was better, halFear Of A BlackPlanet
is powerful, well-crafted and full of the best
beats of the year. Some of the highlights of
the album include “Welcome To The Ter-
rordome,”“911 Is A Joke,”“WhoStoleThe
Soul” and “Anti-Nigger Machine.”
L.L. Cool J. — Mama Said Knock You
Out
Like Public Enemy, this is not Li.’s
best, but it shows that he has outlasted most
of the rappers that were out when he first got
on the scene. Mama... shows that Uncle L.
can maintain his style of rapping, use new
types of beats and still be successful.
“Around The Way Girl,” “The Booming
System” and “Mr. Goodbar” are some of
the best takes, while oldies “To Da Break
Of Dawn” and “Jingling Baby (Remixed
but still jingling)” work, too.
Prince — Graffiti Bridge (soundtrack)
Prince surprised a lot of critics when this
album turned out to be so good. After all, for
a man who had 10 good albums in 10 years,
a stopping point had to be coming soon.
With a lot of help from friends such as
Mavis Staples, George Clinton and The
Time, Prince refunktified (is that a word?)
his music for the ‘90s. Songs like “Love
Machine,” “Question Of You,” “Joy In
Repitition” and “Round and Round” make
this one a joy no matter what mood you’re
in. Too bad the same can’t be said about the
movie.
Caron Wheeler — UK Blak
With the help of multi-cultural and muti-
talented people, Wheeler has i»obably put
together the most versatile effon of the
year. Bouncing off reggae sounds, hip hop
beats and jazz tones, UK Blak shines in the
midstof other dance and soul albumsof the
year. The former background singer for
artists such as Elvis Costello and Talking
Heads, and the former head singer of Soul
II Soul songs “Back To Life” and “Keep On
Movin ’,” Wheeler has definitely moved on.
A Tribe Called Quest — People’s In
stinctive Travels and The Paths of Rhythm
One of the most underrated rap albums
of the year is also one of the year’s best. Q-
Tipand therestof the tribe meander through
varied beats while sampling works of jazz
artists and funk masters. Although they are
still in the shadows of De La Soul, the
members of the Tribe are establishing their
own fans through the sounds of such songs
as “Go Ahead In The Rain,” “Bonita Apple-
bum” and “Footprints.”
Jungle Brothers—Done By The Forces
Of Nature
Like the Tribe, the Jungle Brothers aren’t
as well-known as De La, but overall might
be better. Done By The Forces Of Nature is
a far-stepping masterpiece that doesn’t hit
hard at first, butafter a while becomes of the
best rap albums ever made. “1*11 House
You” may have put the Brothers on the
map, but “We’re Doin’ Our Own Thang”
and other standouts will carry them further
down the road.
Loose Ends — Look How Long
One of the best unknown, unsung soul
groups of the ‘80s looks like it will be
hitting hard in the ‘90s. Eric McIntosh, the
main man behind the Loose Ends name, has
put together some new band members and
a new jam right before the end of the year.
The first single, “Don’t Be A Fool,” sym
bolizes the new sound of the group. By the
way, go back and get the group’s earlier
effort, Zamora.
Soul II Soul — Vol. II1990: A New Dec
ade
A lot of the general public didn’t like this
one as much as the group’s first one, but to
be critically honest, this album is thorough.
Between the masterful production of Jazzie
B. and soul singing of various artists, the
Soul II Soul sound system puts together a
collection that actually might be an album
that was made before its time. Look for
more Soul II Soul imitators on the scene in
the ‘90s.
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