The News Argus May 1996 Page 12
ENTERTAINMENT
Vib es, Beats, and...
BY AMY PHIPPS. DOUGLAS B. CLARK AND
KENYATTA JENNINGS
Staff Writers
Herbie Hancock: The New
Standard
Herbie Hancock: The New
Standard is a collection of contemporary
pop songs which Herbie Harjcock has
revised and with which he has created
jazz arrangements.
Significantly, Hancock has returned
to acoustic piano as the primary
instrument on one of his albums for the
first time in 16 years. Hancock is
supported by saxophonist Michael
Brecker as well as a strong rhythm
section: John Scofield on guitar, Dave
Holland on bass, Jack DeJohnette on
drums and Don Alias on percussion.
The Stevie Wonder composition
“ You’ve Got It Bad Girl “ speeds
along at a rapid, upbeat tempo thanks to
percussionist Don Alias. Rich phrases
build and resolve in a wonderful
combination of Wonder’s and Hancock’s
styles.
Hancock approaches Prince’s
“Thieves in the Temple” with a gospel
piano style and a funky guitar
accompaniment. The saxophonist
Michael Brecker carries the melody for
most of the piece and manages to move
forward without resorting to a breakneck
pace. And one of the most interesting
covers is “All Apologies, “ written by the
recently deceased grunge-rock star Kurt
Cobain. Hancock plays the piano with a
blues touch while guitarist John Scofield
produces a meditative, droning effect in
the background using some tyf)e of pedal
or midi effect.
The CD concludes after
approximately an hour and fifteen
minutes with a beautiful rendition of
Herbie and Jean Hancock’s
"Manhattan." The majority of the
songs feature Hancock on piano with a
light bass and drum accompaniment.
This mellow piece, full of rich, soulful
chords brings the album to a silent,
dreamy end.
Lionel Richie
Louder Than Words
Lionel Richie’s latest album,
“Louder Than Words,” is a very
impressive demonstrate of blending
different musical styles. While listening
to this album you can appreciate the high
level of talent; that Richie worked with
by co-writing and co-producing songs
with such artists like Babyface, Jimmy
Jam and Terry Lewis, James Anthony
Carmichael and David Foster.
You will really enjoy listening to
songs like “Climbing," “Lovers At
First Sight,” “Nothing Else Matters,”
and “Ordinary Girl.”
Girl 6
The Soundtrack
If you are a fan of The Artist
Formerly Known as Prince, then you are
bound to love the soundtrack from the
racy new Spike Lee Film, Girl 6.
This soundu-ack exclusively features
songs and artists from the Paisley Park
label, past and present, like The New
Power Generation, Vanity 6, The Family,
and The Artist Formerly known as Prince
and his Revolution. Listening to it is like
taking a tour down memory lane of the
last 10 years of music.
His Royal Badness provides us with
such favorites as Adore, Erotic City,
Hot Thang, and Pink Cashmere to
name the more popular ones. The Family
pops back on the scene with the only hit
that they ever had. The Screams of
Passion. The next cut is serious blast
from the past. Vanity 6’s Nasty Girl.
Now how long has it been since you
heard that one?
The entire soundtrack isn’t
completely a stroll down Paisley Park.
There are a few new tracks but none of
them are all that fascinating.
One of the new songs, the title
track. Girl 6, by the New Power
Generation, has a very upbeat sound and
some rather catchy lyrics but generally
sounds like th’e rest of the album. If
you’ve heard the old ones then you have
basically heard the new ones.
If you love the Paisley Park Label
and th;re has never been anything that
The Artist Formerly known as Prince
recorded or produced that you didn’t
enjoy, then Girl 6 should be your next
musical purchase;
If "purple grooves" don’t impress
you one bit and deja vous just isn’t your
style, Forget It Kid! This is not the
album for you.
Movie Reviews
BY DOUGLAS CLARK
Staff Writer
City Hall
City Hall is really a must see movie.
It deals with situations that elected public
officials face while they’re in office.
A1 Pacino plays the mayor of New York
City who uses public relations
effectively to control the press and the
city. He stays in the spotlight at all times
in the community.
While, you are watching the movie;
you can notice the similiarities and the
differences, that today’s politicians have
or do not have while dealing with the
media.
City Hall is a pretty good, “who done
it?” movie. You will enjoy following the
plot in this movie.
Dead Man Walking
This movie deals with the never-
ending debate in our Criminaf Justice
System: Life v, Capital Punishment.
Sean Penn portrays a prisoner on
Death Row-who finally atones for his
part in a violent crime. Susan Sarandon
(who just recently won an Oscar for Best
Actress in this movie), portrays a Nun
and social worker who is responsible for
handling the religious rights of the
prisoner (Sean Penn) , who is on Death
Row.
Prisoners may wait on Death Row
for years while their lawyers are filing
motions for their appeals for their very
lives. This movie may or may not change
people’s attitude towards prisoner’s
religious rights in our society.
It is a movie that is worth seeing
because it will make you think about
crime across the country. It also reminds
us that it is equally as important; to be
able to forgive the actions but never
forget the crime.
Family Thing
This movie tells the story of how two
brothers from two different worlds;
actually came from the same rural
environment back in Arkansas. Duvall
portrays (Earl) a very convincing
"redneck" store owner in the South-who
had a pretty simple way of life.
But things quickly become
complicated for good-old Earl, after a
family crisis. Earl learned that his
whole life, his whole identity was a
complete hoax-by people that he though
he could trust and believe in.
The events based on a lie; put Ear!
on the road heading to Chicago-to meet
his long lost brother Raymond- portrayed
by James Earl Jones. Raymond Murdock
left Arkansas as a very small child with
his Aunt ”T”, his mother’s sister.
Raymond grew up around big city life
and he became a Chicago policeman.
This movie deals social issues like
race relations and racial sterotypes-that
always seems to be never-ending in our
society.
Family Thing is a movie, that
teaches us that families can come
together; even after different situations.
ffllT
THE MOST WONDERFUL,
LOVING, PROTECTIVE, CARING,
CULINARY ARTIST • BEAUTIFUL
AND UNDERSTANDING FRIEND