8 THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005 Senior s thesis promotes debate through music BY JOHN COGGIN STAFF WRITER In the new musical “Soul Notes,” University undergraduate Creighton Irons offers a philosophi cal debate over the meaning of race in America as argued through the diverse sounds of the country’s his tory in music. The musical is Irons’ senior the sis, and for someone who admit tedly is unfamiliar with the kind of product students in the dramatic art department are churning out each year, this thing was mind blowing. For the first half of the perfor mance, I could not force the goofy grin off my face. The moment the six-piece live band began to storm through narrator Rasta’s theme music, my head started bouncing and never stopped even if the music did. A white-people-sing-the-blues too duet between Kelen Coleman and Jeff Fowler brought the house down, and the response from Trey Campbell was equally impressive. Nonetheless, there are a couple of itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny com plaints: While no one in the audience Saturday night could reasonably deem race an irrelevant topic, many might have found it difficult to embrace some of the perspec tives from which Irons chose to examine the subject, for they often seemed so outdated or just plain cliche. But I’ll give him the cliched characters and outdated arguments and justify it by saying that perhaps by using familiar semantics in the race debate, Irons allowed the audience to simply sit back and enjoy the inventive way in which he approached an old discussion through music. Because this is where he got it right. For example, the contrived themes explored through an inter racial relationship sort of left a bad taste in your mouth. But the way in which Irons and director Dana Dobreva chose to depict the couple was absolutely brilliant. Eliza is the hopeless romantic to Lyndon’s uncertain realist, as acted out by Megan Kauffmann CLOTHING OPTIONAL Now you can get low T \ raj aprfMfirT-"' I m j jt -Mir ■MB'* f 'WL • /*; A. j£BB M 3k . COURTESY OF MGM Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson gets inexplicably excited about his new shoes and cool kicks in "Be Cool," the sequel to the 1995 hit "Get Shorty." In the film, Johnson plays the role of menacing bodyguard Elliot Wilhelm. nostalgia, seeing “Pulp Fiction” buddies Travolta and Uma Thurman reunite. But nothing exists between their characters, except for wasted potential. They meet under the pretense of being old friends, but audiences are supplied with no backstory and are expected to buy their relationship, despite its lack of chemistry. Even the seemingly guaranteed crowd-pleaser of seeing Travolta dance is shattered by Gray’s need to keep the camera moving and cutting around him, never allow ing a decent perception of his movements. Gray and Steinfeld exhibit an overreliance on casual name-drop ping to create a sense of real-time Hollywood, while conveniently fans coolly swaying to a lightly twanged ukulele. The goal for any musician is to grow from album to album and come to embody an unexpectedly enjoyable sound it’s the stuff Grammy dreams are made of. Johnson does this with his new album, but you couldn’t tell it from the first few tracks. The album’s opening trifecta of “Better Together,” “Never Know” and “Banana Pancakes” sounds like everything else Johnson has ever dished out: musically-simple jam sessions that leave you idly bobbing your head. That mood changes entirely with “No Other Way,” a slow, lullaby-type serenade that starts to paint of por trait of the kind of mood Johnson is developing. One of the album’s best tracks, “No Other Way” is the kind of honest pop song Johnson could never produce with his first two albums. “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing,” the album’s radio-ready single, is more of the same Johnson fare, but even forgetting to support this conceit with legitimate wit or satire. These referential scenes of both “Get Shorty” and the great er Hollywood community never exist beyond level one to become legitimately funny in and of them selves. If there’s one saving grace to “Be Cool,” it’s that the cast seems to be having a ball. They are all capable of keeping a straight face while being handed ridiculous situa tions. Travolta in particular appears to be having more fun on screen than he’s had in years, and The Rock exudes a natural comedic charisma. Hell, even Vince Vaughn deliv ers, despite the fact that his annoy ing, one-note, wannabe gangster MUSIC 7ITIEW JACK JOHNSON IN BETWEEN DREAMS irkkirk his “same old, same old” has some thing new to offer, a kind of musi cal ebb and flow that never before personified his tunes. “Situations” and “Belle,” both shorter than two minutes, are the kind of hit-and-run songs that quickly strike a chord with listen ers and leave just as fast. “Belle,” especially, becomes an easy album favorite with Johnson harmoniz ing ala franQais to the tune of an accordion. It is the album’s final five songs, though, that give it’s winning per sonality. In order, “If I Could,” “Breakdown,” “Belle,” “Do You Remember” and “Constellations” all work together to create an artis tically accomplished ending for In Between Dreams. “Breakdown,” perhaps the album’s standout track, is the Grand Opening of Ellis Family Dentistry! Complete dental care for the entire family We offer comprehensive services including: • Spa ' /***& J • State of the art technology • Pediatric, geriatric, cosmetic and general care • Care credit payment plans available • Se habla espanol Open Monday through Friday. New patients and emergencies are welcome. 10% off all services with Student ID! Please visit us at www.ellisdentistry.com • 919-960-0155 Angela G. Ellis, DDS • General Dentistry 120 Connor Drive, Suite 201 Chapel Hill, 27514 uUjp Hatty (Ear Hrrl MOVIE IVIEW “BE COOL" irk character is like one of those blow up dolls. No matter how many times you punch it, it mockingly pops back up. Overall, the film is a failed retread of its predecessor, exhib iting none of its slickness. It’s a shame, too, because the first 10 minutes presented alone would make a wonderful short film, albeit one without plot, character or end ing. “Be Cool” gives unwarranted, unnecessary sequels a bad name. Contact theA&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu. kind of song that allows Johnson to hearken his inner poet. In it, Johnson emotes lyrics tinged with heartache and soft chords that completely contradict his words. It’s this kind of contradiction that makes Johnson such a stellar composer, giving him the ability to say one thing and evoke feelings of another; the result is brilliant song writing and even better execution. The album’s final two tracks, “Do You Remember” and “Constellations” are completely mesmerizing in their delivery, with lyrics both simple and subtle but a meaning that reaches far beyond its conveyance. In Between Dreams is a perfect phrase to describe this different face for Johnson: not anew face, just a different one. He’s an art ist in transition, on the brink of something big. It’s albums like this, though, that makes us wish him to stay in an artistic limbo. Contact theA&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.