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New releases by KRS-One and Brenda Russell
KRS-One
A Retrospective
(Jive)
KRS-One’s wildly contradictory and
often half-baked proclamations
have earned him his share of critical
barbs. Sometimes when an artist
changes so much, critics that are only
comfortable with someone they can
sum up in one sentence get put off.
That said, bad press never diminished his legendary status.
First off, thematic consistency and philosophical authenticity
aren’t prerequisites for pop stardom. And his declaration “I am
hip-hop” can simply be seen as his way of interpreting his career.
Just as hip-hop is a mass of conflicting, divergent approaches,
KRS-One’s career has included phases of philosophy and gang
sterism, self-reflection and opaqueness.
Even shaved down to its essentials, as it is on this 16-track
best-of collection, KRS-One’s body of work exhibits more variety
(not to mention more beats-n-rhyme skills) than most artists can
hope to achieve in three careers. Prototypical beef/boast tunes
like “South Bronx" and “The Bridge Is Over” (where he scorches
rivals like MC Shan and Marley Marl, not to mention the entire
borough of Queens) contrast the cautionary, self-reflective
“Love’s Gonna Getcha.” His social commentary could be silly—
see the safe sex advisory “Jimmy”—or deadly serious, as on
“Black Cop” and “Sound of the Police.” And even though he has
gone overboard on the didactic side, tunes like “Why Is That” and
“You Must Learn” are rap benchmarks. KRS is one of the few rap
pers whose tracks have heft—you can still get on the radio by
covering “I’m Still #1KRS is an artist who, through force of will
and skill, has alloyed his towering flaws and strengths into an
overpowering, house-rocking whole.
Brenda Russell
Paris Rain
(Hidden Beach Recordings)
I once got into a discussion with a
noted jazz musician about
“smooth jazz.” He pointed out that
smooth jazz was not bad per se;
just miscast—much of it was actu
ally fairly good R&B/pop, sans
singer (and song, for that matter). Calling it jazz was a disservice
not just to jazz, but to itself.
Grammy-nominated Brenda Russell, for example, is a massively
accomplished singer-songwriter whose jazz fluency and high
octane musicianship place her out of the pop category in many
minds. Which is a shame, because Russell has been producing
some flat-out gorgeous pop music for years. Remember ’80s
tunes like “Piano in the Dark”? (And no, Luther Vandross didn’t
write “If Only for One Night.”) But in a world where pop/R&B
sophistication means knowing more chord changes than Sisqo
(Brian McKnight, Eric Benet and Kenny Lattimore excepted), using
live musicians and having an expressive set of pipes makes you a
hardcore jazzer.
Russell’s latest, Paris Rain, is like most of her others—a
model of near flawless pop consistency. Aided by top-shelf band
members (drummer Vinny Colaiuta, percussionist Paulhino
DeCosta, bassist Jimmy Haislip), Russell waxes poetic on the
disc-opening “Ideal World,” channels Afro-Brasilia on “She’s In
Love” and “Please Felipe,” then gets mellow with the smoky disc
closer “Baby Eyes.” The range of material demonstrates this
artist’s formidable skills, which, after nearly 20 solo years, show
no signs of diminishing. •
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