Page B5
JUNE 17, 1998
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ENTERTAINMENT
E.CLLÆlements of Life
alance is considered an es
sential element in life; ac
c o rd in g ly , E O L ’s RCA
Records debut album, “Elements o f
Life" is the most well balanced LP
since back in the day, when groups
would present a balance o f tracks,
with the “slow songs” and “fast
songs” on opposite sides o f their
vinyl discs.
“ Elements o f Life” offers a superb
melange o f songs, masterfully ex
ecuted by twenty-something W ash
ington, DC quartet EOL. Whether
the listener wishes to dance or ro
mance, he’ 11 find the track perfect for
either activity on this well thought
out LP.
EOL is comprised o f Ike, Priest,
Scooter, and John, four o f the finest
voices to emerge form the Chocolate
City. They consistently deliver warm,
crystal clear harmonies and impas
sioned leads. Theirdebut album will
instantly distinguish this gentlemanly
young group form anyone w e’ve
heard in quite some time.
“Elements o f Life” takes an opti
mistic, all-good approach to various
matters o f the heart. Effectively pre
viewing their stunning debut release
is "Love the Way,” on which the
guys drop a couple o f urban beats for
those who like to move, assisted by
lady rapper Shelve. On this tune, the
gents let the ladies know in plain
English, no beating around the bush,
that they love the way they love them,
surrounded in a down to earth groove.
A listen to EO L’s album turns up “ Freaky Tonight,” smoothly sample
the Dr. Dre/Snoop Doggy Dog hit
num erous dance/rom ance gems:
B
Holly McNarland
Holly McNarland isn'ta shy
kind of girl. You could say
she lets it all hang out pretty
much the way she does on
stage, an attribute which has
landed her a reputation for un
swerving frankness and a pri
ority status for Universal
Records.
But the 23 year old singer/
songwriter ultimately landed
her much coveted spot at the
label as a result of her sing
ing—and song writing.
That’s Holly McNarland:
Obvious about what she is
feeling, what she is thinking’
obvious about who she is, with
an uncompromising honesty.
She is an artist that can take it
all off in a way that allows her
to sing “Does my nude make
you blush?” with unflinching
aplomb.
While naked honesty comes
relatively easy for the Cana
dian born singer of Ojibwa
Indian heritage, McNarland
has a tough time suppressing
a seemingly insatiate desire to
indulge herself in the pranks
befitting a tw isted pixie.
Asked how she came to write
the songs on her full length
debut titled STUFF, she re
sponds: “The album came
from heart, from my head.
Same s**it, different area.”
Ç&eæ, lie s , and Coffeebeans
Sex, Lies, a n d C o ffeebeans is
an evening o f fits and misfits in
theEccentric Cafe, where the sing
ing psychologist Dr. Joy Smothers
perform s her songs and conducts a
very unique “healing w orkshop.”
You w on’t know how normal you
are u n til you e x p e rie n c e th is
evening o f madness. A contem po
rary spo o f on pop psychology, it
features the talents o f Pat Blem ( as
Dr. Joy), Scott Parker, Jim Eidrem,
Rebecca Rothery and T om Stewart.
Directed by Kate H aw kes-ac
claimed for her work on Quilters
and Sw eet P hoebe at A RT-this
world prem iere by Portland play
wrights John and Judy Rachel is
not a musical but offers eight origi
nal songs. Dr. Joy sings the likes o f
T he R ut Less Traveled, I'm O kay
Y o u ’re T h e Pits, M en W ho Love
T oo M uch and G ive Y o u r In n e r
C hild An E viction N otice The
songs only hint at her unusual bag
o f therapuetic tricks and tech
niques. A fter seeing her in action
one will w onder is she is the natural
heir to the thrones o f Dr. Ruth, Dr.
Laura and Dr. Joyce Brothers her
self. It is a roller coater ride o f wry
hum or and dram atic surprises.
Sex, Lies, an d C offeebeans will
be at The Main Street Theater, 904
SW Main Street (com er o f Main
and Park below the Portland Art
M useum). Thurs (preview ) thru
«
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W
1
t
t
"Nothing But A G Thang” and pairs
EOL with Naughty By Nature rapper
Treach; the tonally rich “Not Atraid
to L o v e"
l-AKTASTLC l-QULv!
u rin g :
r u a l Healing
Sunday, June 25-28, Wed thru Fri
day, July I-3 and Sunday, July 5.
No perform ance on July 4th. Fri-
day/Saturday at 8 PM. All other
days at 7 PM.
G eneral adm ission tickets are
$ 16.00 ($ 10.00 for preview) and are
a v a ila b le at all F re d M e y e r
FA ST IX X O u tle ts, or can be
charged by phone by calling 224-
8499 (tickets thru FASTIXX are
subject to a service charge).
F orreservationspleasecall 244-
8647.
AFKIKAN MENTAL
LDBEIRATDON WEEK
KBOO 90.7 FM
Juneteenth
Week
June 15-19
Mon-Thu 7-9PM • Fri 7 - Midnite
Hear Afrikan Scholars, &. Thinkers
he supergroup Fourplay, known for its stellar personnel and history
o f chart-lopping releases, has a new member, Larry Carlton In the
wake of Lee Ritenour’s new rcsponsibihticsas head ofhisown label,
the other members o f Fourplay - Bob James, Nalhan Fast and Harvey Mason -
looked fora player who could complement their own diverse musical sensibilities
and contribute something fresh to the mix.
Bob James elucidates, “We weren’t looking for another Lee Ritenour or
someone to recreate his sound. We were very positive about the adventure of
something new. Though I hadn’t worked with Larry, I knew his work. I had
listened to his records for many years It was a great choice on different levels
We knew he had the chops as a studio musician lobe flexible, which we thought
was a major part o f the Fourplay sound.
“One of the things that was most intriguing to us was, When does a group
become something that is different and larger than the individuals who are
involved in it?’ We arc experiencing the answer to that right now The band
absolutely feels like Fourplay to us And certainly a very, very large part of that
is due to Larry Carlton’s great musicianship ’’
Now with Larry Carlton aboard. Fourplay is poised toeontinue their wide-
ranging musical exploration. Although there isa new flavor to Fourplay. one thing
remains the same: the sum of the individual member’s backgrounds and experi
ences. encompassing classical, pop. jazz, rock, blues and r&b, serves to create
a unique and identifiable sound that is at once intriguing and captivating
T
/< OURPLAY
OFFER GOOD THRU 6-30-98
MUSIC
MILLENNIUM
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