Girls vs. Boys

ROUND 2: To determine the winner, use our ultra-scientific point system: An A = 5 points (A- = 4.5), B = 4 (B+ = 4.2). The Boys total: 12.5. The Girls total: 12.9. So GIRLS WIN!

Times staff writers

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 21, 2000

GIRLS:

PATTI SMITH, GUNG HO (ARISTA) -- Gung Ho comes 25 years after Smith shook up the pop world with her debut, Horses. Since then she has retired, come back, and found her old punk spirit again.

Gung Ho is a return to form for the 53-year-old, whose last three albums have been somber and elegaic following the death of husband Fred "Sonic" Smith.

Patti Smith is rallying again, against consumerism, crack cocaine and the status quo. Slick production can't tone down Smith's righteous rants, which is mostly a good thing. But, the weightiness sometimes, well, weighs on you. (Patti is nothing if not principled.) No matter. Gems such as Glitter In Their Eyes, a commentary on materialism, and the delicious China Bird and Lo and Beholden show Smith can write hooks as well as flip out. And not to be outdone by Lou Reed in the arty-pretense department, Smith offers the 12-minute title track, a chronicle of the life of Ho Chi Minh. Grade: B+

- GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic

CAT POWER, THE COVERS RECORD (MATADOR) -- Warning: this disc is not as good as I think it is, but I still play it 24/7. Anyway, what can you do with a record of covers of others' material? Well, a lot, or a little if you're Chan Marshall, better known as Cat Power. She takes tunes by the Stones and Dylan and the Velvet Underground and gives them her weird, understated twist with only the slightest touches of piano or guitar.

The results are sometimes ethereal, sometimes downright spooky. Scare the pants off yourself with the opener, a frightening take on (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, in which Power lops off that nagging chorus altogether.

Sea of Love never sounded so stark and compelling. Next, go for Nina Simone's Wild Is The Wind, all naked.

This whole stripped-down covers record, now that you mention it, sounds defiant or vulnerable. Makes me feel like a voyeur, which, I think, was Power's point. Grade: B+ - GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic

AMEL LARRIEUX, INFINITE POSSIBILITIES (EPIC) -- Larrieux, former Groove Theory singer, branches out on her own on Infinite Possibilities. She's what pop crits nowadays call a "progressive R&B" singer. Much like the equally talented Erykah Badu, Angie Stone and Macy Gray, Larrieux's tunes recall a finer era in R&B when singing meant something.

Tough, often heartbreaking lyrics, straight-up jazzy vocals and a sultry, smoky ambiance prove Larrieux knows her roots. You hear bits of Ella, Sarah, Dinah. Get this, Larrieux even scats on Sweet Misery and later gives props to Marvin Gaye on the gospel-tinged Even If. The good thing: Larrieux isn't ripping off anybody. She has her own fine style, one that's contemporary, full of funk, wisdom and grace. Grade: A- - GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic

BOYS:

LOU REED, ECSTASY (REPRISE) -- Ecstasy is Reed's first album of new tunes in four years. And, as usual, he has been brooding since last we heard from him. But, that's what we expect from Reed, former Velvet Underground prophet of depravity, S&M and heroin.

Now nurturing -- or not -- a real grown-up relationship with avant-pop artist Laurie Anderson, Reed has issued a disc of bleak ballads. His plain-spoken word commentary on life and love is as engrossing as ever. As arty and pretentious, too.

There are many winners on Ecstasy, but some real doozies, too. Future Farmers of America is laughably bad. And, what's with the 18-minute feedback-drenched Like A Possum? Of course, that's no surprise from the man who gave us Metal Machine Music in the 1970s. (Not to mention VU's noisefest Sister Ray.)

Ecstasy is edgy, sometimes hand-wringing and ulcer-inducing. In short, it's Lou, through and through. Grade: B - GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic

MICHAEL PENN, MP4 (DAYS SINCE A LOST TIME ACCIDENT), EPIC - Michael Penn was born too late. If he were a generation older, he could have been the Fifth Beatle. As it is, he sometimes sounds like all the Beatles and Beatles helpers (circa Abbey Road) rolled into one. Like Penn's previous efforts, MP4 (Days Since a Lost Time Accident) features trenchant wordplay worthy of John, effortless hooks worthy of Paul, production wizardry worthy of George Martin -- even portentous descending guitar scales reminiscent of Harrison/Clapton.

So why aren't we all in the thrall of Pennmania? Well, it isn't 1966 anymore, and we're in an extended bear market for meticulously crafted three-minute pop songs. And unlike the Fab Four, whose music maintained a cheery veneer even in the midst of breakups and crackups, a CD's worth of Penn can be a depressing experience. Penn is one of our most estimable thinking-man's rockers, but he could stand to rock a little more and think a little less. MP4 could use just a hint of MC5. Grade: B - ROBERT FRIEDMAN, Times staff writer

D'ANGELO, VOODOO (VIRGIN) - Voodoo proves D'Angelo is more than just a chocolate-eyed naked guy in a video. D'Angelo's an auteur, by golly, and Voodoo, the long-awaited follow-up to 1995's Brown Sugar, which pretty much saved modern R&B, makes good on its predecessor's promise.

Except Voodoo is sketchy. Less proper album than soulful jamming among friends, it takes some unwinding to go with it. Don't wait for big hooks and radio hits, Voodoo ain't got 'em. But sit with it; soak in its magic. Voodoo often sounds funky a la Prince's Sign O' The Times. The Roots drummer ?uestlove gives a hip hop feel, but you can't record an album at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland studio without infusing it with fire. D'Angelo keeps sexy and silky with Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway's Feel Like Makin' Love. Grade: A- -- GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic