BuzzCuts: New Music
Pop singer Kelly Rowland releases her first solo album in nearly five years, and her first after the split of Destiny's Child. Also, Atlanta rapper T.I. takes a melodramatic route on his new CD, and rock supergroup Velvet Revolver puts out a stellar sophomore set.
Kelly Rowland, "Ms. Kelly" (Columbia)
Kelly Rowland, "Ms. Kelly"
T.I., "T.I. vs. T.I.P."
Velvet Revolver, "Libertad"
Kelly Rowland's sophomore album starts with tantalizing promise in the form of the club banger "Like This," featuring the rapper Eve.
Listening to that irresistible track, you begin to think the yearlong delay in releasing "Ms. Kelly" was worth it. That this is finally Rowland's time to emerge from the shadows of larger-than-life Beyonce and Destiny's Child and show formidable star power of her own.
But that promise quickly disintegrates as the album goes on, revealing a singer with a strong voice that is once again felled by mediocre material.
"Come Back" is a potent jam, and "Ghetto," featuring Snoop Dogg, is sexy and seductive. (Though the latter is yet another troubling song featuring a young black woman craving a thug. What's next, a song titled "Felon"?)
But things fall apart quickly after that. The synthesized "Flashback" is positively lackluster, and "The Show," featuring Tank, which is supposed to be a bedroom jam, fails to elicit much passion.
The rest of the album is filled with passable mid-tempo songs and ballads that may be entertaining enough for background music, but nothing you'd put on full blast. It's particularly disappointing considering Rowland has the pipes, the looks and the charm to be so much more than one-third of Destiny's Child. But if she doesn't produce better material, she'll have a hard time defining herself as anything else. (Nekesa Mumbi Moody)
Back to topT.I., "T.I. vs. T.I.P." (Atlantic)
What's a rapper to do for an encore once he's already declared himself King of the South - and proved it?
The not-so easy route would be to drop another hit-heavy set like last year's "King," which featured scintillating synth-heavy bangers, including the DJ Toomp-produced "What You Know."
Instead on his fifth disc, "T.I. vs. T.I.P.," the Atlanta MC attempts the melodramatic, but to mostly underwhelming results. Over the course of three acts, he pits his competing personas — T.I. the materialistic rapper, and T.I.P the ornery gangsta — against each other. However, the distinction seems artificial at best. This disc essentially unfolds like past T.I. efforts: catchy hooks, his familiar slick boasts (but with fewer memorable punchlines) and high-gloss production.
The first act's thuggery supplies the disc's most compelling moments, with tracks such as the Wyclef Jean-produced "You Know What Is" and the sweeping "Watch What You Say to Me" featuring Jay-Z, which showcases T.I.'s tight-jawed threats. "Find out you talkin' tough in your song/when you see me you know what's up boy it's on."
The second act's bluster about cars, girls, and wealth — the highlights being "My Swag" and "Show It To Me" — are retread boastfests and stripper anthems, respectively. Meanwhile, T.I. saves the final act for a climatic face-off, but by this point it's clear that high drama is nothing but window-dressing.
CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: "Watch What You Say to Me" is an expert collaboration with a long-retired Jay-Z about how rival rappers should still be very, very afraid. (Brett Johnson)
Velvet Revolver, "Libertad" (RCA)
Supergroups don't tend to fare too well with legions of rock fans, but Velvet Revolver has worked the idea to near perfection on its sophomore effort, "Libertad."
Perhaps the title shows a desire to free themselves from the expectations raised by their former bands — Guns N' Roses for guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum, and Stone Temple Pilots for vocalist Scott Weiland.
Either way, it works, and much more than it did on their respectable multiplatinum 2004 debut "Contraband."
They flex plenty of muscle throughout, with chugging rock and blues riffs mixed with soaring choruses. And, of course, there are a few lighter-waving arena ballads thrown in for good measure.
"Let it Roll," "She Mine" and "Get Out The Door" kick the disc off in rollicking fashion. They also show plenty of grit with "Mary Mary," "Spay" and "Pills, Demons and Etc."
Low-key moments come with the uplifting "The Last Fight," a surprisingly fresh cover of ELO's "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" and the trippy blues of "Gravedancer."
With the Guns N' Roses boys still ripping out down-and-dirty barroom rock, and Weiland commanding and energetic throughout, "Libertad" might just be
CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Boasting a juicy riff and possibly Weiland's finest vocal effort on the whole disc, "She Builds Quick Machines" contains a perfect dose of rocking swagger. (John Kosik)
Previous BuzzCuts: New albums from Beastie Boys; Bad Brains; and Ryan Adams.