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By <
Published on Monday, Aug 18, 2008
LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME
Yung Berg
A ''sexy movement,'' Yung Berg has declared in recent interviews, is in full flower.
First, there was Sexy Lady, an exuberant, hard-to-hate slice of pop-rap on which this Chicago rapper briskly catalogs the women who fall victim to his charms. They're divas. They carry Louis Vuitton bags. They enjoy a nice meal at Benihana. But no matter their charms, they're never quite enough, as the song's hook says: ''It was nice to know you/But I gotta move on.''
Soon after — too soon? — came Sexy Can I, a delirious collaboration between Yung Berg and the intimacy-obsessed singer Ray J. This time the Vuitton (luggage, not a handbag) belongs to Yung Berg, who mostly plays second fiddle while Ray J pants and coos. Together, though, they neatly capture the mischief of young men at play.
Both songs appear on this debut album from Yung Berg, which sticks scrupulously to the same themes, often without the charm of those two hits. He's likable but dull, rapping with nursery-rhyme cadence and simplicity. When he attempts intricacy, his words fall all over one another, scrambling for dry ground. (Twista, avatar of syllabic density, raps circles around him on Where Do We Go.)
Only in fleeting moments does Yung Berg threaten to advance the sexy movement. Manager, which features whispers by the singer Lloyd and a whimsical beat by Mr. ColliPark, suggests that business is sexier than pleasure. And on One Night, with the singer Trey Songz, Yung Berg's cup still runneth over. ''You should have known I could never settle down with you,'' he chides. ''I'll see you in Atlanta when I'm bouncing through/I got 24 hours for you.'' Again Yung Berg is leaving, and he's only just arrived.
— Jon Caramanica
New York Timesbook1 HARPS AND ANGELS Randy Newman 12
Randy Newman skewers the Supremes on his new album, and it's not Diana Ross he's singing about. Harps and Angels targets the Supreme Court troika of Scalia, Alito and Thomas in a verse sure to draw the ire of the PC police.
Newman's first album of new material in nine years also includes a blues song about his discovery of the afterlife, a peppy tune for immigrants, a Weill-style discordant take on the State of the Union, and two lovely ballads that Josh Groban could sing, and probably will.
Harps and Angels is typical Newman fare in that it's unlike anything else, and while he has ranked for decades among America's best songwriters, with these 10 songs he raises the bar still higher. His comedic touch with the lyrics is sharper than ever, and his droll delivery makes the most of the material. The music also is a delight, with Newman tapping his talent as a film composer more than on his previous solo albums.
Bush-bashing has inspired some memorable tunes, and as with other subjects, Newman provides a fresh twist. On A Few Words, which he has been performing in concert since 2006, he points out the current administration compares favorably with Hitler, Stalin and the Spanish Inquisition.
At age 64, Newman has produced a record to rival his best work, and it may be the best album of 2008.
— Steven Wine
Associated Press book1 SIMPLY GRAND Irma Thomas 12
Simply Grand would fit as an album title for Irma Thomas on merits alone. At age 67, and ready to celebrate her 50th anniversary as a recording artist in 2009, the woman known as the Soul Queen of New Orleans is a national treasure. More than that, she remains at the top of her talent: If anything, her lush voice, with its earthy tones and full-note roundness, has grown more nuanced and emotionally resonant with time.
But Simply Grand also describes the collection's setting. On her follow-up to the 2006's Grammy-winning After the Rain, she pairs off with a series of pianists accompanying her on a concert grand. Some are famous, such as Norah Jones, who plays while Thomas performs a version of Jones' hit, Thinking About You, turning it into a wise lament. Others are New Orleans heroes, such as Ellis Marsalis, father of jazz stars Wynton and Branford, who supports Thomas on the stunning ballad, This Bitter Earth.
The piano setting brings out Thomas' jazz side, especially on What Can I Do and Cold Rain, both performed by Crescent City jazz man David Torkanowsky. She also celebrates her heritage on two funky R&B tunes backed by Dr. John, including the outstanding Be You, an unrecorded tune co-written by the late Doc Pomus.
Randy Newman's I Think It's Going To Rain Today has been recorded often, and by such greats as Nina Simone and Dusty Springfield, but it's never sounded more powerful or more poignant than on this voice-and-piano duet by Thomas and Newman.
— Michael McCall
Associated Press-->
LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME
Yung Berg
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