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Show Friday, Dec. 20, 1991 30 ‘Death Certificate’ thrusts Ice Cube into villain role By GREG KOT Cricago Tribune Hes Ice Cube BORt 100 far? That is the question of the moment in the world of nan music. The West Coast rapper, the leading voice of black rage on record for thelast two years and star of the hit summer movie “Boyz N the Hood,” has delivered hard and nacty vack-! & we vetore, but never with such wide-reaching impact. His new album, “Death Certificate” (Priority), which recently debuted at No. 2 on the popaibum charts, has brought a storm ofcriticism from rights groups and music critics, and has once again thrust rap, and Cube in particular, into the role of pop-culture villain. “Death Certificate” paints an unremittingly bleak picture of what it means to be a young black male in America, and is laced with harsh language and vivid descliptions of the violence, anger and frustration of ghettolife. Two of its 20 tracks have been singled out as particularly demeaning to other ethnic groups. One is “Black Korea,” in which Cube rages that he is made to feel unwelcome in a neighborhood store by its proprietor, an Asian who thinks “every brother in the world is on the take.” Cube’s response is a warning: “Payrespect to the black fist/ Or we'll burn your store right down to a remove the record from their shelves, and numerous music critics around the couniry have condemned it. Perhaps the bluntest reaction came from Robert Christesu, veteran pop critic of the Village Voice: Cube, he writes, is “a straight-up racist, simple and plain, and of course a sex big- = ~~ ot too.” Cube could not he reached for comment because he was shooting a movie in Atlanta, but in an interview with Billboard said, “I never say all Koreans, all whites (or) all Jews, so for somebody to take that perspective on the record, they are ignorant to what the record is talking about.” Such controversy is not new to Cube, nor is his defense. He wasalso criticized for his 1990 album, “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted” (Priority), because of its misogynist lyrics. Public Enemy rapper Chuck D said years ago that rap has becomethe ghetto’s pipeline to the world, “the black CNN.” What began as an entertainment for blacks in the South Bronx has 15 years iater grown into a public forum on ghetto life: the loopy playfulness of De La Soul and P.M. Dawn, the moralistic gangster tales of Ice-T, the black militancy of Pub- group, N.W.A., and its Jewish manager, lic Enemy and Poor Righteous Teachers, the horror fantasies of the Geto Boys, the street-level reporting of Ice Cube. Theseare the voices of disenfranchised blacks, a segmentof society rarely is spoken about on the 10 o’clock news orin the halls of Congress. For these voices, the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police was not an aberration but a Jerry Heller. confirmation of what they had been rap- Cube left the group in 1989 overa financial dispute, and has been trading insults with it in the press and on record ever since. On “No Vaseline,” the bad blood boils over as Cube fantasizes about lynching and burning N.W.A.leader Eazy E, and then, in reference to Heller, urges the group to “get rid of that devil real ping about for years. The King incident waseerily presaged a year earlier by “(Ex- the innocent victim of a stray bullet, on pletive) the Police,” a track written by Ice ‘one of the album’s more engrossing Cube about police harassment on thefirst tracks, “Alive on Arrival,” Cube warns that the black community is bleeding to N.W.A. album. In “Death Certificate,” no one is spared: death ofself-inflicted wounds. Jews, Koreans, whites, police, gays, In an exchange typical of the rap “netGeorge Bush, Jesse Jackson. But Cube rework,” Cube’s message is echoed on “We serves his harshest judgmentsforhisfelCan’t Be Stopped” (Rap-A-Lot), the new low blacks in “True to the Game” and album by the Houston rap group the Geto “ss” Boys. Therecord is filled with horrific In the last, Cube rails, “We mess up and imagery, yet it contains the riveting blame the white man. ... Us will always “Mind Playing Tricks on Me,” in which sing the blues ’cause ali we care aboutis ,rapper Bushwick Bill talks about his hairstyles and gym shoes.” “town’s Fifth Ward ghetto: More than anything, “Death Certificate” “Day by day, it’s more impossible to is a warning siren. Like the youth who dies while handcuffed to a hospital bed, cope/ I feel like I’m the one doing dope ... crisp.” The second track is “No Vaseline,” a vicious diatribe against Cube’s former simple/ Put a bullet in his temple/ Cause ya can’t be the nigger-for-life crew/ With a white Jew tellin’ ya what to do.” Those two sets of lyrics prompted an unprecedented editorial in Billboard magazine, the bible of the record industry, condemning Cube for “the rankest sort of racism and hatemongering.” The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human-rights group, has urged retailers to The Associated Press ice Cube’s new album ‘Death Certificate’ has brought a storm of criticism from rights groups and musiccritics. FAST FORWARD Si IACET Jazz “With My Lover Beside Me.” Nancy Wilson. The tunes on this recording were composed by Barry Manilow to lyrics discovered by the widow of Johnny Mercer. Wilson cannot triumph over the material, which always falls just this much short. It is really too bad, because Wilson’s talent shows more on this effort than it has in quite awhile. Jack Fuller Chicago Tribune Rock “Dangerous Curves.” Lita Ford. Ford has failed to becomea distinctive rock performer because she consistently does the — part lurid, part smug, all simple-minded and suggestively clever. Unlike her Runaways bandmate Joan Jett, Fox is still struggling to get the basics. She has yet to learn how to make credible music that doesn’t rely on bustiers and bedroom eyes. William R. Macklin Knight-Ridder Newspapers pianist Ira Stein, supported by cellist Hans Christian Reumschuessel on “Davey’s Song.” In a similar vein, keyboardist Spencer Brewer makes an elegant statement with “My Sweet Elijah,” backed by clarinet and viola. Chuck Campbell Scripps Howard News Service New Age Classical “Wisdom of the Wood: Contemporary Acoustic Music.” Various Narada acts. Those who like the retiring melodies of New Age music but don’t like the electronic aura might take solace in this. The acoustic, all-instrumental album 1s performed largely by violinists and keyboar- “The Op. 10 Piano Sonatas” by Ludwig Van Beethoven. Richard Goode. As Richard Goode eases into maturity, the mantle he has assumed from his teachers Mieczyslaw Horszowski and Rudolf Serkin fits ever more comfortably over his freethinking intellect. Goode’s playing, charged with dynamism andpoetry, is of late doing beneficial things for the great canon thatis Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. Here, he obvious: play at sex. If any man exploited ‘dists. Three selections, Richard Souther’s the former Runaway’s blond-and-simmer- > “Speak of the Morning,” Bernardo Rubaing sensuality as thoroughly as she does, ja’s “Blue Star” and Martin Kolbe’s “La there would be hel! to pay. Instead, what Couronne” sound like many pedestrian we get on her latest album, “Dangerous New Agevoyages. Other participants turn Curves,” is “Hellbound Train” and 10 oth- _in stellar performances, however: among er heavy-metal cliches that make Ford out them, Kostia’s “Sand and Water” and to be some kind of Devil Goddess Boytoy Scottish violinist Alasdair Fraser’s “Spirit in Heat. Each song is a sonic comic book of the Gael.” A somber mood is created by tant of the early sonatas that constitute the intense energies and vibrancies of mood of “Op. 10.” Lesley Valdes Knight-Ridder Newspapers and the latest “hot product” label that re- cord companies are always trying to cram down ourcochleas. Actually, you should probably clean out these two cauliflower-looking things on the sides of your head with a cotton swab (carefully, just around the outer surfaces, remember?) before listening to David Wilcox so that you can hearhis talent with fresh and unbiased ears. Don’t turn off “Burgundy Heart-Shaped Medallion” just because it has a beautiful melody written by Johann Sebastian Bach. It’s a short intro about being easier on yourself and, besides, it flows perfectly into the perky “Farther To Fali,” which bristles with crisp acoustic guitars, immaculately TNTERTRTMR PRE AT can’t put up with their self-directed anger ON RECORD Rick Marsh Music columnist ‘Home Again’ David Wilcox placed percussives and Wilcox’s homey voice, which at first sounds like James Taylor, but trust me, it soon becomes David Wilcox’s. Listening to “Wildberry Pie” is kind of like watching an old ’40s movie when sex was spoken about in tasteful innuendos. The song is about sex, but it conveys a sense of joy, love and mischievous playfulness that puts a healthy smile on your face. The sprightly melody to “Top of the Roller Coaster” is so sunny and upbeat that you maynot notice that the nde is being used as a metaphorto describe life be- fore the age of 30 andafter. It’s clever and whimsical and makes you grin when Wilcox reaches the top of the ride andstates: “It’s all downhill from here.” There are also songs on the album that deal with deeper human emotions. The stunning “Covert War” is Wilcox’s open letter io his parents describing why he about Wilcox going to a dance with a fe- “If we set ourselves up in this kind of pursuit of ‘we're so different that we must be adversaries,’ and instill that into a few thousand years of history, wow, we don’t have much of a chance to start fresh. That goes for the deer hunters and the women hunters. What I want is compassion on both sides.” There are also things that make Wilcox happy enough to write a song (yes, there is plenty of “up” material on “Home mate friend, who was “hit on” by a man there, and the other about Wilcox happen- Again”), but he admits he wouldn't record most of it. Wilcox From 10 at first listen but soon reveals a venomous core. Wilcox said it was the angriest song on the album. The song combined two stories, one ing upon a deer while he was walking in the woods. “There was this moment when we were just looking at each other,” he says ofthe deer incident. “I wanted to just look and somehow communicate that ‘I mean you no harm.’” But because of man’s historical relationship to deer, that of the hunter and hunted, there was absolutely no chance of that. Wilcox paralleled that to the relationstmp between men and women. “Most of those songs are just gushy!” he said as he exploded into embarrassed laughter. “I wrote a song to a reggae beat that goes: ‘I love that Patagonia woman/ The one who knows how to roll/ And I ain't just talkin’ "bout her kayak, Jack/ J mean she got the traveler's soul,” gushy stuff like that, but it’s fun.” Wilcox’s first album for A&M, “How Did You Find Me Here,” sold 100,000 copies by word of mouth, based upon is “I used to pray and hope that daddy it’s still hard for me to feel happy/ | often drift when I drive/ Having fatal thoughts of suicide/ Bang! Andget it over with/ would die/ "Cause over nothing momma And then I’m worry free/ But that’s bull .../ 1 gotta a little boy to look after/ And if grew up was nothin’ like the ‘Cosby’ show.” Like Cosby, hard-core rappers are broadcasting a message that, thanks to I die then my child wili be a bastard.” Only months before, the rapper lost an is sufferin’ with a swollen black eye.” W.C. raps. Later, he adds, “The way | eye in an aborted suicide attempt. teenagers’ listening habits, is finally making it into some suburban living rooms: In W.C. and the Maad Circle’s new album, “Ain’t a Damn Thing Changed” (Priority), on which Cube served as executive producer, the group zeroes in on another aspect of the ghetto grind in “We're mad as hell and we’re not going to “(Expletive) My Daddy,” about an alcoholic, wife-beating father. of a people clawing, kicking and screaming to survive. take it anymore.” It’s a message that most of America would still rather ignore, if not censor. Yet behind its hate and anger is the story BYU alumnus chosento join ‘Phantom of the Opera’ cast Special to the Standard-Examiner Orem native and Brigham Young University graduate Catherine Hyde has been plucked from a crowd of hopefuls to tour with the star of the original Broadway pro- duction “The Phantom of the Opera,” according to a BYU newsrelease. A lean and leggy brunette with a frame for dancing and a voice that embraces both opera and high belt, Hyde is touring the country with Michael Crawford in a show called “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.” She has two solos and a duet with Crawford and sings and dances with an ensemble of 13 entertainers who highlight the best of Webber’s hits. The repertoire includes “Cats,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Star- light Express” and “Evita.” Hyde sings “The Phantom of the Opera” with Crawford and solos with “Think of Me” and “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.” Hyde’s performanceis receiving critical praise, including a particularly favorable review from the Detroit Free Press in which Shirley Eder wrote, “A standout performance is given by Catherine Hyde, a beautiful singing actress whom Lloyd Webber should consider casting as Chris- tine in the next major touring company of ‘Phantom.’ ” Hyde, who once performed in Lagoon’s Music USA Showand at the Lagoon Opera House, is pursuing a Broadwaycareer in New York City. takes a lingering look at the most impor- With Wilcox, you should go ‘Home Again’ I suppose most people will want to ciassify this music as belonging to the folk genre. Some of the elements are there, of course. Acoustic guitars, warm vocals and spare arrangements all meander across the landscape of David Wilcox’s latest recording, “Home Again.” “David Who?” you’re undoubtedly asking and I said the same thing about three weeks ago when I received this disc in the mail. Shameon us both, for Wilcox is a brilliant singer-songwriter who transcends fads I] knowthe Lord is looking at me/ But yet any longer. The song’s honesty leaves you breathless as Wilcox sings lyrics like: “Dear Mom and Dad, here’s whyI can’t come home/ | can talk with either one of you just fine when it’s either one alone/ But the Thanksgiving table is going to be pulled out bigger/ And if we talk at all, one of you will pull the trigger.” Wilcox also gets jabs in at the advertising media on the bluesy “Advertising Man,” which takes on the tobacco industry with the stinging lines: “Crack’ll kill ya quickly/ That’s why it’s got to go/ They'll get more of your money/ If theykili ya nice and siow.” If you’re still not convinced that Wilcox is a different breed of songwriter, listen to “Chet Baker’s Unsung Swan Song,” wherein Wilcox attempts to get inside the late, great jazz trumpeter’s head and distill his thoughts before a life of drug addiction led him to jump out of a window in Amsterdam. It’s a moving, thought-provoking cut that gains added credence from Randy Brecker’s haunting flugelhorn soloing. If folk music were really defined, as an old beer commercia! once touted, as music for folks, then I guess “Home Again” would apply. But it’s more than that. It’s music by, from and to the heart. reputation as a unique live performer. “Whenever I dream about what I want my music to be, I always dream about how I want it to feel when I’m playing and that vision is real clear to me,” he said. “I want people to come (to a concert) expecting to really be part of something and really feel something. I want the music to be playful and heartfelt and sometimes gripping but always with a real respect for the audience and their journey. “I mostly listen when I play music. I’m listening to where the emotions are going in the crowd, I'm listening to where we can go and when it’s time to laugh and when it’s time to go in on the heart “A live performance is something | run like a white-water river. | don’t try to control it, 1 just try to make sure that | know enough about it that I can let it push me where we need to go.” A&M officials expect Wilcox to play the Salt Lake City area in February. Railroader’s film fest next weekend PROMONTORY SUMMIT — The fourth annua! Raiiroader’s Film Festival and Winter Steam Demonstration will be held next weekend at the Golden Spike National Historic Site. The event will take piace Dec. 27-29. Each day, at about 9:30 a.m., steam locomotive “119” will arrive at the “Last Spike Site” for a demonstration. The demonstration will be repeated daily at 1:30 p.m. and again at 4 p.m., after which the locomotive will be retired for the night. The locomotive is a fully operational replica of the original Union Pacific “119” that was present for the Golden Spike Ceremony on May 10, 1869. The locomotive’s engineer and fireman, along with park rangers, will be on hand to answer ques- tions about the transcontinental railroad. Along with the steam demonstrations, documentaries and feature films featuring Buster Keaton, Barbara Stanwyck, Joe! McCrea, Robert Preston and Walter Cronkite will be shown throughout the day, beginning at 9 a.m. The historic site’s winter hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, and admission is free during the winter. The site is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and NewYear’s Day oniy. Golden Spike National Historic Site is 32 miles west of Brigham City. For more information call 471-2209. KBYU radio plans holiday programs KBYU radio (89.1 FM) broadcasts two holiday programs over the next few days: annual nationally distributed Christmas g The Utah Symphony’s “Homefor the program. The radio program will beaired at 8 Holidays” concert will be broadcast live from Symphony Halli at 8 p.m. Saturday. p.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. Wednesday Poets featured include Eloise Bell, Leslie The traditional Christmas concert features singing by Utah high school choirs. Music director Joseph Silverstein will conduct. wA host of Western poets and musicians star in “Glad Tidings 1991,” the station’s Norris, Susan Howe, Dorla Jenkins, Arthur Henry King and Scott Samuelson. Music will be performed by the Brigham Young University Singers, Concert Choir and Men's Chorus; the Salt Lake Children’s Choir; and organist Douglas Bush. Ogden Arts Commission gets grant SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Arts The Ogden Aris Commission sought the Council has awarded a $1,000 grant to the money to put together a report and recom- Ogden Arts Commission. The funds come in the form ofa Technical Assistance Grant, which is designed to advanceartistic development, technical capabilities or management skills of arts organizations. mendations — to be gathered from surveys, interviews and public meetings — onthe arts and culture-related issues in the Ogden area. One of the questions to beaddressed is whether a county-wide arts orga- nization is needed. BULLETIN BOARD This listing provides information on auditions, art contests, workshops and other events of interest to local artists, perforrners and other participants in the arts. WASATCH FRONT CONCERT CHOIR is holding auditions for new members in preparation for April performance of John Rutter's “Gloria.” Auditioners must be 18 or older and prepared to sight sing and sing a piece repre- Farm, 6351 S. 900 East, Salt Lake City. Winter c asses inciude Old-time American Dancing, Bobbin Lace Making, Cultural Aspects of Weaving, Basketry and Fiber Sculpture. Credit may be earned. Call 581-6461 or 264-2241. PIANO FESTIVAL for students and instructors at Brigham Young University in Provo on Feb. 22. Classes and competition for students ages 8 to 18; teachers’ classes also available sentative of their voice. Accompanist wiil be Registration fees range from $10 to $40. Reg- provided. Choir rehearses Sundays at 8:30 p.m, at Salt Lake City’s Cottonwood Presbyterian Church. For an audition appointment, call 262-2545. RECREATION CLASSES at Wheeler Historic istration due Jan. 31. Registration forms available from BYU Conferences and Workshops, 147 Harman Building, Provo, UT 84602; (801) 378-7692. For information on the program's content, contact Dr. Paul,Pollei at 378-3258 |
