Northwest Herald from Woodstock, Illinois • Page 73

vi SIDETRACKS NORTHWEST HERALD Friday, December 22, 1995 Page 15 MUSIC M2 Country fans are likely to find Christmas albums under the tree this year by (clockwise from top) Clint Black, Joe Diffie, John Berry and the Oak Ridge Boys. I i I i ple of decent songs. "Desert Search for Techno Allah" is accidentally melodic in its own way. "Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz" is a Zappa-like rave up, if you can picture that. Parts of "Merry Go Bye Bye" close this strange album on a strange note with 13 minutes of just about everything, some of it quite good.

J.V.NWH 3T, "Brotherhood" (MJJ Music) 12 Michael Jackson's nephews score an A for vocal ability, but they cannot score high for song content. 3T stands for TJ, Taryll and Taj Jackson, sons of Tito Jackson. Any failure to thrive will be their own fault. They get help from the Thriller himself, who is listed as executive producer. One song is written by standout figure Babyface, another by Eric Cdpjlfl Another features Fat BoyJTernber Prince Markie Dee.

Michael himself pops up on a duet. That adds up to a recipe for a hit album and there are several strong candidates for hit songs. "Why," the duet with Uncle Michael, features 3T vocals strikingly similar to the King of Pop. It is by far the best selection on the disc, in composition and execution. "Gotta Be You" is an explosion, featuring a high-energy beat.

"Brotherhood," featuring Prince Markie Dee, provides a nice ending. But much of the album can be summed up by one Taryll Jackson composition, "Words Without Meaning." The rhythms work and the vocals are nearly flawless. But even that added to slick production work cannot save lyrics that are well below average. When at their empty worst, love songs fall to the very bottom of the music food chain. A decent beginning, the disc is not inspiring.

But hope remains. Perhaps another Michael wltl be hatched from this trio, just as Michael emerged so wonderfully from his group of siblings. AUNWH Chick, 'Someone's Ugly Daughter" (Epic) 12 Here's a group with some attitude and humor. Chick, led by female vocalist C. Dane-Davidson, sounds like most of the other harder rocking alternative Veruca Salt-ish bands.

But some outstanding lyrics put it at the head of the class. In "Love is a Scam," we have such wisdom as "I don't want to clip your toenails, I don't want to smell vour stinkina funkv feet." On "Malibu" we get this poetry: "If I were Malibu Barbie and you were Suntan Ken, I'd probably dump your (butt) for G.I. Joe you don't care that I don't care at all I'm using you." On "Freak" there is "I met a midget, he was shorter than Elroy Jetson if you could see him it would really blow your mind." This album has a million yuks, plus a kicking cover of Cheap Trick's "Surrender." If humorists Julie Brown or Tracy Ullman had more edge, they would fit in well with this band. Jeff VorvaNWH Shamen, "Axis Mutatis" (Epic) 12 The Shamen should be renamed the Peter Principle. This is a decent dance band that goes off into too many territories and rises to its level of incompetence in this case, boredom.

As in the past, the band proves it can scorch the dance floor with the release's opener, "Destination Eschaton," and continues on a strong note with "Transamazonia." Following that is a mish-mosh of half-hearted, dreamy, new-age, space-age boredom. Forget this album, but seek out the first two songs as singles. J.VJNWH Mr. Bungle, "Disco Vonante" (Warner Bros.) This sounds like Einsturzende Neubauten-meets-Combustjble Edison with a little Zappa thrown in on the side. I This band, which features Faith No More's Mike Patton, has plenty of experimentation, most of which doesn't quite do ft for me.

In between the noise are a cou Stars release compilations just in time for holidays Album scale: no stars (awful); one star (poor); two stars (fair); three stars (good); four stars (excellent); five stars (masterpiece). Christmas. Man, this is soooooo sensitive. Impeccably recorded and obviously done with a great deal of care and craft and all that, but you just wanted to put Beavis and Butt-head on him every time McCann opens his mouth. Cfint Black (BMG) "Looking for Christmas" Long after he came on like a hurricane with his debut album, then got eclipsed by a tornado named Garth Brooks, Clint Black has retrenched and really honed his songwriting chops.

A knack for stately, hard-to-forget melodies became apparent on Black's last album "One Emotion." That trend blossoms even more on "Looking for Christmas." Toby Keith (Polydor) "Christmas to Christmas" In Toby Keith's somewhat dour vision, homeless children write desperate letters to Santa asking for a job for daddy, and two lonely Christmas shoppers pass a frosty December night with a one-night stand. On "Santa's Gonna Take It All Back," Keith By JIM PATTERSON The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. Judge a Christmas album, and sometimes you can get a broader perspective on a country music star. The rule is simple: If someone can sell a million records, they can sell at least half a million in Christmas music. And it can be trotted out each season as long as the performer is still hot.

So you dust off a batch of chestnuts and make a nttle easy money. What they come up with, without the pressure of a proper album release, can be revealing. Here's how they shape up: The Tractors (Arista) "Have Yourself a Tractors Christmas" This is for the offk Christmas party, a nice soundtrack to go along with watching the boss get drunk. Head Tractor Steve Ripley's croak of a voice can bring home something touching like "The Shelter" and "Silent Night, Christmas Blue," but mostly this record just rocks amiably along. This is good oF rock 'n' roll: TUn lrAr, 1ia tka chaar fiirt rf A IIV ft IViT if ui WV Mwsa ii it, and there's a little something extra lyrically to give the parents a chuckle.

VL'f John Berry (Capitol) Holy Night" Sometimes formula works. Let's face it, we want a break -not a challenge on Christmas. So here Berry takes on standards like "Joy to the World," Come All Ye Faithful" and "Away in the Manger." No surprises here, but Berry is one of the best singers around. Grandma will love it. Joe Diffie (Epic) "Mr.

Christmas" Serviceable, with the glaring exception of "Leroy the Redneck Reindeer." It continues Diffie's dubious career strategy of scoring his hits with lame-brained novelty tunes. Here, Rudolph's redneck cousin fills in and supposed hilarity ensues. This is seriously dumb, stupidly stereotypical. Diffie could always sing, and the rest here is a mix of standards Night" and Holy and newer stuff. The Oak Ridge Boys (CaprtoO "Country Christmas Eve" OIH nrnc rfolivfrino tllA orvvtc More than anyone else here, the Oaks seem to feel at home with Christmas music.

-There? farthing remotely flashy or chancy on "Country Christmas Eve," and The Oak Ridge Boys aren't bothered a bit by that. C. Dane-Davidson fronts the band Chick, which recently released "Someone's Ugly Daughter." Photo provided to get his woman to do what he wants. This isn't likely to last long on the CD player on Gu isinias morning, but its a brave effort that deserves a listen. Keith refused to close his eyes to the harsher aspects-of the holidays.

Peter McCann (BMG) -What Christmas Reefy Means" HavtLyourself a.wimpy.IUtie.