Quad-City Times from Davenport, Iowa • 72

Thursday, June 1 8, 1 998 page 18 9 newon radio icon Hal Blaine, and producermulti-instrumentalist Rick Cunha. MARC RIBOTY LOS CUBANOS POSTI- ZOS (Atlantic) This is downtown New York fretboard sage Marc Ribot's Lower East Side analogue to Ry Cooder's smash "Buena Vista Social Club," and the roughness around its romantic heart makes Ribot's skewed take on Cuban sounds just as compelling in its own way In league with his Los Cubanos Postizos (Prosthetic Cubans), Ribot essays the sexy songs and spirit of Arsenio Rodriguez, the golden-age Cuban bandleader and progenitor of son. The incisive sound that fans know from Ribot's guitar work with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, the Lounge Lizards, and sundry Knitting Factory-scene ensembles is evident here, but with the lapidary licks tempered by a swaying lyricism. The Prosthetic (fake) Cubans include organ grinder John Medeski, bassist Brad Jones, percussionist E.J. Rodriguez, and drummer Robert Rodriguez, with Ribot adding a vocalization or two.

And the ruckus they raise is more like a wild night in a Little Havana bar than any musicological expedition: Cue up the dancing "Aqui Como Alia" (or Ribot's own for the party and the doleful "Escalvo Trist for the long walk home. WHEN WE WERE THE NEW BOYS, Rod Stewart (Warner Bros.) Despite the phenomenal success of his "Unplugged And Seated" and collections, Rod Stewart has not made a deep connection with his studio albums lately. All that should change with this blistering collection, led by the Mainstream Rock Tracks hit "Cigarettes And Alcohol," penned by Noel Gallagher. Other highlights of a hard-hitting album include a horn-driven cover of Primal Scream's "Rocks," the ballads "Secret Heart" (Ron Sexsmith) and "Shelly My Love" (Nick Lowe), Graham Parker's "Hotel Chambermaid," and Stewart's own title cut. Living proof that, even in his 50s, Stewart still has it in him to rock with the best of 'em.

A LONG WAY HOME, DwightYoakam (Reprise) Dwight Yoakam makes it look easy On his first album of all-original material since 1995, Yoakam scores a knockout. Thirteen new songs and not a bit of dross to any of them. Anderson's bass-heavy, punch-it-up production is the perfect foil to Yoakam's cutting vocals. He's approaching a stylized harmony between hard honky-tonk and the drier Bakersfield country sound, and it sounds good indeed. Yoakam is in a world where the Hammond B3 co-exists happily with the five-string banjo and a lush string section, where Bonnie Bram-lett Sheridan, Ralph Stanley, and Jim Lauderdale are right at home with their background and harmony vocals.

A world where the musical lamb can lie down with the lion. MAKE IT REIGN, LordTariq Peter Gunz (CodeineColumbia Records) No matter how hard they try, Lord Tariq Peter Gunz, as an entity, will be a mainstream version of thugged-out street rappers. Their collective pasts may be quite the contrary, but musically, they will always be pegged "commercial" for their first single, "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)." Their LP, "Make It Reign," successfully treads the thin line between their street base and their pop capabilities. Their loyal New York street fans will continue to stand behind them for tracks like "We Will Ball" and "Cross Bronx Expressway." The socially conscious "Who Am and "Keep On" will keep a deverse fanbase sifting through the project looking for the act's next hits. SPARKLE (Rocklandlnterscope) The self-titled debut album from Sparkle, a protege of R.

Kelly, has had a major jump-start via the soulful "Be Careful." The vocalist is sure to become a newly inducted "diva" in the industry with such noteworthy tracks as "Time To Move On," "I'm Gone," "Turn Away," and "I Can On Me." The singer pulls off a rather formidable cover of the late Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You," and, although quite piercing, her voice is still a few octaves shy of the real thing. What's great about the album is that Sparkle doesn't try to do too much at once. She has a few songs that feature occasional rap hooks, but she knows her strengths are in ballads and midtempo tracks, which thankfully dominate the album. Billboard newondisc ADORE, The Smashing Pumpkins (Virgin) The follow-up to Smashing Pumpkins' phenomenally successful 1995 double album, "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness," "Adore" is a multifaceted work that should further group mastermind Billy Corgan's reputation as a ground-breaking writerproducerperformer while continuing the Chicago band's multi-platinum streak. Already, the title-track lead single has caught fire on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, suggesting that the band now consolidated from a quartet to a trio still possesses a magic combination of mainstream appeal and street credibility.

Beyond the track "Adore," the album is loaded with potential rock and pop singles, including the insistently tuneful "Perfect" and "Appels Oranjes," the slow-building "Daphne Descends," the grand ballad "Crestfallen," and the epic "Behold! The Night Mare." An adventurous album by a band whose only predictable move is to push the envelope. FOR THE LOVE OF UKE, Jim Beloff (Flea Market Music) Like banjo players Alison Brown and Bela Fleck, ukulele virtuoso Jim Beloff brings out the rarely heard nuances of an instrument often (and unjustly) caricatured as one-dimensional. An expert on the ukulele an instrument most commonly associated with Hawaiian music, though it originates from Portugal Beloff is also the author of the Miller Freeman Books tome "The Ukulele: A Visual History" and three uke songbooks. In addition, he has released a previous uke album, "Jim's Dog Has Fleas." On this release, Beloff shines on all fronts, from his charming, original compositions (notably the title track, "Hannah "Charles Ives," and "Big In to his instrumental interpretations of pop standards There Was You" and "When You Wish Upon A and TV music Fred," a morphing of the "I Love Lucy" and "Flintstones" themes). As an instrumentalist, Beloff coaxes warm, rich tones from his tenor and soprano ukes, and as a vocalist, he comes across with the supple grace of James Taylor.

To round out the picture, the album features subtle but able backing from bassist Simeon Pillich, session drum TEARIN' UP MY HEART, 'N Sync The follow-up to the boy group's breakthrough hit, "I Want You Back," has a similarly sticky hook and a fun sing-along chorus. Numerous notches above the current glut of boy-group fodder in quality "Tearin' Up My Heart" contrasts its mildly cliched lyrics with several ear-tickling keyboard twists and harmonies that ooze with engaging personality No, this hitbound ditty isn't going to change the face of pop music but it will make it a little more festive for a few minutes. I COULD BE THE ONE, Donna Lewis Lewis is out to prove that she's not a one-hit wonder with a pleasant li'l pop chugger that frames her whispery voice fairly well. What the artist really has going for her is an ability to write mass appeal songs that xe considerably smarter than most. "I Could Be The One" also has a rhythm structure that is a tad more complex than your basic toe-tapper.

In the end, that could be her ticket to career longevity. DRIP, DRIP, DRIP, Chumbawamba Speaking of maintaining the momentum of a massive first hit, the group that made noise with "Tubthumping" makes a valiant attempt to keep listeners engaged with a shuffler that doesn't quite have the spark needed to set airwaves on fire. It is a bit more clever in content than the previous "Amnesia" (in fact, it oozes with an interesting political subtext), but its instrumental energy doesn't always quite match the intensity of the vocals and chants. HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT, Wade Hayes 'The latest single from Hayes' current album, "When The Wrong One Loves You Right," is a moody, midtempo song that boasts a catchy hook and a solid performance by Hayes. With each successive release he seems to grow more confident in his smoky baritone, and he imbues this taut single with a tense passion that perfectly suits the lyric.

In a sea of same-sounding singles, this has an edgy intensity that should set it apart from the pack. PUMP THE BOOGIE, Fondue The first release on red-hot producer Mark Picchiotti's new indie label is a wicked house w-withem on which he samples the percussion breakdown that links Dan Hartman's classic disco medley of "Vertigo" and "Relight My Fire." Although the familiarity of that retro lick will be the initial draw to the track, Picchiotti's skill for combining rousing, rugged beats with a memorable melody will keep punters coming back for more. Pick one of the record's several awesome remixes and prepare to work up a serious sweat. Billboard Where singles gather to meet. 'Itie Quad-City Times is proud to provide our readers with iind-a-briend, a great place for our sinale readers to meet, lok (or our personals every Sunday, Wednesday and 'ltursday.

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