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Published
by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. CLICK FOR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY
Tuesday, November 6, 2001
Outside the box
GRAND PUBA
"Understand This" (Koch)
3 stars
A founding member of the influential and acclaimed rap crew the Brand Nubians, Grand Puba continues to show he's among the more lyrically skilled and musically competent MCs in the game today. "Understand This," Puba's third solo album and first in six years, tackles a wide range of subject matter. He tells us how to be a player (Caller ID is very useful), then warns us about the pitfalls of unplanned pregnancies (they're best avoided). While some rappers' takes on weighty topics come off as embarrassingly trite or melodramatic, Puba displays surprising realism, subtlety and social awareness. But that's not to say he can't break out in a thumpin' dancefloor ditty. While not quite Jay-Z, Puba can nonetheless get bodies shaking.
While self-produced hip-hop albums are a big risk - understanding beats is not the same as being able to rhyme - Grand Puba did amazingly well on "Understand This." The music drives the songs but isn't distracting.
ENRIQUE IGLESIAS
"Escape" (Interscope)
2 and 1/2 stars
Enrique Iglesias's newest record showcases fewer Latin rhythms and dance beats than his 1999 breakout English-language album, but he still shows plenty of pop music know-how in "Escape." Instead of taking his cues from Ricky Martin or Christina Aguilera, Iglesias seems more affected by '80s arena rock. Big, soaring ballads glide over forceful rock guitars, layers of synthesizer, electronic drums and orchestration. Most songs are epic sing-alongs, on the scale of works by, say, Dire Straits or The Police, two bands that Iglesias cites as major influences.
While Iglesias's biggest success to date was the dance track "Bailamos," only a few songs on "Escape" are designed specifically for the club scene. That's probably a good thing - after all, no one is really hurting for more singers with synchronized dance moves, and Iglesias's ballads are well done. Almost every track is impeccably crafted and the album works wonderfully as a whole.
APHEX TWIN
"Drukqs" (Warp/Sire)
2 stars
The 30 tracks on this double-disc release may be a little too much Aphex Twin for even the most devoted fan to take in at one sitting, but those who liked the previous output will find more of the same on "Drukqs." (The spelling problem that affected the album's title also carries over to its song titles, which are similarly cutesy and nonsensical.) Richard D. James, operating under his nom de musique "Aphex Twin," makes avant garde electronic music. He's best known for rapid, disorienting beats that convey a sense of paranoia, sound effects that seem lifted from an Atari game and being accessibly inaccessible - it's weird, but still listenable. "Drukqs" is more of the same, just a lot of it.
-Staff writer , Brendan Walsh
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