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The CD tries to update Houston's soul-lite formula. Wyclef Jean co-wrote the superb reggae-ish title song, and Lauryn Hill produced the fabulously funky remake of Stevie Wonder's I Was Made to Love Her. The problem is with the Old Guard: producer David Foster's work is dull, and Dianne Warren and Babyface, who both wrote tracks, have better work on their respective resumes. Still, you've got to give Houston credit for stretching herself on at least part of this disc; the first song, It's Not Right but It's Okay, is one of her best.
ICE CUBE WAR & PEACE VOL. 1 (THE WAR DISC) [rating: 3 musical notes] PREVIOUS ALBUM Lethal Injection, 1993 COPIES SOLD 1.7 million
As a founding member of the rap group N.W.A., Ice Cube can lay claim to being a true O.G., an Original Gangsta. But he has always been too smart, too observant, to fall into the trap of being just a thug-life-living gangsta rapper. He's an actor: he co-starred in Boyz N the Hood, and he's set to start in the action movie Three Kings with George Clooney. And he's a social critic, attacking, in his lyrics, the penal system, politicians and sometimes America in general.
Now he's back with his first solo album in five years, the initial installment of a two parter. War is loud and aggressive; Ice Cube was recently featured on the hard-rock Family Values tour, and he knows how to make noise. He also knows how to tell a story: Ghetto Vet is a cold-eyed look at the life of a wheelchair-bound victim of gunfire. A number of songs here are cartoony and over the top, but they are mostly redeemed by pulsating numbers like Pushin' Weight.
Bryan Turner, head of Priority Records, got the buzz going on War by shipping copies of the song Ghetto Vet to hundreds of nightclub deejays. Says Turner: "Cube's got his own fan base. Alanis [Morrisette] and Garth have nothing to do with what we sell."
JEWEL SPIRIT [rating: 3 1/2 musical notes] PREVIOUS ALBUM Pieces of You, 1995 COPIES SOLD 6.2 million
Jewel's debut album was, truth be told, a little wan, a little precious, a little slight. It was enjoyable in large part because it came to you palms open, wide-eyed, innocent. Jewel's energy, her fire, her true worth came out during her live shows. Her performances on the traveling Lilith Fair showcased her talents and established her as a genuine phenomenon.
After the success of her first album, after Lilith, after her book of poetry became a best seller, Jewel's new release had a lot to live up to. She went through two producers, scrapped an album that was 70% done and started fresh.
It now looks as if she knew what she was doing. On Spirit, Jewel is once again firmly rooted in pop-folk, but her vocals are richer, and her songwriting is sharper. "I wasn't trying to be contrary or go against type," says Jewel. "I just wanted to be emotionally evocative." On Deep Water she sings with new authority; on Enter from the East she is tender but never weak. There's only one bad song on this CD: Fat Boy, a song about, you guessed it, a fat boy. "Oh fragile flame," Jewel sings, "when no one feels the same." Aieee! The song is a chilling indication of how wrong the rest of this terrific CD could have gone.