March
      25,
      1997
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Roots
     
     
      Illadelph
      Halflife
     
     
      (DGC/MCA)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Well,
      I
      am
      a
      white
      boy
      from
      Eastern
      Canada.
      So,
      me
     
     
      trying
      to
      review
      rap
      music
      is
      like
      someone
      from
      the
      hood
      trying
     
     
      to
      understand
      Rita
      MacNeil.
      Well,
      not
      that
      anyone
      else
      does
     
     
      either,
      but
      anyway.
      The
      Roots
      have
      certainly
      put
      out
      a
      good
     
     
      album
      here,
      and
      the
      excellent
      recognition
      that
      they
      are
      receiving
     
     
      because
      of
      it
      is
      far
      from
      undeserving.
     
    

    
     
      First
      of
      all,
      the
      beats
      are
      all
      that,
      and
      they
      certainly
      have
     
     
      proved
      with
      this
      20
      track,
      72
      minute
      release,
      that
      with
      their
      laid
     
     
      back
      rhythms,
      they
      are
      leading
      the
      whole
      rap
      music
      industry
      into
     
     
      all
      new
      levels.
     
    

    
     
      The
      lyrics
      are
      also
      fairly
      original,
      and
      thankfully,
      not
      too
     
     
      racist
      or
      woman
      degrading,
      of
      course.
      And
      it’s
      certainly
      proven
     
     
      by
      their
      video
      for
      “What
      They
      Do”
      that
      they
      aren’t
      ones
      to
      go
     
     
      along
      with
      the
      crowd,
      anyway.
     
    

    
     
      Thus,
      personally,
      I
      think
      that
      The
      Roots
      could
      be
      the
      most
     
     
      original
      rap
      group
      to
      come
      on
      the
      scene
      in
      a
      number
      of
      years,
     
     
      and
      that
      they
      could
      be
      the
      hit
      group
      of
      the
      future.
      But
      what
      do
     
     
      I
      know?
      I
      have
      to
      go
      play
      hockey
      and
      listen
      to
      Ashley
      Maclssac
     
     
      now.
     
    

    
     
      Rating:
      ****
     
     
      -
      Todd
      MacLean
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Fiona
      Apple
     
     
      Tidal
     
     
      (WORK/Sony)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      seemed
      to
      be
      a
      fair
      amount
      of
      hype
      surrounding
     
     
      this
      babyfaced
      19
      year
      old
      and
      her
      debut
      album,
      Jidal,
      so
      I
     
     
      decided
      to
      have
      a
      listen,
      to
      see
      what
      it
      was
      all
      about.
      And,
     
     
      fortunately,
      there
      seems
      to
      be
      legitimate
      reasons
      behind
      it
      all.
     
     
      Upon
      observing
      the
      singer
      (her
      face
      is
      plastered
      all
      over
     
     
      the
      cover,
      case,
      and.actual
      CD)
      one
      would
      think
      that
      such
     
     
      delicate
      features
      would
      possess
      a
      delicate
      voice
      as
      well.
     
     
      However,
      her
      voice
      is
      rather
      a
      deep
      and
      vibrant
      alto,
      that
     
     
      portrays
      a
      sorrowful,
      yet
      delightful
      tone
      to
      it,
      which
      incidentally
     
     
      goes
      perfect
      with
      the
      jazzy-type
      of
      fell
      that
      her
      songs
      have.
     
     
      The
      album
      starts
      off
      with
      the
      catchy
      tune
      of
      “Sleep
      to
     
     
      Dream,”
      whose
      intriguing
      lyrics
      coincide
      exquisitely
      with
      the
     
     
      rhythmic
      patterns
      displayed
      here.
      And
      my
      favourite
      song
      on
      the
     
     
      10-track
      album
      is
      “Shadowboxer”
      that
      just
      has
      an
      all
      round
     
     
      angst-ridden,
      poetic
      theme
      to
      it:
      “You
      make
      me
      a
      shadowboxer,
     
     
      baby,
      and
      I
      don’t
      know
      when
      you’re
      gonna
      make
      your
      move.”
     
     
      With
      this
      quaint
      little
      initial
      release
      by
      Fiona
      Apple,
      she
     
     
      has
      made
      a
      name
      for
      herself
      on
      the
      music
      scene
      with
      her
     
     
      innovative
      piano
      and
      vocal
      renditions.
      But
      perhaps
      with
      her
      next
     
     
      release,
      this
      up
      and
      coming
      artist
      will
      get
      the
      proper
      recognition
     
     
      she
      deserves.
     
     
      _
      Rating:****
     
     
      -
      Todd
      MacLean
     
    
   
   
    
     
      thank
      you
     
     
      reviewers
     
    
   
   
    
     
      review
      &
      entertainment
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Panther
      Prints
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Az
      Yet
     
     
      Az
      Yet
     
     
      (LaFace
      Records)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      group
      is
      amazing!
      If
      you
      were
      to
      secretly
      play
      this
     
     
      and
      say
      it
      was
      Boyz
      to
      Men’s
      new
      one,
      I
      would
      believe
      you
      -
     
     
      -
      that’s
      how
      good
      these
      guys
      really
      are.
      Songs
      one
      through
     
     
      twelve
      have
      the
      same
      lyrical
      style
      as
      the
      famous
      foursome,
      and
     
     
      beats
      comparable
      to
      groups
      like
      Jodeci
      and
      Dru
      Hill.
     
    

    
     
      The
      writer
      for
      this
      group
      is
      none
      other
      than
      Kenny
     
     
      “Babyface”
      Edmonds,
      the
      writer
      for
      Toni
      Braxton
      and
      some
     
     
      Boyz
      to
      Men
      songs,
      as
      well
      as
      some
      Whitney
      Houston
      tunes.
     
     
      His
      songs
      are
      usually
      so
      good
      that
      I
      could
      sing
      them,
      and
      they
     
     
      would
      still
      be
      good.
     
    

    
     
      Even
      though
      you
      have
      probably
      never
      heard
      of
      these
     
     
      guys
      (I
      never
      did),
      I
      think
      you
      will
      like
      their
      slow
      songs,
      like
     
     
      “Hard
      to
      say
      I’m
      sorry”
      and
      “I
      don’t
      want
      to
      be
      lonely”’,
      as
      well
     
     
      as
      their
      fast
      songs
      (“Every
      little
      beat
      of
      my
      heart”
      and
     
     
      “Secrets”,
      to
      name
      two).
      All
      in
      all,
      this
      CD
      is
      definitely
      a
      great
     
     
      buy!
     
    

    
     
      -
      Greg
      Lucas
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Funkmaster
      Flex
     
     
      The
      Mix
      Tape
      Volume
      IT
     
     
      (Loud/RCA)
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      thename
      ofthis
      CD,
      you
      are
      probably
      thinking
      that
     
     
      it
      is
      totally
      cheese,
      but
      if
      you
      heard
      some
      of
      the
      artists,
      you
     
     
      would
      think
      again.
     
    

    
     
      This
      CD
      is
      not
      your
      everyday,
      ordinary
      CD;
      the
     
     
      format
      is
      60
      minutes
      of
      non-stop
      music,
      something
      like
      what
     
     
      you
      would
      hear
      at
      Myron’s.
      The
      CD
      contains
      44
      different
     
     
      samples
      of
      songs,
      some
      longer
      than
      others,
      and
      they
      mix
     
     
      very
      well
      together.
      Some
      of
      the
      big
      name
      artists
      are
     
     
      Naughty
      by
      Nature,
      Cypress
      Hill,
      Redman,
      Mary
      J.
      Blige,
     
     
      Notorious
      B.I.G.
      and
      Run
      DMC,
      just
      to
      name
      a
      few.
     
    

    
     
      Another
      reason
      why
      this
      CD
      is
      so
      good
      is
      that
      every
     
     
      song
      is
      solid,
      and
      if
      you
      don’t
      like
      some
      of
      the
      songs,
      theyre
     
     
      only
      about
      a
      minute
      or
      less
      anyway.
      Most
      CDs
      are
      bought
     
     
      only
      for
      one
      or
      two
      songs,
      but
      this
      one
      you
      can
      listen
      to
      all
     
     
      through
      without
      skipping
      any.
      I
      recommend
      this
      CD
      to
     
     
      everyone
      who
      likes
      a
      good
      mix.
     
    

    
     
      -
      Greg
      Lucas
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Rascalz
     
     
      Cash
      Crop
     
     
      (Figure
      I1V/BMG)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      For
      their
      first
      album,
      these
      guys
      didn’t
      do
      a
      bad
      job.
      At
     
     
      first
      I
      thought
      that
      this
      was
      just
      another
      awful
      Canadian
      group
     
     
      trying
      to
      make
      it
      big,
      but
      after
      a
      while,
      it
      kind
      of
      grew
      on
      me.
     
    

    
     
      As
      far
      as
      Canadian
      groups
      go,
      these
      guys
      are
      probably
     
     
      about
      as
      big
      as
      Maestro
      Fresh
      Wes
      (if
      you
      remember
      him...)
     
     
      or
      the
      Dream
      Warriors.
      Their
      first
      single
      “Blind
      wid
      the
     
     
      Science”
      is
      the
      best
      song
      on
      the
      album
      by
      far,
      but
      their
      second
     
     
      release
      “Dreaded
      Fist”
      is
      also
      not
      bad.
      Other
      songs
      to
      check
     
     
      out
      on
      this
      album
      are
      “Soul
      Obligation”
      and
      “Strange
      Brew”
     
     
      with
      the
      other
      songs
      on
      the
      album
      being
      so-so.
     
    

    
     
      In
      comparison,
      these
      guys
      are
      kind
      of
      like
      the
      Dream
     
     
      Warriors,
      but
      more
      like
      the
      Fugees
      as
      far
      as
      their
      beats
      go.
      I
     
     
      really
      like
      this
      album,
      but
      it
      took
      a
      few
      listens.
      If
      you
      want
     
     
      something
      that
      you'll
      like
      right
      away,
      I
      don’t
      recommend
      that
     
     
      you
      buy
      this.