(Interscope Records)
Enrique Iglesias has always been an odd fit for American pop music. He burst onto the English language scene at the same time as Ricky Martin, crashing a bubblegum party dominated by acts like N*Sync. As Martin burned out, Iglesias adapted by delving further into Euro-tinged pop. With the Top 40 lists leaning further toward hip-hop, it is always tricky to figure out exactly how Iglesias figures into the pop scene. But on his latest album, , there is no question that such astoundingly catchy music has a place in the American landscape.
The beauty of is that it does not try to be anything other than straightforward pop music. There is no hint of hip-hop effort or singer/songwriter pretense. The lyrics are simple and trite, the melodies are recycled and the recordings are slick, but who cares? Iglesias is never going to steal fans from Sleater-Kinney. Iglesias is a pop singer, and more than any other pop star on the scene right now, he has tremendous instincts for selecting and recording light and breezy songs.
A few songs on the album stand out as pristinely executed dance-pop. \Not in Love,"" the opening track, is danceable and irrepressibly buoyant- one of the best straight-up pop songs of the year. ""The Way You Touch Me"" and ""Break Me Shake Me"" make great use of electric guitar in a way that smoothly enhances the fun tone, as opposed to the gimmicky use of guitar in recent pop fare like Christina Aguilera's ""Fighter."" ""California Callin'"" sounds destined for use in a car commercial, which is meant in the best of all possible ways.
The biggest problem with the album is that for all the fantastic dance pop, there is almost as much unremarkable ballad work. Among the handful of ballads that dot the album, there is no clear winner among them. While they are all smoothly recorded and passable in quality, the softer fare on the album pales in comparison to the more upbeat numbers.
But in the end, it is the effortless pop sensibility of the album that wins out over everything else. On ""Be Yourself,"" Iglesias skillfully blends disco with Kylie Minogue. A lot of people will not like that, but those people would not be listening to Iglesias anyway. But for people who are mainstream enough in their musical taste, Iglesias has created an unpretentious and magnificently listenable album. There is always a place for that.
-Amos Posner
(Merge)
In the liner notes for the Rosebuds debut album, , two members are listed as ""playing"" hand claps at various times and the third handles tambourine. Is this going to be a power-pop album? You bet, and The Rosebuds have the ""yeah, yeahs"" and ""bum-bum-bums"" to pull it off. Effortlessly combining 40 years of pop history into 40 minutes, The Rosebuds sound both familiar but fresh enough to stand on their own merits.
At times echoing everyone from the Temptations to Built To Spill, is full of riffs that are a twist away from thievery, but the familiarity is good-natured enough that it never affects the enjoyment of the album. Yes, ""Drunkards Worst Nightmare"" sounds sort of like Weezer's ""The Good Life,"" and ""My Downtown Friends"" could be easily mistaken for Sleater-Kinney's ""All Hands On The Bad One."" But never does a well-known riff interfere with the goal of the song: to get the listener dancing, nodding their head, humming or any combination of the three.
Fittingly, the lyrics are basically inconsequential. Main songwriter and guitarist Ivan Howard has nailed the art of capturing youthful exuberation without actually saying much at all. Falling in love, having fun downtown, trying to find a date, crazy girls that won't settle down: all of these are the basis for a song in the Rosebuds' hands-or in the case of falling in love, four-and all are as lightweight and catchy as the subject would indicate.
Less original than the other retro-popsters-of-the-moment, The Shins, The Rosebuds nonetheless hold their own in an already crowded indie-pop community. Instead of relying on the Shins' tight melodies and reverb, the Rosebuds jangle their way through their 10 tracks with their heads up high, relying on unaffected guitar riffs and rudimentary keyboard parts. The product is simple but greatly enjoyable, similar to a stripped-down New Pornographers.
And that simplicity is key to the Rosebuds' appeal. No, they are not doing anything revolutionary, but that is obviously not what they are shooting for. In pop music today, originality is about as possible as a lucid Brian Wilson, so it's best just to appreciate a catchy song for what it is. With , the world has another pop album, and it is impossible to resist.
(Seven Heads)
The most recent offering from the Mid-Atlantic's own Asheru and Blue Black is actually considered a prequel to the promising 2001 release, . is a collection of studio tracks, freestyles and spoken work pieces that the group created prior to their official debut.
The music is what you would expect to hear from Asheru and Blue Black, sharp lyrics over smooth production. ""Trackrunners,"" co-starring J-Live and Grap Luva, is an excellent example of this, as each rapper covers the silky piano loop nicely. Another gem is the previously unreleased ""SoulJamboree,"" a remix of ""Jamboree"" from . While the drums remain the same, the constant trumpet is replaced by a more laid-back piano and horn section, which makes for a perfect compliment to the original version. On ""The Music"" Asheru and Blue Black use a thumping Djinji Brown beat to explain ""what is unspoken and heard, with or without words, and essential to life, like the bees and the birds.""
Though the decision to include two songs also heard on may be a questionable one, the idea of putting Asheru's new solo single on the album was pure gold. ""Black Moses"" is the first single off Asheru's upcoming solo debut. Between a grimy beat from Aychell and Asheru's vocal command, this Roots-esque headnodder shows a promising outlook for next summer's release.
Asheru and Blue Black, like Seven Heads labelmate J-Live, are in a select group of hip-hop artists that simply cannot make bad material. Though the freestyles and spoken word sessions may not completely satisfy the hunger of those looking for the complete track, these songs definitely show the range of the artists, as they can do much more than write conscious lyrics. If was a full meal, then is an appetizing snack. It is tasty enough to enjoy, too little to satisfy and makes you crave more.
