The Buffalo News du lieu suivant : Buffalo, New York • 84

1 RECORDSBRIELY As a singer Eddie Murphy should stick to comedy Eddie Murphy Can he sing? seemed con the of become star Wynton Marsalis Black Codes from the Underground (Co lumbia 40009) Right on the eve of firing his brother from his band (for touring with Sting and thus wallowing in commercial impurities) comes the release of his finest record by far Stanley liner notes defend the combative young trumpet right to be derivative with blustery bravado that borders on the comic but Crouch has a point here clear derivations matter less and less as his music gets better and better This may sound like era Miles but so much of it is played with conviction and passion that its pedigree is irrelevant There's a modal burner called of a superb trumpet bass duet uncre dited on the album sleeve and the title tune which accord ing to Marsalis refers to anything that pushes people down and away from greater individual possibilities and plea sures strongest public indication yet of his fueling righteous anger the other hand with five of the nine tracks is sprinkled with musical variety and the songs have more concrete lyrics the intent of which can be recog nized easily a sign of good stuff in popular music One of the best solo albums this year probably will turn out to be Billy Lately (Total Experience Records TEL 8 5711) been a long time since moody voice topped the charts but this material should certainly bring him back into the limelight Most of the tracks are aimed directly at matters of the heart a subject Paul does well with and although some are a little danceable this is an album want to sit down and listen to again and again The title track is especially capti vating and Paul gives new life to songs a Clear and Only Have Eyes or usually associated with traditional jazz vocalists not out of character for Paul who was born in Philadelphia and per formed with the great Charlie Parker He cut his first record when he was just 16 with jazz great Tadd Dameron These jazz influences kept Paul in clubs around Philly for a time while his old school chums Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff built Philadelphia International and its new sound through a variety of recording artists jazz recordings did reasonably well but fame arrived at his doorstep with the release of the single and Mrs originally intended to be part of a larger record set Paul became an overnight pop star and his music fell into the Philly groove However after several years of recording silence this album clearly goes back to his jazz roots with a nice blues touch This perhaps more than anything heard before is the real Billy Paul ogy He went back to Los Angeles to put together a new outfit that gave expres sion to his mystical musical viewpoint was the fruit of his labor and the group gained international fame with the release of "Shining and their fabu lous stage shows Many of the musical combinations that White created for in the early days are on this album from hip flipping Side One is rather bland Side Two on dance tunes like on Your Radio to message laden cuts like of His rendition of the old favorite By which has been released on a 12 inch single (Columbia 44 05262) shows that White is able to put a special touch to a song no matter its original intention or tone Jennifer debut album eel My Soul was produced by Maurice White It made a Broadway star a household commodity demand Holliday landed her first Broadway musical appearance in Arms Too Short to Box With at 18 and went on to critically acclaimed On her first album she strained by the recording studio rather than relaxed but this new album makes more effective use of talents Say You Love Me (Geffen Records GH 24073) brings out soulful gos pel based inclinations without forcing her to sell every song to the maximum The result is an effortless bluesy sound that is moving because of Holli ability to pour emotion into every phrase of every lyric This is a special talent the mark of an emerging great voice of our times The title track is a good example of this with Holliday seeming to hold on to each word as if conducting a pleading conversation while she leads both the band and the background vocalist Her rendition of is especially interesting and gives us a hint of what may be in a road show Holliday is tour ing with now in which she sings and por trays legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson Natalie Dangerous (Modern Records 90270 1) is probably her best since her return to work after struggling Jennifer Holiday Can she sing! through a pile of personal problems The title cut has already been certified as a pop hit (Pointer Sisters) but voice lends a softer more discernible quality to it without rendering it undanceable Another track that has attracted some airtime is the reggae inspired Little Bit of Except for RECORDS: SOUl Pop Soundtrack Miami Vice (MCA 6150) The soundtrack al bum been awaiting for more than a year have thought years ago when Jan Hammer was playing keyboards and stoking the furnaces of the Mahav ishnu Orchestra that turn up 15 years later smack in the center of the pop music phenomenon of the decade a network prime time series that does more for rock than MTV? low nasty opening electronic fanfare is served up here in two versions original and extra crispy (on Side Two) along with big hits that were chosen by Buffalo born red Lyle and that fit in so well behind Don and Philip Michael pastel wanderings through phosphorescent loridian nights As expected Glenn is here along with Tina Better Be Good to Me" Phil the Air and some originals of lesser consequence by Chaka Khan rey and Grandmaster Melle Mel Hammer throws in some extra electronic fantasias direct from riday night rock hallucination Jeff Simon Classical Mahler Das Lied von der Erde tenor ritz Wunderlich mezzo Christa Ludwig New Philharmonia Orchestra con ducted by Otto Klemperer (Angel 38234) This is a digital remastering of a 1966 recording which has always been among the very best Das Lieds Wunderlich died in a tragic accident at a hunting lodge shortly after the re cording session He may be the only tenor to catch the angst in these songs without effecting a strained voice quality Ludwig is equally magnificent and Klemperer excites the Philharmonia to some of its best playing ever I own the original pressing so couldn't compare direct ly but the remastered sound seems pleasingly close to the best contemporary LPs to these ears Herman Trotter Strauss inal Scene from Capriccio and our Last Songs soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf with Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Otto Ackermann (Angel 38266 MONO) The clue here is the fact that this is a monaural record These days nobody would bother digitally remaster ing a mono disc unless it was a certified phonographic treasure This one certainly is Capriccio may be Strauss' most underrated opera and the final scene is absolutely mesmerizing especially with the tonal glow control and sense of poise and wonderment Schwarzkopf brings to its closing pages The our Last Songs capture the autumnal feeling Strauss radiated in his late years in poignant and moving depth Schwarzkopf sings superbly in this 1953 recording but surpassed even that effort in a 1966 record ing with Szell and the Berlin Radio Symphony in which her own advancing years provided a mellowing of voice and an incomparable sense of ecstatic resignation orches tral work is second to none and the performance is still available on Angel 36347 Top Ten Singles: (1) Take On Me A Ha (Warner Bros) (2) Saving All My Love or You Whitney Houston (Arista) (3) Part Time Lover Stevie Wonder (Motown) (4) Oh Sheila Ready or The World (MCA) (5) Miami Vice Theme Jan Hammer (MCA) (6) Lonely Night John Cougar Mellen camp (Riva) (7) Money or Nothing Dire Straits (Warner Bros) (8) Dancing In The Street Mick Jagger David Bowie (EMI America) (9) ortress Around Your Heart Sting (10) Head Over Heels Tears or ears (Mercury) Albums: (1) Brothers In Arms Dire Straits (Warner Bros) (2) Whitney Houston Whitney Houston (Arista) (3) Songs rom The Big Chair Tears for ears (Mercury) (4) The Dream Of The Blue Turtles Sting (5) Born In The USA Bruce Springsteen (Columbia) (6) Scarecrow John Cougar Mellencamp (Riva) (7) Miami Vice Sound track (MCA) (8) Heart Heart (Capitol) (9) Reckless Bryan Adams (10) Greatest Hits Vol I Billy Joel (Columbia) By CARL ALLEN Staff Writer ERHAPS THERE is no more envible position than solo vocal He or she struts on stage in dazzling evening wear encouraged by thunderous applause the mike held close as the first phrases of an immensely popular tune are whispered into the sound system This is the dream that spurs almost every would be solo vocalist at one time or another though most of us lose our new found talent after stepping out of the shower A few have that correct mixture of talent and knack for timing that leads to a career as a recording artist Eddie Murphy one of these few His third album from Columbia How Could It Be (C 39952) and his first en tirely dedicated to musical performance is more a symbol of stability as a star than a first step into a new career That's not to say that Murphy a good singer face it vocal popular music standards depend more on individ uality than quality As a comedian Murphy already has released two award winning best selling albums Eddie Murphy (1982) and Eddie Murphy: Comedian (1983) His appear ances on Saturday Night Live are now part of television lore and his movie ca reer reached a new height last December with the release of Hills one of the best money making films of all time So in the midst of all this why release a solo album? The answer is Why not? What has Murphy got to lose? At this point his popularity alone could sell half a million copies just for sake Taken as a whole the album is not so bad The music is well produced and the contributions of Rick James and Stevie Wonder add some legitimacy However most of the time vocals are somewhere between his imitations of Stevie and Ray Charles The title track is the only place where he leaves this mold and shows a glimmer of singing talent Perhaps if Murphy would have been introduced to the world as a vocalist his routines would have less impact Of course then we might never have heard of Eddie Murphy at all What we have here is a fairly big star overstepping his artistic bounds The man who sparked a decade of Earth Wind and ire music Maurice White has just released a solo recording His self titled debut album from Colum bia (G 39883) is impressive and may sig nal the end of as a recording group vocals are clear and inspiring backed with very danceable music a fea ture of the songs of the golden years White was the force behind To the "Shining and other hits The last album released was way below their standards so far as this col umn is concerned Also Phil Bailey a key vocalist in the sound system now is enjoying considerable success on his own The loss of one of the great bands of all time may be a trade off for launching an exciting soloist Raised in Chicago musical roots developed in the jazz tradition As a session drummer for the Chicago based Chess label he played with John Coltrane Muddy Waters and was asked to eventually join the Ramsey Lewis Trio While on tour in the Middle East White was inspired by Egyptology and astrol I I HHHBl Sr Kul wlMK ''XflflE XI fl Dk Jaiz 36 GUSTOriday) October IT 1985.