John Gondman

This Week Editor jolkng@nsnews.com

“Her favourite pocts all agree Spanish is the loving tongue, but she never spoke Spanish to me.” — Butch Hancock

TWO of the early summer’s top- selling CDs come to us courtesy of Miami’s thriving Latin music scene.

Ricky Martin’s latest release includes songs in English and Spanish as he looks for a wider audience. Jennifer Lopez, has similar aspirations with her debut On the 6.

Even though both artists introduce the English language into their songs they sray truc to their origins. The recordings are showcases for Latin musicians and rely heavi- ly on the ex expertise of the Miami Sound © ~ Machine’s Emilio Estefan Jr.

“Tl The songs of Martin and Lopez display ‘the strong cultural roots of the south Florida recording scene. Spanglish gets the job donc.

@ kkk Ricky Martin —- Ricky Martin (1999 . Columbia CK 69891). Not yet thirty-years-old Ricky Martin is already a veteran of La Vida Loca. The San Juan, Puerto Rico native spent his teen years as a member of the heart-throb “: Memudos before branching out on ‘ a'solo career. Over the past decade he has developed his Latin super- star credentials cn the strength of four Spanish-language CDs, acting gigs in Mexican ‘and American soap operas, as well asa role in Les ‘Miserables on Broadway. The boy has paid his dues. And ¢ it up 2 formidable sup-: _. port group to cep the hits com- ing. Swedish singer Meja sang a duet with Martin on the new CD’ pericaced the recordin, process S firsthand. “The first ime” rehearsed the song together rth his basid, I discovered his : . almost like his family,” she Wall of Sound music ic Web

ucer/writers Teli Ross and - ond Child with Emilio _ : Estefan Jr., Jon Secada and George Nojiega also making strong contn- . butions to the mix...

The new.CD made : an immedi-. pact-in May with the first Livin’, La Vida Loca” which ° topping the charts.The song »

is'a bit uncharacteristic.as Martin

ig shows how the: Miami it machine intends to conquer the | world.’More la vida loca o

that there is a strong Latin influ- ‘the album. He likes the. aythmns of many of the tunes and says that Jennifer’s back- 'a dancer has helped her - - lop songs with a strong beat.

“Janet Jackson: Lopez has had a long-time desire to sing and this” album is the outcome of that strong desire — she expresses her personality well throughout the album. The turning puint in her career was when she portrayed Selena, che the Tejano ~_ Singing star, in the movic Selena.’ Working on that movie confirmed her desire to sing: "With the help of Emilio Estefan Jr. (husband, manager and pro- ducer of Gloria Estefan), On the 6 has a fresh , sound, free of cover songs. : F tht Taquachito Nights — Conjuntw Music ‘from South Texas (1999 § Smithsonian Folkways cD en.

Ing tongue §

PICK Hit: Great Summer music on street faGrie.

Recorded live at the 1998 16 de Septiembre Conjunto Festival Tagussciito Nights showcases the working-class dance music of south Texas Mexicanos.

Conjunto developed as a music to accompany community events on ranches in the Lower Rio Grand Valley. The diatonic button accordion, first

surfacing in Texas-Mexican music in the 1850s, is a key instrument in randem with the bajo sexto, a double-coursed 12-string bass gui- tar. Contemporary bands have also added electric bass and drums to punch up the sound.

‘The raral music developed in isolation in the early decades of this century as.a primarily instru- mental form — vocals were not added on a regular basis until the 1950s. This is party music.

@ &%x* Santana — Sz;

spernatural f (1999 Arista 78822-19089-2)

While Carlos Santana never really disappeared he is enjoying a > resurgence in popularity with the - re-release of his classic Columbia albunis as well as this new CD. Santana fans will not be disap- pointed with Supernatural as it continues his decades-long explo- ration of fink-based jazz rock. The Bay Arca musician has a very recognizable sound which creates a lot of space for improvisation. Not always an easy thing to do within the rock format. : Fellow musicians helping out ..on the new release include Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Dave Matthews, ‘ Everlast: and Esic Clapton. The fatter fittingly j joins Santana for che : epic. closer “Thi alling”. Santana i is ‘touring the western US. this semmer but the closest he will get ~ to Vancowver are dates in Oxzegon. 4 te Amanda Marshall — Tiesday’s Child (1999 Epic BK 80380} Producer Don Was seems like the perfect - Ed . choice to work with — ..-Amanda Marshall in the . ‘studio, He’s had lots of , success with Bonnie - Raitt; Delbert - -' McClinton and other - soulful singers. - _ But somewhere along the line this latest project fost its focus. - Although Was handled most of the roduction chores three

_. cuts Marshall co-oroduced with hez

songwriting collaborator Eric Bazilian

‘get special treatment.

Considering Was is a hired hand and its Marshall’s record gives her the right to make the call. But it’s the wrong move.

Placing their own work at the top of Tuesday's Child disrupts che overall pac- ing of the CD. While Bazilian has had . some recording success in the past (The

mexico and

B esepand coming 98429099.

Hooters, Joan Osborne} he's not as adept as Was at handling singers.

Even on the weaker material Was can bring out something in the performance worth lis- tening to. The three songs getting the most promotion are the least interesting on the disc. Tuesday's Child is fuil of blown chances.

@ kee Missy Misdemeanor Elliott — da real world (1999 Elektra 0 7559-62436-2)

The Mae West line applies here. When she’s good, she’s very, very good. When she’s bad, she’s... well, in da real world Misdemeanor is about as good and bad as it gets.

Missy Elliott and producer Timbaland are major players in anybody's game. Their first collaboration Supa Dupa Fly (1997) is one of the more original documents of late "90s pop culture.

In every other production context Timbaland more or less runs the show with his signature beats but when he teams up with Misdemeanor they operate as equals.

On most tracks they bring in guest vocalists to bounce off Misdemeanor: including Big Boi of Outkast, Nicole, Aaliyah, Da Brat, Eminem, Lil Kim, Juvenile and MC Solar. Turn it up.

@ kek Cree Semmer — street fazrie (1999 Sony/Work OK 68749)

Lenny Kravitz sold his New York City town- house in : May for $1.76 million. The house, buile in 1890 for sculptor Malvina Hoffman, included a groundfloor recording studio.

Before he vacated the premises he made one last recording with Canadian Cree Summer. Born on a Plains Cree reservation in Saskatchewan, Summer is well-known in the television industry for her voice- over work on cartoons. She is in the The Rugrats feature and also was a regular on the Lisa Bonet sitcom A Different World.

Nonc of this history however will Prepare you for street fatrie which is a very mature release and one of the great alburns of the year. A lot of credit must go to Kravitz who produced, arranged and

plays most of the instruments.

But it’s clearly Cree Summer’s show. She had a

hand in writing in most of the songs and her vocals -

bring everything together. She is currently touring ~ with Kravitz, Everlast and-Black Crowes and © >

. advance word says-her performances are as ‘good as

the record. Highly recomsacnded.

Rumour has it Kravitz had to slash $500, 000° off the asking price of 157 East 35th Stree: “There was not an ounce of light in the whole - downstairs,” the house’s buyer told the New York Observer. “It was covered in black fur.” Kravitz kept his house in Miami.

W & Presidential Cam; paign Som eung by Osca Brand: 1789-1996 (1999 Smithsonian

Folkways CD 45051)

* Great idea, but painful to listen to, as 5 Brand approaches all 43 cuts the same way. Guitar and / vocals ad nauseum. Smithsonian Folkways does their usual wonderful job in researching the materi-

at'and includes a 38-page booktet on the history of. -

. the songs. But at some point you have to listen ¢ to- the CD.

Mercedes -. recently back from

Kelly see new alain to LaCoupe de de Ville welcoming. new and exicting clients _

131 W. Erpinede N. Van

at t Lonsdale Guay behind Starbu behind

Win a copy of Santana’s CD

Enter to win a copy of Carlos

Santana’s new CD

Supernatural. The Bay Arca-

guitarist returns with a set of

strong perfor-

mances

enhanced by

guest musi-

cians includ-

ing Lauryn

Hill, Wyclef

Jean, Everlast and

Eric Clapton.

Send in the name of a classic

Santana song and if your name

is drawn you will be a winner.

We have five copies to give away

courtesy BMG Music Canada.

Send your entries to Santana

Contest, North Shore News,

1139 Lonsdale Ave., North

Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4.

Attention: John Goodman. You °.

can fax enrics to 985-2104 or. e-mail <johng@nsnews.com>.

Deadline for the contest is .

Tuesday, July 6,5 p.m. Winners

will be contacted by phone.

Du RC’s Top 10 dance cuts: .

1. Pintame — Elvis Crespo » :

‘2. Satome ~ Chayanne

3. Inevitabie - Shakira" | 4, Bailamos — ~ Enrique. a, “Iglesias...

$2 Dela Yaleo — : Carlos ..

Santana : 6. If You Had My Love - - Jennifer Lopez

y Wetback - Los Modosos

8. I-want it that way ~ Back Street Boys 9. Livin’ La Vida Loca =

‘Ricky Martin 7 10. No Scrubs — TLC. = Rio Crazy DY Raul

Cruz is in controi of the dance floor every second :

. Sunday at the Purple Onion,

15 Water St. in Gastown. His next scheduled date is:

: Sunday, yuly 2 nL.

rbucks