Edited By Mike Breen

· Prince Paul -- A Prince Among Thieves (Tommy Boy).
You have to give ace Hip Hop producer Prince Paul an "A" for ambition with his latest project, the film and album A Prince Among Thieves. Paul -- who pioneered the "skit" concept, a now-tired Hip Hop practice, on records by De La Soul and Third Bass -- puts his studio and humor skills on a grander scale with A Prince, which details, in both songs and spoken vignettes, the demise of a young, hopeful rapper who turns to hustling drugs to make quick cash to finish a demo. Paul has enlisted a slew of artists to fill out the roles -- from newcomers Breeze and Sha in the leads to De La Soul, Everlast, Big Daddy Kane, Chubb Rock, Biz Markie and Kool Keith as various drug addicts, pimps, gun and drug dealers. The story is a good one, though a bit of a predictable retread of movies like Juice, but the execution is a bit flat (rappers, for the most part, can't act). The story is at its best when it's humorous (De La Soul and Chris Rock's appearances particularly), but the heavy-handedness of the dramatic parts fails miserably, despite some subtle moments revealing Paul's gift as a storyteller. Seeing that this is a "musical," the actual song tracks on the record are mostly effective (as should be expected from such a strong group of performers), so the album is recommended for fans of creative Hip Hop. But be grateful if you have a programmable disc player so you can edit out the fat and get to the music. Like a comedy or spoken word album (or even Paul's indulgent therapy session, Psychoanalysis, from a couple of years ago), the full record is best listened to once or twice.
CityBeat grade: B.

· Built To Spill -- Keep It Like A Secret (Warner Bros.).
After the majestic, epic Perfect From Now On -- one of 1997's best -- head Built to Spiller Doug Martsch acquired two things: a new, steady rhythm section and a new sense of focus. Keep It Like a Secret couples the clearer sound of Perfect with the tighter song structures of Martsch's pre-major label singles. Thankfully, that doesn't mean that BTS has turned into Everclear, churning out plainer songs with hopes for a hit. Secret revels in Martsch's singular Pop instincts, with the poetic but direct lyrics and sprawling melodies jumping out like sunbeams through refracted glass. Secret, like Perfect, is also a great guitar album in a time when great guitar albums seem to be becoming things of the past. The colorful textures paint Martsch's slanted songs with sweeping slide guitar and riffs that deconstruct Rock's classics. For some who miss the broader appeal of Perfect, Martsch goes epic on the closer "Broken Chairs," but by that time you'll probably be hooked on the immediacy and quasi-psychedelic charm of the bulk of the album and wish they'd just wrap things up.
CityBeat grade: B.

· Various Artists -- Rushmore original motion picture soundtrack (London).
Usually today when a film features a teen-age lead, you can be pretty sure that the soundtrack will be heavy on AltRock and Top 40 songs. And it's hard to blame the soundtrack producers when these records are becoming dominant in the sales department. But do you really think the songs of The Flys or Collective Soul or Green Day couldn't have been unnoticeably replaced by Creed or The Offspring or Matchbox 20? And do you really think anyone would care? By using older, hand-picked songs from classic artist's discographies, Rushmore director Wes Anderson (who co-produced the soundtrack album) shows the integral part music can have in film. Even if you haven't seen the movie, the album is still a viable collection of Mod Pop and folksy, emotional classics. The Who's mini-Rock opera "A Quick One While He's Away" and The Creation's garagey "Making Time," reveal an overlooked moment from one of Rock's greats and an overlooked could've-been Rock great. The Faces and Kinks' tracks are reminders that there was more to those band that powerchords and swagger, while wild card cuts from swinger Zoot Sims and French warbler Yves Montand are little more than mood music of the utmost order. If you have seen the movie, you'll enjoy realizing how well put-together this album is, especially Mark Mothersbaugh's quirky, giddy score, which manages to capture the innocence, arrogance, curiosity and confusion that goes with adolescence, perfectly mirroring the film's offbeat lead character and his experiences.
CityBeat grade: A.

· Adam Goldberg -- Turning Point (J Curve).
Another accomplished young lion from the Boston/New York axis (see: Joshua Redman), Jazz pianist Adam Goldberg's debut for Cincinnati-based J Curve Records is an accomplished, creative effort that commands notice. Goldberg began his career in earnest when he split time between studying at Harvard and jamming around Berklee, before drawing the attention of the late Betty Carter, who asked him to participate in her regular Jazz Ahead programs. Turning Point is a dynamic effort, shifting effortlessly and gracefully from the intricate, textural "Turning Point" (highlighted by the telepathic interplay between Goldberg and saxophonist Mark Turner) to the twinkling, visceral "Turkish Moonrise." The album's creative centerpiece is the hypnotic "Jackson's Actions," a free, open-ended composition which finds Goldberg shining on electric piano and the rhythm enhanced by Karsh Kale's swaying tablas, making for an atmospheric showcase. Goldberg's compositions (and interpretations of three standards) are steeped in tradition, but it's the subtle artistic augmentations, the solid interplay between the musicians and the stylized arrangements that make Turning Point such an exhilarating listen.

(J. Curve Records, Box 867, Cincinnati, OH 45201-0867; www.jcurverecords.com).
CityBeat grade: A.

E-mail Mike Breen

Spill It (February 25, 1999)
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