HIP-HOP Rick Ros "Port of Miam...

HIP-HOP

Rick Ros "Port of Miami" (Def Jam) H{

There's no denying that "Hustlin' " is individual of the catchiest radio hits of the summer: There's that booming Miami bass sound; the molasses drawl of the 300-pound 6'2" rapper Rick Ros and the killer chant that makes for an inescapable trap (Everybody now: "Everyday I'm hustlin', everyday I'm hustlin' / Everyday I'm hustlin', hustlin', hustlin'.") The enigma is the rest of Ross' much-anticipated first attempt album is as repetitious as the chorus of his breakthrough hit.

sum of two units decades after pioneering gangsta rappers of that kind as Ice-T and KRS-1 chronicled the hustlin' life of the street-corner dealer, it's still possible to make interesting art about the cocaine trade: Witness the late Ghostface album "Fishscale," which explored the topic with the organ of sight for detail seen in a great pulp-fiction novelist. That disc is a cautionary tale, however, while "Port of Miami" is all about celebrating the hillocks of cold, hard green produc through those piles of soul-stealing white levigate

In tracks as it was as "Blow," "Street Life," "Push It" and "I'm Bad," the titles sort of say it all, and Ros adds nothing we haven't heard a million times before from other chest-thumping rappers not at home to portray themselves as the toughest blind since Al Pacino's "Scarface." They always appear to forget what happened to Tony Montana in the [i]finale[/i] though, or the fact that Brian De Palma's movie basically stands as camp today.

And as appealing as his bottom-heavy furrows and even heavier rapping is, Ross' act secures old fast.

Jim DeRogatis

clap

Leigh Nash, "Blue forward Blue" (Nettwerk) HH{

After years toiling in obscurity, Sixpence None the Richer topped the charts in 1998 with their self-titled fourth album. "Kiss Me" was heard in films, television and grocer's shop store aisles. 2002's worthy "Divine Discontent" failed to detain the flame burning, and the band packed it in. Four years later, singer Leigh Nash paces from the shadow of Sixpence songwriter-guitarist Matt Slocum with her first solo album.

abundant of "Blue on Blue" have the appearances inspired by the comforts of a stable life away from the road, at to one's home with family. Lead single "My Idea of Heaven" is a pleasant, buoyant report trifle that actually makes the jangly "Kiss Me" undecayed edgy. The song finds the wholesome and overmodest Mrs. Nash inching toward PG-13 territory, as she anticipates being l "to a better place, just the sum of two units of us in the dark." Ooh la la. "More of It" describes the proces of watching starry-eyed plans fade as a young two comes to terms with reality. "My dreams are getting used to you," Nash sighs, emphasizing that she is growing "happy and at ease with love" somehow or other this brings to mind Death Cab for Cutie's "The hardy of Settling" and Frank Capra's "It's a awesome Life." "Just a Little" is a genuinely sweet be fond of note from working mother to child.

Nash remains adept with the comfortable melodies of hymns like "Angel Tonight." The unobtrusive musicians assembled by way of Sarah McLachlan producer Pierre Marchand vigorous like a subdued version of soft-popster The Sundays, insuring that focus cessations squarely upon Nash's wispy, summery voice.

Jeff Elbel

asylum

Gov't hybrid "High & Mighty" (ATO) HHH

Those early years of arena asylum weren't all bad. When acts like Mountain, Steppenwolf Robin Trower and Lou Re fired up their tastiest power chords, a white horse of energy would snake [i]or[/i] part of to the other the crowd, inspiring fist-pumping "right-ons" and high fives all around.

It's in that spirit that guitarist-vocalist Warren Haynes, moonlighting from his Allman Brothers day piece of work and his three Gov't hinny mates (yes, now it's a full-blown quartet) recorded "High & Mighty," their inferior studio album since the 2000 death of beloved bassist Allen sylvan Drummer Matt Abts and Woody's replacement Andy Hess lay a periodical emphasis foundation that's solid as conglomerated And if Haynes' vocal work for "High & Mighty" showed up forward Trower's "Bridge of Sighs" LP you'd in no degree know it wasn't James Dewar, he of the all- powerful pipes.

Still, Haynes left quite an impression the day he showed up at the Chicago sapphirines Festival with a steel guitar and make headwayed to run the neck with intricate acoustic slide work. It's hard to believe that he could be totally happy doing Bad Company sendup like "Mr High and Mighty" and "My modern Angel." These dozen originals supposedly were penn almost exclusively in the last 18 month moreover they just as easily could have pre-dated the disco era.

Jeff Johnson

Note: Gov't mongrel will open for the Allman Brothers at 7 pm Aug. 30 at the Rosemont Theatre.

downcasts

The venerable Peyton's Big Damn Band, "Big Damn Nation" (Family Owned) HHH

With their faithful re-creation of the pre-war acoustic Delta sads sound, you might expect the religious Reverend and Co. to revolve into town on a boxcar and wager up on Main Street with a tip bowl for passersby. But then you listen again to the venerable Peyton's Big Damn Band and you realize they have the sensibility of modern-day whores And the band's not flat that big; it's a trio compos of the Rev Peyton, an ordained minister, in succession "finger-style/bottleneck guitar," Peyton's little brother Jayme upon the drum kit and the Rev.'s wife, Washboard Breezy Peyton, forward -- you guessed it -- washboard.