$1 Million Tabbed For Veterans

Absences, Baggy Pants Draw District's Attention

Thursday, August 08, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





RECORD REVIEW &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 POP &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ALICE IN CHAINS ``Unplugged'' (Columbia) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In an industry faced with mounting heroin casualties, Alice in Chains front
man Layne Staley is an anomaly. The singer's struggle with his addiction has
been documented both in the media and in the band's lyrics, so few will come
to ``Unplugged'' expecting the typical grunge fireside chat. What they get
instead is a document about confronting personal demons head-on, and surviving
them. Even the "it's great to be here" patter Staley delivers to the audience
at the May segment of "MTV Unplugged" takes on added significance. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hearing songs like "Sludge Factory," "Rooster" and the brand-new "The
Killer Is Me" in an acoustic setting is like hearing the MTV set that became
Nirvana's swan song. Without layers of crushing guitars, and with none of that
faux singer-songwriter sensitivity, you get the bare essentials and a rare
sense of vulnerability. The band interrupts its gloom and doom with some comic
relief when Staley announces, "We're going to cut to an LL Cool J video now,"
followed by a little riffing of Metallica's "Enter Sandman." (Members of
Metallica were in the audience.) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But unlike Nirvana's poignant effort, Alice in Chains' "Unplugged" offers
hope that there is a way out. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS "Songs and Music From the Motion Picture
`She's the One"' (Warner Bros.) 1/2 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The upside is that Tom Petty's "She's the One" soundtrack, which reaches
stores Tuesday, is his first with the Heartbreakers since 1991 and contains a
handful of the best songs Petty has put to tape in years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The downside is that the very best of them were written by Lucinda Williams
("Change the Locks") and Beck ("A--hole"), and that Petty has included two
slightly different versions of two songs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The single "Walls (Circus)" is inexorably catchy Petty. The Beach
Boys-esque "Hung Up and Overdue" is a mild experiment that pays off. And both
Petty's "Hope You Never" and the Beck track (one of three featuring vocals by
Lindsay Buckingham) employ a combination of snide wit and delicious harmony.
There's not an entire album's worth of tunes here, though, and too frequently
Petty rocks out with one hand tied behind his back. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 COUNTRY &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 MC POTTS "Straight To You" (Critique) 1/2 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 MC Potts has such a terrific voice that she could sing a bad song and make
it sound great. Fortunately for the 28-year-old native of Columbus, Ohio, her
debut album is filled with outstanding music. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 From top to bottom, "Straight To You" is an exceptionally strong offering.
There are several ballads, including Potts' current single, "Put Me Out Of My
Misery." It's an an emotional tale about a dying love affair. "Just Enough To
Go On" and "So Close To Everything" both contain slick lyrics that are sparked
by Potts' believable delivery. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "One Sided, Too Long" is an upbeat song that brings out Potts' sassy side,
which is reminiscent of Lorrie Morgan. Potts simply has too much fun belting
out the lyrics, "I'm gettin' tired of playin' by your rules, sick of you
runnin' the show." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Potts' ticket to stardom may be "Gonna Live As Much As I Can," an explosive
song that showcases the range of her voice. It simply hits you between the
eyes. It would be a great disservice to Potts if "Gonna Live As Much As I Can"
isn't released as a single. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With "Straight To You," MC Potts serves notice that's she's more than just
another fresh face in Nashville. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Van Rose/The Times Leader &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 SHAVER "Highway of Life" (Justice) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Billy Joe Shaver wrote all but one song on Waylon Jennings' classic "Honky
Tonk Heroes" album and, like his fellow Texan, was part of country's Outlaw
movement in the '70s. The two old coots now share a record label. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 What else do they have in common? They're both making some of the best
music of their careers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Highway of Life" -- which follows Jennings' "Right for the Time" by a
couple of months -- continues the artistic renaissance Shaver began with
1993's "Tramp on Your Street," when he hooked up with his guitarist son Eddy
and called the act simply Shaver. Billy Joe's rough-hewn voice is pretty much
shot, but it's perfectly suited for the bruised soulfulness of such songs as
"Yesterday Tomorrow Was Today," "West Texas Waltz" and "The First and Last
Time." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The collection rarely rocks out like "Tramp" or 1995's "Live at Smith's
Olde Barn," which was as much a showcase for Eddy's blazing fretwork as Billy
Joe's songs. Most of it is slow, spare and acoustic, but it's just as
compelling. And the Shavers do offer some neat changes of pace, including
"Blue Blue Blues," a slow-boiling electric blues, and the funny and frisky
"You're as Young as the Woman You Feel." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 CLASSICAL &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 PAUL HINDEMITH: String Quartets No. 0, 3, 4, 5; Overture to "The Flying
Dutchman;" MilitarMinimax "The Kocian Quartet" (Praga 250093.94) 1/2 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Paul Hindemith's musical interests were limitless. He wrote in all idioms,
rewarded instrumentalists with concertos and sometimes moved from the serious
to the wildly funny. The Czech Kocian Quartet has found the unusual satiric
mood of Hindemith to balance the powerful seriousness of his quartets. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hindemith's "Flying Dutchman" is his answer to Mozart's "Musical Joke." It
portrays a village band sight-reading Wagner's music at 7 a.m. It reels with
jangling discords, wandering phrasing and performers' train wrecks. His
"MilitarMinimax" collects six parodies of band music -- Strauss waltzes,
melanges of Mozart and Beethoven, music to imitate piccolos. These are
wonderful glimpses of Hindemith's other self. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The string quartets, including his student "Quartet No. 0," stand as some
of the composer's strongest works. The Kocian ensemble plays that early work
with respect and energy, showing that however Hindemith may have deprecated
it, it is a monumental, expressive piece. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On this disc, the "Quartet No. 3" wins the best performance. It stands
above the others musically, and the Kocian ensemble makes the opening slow
fugue a gripping, intense discovery. The piece touches extremes of expressive
levels. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The "Quartet No. 5" deserves rediscovery. Its lyricism is disarming, since
Hindemith used those cheerful tunes to coat rich counterpoint and layering of
ideas. It seems to have harmonic surprises everywhere. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The "Quartet No. 4" challenges usual ideas of harmony, offering ambiguity
instead of security. Hindemith's love of old forms is reflected in the
passacaglia movement in which musical form seems to inspire energy and
innovation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 JAZZ &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 JEANIE BRYSON "Jeanie Bryson Sings Songs of Peggy Lee: Some Cats Know"
(Telarc) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It wasn't long ago that singer Jeanie Bryson was a shy Rutgers student. Now
she's on a big tour and she's released her third CD, a smoky and sensual
tribute to Peggy Lee, on Telarc. Lee's intimate style suits Bryson, who
performs better in a velvet purr than in a full-throated roar. Lee compensated
for her small voice with alluring nuances; that gives Bryson a lot of room to
maneuver and should help her develop her style, which is still growing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bryson can't match Lee at her best, but that's a high mark. She also
benefits from producer John Snyder's many marvelous setups, including a
brilliant appearance on clarinet by Pacquito D'Rivera. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 RATINGS: 4 stars, Excellent; 3 stars, Good; 2 stars, Fair; 1 star, Poor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Reviews are from Times Leader wire services unless otherwise noted.
Classical recordings are rated for performance and sound quality. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Record Review 
Pop 
Alice In Chains ``unplugged'' (columbia) 
In An Industry Faced With Mounting Heroin Casualties, Alice In Chains Front 
Man Layne Staley Is An Anomaly. The Singer's Struggle With His Addiction Has 
Been Documented Both In The Media And In The Band's Lyrics, So Few Will Come 
To ``unplugged'' Expecting The Typical Grunge Fireside Chat. What They Get