Volume 96, Issue 40
Friday November 8, 2002
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Jackie Cane can't beat Eminem's 8 Mile
Various
Artists
8 Mile Soundtrack
Shady/Interscope Records
Rundown: With Eminem's theatrical debut hitting movie
screens, it's only natural that there's a star-studded soundtrack hitting
record stores. The soundtrack for 8 Mile includes tracks from
some of hip-hop's finest, including Eminem (obviously), Gangstarr, Nas,
Jay-Z, Rakim and a whole bunch of others. Macy Gray even managed to get
one of her unique R&B-style songs in to the mix.
Key Tracks: The first single of 8 Mile is Eminem's "Lose
Yourself." Not only is this the best song on the CD, but it could
be the best song ever recorded by Eminem. "Adrenaline Rush"
by Obie Trice is another great addition to the soundtrack, with its groovy
feel and unnecessary, but hilarious, use of the phrase "motherfucker."
Sounds Like: 8 Mile is a pleasant deviation
from the typical boring flood of contrived compilation albums. With big-name
stars and a lot of previously unreleased material, this album is one you
shouldn't pass up. If you were hoping for a completely new Eminem CD to
accompany his movie, that's not what this album is – but it's definitely
just as good.
–Myles DeRosse
Hooverphonic
Jackie Cane
Sony
Rundown: When you try to do everything, sometimes you
end up with nothing. Hooverphonic's 2Wicky broke out in 1996 when trip-hop
was the sound du jour, but the group decided to be genre-benders whose
mission was to diversify, diversify, diversify. After their original singer
quit the group, Hooverphonic's efforts to be all things has left everyone
wondering what the Hooverphonic sound really is. Jackie Cane continues
the tradition.
Key Tracks: Cane is structured like a musical,
starting with protagonist singer Jackie Cane's rise to fame and ending
with her tragic fall. The album's repertoire includes psychedelic Eastern-sounding
grooves ("Jackie's Delerium"), bold and brassy orchestral numbers
("Sometimes"), and ultra-kitschy funk tunes ("The World
is Mine"); too bad only a few of these are bearable.
Sounds Like: Jackie Cane is basically a Bjork
record without the humour or intrigue. The airy sexiness found on 2Wicky
is absent on this album. The album is disappointingly ineffective and
completely fails to bring Miss Cane to life.
–Brian Wong