45 REVELATIONS

45 REVELATIONS

KEN BARNES

Radio programmers are grappling with a new form of music. Its dance-oriented rhythms and hiphop-derived production effects draw heavily from black styles, but the singers are usually white females (under a group moniker or a first name only) and the melodies are light, airy, pure pop. Madonna is its godmother; hits from Stacey Q to Expose make up its universe. Radio stations are springing up in large markets, positioning themselves between Black/Urban and contemporary hit outlets, predominantly playing this music, which also slots itself between those two traditions.

Urban contemporary would encompass it neatly, but the radio stations won’t accept that term, because to advertisers Urban now means “Black” and they’re unwilling to buy “Black” stations as extensively. Sad fact of life. So the search goes on for the hip new description—everything from “sounds of the city” to “metrorhythmic,” with the bland “club music” perhaps the early leader.

What it is, of course, is today’s disco, but see what kind of rates you can charge calling your station a Disco or Dancemusic outlet. Bottom of the card. The genre awaits The Word, but meanwhile the music continues to enliven the airwaves like nothing else. Here are four recent additions to the honor roll.

Company B’s “Fascinated” comes out of Miami, with disco whiz Ish Ledesma (of Foxy fame) at the controls, boasting a power-drill synth riff for anchor, prominent handclaps/percussion, an incendiary female lead vocal, and bashful lyrics like “I’m fascinated by your love, boy/l’m fascinated by your love toy.”

Cover Girls’ “Show Me” features power chords, bells, propulsive bass, and the most pristine pop vocals, no trace whatsoever of R&B additives.

“Hooked On You” by Sweet Sensation has a nasal Lisa-Lisa-like vocal, a gratuitous rap, lots of hiphop production gimmicks, and tough, elemental rhythm and melody that won’t quit. Slnltta, who had a monstrous U.K. hit with a trivial novelty (alert redundancy patrol) called “So Macho,” moves up to Madonnaland with “Feels Like The First Time.”

These records are the ’80s equivalents of both girl groups and bubblegum, and as such are devoid of depth and are purely transitory, tending to wear out dangerously fast. But for that quick hit of pop ecstasy, there’s nothing better on the market today.

A number of fascinating superstar releases out and about. Prince’s “Sign ‘O’ The Times” is one of his apocalyptic “1999”/“America” state of the union addresses, much more somber than his old party-’til-it’s-dropped stance and hitting all the current socio-political targets (plus a gratuitous trashing of the space program—he thinks we’re still sending people to the moon). Intriguingly spare, illuminated by Prince’s uniquely commanding presence.

U2’s “With You Or Without You” is a grower, certainly without the instant electrification of “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” or “New Year’s Day” ’s eloquence, but with a quiet strength of its own and their obvious breakthrough hit.

Fleetwood Mac, after a return to relative conventionality with the Mirage LP, has been led (or dragged) by Lindsey Buckingham back to "Tusk” territory on “Big Love.” The _ _ banjolike guitar riffing is out of “The lChain,” the lead guitar is out of “Go Your Own Way,” and the heavy breathing (or coughing) is out to lunch. Weird but likable.

If Club Nouveau aren’t fullfledged superstars, they will be. Jay King married melody to rap with the Timex Social Club’s “Rumors.” No\y his CN version of Bill Withers’s “Lean On Me” is a shotgun wedding of doo-wop to hiphop—the record is largely percussion and vocals, yet it moves like a mother.

Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita” is no “Open Your Heart,” but its lilting (yet reflective) quality transcends the south-of-theborder cliches. Meanwhile, her sometime producer Steve Bray and a few of her exbandmates, the Breakfast Club, debut with “Right On Track,” sounding equally like a Madonna track with a male vocal and a dance version of “All Along The Watchtower.”

Jody Watley is a longtime idol of mine for her Shalamar classics like “Full Of Fire” and the amazing “Disappearing Act.” Launching her U.S. solo career with the megahit “Looking For A New Love,” she’s cast as part Janet Jackson; part Madonna in an assertive but wistful kiss-off song (“hasta la vista, baby”).

Veteran Luther Ingram turns in a virtuoso performance of “Don’t Turn Around,” an “Angel Of The Morning” derivation previously cut by Tina Turner. And Al Green has his best straight religious record, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” sparse,, tough core arrangement and that eternal flame in the vocal corona. (There’s more interesting Christian music out there—you should hear Kim Boyce’s version of Alison Moyet’s “Love Resurrection.”)

Peter Wolf’s “Come As You Are” blasts raw three-chord guitars in a classic intro that reminds me of “Little Bit Of Soul” by the Music Explosion. Prime rock ’n’ rpll for the radio. “Praying Mantis" by Don Dixon also builds on three-chord basics, adding a terTURN TO PAGE 53 rifically flattering titular analogy that puts the insects in sex once and for all.

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The Neville Bros, make their strongest commercial bid with “Whatever It Takes” (the title says it all), which sounds more like Foreigner than Allen Toussaint and also sounds just fine in the car.

Lyle Lovett’s “God Will” runs all of 2:13, keys on the variance between divine and mortal forgiveness (“God will but I won’t/And that’s the difference between God and me”), and is a masterpiece of condensed bitterness.

“I Will Be There” by Dan Seals is a punchy rocker with mandolin flavoring, an admirable crossover bid. Keith Whitley’s “Hard Lovin’ ” is located on the border where hard country and rockabilly meet, Dwight Yoakam’s domain. Meanwhile, the man himself is tough as you could ask on the early ’60s/late rockabilly Elvis classic “Little Sister,” with two guitar/battleaxe breaks.

George Strait is a great country performer given to an excess of painfully slow ballads for my taste, but “Oceanfront Property” is a melodic piece of midtempo material adorned with unobtrusively exquisite steel and fiddle, with clever wordplay along the lines of Smokey Robinson’s great “And I Don’t Love You,” to the effect of sure, I don’t love you, and if you believe that, I’ve got some.. .(cue title).

Couple of good Canadian singles: the Box mix chants, female background vocals, and ringing guitars on “Closer Together,” their most commercial shot yet. (Alert Records, 41 Britain St., Suite 305, Toronto, Ontario M5A 1R7, Canada.) Frozen Ghost’s “Should I See” (available in the U.S.) is a biting anticensorship tract and a strong pop-rocker, while the flip, “Suspended Humanation,” is a roaring rock tune with psychedelic frippery embroidered on.

From Australia, INXS & Jimmy Barnes rip into a thundering rendition of the Easybeats’ party-rock classic “Good Times” that pummels the ears into submission. The Zlmmermen return with a second first-rate single, “Ordinary Man,” articulate folk-rock moderne very much worth hearing. (Au Go Go Records, GPO Box 542d, Melbourne 3001, Australia.)

British hit “Cross That Bridge” by the Ward Brothers rivets me from the start, using the ’60s Motown trick of introing with an instant-impact chorus. XTC’s “Dear God” was rescued from B-side oblivion by KROQ/L.A. airplay, with its blatant (and less than original) anti-religious stance stirring up much attention. Musically, that pastoral “I Am The Walrus” flavor is prominent and as attractive as ever.

Bizarre lyric of the month: Dead Or Alive’s “What I really need to do is find myself a brand new lover/Somebody who’ll lie with me who doesn’t notice all the others.” Who are presumably hiding under the bed, in the closet, or scrunched way down beneath the covers.