“Eat at Whitey’s”Everlast

Compare to: Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Cypress Hill4/5 Stars

Everlast surprised the music world in 1998 with his highly successful second solo effort, “Whitey Ford Sings the Blues.” The album turned out to be one of the best of the year by using a combination almost unheard of in pop music.

The former House of Pain rapper took his deep roots in hip-hop and fused them together with rock, blues and folk to create a style that fits all sorts of musical tastes.

On his third solo record, “Eat At Whitey’s,” Everlast doesn’t have the surprise factor going for him, but this time around, he doesn’t need it. After the failure of House of Pain, Everlast was a forgotten name. With the release of this album, Everlast is making sure his name won’t be forgotten any time soon.

Although all the songs on this album have a strong base in hip-hop, Everlast doesn’t employ a straight-rap style on as many songs as he did on “Whitey Ford.”

Fans who have been down with Everlast since his days as a bald-headed hood in House of Pain, or even from his days as a solo artist with Ice-T’s rhyme syndicate, will be a little disappointed with the lack of rap songs.

But on songs such as “Deadly Assassins,” featuring B-Real from Cypress Hill, and “Children’s Story” featuring Rahzel, Everlast shows why he was one of the first white boys to make it in the hip-hop world.

His sandpaper vocals, roughneck style, bad-ass persona and street mentality haven’t changed since he first burst onto to the scene in 1990.

Maybe Everlast sums it up best in the opening track of the album, “Whitey,” when he says, “What, you thought I stopped rhyming cause I started singin’ /pickin’ on the six-string/ wrists bling blingin’/ name’s bell-ringin’ from coast to coast/ you rollin’ with the one that rocks the most.”

The song is a great example of Everlast’s unique rap style and lets everyone know that although his style has changed, he can still rock a mic with the best of them.

“Eat At Whitey’s” could also quite possibly be one of the most soulful albums of 2000. Unlike his hip-hop counterparts, Everlast has feelings that he isn’t afraid to show, which is evident in “Love For Real.”

“Her eyes were hazel brown/she laughed the sweetest sound/and I just loved the way she lit up when she spoke,” sings Everlast.

“Love For Real” combines Everlast’s bluesy guitar playing and gruffy voice with the sugar-sweet vocals of N’Dea Davenport to make a truly majestic song that grabs the heart of anyone who knows how it feels to have been in a great relationship gone bad.

After teaming up with Carlos Santana for the Grammy winning “Put Your Lights On,” the duo gave it another try on the song “Babylon Feeling.” And they prove to be just as successful the second time around by weaving together hip-hop beats and the bittersweet guitar that only Santana can provide.

Everlast has beaten death both physically and professionally. He suffered a heart attack at the ripe age of 29 and was facing death in the industry when his career was going nowhere after the break-up of House of Pain.

But Everlast came out on top both times older and wiser with fantastic stories to tell through his music. It isn’t often that hip-hop music can be described as “beautiful,” but that is exactly what Everlast has accomplished on this record.— Trevor Fisher”Breach”

The Wallflowers

Compare to: Tonic, Shawn Colvin, Wilco3/5 Stars

Traditional rock is in good hands with Jakob Dylan and The Wallflowers. Slow and measured, but good.

“Breach” is a sedate offering from a band that has more in common with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers than it does frontman Jakob’s old man Bob Dylan.

The album is not frenetic, but it does pack a powerful punch. It is like getting hit by Bruce Lee in slow motion. You can experience every aspect in great detail and it still packs a punch.

The best song on the album is the bonus track, “Babybird,” a hauntingly sweet musicbox tune tagged on about a minute after “Birdcage.” This bonus track stuff is a bit cheesy for a quality band, but unlike so many throwaway tracks on so many other albums, this one is worth the dead air.

There isn’t one word to describe “Breach,” but there are a handful that do it justice. Sweet, mournful, sophisticated, and, strangely enough, uplifting.

This album is like drinking warm Heineken with Kurt Vonnegut. It comes so close to perfection, it’s too bad it’s lukewarm.

In fact the relaxation factor on this album is so high, it could be used by childcare professionals to put children to sleep during nappy time. This should in no way dissuade Americana lovers who will find all the right buttons being pushed.

Don’t go into “Breach” expecting another “Heroes” buzz, because this album is not packaged and ready for the mass-marketing blitz one-hit-wonder lovers like. The Wallflowers aren’t looking to hit it and quit it, they are in this for the long haul and while “Breach” won’t be burning up the charts any time soon, it is a dignified offering from a band with integrity.

— Greg Jerrett”Never You Mind”The New AmsterdamsCompare to: The Get Up Kids, Jets to Brazil

4.5/5 Stars

Matthew Pryor and the Get Up Kids wasted no time in becoming one of the premier indie rock bands.

Their first album, “Four Minute Mile,” attracted major label attention and their second, “Something to Write Home About,” released on Vagrant Records, gained worldwide attention that sent the Get Up Kids on tours far from their Kansas City home.

Signing with Vagrant has been a wise business decision for the Get Up Kids as the label has helped back the band’s own Heroes & Villains label. The band has since put out releases by other indie rock acts such as the Anniversary and Koufax and even the band’s own side project, Reggie and the Full Effect.

But as lighthearted as the listener would expect a Reggie album to be, the New Amsterdam album may come as a surprise to the band’s followers.

Instead of driving the album with comedic value and skits about dwarves, “Never You Mind” makes you feel as if Pryor is in your bedroom complaining about his world.

However, he speaks of his world in such a way that the listener could easily relate to every song on the record.

“Something has gotta give/ I wouldn’t wait for it/ Baby you bet it’s overdue / You’re lucky to be alive/ So I wouldn’t count on anything,” Pryor sings on “Proceed with Caution,” a song about a relationship that seems too perfect.

For as simple as the acoustic guitar and Pryor’s voice are, something else has to drive the album. Pryor doesn’t spend a lot of time with overdubs and production either, so it’s what is said that matters most on “Never You Mind.”

What’s most pleasing about this album is that it sounds absolutely nothing like the Get Up Kids, usually a problem in side projects. For the most part, Pryor’s effort is something completely different. “Never You Mind” is his attempt at Americana, and for those already familiar with his way with words, this album should be a pleasing listen.— Dewayne Hankins