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The music of summer 2003 can be summed up with one word: Anyonecangetarecorddeal. Where were the new releases? Where were the hot tracks? Where were the obscene club videos on MTV? Many fans went to the music dinner table this summer looking for a four-course meal, but left unsatisfied by the crust of bread their favorite artists served. A few groups did succeed in shining through the muck, but it’s hard to smell roses in a garden full of weeds. But, hey, I’ll try my hand at gardening.
One album that did shine through was the P. Diddy produced “Bad Boys II Soundtrack.” If you are into hip-hop or rap, you are into this disc. The album has an all-star lineup including Pharrell, Lenny Kravitz, Beyonc�, Snoop, 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, and Nelly. Even though the only real “hit” on this album was the no-talent song “Shake Ya Tailfeather” by everyone’s favorite bandage wearing wonder, the remainder of the album will get your stereo blastin’. The hits pulled off by Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent make up for what the radio single lacks, due to their superior beats, more creative lyrics and better hooks. All in all, as long as you have the power to skip, this album keeps you jumpin’.
The White Stripes also managed to captivate listeners again with the release of their sophomore album “Elephant.” If you liked their first album, or if you somehow missed out on it, then trust me, you’ll enjoy this one. This album consists of several catchy short songs that have a Beatles-like sound you can’t help but enjoy. Jack and Meg White put together another amazing storytelling album that mixes the genres of blues and punk to make a record you’ll easily listen to from beginning to end.
Another highlight this summer was the Black Eyed Peas’ new album, “Elephunk.” Although the concept of having Justin Timberlake sing with the Peas threw me off at first, they seem to pull it off. For this album they blended all kinds of genres, including Latin, metal and rap, to make an amazing party CD. Rhymes flow smoothly, with a simple and appealing quality. All around, it’s a good showing, but if you are looking for any deep messages, you won’t find them.
It’s hard to believe that over the entire summer there weren’t more good albums to check out. The music industry spent more time worrying about which college student downloaded mp3s than it did getting in the studio and putting out quality tracks that we, the public, would actually pay for. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) complains that record sales are down due to music piracy on the internet. Could it be record sales are down because we won’t buy crummy CDs anymore? The summer is supposed to be just as big in the music industry as it is in the movie industry. If no good movies came out for an entire summer, everyone would notice. It could be just a fluke and all the hit albums we were supposed to hear over the summer will drop this fall. Better late than never, but I’m not holding my breath.
