The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, January 30, 1989, Page 7, Image 7
Vanessa Williams has ‘the right stuff’ By Kelly Anders Staff Reporter Vanessa Williams The Right Stuff Polygram Records Once a beauty queen, now a Grammy nominee, Vanessa Wil liams has made quite an interesting and successful transition. — Her debut album, “The Right Stuff,” is not the work of someone who’s merely toying with the notion of becoming a recording star. It’s the w ork of an artist The album starts with the title track, ‘The Right Stuff.’’ The song, sporting a funky James Brown sounding beginning, has a catchy and danceablc bcaL Throughout the song Williams warns would-be suitors not to bother to try to win her affection unless they ’ve got the “right stuff” (what ever that is). This same song was nominated for a Grammy award for Best r Rhythm and Blues Song by a i F emale ArtisL Up against Pebbles’ “Girl friend,” Anita Baker’s “Giving You the Best That I Got,” Taylor Dayne’s I'll Always Love You" and Karyn White’s “The Way You Love Me,” Williams’ chances of winning are questionable. All of the songs nominated are good, but they vary so much in style that it’s hard to judge them against each other. Because of their differences, it’s almost unfair to put them all together and decide which one’s best. It’s like putting Branford Marsalis, Luther \ an dross and L.L. Cool J in the same category and choosing a winner from those three very differently styled art ists. They just don’t mix. To speculate who will win is ridiculous. Let s just say that under these circumstances Williams has as much of a chance to win as anyone else. It’s truly ^ a subjective thing because there's no way to compare them. Other tunes on the album are as good as, if not better than, the title track. Included are “Dreamin’,” “(He’s Got) The Look,” “Am I Too Much?,” and “Security.” Dreamin,” a song about a woman’s wonderful thoughts about the man she loves, has a soft and flowing feel to it - like a dream. This song displays Williams’ talent better than any other cut on the album. High and low notes are hit with apparent ease. The flirtatious quality of the re cently released “(He’s Got) The Look” is contradicted by Williams’ low, mature-sounding voice. But unlike many Madonna wanna - be’s on the market now that chirp and whine their lyrics like spoiled little girls, Williams sings like a woman. “(He’s Got) the Look,” could have been sung with higher notes, but the low notes make it a little different. They make one take the lyrics and the chanteuse more seriously. “Am I Too Much?,” another fast track on the album, is a really sexy r song. Its daring lyrics are about a woman who’s extremely sure of her attributes asking her man if he can handle her. “Can you take the heat, boy? I wanna know...are you just a weak boy?” Williams purrs. “Security,” a mid-tempo song, has a beat that’s relaxing. Although it’s nothing new or innovative, it’s so well-done and pleasant to listen to that it’s well worth mentioning. Whether Williams wins a Grammy for her efforts this time isn’t important. Provided she sings like she does on this album, there’ll be more nominations and eventual vic tories. She does indeed have the right stuff. /THE GRAHW GOAPvb \ m i ill n 11 mi m Tammy Taylor/Oaliy Nebraskan ‘Innovative rap’ tape to help homeless’ plight HDEF from Page 6 samples (electronically reproduced sounds from a keyboard). Richard Conradl writes the music for the band. Conradl is an 1985 graduate of the University of Nc braska-Lincoln with a bachelor’s dc gree in psychology. He is also a for mer captain of die Nebraska swim team. Vince McKinney, “Juice,” pro duces the cash beats, or drum beats. He attends the University of Western Illinois on a football scholarship. Klassy K said Juice works with the band when he is back in Lincoln for vacation. “We work pretty hard when he’s back,” he said. Conradt said the band first got together about a year ago. He said a mutual friend introduced him and Romeo to Klassy K and they started jamming together. “They just had drum beats and scratches and I wrote the music to what they had.” he said. Conradt described their music as innovative rap. “We’re aggressive. We’re hap pening. We’re the difference bc See IIDEF on 8 ■ — Courtesy of II Osf. From left: Richard Conradt, Vince McKinney, Grant Kauffman, Donnell Jones of il Def. Warning can alert parents CENSORSHIP from Page 6 there’s no warning." There are a number of reasons a warning might be included on a rec ord, but most of them relate to sex and bad language. “Mostly, it’s language - they use the F-word’ a lot. The rap stuff is mostly sexual, while the hard rock and heavy metal tends to be objec tionable because of language, ’ Gilbertson said. From Austin, Texas The Leroi Brothers Great roadhouse blues, roek a-billy raveups, csgun two steps, honky tonk country and plenty of trash and roll all by the Leroi Brothers. 9-1:00, $4 at the door Opening Act: The TableRockers -i from from $149 $359 | Your Spring Break vacation includes: •7 Nights deluxe lodging at resort properties • Famous Spring Break Parties and Contests •Volleyball competitions with prizes • Services of On-site tour directors • Many other FUN activities • Resort taxes Included Contact any Phi Delt or call Brian at 477-8907 or Jeff at 474-4392 Great Destinations, Inc. _I Joslyn to show photo exhibition “Photography,” an exhibition showcasing Omaha photographers Jim Krantz, Lorran Meares and Wil liam S. Sutton, opens Tuesday at the Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge St, Omaha. 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