Arts ©entertainment
proup explores women’s musical history
MusicaFemina
to play at UNL
By Stacey McKenzie
Senior Reporter_
The women of Musica Femina will
use their guitar and flutg to unearth
; parts of a history buried in silence.
That history is about the lives of
women musicians and composers.
The duo from Portland plans to
evoke memories of these women with
: candle-lit portraits, historical infor
mation, and most importantly, music,
said Kristan Aspen, the duo’s flutist.
The performance starts at 8 p.m.
Tuesday at the UNL Culture Center,
, 333 N. 14th St.
j Aspen said she and guitarist Janna
MacAuslan felt they had to answer
questions that welled up from the
i foundation of their education.
Questions like:
“How come I’ve never played a
piece by a woman?”
“How can I find these women’s
j works?”
* “How can I present these works to
audiences?”
Since Aspen and MacAuslan got
together in 1980, they have worked to
find some of the answers.
Aspen has a degree in sociology
from Oberlin College in Ohio. She
has played the flute since she was in
the fifth grade.
But it wasn’t until Aspen gradu
ated from college in 1970 that she
wondered where music by women
composers could be found.
MacAuslan studied guitar at the
University of Texas in El Paso and
received her master’s dcgreeatLewis
and Clark College in Portland, Ore.
Aspen said MacAuslan realized
that she had never played a guitar
piece by a woman composer.
She began her search.
What she found was more than 200
classical guitar works composed in
the 19th century by Madame Sidney
Pratten.
Now, Musica Fcmina has a large
selection to play from, Aspen said,
including works by Italian composer
Isabella Lconarda and French com
poser Elizabeth de la Guerre. -
But finding these composers look
some research, Aspen said, partly
because music has been one of the
slowest art forms to honor the works
of women.
“Music has tended to be a very
conservative discipline,” she said.
Aspen described Musica Femina’s
sound as beautiful and relaxing.
“Sometimes, in the middle of our
programs, people just like to close
their eyes,” she said.
The performance will appeal to
different audiences: feminists, classi
cal music lovers, guitar and flute so
cieties and historians.
Also, Aspen said, “I feel our pro
gram empowers women and makes
them realize that we’re important in
this world.
“I just think that women arc fabu
lous. I love women. I think that women
deserve a lot more.”
Tuesday’s performance is spon
sored by the UNL Culture Center,
University Foundations Program,
UNL’s music department, and the
College of Arts and Sciences. *
^^^
Courtesy of Musica Femina
Musica Femina, made up of Kristan Aspen, flutist, and Janna MacAuslan, classical guitarist,
will perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 15 at the UNL Culture Center.
i-1
Ballads abound on follow-up LP
R.a/yleiHi,
Rude Boys
“Rude House”
Atlantic Records
The Rude Boys are back with the
follow-up to their 1991 debut LP,
“Rude Awakening.”
“Rude House’r has been created
with the help of Gerald Levert (of
LeVert fame), who is the same man
credited with discovering Rude Boys
in Cleveland.
“Rude House”opens with the Rude
Boys talking about going back to the
house — the Rude House. They de
scribe the Rude House as ragged on.
the outside but plush and extravagant
on the inside.
“Rude Street” is a track that talks
about the group’s beginning and their
road to success.
“Tell Me What You Like” is an up
tempo, funky song that contains ex
plicit lyrics.
“My Kind Of Girl,” gets the lis
tener going into a groove with synthe
sized sound and the harmonizing
melodies of the Rude Boys.
“There’s No Doubt,” has some
Stevie Wonder vibes. Add in a rap
sampled to KRS-l’s“South Bronx,”
and this track has it going on.
These four songs are the only up
tempo tracks on “Rude House.” The
obvious strength of the group is in
singing ballads. The rest of “Rude
House” is rounded out on the smooth
lip.
“Messin’ Around” and “Always”
will remind listeners of the group’s
firsthit,“Written All Over YourFace.”
These songs have easy sounds that
will stick in the listeners’ minds.
One of the best tunes on the album
[I
Courtesy of Atlantic Records bell
The Rude Boys are Joe Little, Edward “Buddy” Banks, Larry
Marcus and Melvin Sephus.
is “True Apology,” written by Eddie
Levert (ofO’Jay’s fame). A sensual
track, this song showcases the Rude
Boys’ talent and gives the listener an
indication of what the Rude Boys do
best.
“Rude House”ends with the mem
bers — Edward “Buddy” Banks, Joe
Little, Larry Marcus and Melvin
Sephus — giving thanks to the Lord
for their success.
“Rude House” is an outstanding
LP. It is easily better than the Rude
Boys’ debut, “Rude Awakening.”
This LP shows the depth and the
potential that this group has. Only
four of the 12 songs on “Rude House”
are up-tempo.
This alone will keep the listener
interested enough to want to come
back for more. “Rude House” is well
worth the time and the investment.
— Anthony D. Speights
‘Bobby' slows down at end,
but 5-year wait worthwhile
R.evyUn/4.
Bobby Brown
“Bobby”
MCA Records
Five years and $5 million over
budget, the finished product is fi
nally here.
You might think this is a movie,
but it is Bobby Brown’s follow-up
to his mulliplalinum album “Don’t
Be Cruel.”
“Bobby” signals the return to
the forefront for the former New
Edition star. With New Jack Swing
king Teddy Riley and super pro
ducers L.A. Reid and Babyface,
they have come up with with 14
tracks that offer a little bit for ev
eryone.
The first single off this LP,
“Humpin’ Around,” is an up-tempo,
hip-hop, funky tune that will re
mind the listener of “Don’t Be
Cruel.”
“T wo Can Play That Game” is a
song that says “If you can do it, I
can do it also.” This is an up-tempo
track that features Brown’s silky
smooth raps.
The best song on this LP is
probably “Gel Away.” This track is
a driving tune that flows to De La
Soul’s baseline from their single
“Me Myself And I.”
The first five songs on this LP
will make the listener think Bobby
Brown has not missed a step from
his previous LP. This is where
“Bobby” turns the comer.
“Good Enough,” is a mid-tempo
song that starts the trend of ballads
that signals the beginning of the
end of the LP.
“Pretty Little Girl” is a smooth
ballad that talks about wining and
dining a beautiful woman who is
also a complete woman.
“Something In CohVqion,” fea
tures Whitney Houston, who might
be that “Pretty Little Girl” Brown
was talking about. This song may
at first be unappealing, but after
further listening, one can see it is a
quality tune about — you guessed
it—having something in common.
Even though “Something In
Common” will probably go to No.
1 on the pop charts, this is not the
best duet on the LP. “I’m Your
Friend,” featuring Debra Winans,
is a wonderful ballad that is a great
way to close out this LP.
“Bobby” is carefully crafted and
well rounded. Brown is able to
silence some of his critics who
seem to think he cannot sing songs
other than up-tempo, hip-hop tunes.
“Bobby” also should appeal to a
broader audience than “Don’t Be
Cruel” did.
One of the few drawbacks is that
in the first five tracks of this LP,
Brown creates a flowing energy
and makes the listener want to lis
ten, but when this LP slows down,
it almost stops. There are virtually
no up-tempo songs on the last half,
except for “That’s the Way Love
Is.”
Overall,“Bobby .’’with its high
powered producers and numerous
ballads, does the job.
Hopefully there will not be an
other five-year wait between al
bums.
— Anthony D. Speights