Debbie’s still a drip, but Roxus rocks
“Body Mind Soul”
Debbie Gibson
Atlantic Records
Could it be true? Could ex-tceny
bopper Debbie Gibson possibly have
moved beyond saying “I love you” 11
different sappy ways on an album?
Not likely.
The pre-release hype for “Body
Mind Soul” touted Gibson’s new
sound as being more mature than her
previous works.
Admittedly, the 22-year-old
Gibson has gone from wearing girlish
skirts and cutesy hair bows to wearing
Madonna-esque brassieres under blaz
ers and red lipstick, but that’s not
enough for anyone to call her sound
“mature.”
Of the 11 songs on her new release,
only one isn’t about lost love, true
love, love from afar or making love.
If Gibson truly wanted to shake her
liulc-girl image, then she should have
penned more than one song that
showed she had a conscience.
One thoughtful track,‘Tear Down
the Walls,” is a well-written, upbeat
tune about prejudice that says,
“Enough harsh blows, enough put
downs/We’re all one and the same/
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Courtesy of Atlantic Records
You are all my brothers/Though I
don’t know you by name.”
As for the rest of “Body Mind
Soul,” there’s nothing that a listener
familiar with Gibson wouldn’t ex
pect. It’s all reasonably good, but not
exceptional, ballads and dance music
with cliched love themes.
MBody Mind Soul" probably will
spawn several Top40 hits, but the disc
does not live up to all the record
company would like for listeners to
believe.
— Shannon Uehling
“Nightstreet”
Roxus
Savage Records
“Heavenly Bodies”
Gene Loves Jezebel
Savage Records
From the first haunting notes of the
opening track on “Nightstreet,” the
debut release of five Australian rock
ers, Roxus, promises to deliver good
rock with classic finesse—a promise
kept for all 10 tracks.
Andy Shanahan*’s keyboards and
Dragan Stanic’s powerful guitar en
tice without overshadowing the
slightly raspy vocals of frontman and
resident gypsy Juno Roxas. Bassist
John Nixon and drummer Darren
Danielson underscore each track with
their steady line of rhythm.
Imagiiic a toned-down version of
the Rolling Stones, but substitute
Roxas’ contemplative lyrics for Mick
Jagger’s penned chauvinism and
you’ve got the stuff of which Roxus is
made.
Rich with Van Halen influence,
Roxus represents a softer shade of
metal, varying the format of Bad En
glish, White Lion and Bon Jovi.
Throughout the album, musical atti
tudes range from the rowdy arena
brawl of “Bad Boys” to endearing
ballads.
The ballad “Where Are You
Now?" maintained by Roxas’ high
vocals and memorable refrains, earned
the group a gold single in Australia.
While clichdd love themes figure
prominently throughout the release,
the songs are undeniably well-writ
ten, attached by a strong thread of
emotionalism and superb guitar runs.
Roxus wraps up the set with “Jimi
G,” a melancholic melody with
thought-provoking lyrics.
If you like hard rock with a strong
heart beat—heavy, but not too mctal
ish—chances are you’ll enjoy Roxus.
Once again, Savage Records, with
the release of Gene Loves Jezebel’s
“Heavenly Bodies,” exhibits a talent
for picking champion bodybuilders of
rock.
The sixth album for the British
group, “Heavenly Bodies” is a tribute
to tight musicianship and superb ac
companiment.
The addicti^Vocals of Jay Aston
guide the listener through 11 cohesive
songs ranging from romance to mys
ticism, each track yanking you from
reality and hurling you toward a ce
lestial plateau of throbbing refrains.
Aston’s aural imagery, backed by
the swarthy riffs of guitarist James
Stevensoij, move mind and body, es
pecially evident in the wild lyrics of
“Wild Horse.”
“Wild Horse” comes off as a par
ticularly heavy number, further ac
centuated by the punishing, pounding
beat of bassist Peter Rizzo and drum
mer Robert Adams.
Buckwheat plays the Zoo
“Buck" of Buckwheat Zydeco works the Zoo crowd Sunday night. An accomplished musician
and showman, Buck filled the bar — even at $8 a head.
Konzert
Continued from Page 9
Kimball Hall; Hate Head/Fishbox/No
vember Ninth at The Edge; Gorilla
Theatre at Howard Street Tavern;
Winter Jam Festival (Foghat, Iron
Butterfly, Cheap Trick and REO
Speedwagon) at the Omaha Civic
Auditorium; the Village People with
Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch at
the Kansas City Municipal Audito
rium.
Sunday — Soprano Jeaninc
Wagner at O’Donnell Auditorium;
John Obetz organ recital at College
View Seventh-Day Adventist Church;
Mai ley Keelan and the Lincoln Light
Opera at Sl Franc is Chapel; The Iowa
Beef Experience with Kid Death at
Duffy’s Tavern; Aelia at Howard
Street Tavern; Extreme and Saigon
Kick at the Omaha Music Hall.
All dates and performances are
subject to change. For ticket informa
tion and limes, please call the listed
establishment.
Compiled by Jill O'Brien
Courtesy of Savage Records
What’s nice is Aston’s singing
doesn’t elbow its way to the front, but
blends in unobtrusively with the rest
of the music. Occasionally , his voice
even echoes the philosophical whine
of John Lennon.
Overall, “Heavenly Bodies” is a
classic style-house reminiscent of
Moody Blues and Emerson, Lake and
Palmer without the dependency on a
synthesizer.
But, as far as Roxus or Gene Loves
Jezebel goes, forget the comparisons.
Check them out for yourself.
— Jill O 'Brien
Newest release
from area band
succeeds where
most bands fail
“Toutensemble”
Hanna's Porch
The four members of Hanna’s
Porch threw this one together in just a
two-day session while in a motel in
Iowa.
It seemed unfair, as a result, to
expect too much of this 10-track, self
produced debut — unlikely that it
would be any more
than a poor-qual
ity blur with per
haps a glimpse of
talent.
Well, the qual
ity isn’t great, but
the tape demon
strates the band’s real songwriting
capabilities and musical ability; abil
ity that is unfortunately equal to what
some bands come up with after months
of recording in California studios.
Hanna’s Porch play energetically.
That each fret on the guitar neck is
discernible from the next prevents
them from being heavy rock, but that
is no bad thing. Many of the songs
have a kind of jinglc-jaggle feel,
boosted by the occasional appearance
of a harmonica.
Song titles such as “Cecil’s Get
ting Gone” and “Locust (Grandma’s
on Acid)” add to a ’60s Doors-typc
sound in parts. All that ’s missing from
these short songs are five-minute
Hammock-organ breaks.
But that is not to suggest that
Hanna’s Porch is in any way simply a
throw-back band. Elements from a
variety of differentmusical styles and
periods are noticeable in their lOsongs,
but none is predominant. The result is
a style that is their own.
Hanna’s Porch hail from Nebraska
and Iowa. Members of the band for
merly have played with Iowa bands
Pithy and Uncertain Tricycle, and the
now-defunct Omaha group. Acorns.
The four-piece band has been together
more than a year now.
The band is based in Omaha, where
it has been playing gigs since last
April, and they plan to play Lincoln
soon. -i
If the tape is anything to go by,
their show should definitely be worth‘
seeing.
The self-titled tape is available at
all Homer locations. In addition to the
basic cassette, 50 tapes are also avail
able with a book containing lyrics and
drawings.
Matthew Grant