The Brightest Newcomers of 1989: Heady Mix of Attitude and Vision : Among the many who made debuts, 10 record makers exhibit enough individualism to make their next albums worth the wait

Unlike Tracy Chapman last year, no pop newcomer made the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 1989.

That’s not unusual, however, because few debut artists during the last 20 years have had the widespread and immediate impact of the socially conscious singer-songwriter, whose debut album sold more than 2 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Only about a dozen artists, in fact, have ever graced the cover of rock’s most celebrated journal within 12 months of the release of their debut albums.

A look at the Stone choices shows why the magazine is justifiably cautious about spotlighting newcomers.

Some of the selections went on to distinguished careers: Elton John, James Taylor, Rickie Lee Jones and the Pretenders.

But others--while perhaps reflecting changing social currents in pop at the time--didn’t prove

to be exactly Rock and Roll Hall of Fame candidates: David Cassidy, Tanya Tucker, Suzi Quatro, Phoebe Snow, the Village People.

The jury is still out on such recent choices as Terence Trent D’Arby (whose debut album was released in the fall of 1987) and Chapman. Critics, in fact, are already divided over the latter’s second Elektra album, which features more protest-accented tales of society’s underclass (see adjoining story).

There have been endless commentaries about the difficulty of maintaining momentum in the pop world, most of them revolving around the challenge of coming up with good new songs.

It’s as hard to predict long-range commercial success as continued critical impact.

A band may maximize its commercial impact for a while by simply recycling the elements on its debut album that seemed to appeal the most to the public. The danger,

however, is that the public may soon grow tired of the sound. With critically admired artists, the problem is often a loss of inspiration or fresh ideas.

Still, the best barometer in evaluating new talent is creative energy--an elusive mixture of originality, craft, passion and ambition that is summed up by the favorite word of critics: vision.

Vision doesn’t always arrive fully defined--Bob Dylan, Prince and Bruce Springsteen are just a few of the respected artists who didn’t hit their artistic stride until their second or third albums. But there is enough of an individual voice in the most commanding debuts to make you look forward to the next album.

Debuts this year by Paula Abdul and Milli Vanilli have outsold Chapman’s first album, but there’s little in their albums that suggests an arresting artistic vision at work.

By contrast, the following 10 artists demonstrated enough of that individualism and promise to

distinguish themselves from the hundreds of other artists who made their debuts this year.

Though some of the selections had earlier releases on small, independent labels, they are considered part of the Class of ’89 because they all made their major-label debuts during the last 12 months.

The artists, alphabetically:

Neneh Cherry’s “Raw Like Sushi” (Virgin)--Some readers got upset last summer when Calendar called this international woman of pop (she was born in Stockholm, raised in New York City and now resides in London) “the Joni Mitchell of hip-hop.” Most certainly, Cherry’s music--with its percolating synthesizer pulse and streetwise swagger--is far from the graceful poetry and generally polite folk trimmings associated with Mitchell’s most acclaimed work, but there is a thoughtfulness and challenge to much of Cherry’s music that makes the comparison valid. Cherry may sing about Girls of the Mall rather than Ladies of the Canyon, but she deals with relationships and sexual stereotypes with insight and imagination.

De La Soul’s “3 Feet High and Rising” (Tommy Boy)--There is such a refreshing mix of left-field pop-culture experiments (sound bites of everything from game show skits and Johnny Cash to “Sesame Street” and Steely Dan) and ‘60s psychedelic innocence (a proclamation that we have entered the “Daisy Age”) that it was inviting early in the year to think of this 22-track extravaganza as the “Sgt. Pepper’s” of rap. But the Long Island trio’s live show, by most accounts, was pretty lame. While De La Soul may not be the rap Beatles, there are still impressive moments here--times when the three guys are as much a party animal as Tone Loc (“De La Orgee”), as playful as Run-D.M.C. (“Me, Myself and I”) and as socially pointed as Grandmaster Flash (“Ghetto Thang”).

Lenny Kravitz’s “Let Love Rule” (Virgin)--In a frustrating yet seductive debut, Kravitz sounds so adrift in obvious influences (especially the sparse, confessional compulsion of John Lennon’s most intimate works) that you wonder why someone didn’t keep him in the studio a bit longer to give him time to find more of his own voice. Prince is another strong reference point. Kravitz sounds very young on the album, closer to the formative 21 than his actual 25--an age at which Springsteen gave us “Born to Run” and Dylan was already heading down Highway 61. If all this raises questions about his future, Kravitz’s intensity and desire demand your further attention.

Mary’s Danish’s “There Goes the Wondertruck ... “ (Chameleon)--This remarkable six-piece band, featuring lead singers-lyricists Gretchen Seager and Julie Ritter, combines many of the most stimulating aspects of ‘80s Los Angeles rock to stand as an especially promising attraction for the ‘90s. Picture the arty independence and anxiety of X (“Don’t Crash the Car Tonight”) with some of the country sensibilities of the original Lone Justice (“It’ll Probably Make Me Cry”) and a trace of the exuberance of the Go-Go’s. It adds up to the most invigorating slice of post-punk rock from Our Town since Concrete Blonde and Thelonious Monster. Mary’s Danish will be at Bogart’s in Long Beach on Tuesday.

N.W.A’s “Straight Outta Compton” (Ruthless/Priority)--If any newcomer deserved the cover of Rolling Stone in 1989, it was this Los Angeles rap outfit. Like a fist in society’s face, this tenacious, incendiary look at Southern California gang attitudes is violent and unsettling--outrageous in its blatant refusal to condemn the behavior that is tearing communities apart, riveting in its portrayal of the anger and aggression of those gang members. The language is wildly offensive and the images are terrorizing, but it still gained enough of a following to sell nearly a million copies. The album--which hits home with the urgency of an award-winning documentary crew--not only raises questions about gang attitudes, but the allowable limits and responsibilities of pop artists.

Soul II Soul’s “Keep on Movin”’ (Virgin)--Part of the suddenly flourishing British black music community, Soul II Soul is an alliance of producer-arrangers Jazzie B and Nellee Hooper and a trio of singers, including Caron Wheeler. So it’s hard to figure out just where the vision rests. But any of these names--especially Jazzie and Hooper--is worth following on their next efforts. The album--which contains two Top 10 singles--is a trailblazing mixture of elements (from reggae and rap to disco) that is stylish and sophisticated.

Stone Roses’ “Stone Roses” (Silvertone/RCA)--There’s more to appreciate in this ‘60s-accented British band than the R.E.M.-meets-the-Byrds rejoicing of “She Bangs the Drums,” but sometimes a single track is enough to win your allegiance. Remember that “Radio Free Europe” and “I Will Follow” were all it took to make you fall in line behind R.E.M. and U2, respectively. There’s a lot of youthful wonder here, but also an ambition and emotional purity as enticing as the promise of a new day.

Soundgarden’s “Louder Than Love” (A&M;)--Vocalist Chris Cornell can huff and puff all he wants every time he sees yet another Led Zeppelin reference in a review of this Seattle-based band, but he’s going to have to live with them as long as he sticks to such wailing Plantisms. At least the band shows it can also laugh at the Zep references: The word is the group was playing around with the album title “John Paul Jones and Ringo.” Jokes aside, these guys play with a convincing force that recalls a bit of the urban paranoia of Jane’s Addiction. A trace of genuine passion in a hard-rock world that is too often devoid of it. (See Introducing, Page 60)

Texas’ “Southside” (Mercury)--This young Scottish rock group’s performance at the Coach House in October was the year’s most stirring live local debut. The album’s strengths are based on the combination of Ally McErlaine’s sensual Ry Cooder-inspired slide guitar sound and Sharleen Spiteri’s soulful vocal authority, but the group added an electrifying vigor on stage. Spiteri’s vocals added nuance and character that made even blues-tinged songs that seemed ordinary on album come alive. Enormous potential.

T one Loc’s “Loc-ed After Dark” (Delicious Vinyl)--The real stars here may prove to be producer-arrangers Matt Dike and Michael Ross (Dike’s 1989 credits also include co-producing the second Beastie Boys album) or words-man Young M.C. (who contributed to the raps for “Funky Cold Medina” and “Wild Thing”), but Loc carries the whole thing off with the humorous lover-boy persona of Reggie Van Gleason.