Album Reviews : Heavy-Hitters in Top Form on ‘Friday’ Soundtrack
***, VARIOUS ARTISTS, “Friday” soundtrack, Priority This rap/R&B; soundtrack from the new Ice Cube comedy (scheduled for release April 26) isn’t quite the knockout you’d expect from such a dazzling lineup, but many of the 15 tracks do pack a wallop. The heavy-hitters--Dr. Dre, Scarface, Cypress Hill and Cube himself--are in peak form, with crisply written, tautly produced numbers.
A loose, laid-back feel permeates most of the collection, which includes some classy old-school R&B; from Rick James, Rose Royce, the Isley Brothers and Bootsy Collins, whose especially appealing track is surprisingly low-key and sensitive.
The only deadwood is Funkdoobiest’s “Superheroes,” 2 Live Crew’s “Hoochie Mama” and Roger’s desecration of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”
New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
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