CRAZY TOWN
"The
Gift of Game" (Sony; 1999)
Reviewed by Jeff Rogers
311, L.L. Cool J, and Limp Bizkit. Crazy Town take all those artists and combine them to try and make good
music. The result? Well, I’ll admit some parts are slammin', but mixing in their style of rap and metal just doesn’t flick my
Bic. My taste for creative music is seldom satisfied when there are too many styles being thrown into a song. It’s almost like two or three songs are being played over each other, like cueing up a song on your media player and then dialing up a
MySpace page. Too much noise.
Crazy Town gets a slight boost from a couple of members of Orgy: Jay Gordon and Amir Derakh. They help with the
songs “Dark Side” and “Black Cloud” and it’s pretty obvious. It sounds like Orgy, so there’s no scratching your head as to who is behind the mic. I know that rap music
often samples other artists and sometimes it seems like no artist is safe. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are victims
here.
Now, I know that rap isn’t about the hooks and melodies that most rock songs require, and I’ll admit the rap on this CD is
strong; I’m just not into the rap scene. Some bands are able to fuse rock and
rap. Crazy Town should stick with one style or the other. There's no doubt that
they have the talent to offer either a strong alternative metal or rap CD but
the combo just doesn't work. "The Gift of Game" did spawn the hit
“Butterfly,” but I never heard it until I picked up this CD.
Bottom line: If you like rap rock because you’re sick of all the alternative music or the bubble gum pop, give Crazy Town a listen.
For more information, check out
https://www.facebook.com/officialcrazytown.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. No a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2008 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
