Various Artists – Money Talks: The Album [1997; Arista]

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Mixing rap, R&B, and soul, from Brand Nubian to Mary J. Blige to Barry White, the soundtrack to the ‘97 Charlie Sheen & Chris Tucker movie Money Talks rolls with a generally laid-back vibe, while moods both playful and pensive are supplied by the singers.  The variety ends up fitting together well, thanks to similarities in production and sampling (or sample sources, in the case of the James Brown and Barry White
tracks), but it still ends up feeling more like a late-’90s cross-cut of urban-aimed corporate interest than an assortment picked to fit the movie’s themes. 

Pop-ups like SWV, Mase, and Lisa Stansfield reinforce how of-the-time the soundtrack was, but aside from the inclusion of Refugee Camp All Star’s “Avenues” (their biggest single), there’s better material to be heard from practically every one of the included artists, and the most notable aspect of the release is probably that it gave Chris Tucker his only music production credit.

Lords of Acid – Our Little Secret [1997; Antler-Subway, Columbia, Krypton Records, Never Records]

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Continuing their trend of putting three years between each album release, Lords of Acid updated their established EBM style with more of a breakbeat emphasis on their third album, while holding fast to lyrics revolving around sex (suggested by track titles like “Rubber Doll”, “Cybersex”, and “Pussy”) while Jade 4U’s vocals can swing on a dime from sultry to banshee.  Hot-edged synth sizzles come in looped bursts, downbeat drum fills are smoothly inserted, and bass-line surges roll through the arrangements with flair.

The vocals get overwhelmed in the mix from time to time, but as they’re often verging on chants of a verse (e.g., “Spank my booty!” in “Spank My Booty”), it doesn’t impact things too much.  Aside from that, for all the juvenile vulgarity and over-the-top lustiness, the music shows impressive knowledge on the technical side of its composition, with loops tweaked and re-engineered for post-chorus returns, dozens of layers fitted together without undue acoustic clouding, and bass swells that assert their presence without making things swampy.  A trio of remixes and a previously-unreleased bonus track on the remastered edition help round off the original’s semi-abrupt ending, with the down-side of leaving things a little bloated.  While the album’s content may alienate some, it also puts across a sense of being exactly what the band intended to create, and being carefully crafted to achieve that.

Here’s the alternate cover art.

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And the remastered cover art.

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