The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!
SAUL WILLIAMS
(NiggyTardust.com)
Radiohead wasn't the only noteworthy act to offer an album gratis in '07. Underground hip-hop luminary Saul Williams also posted a downloadable freebie (he suggests a $5 donation), the superb Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust! A musician, poet and actor probably best known for his starring role in the award-winning 1998 indie film Slam, Williams has struggled commercially in the music world despite showing abundant talent. His provocative and intelligent (if albeit not exactly tuneful) debut disc Amethyst Rock Star came out on Rick Rubin's American label in 2001. It was met with mixed reviews (for the record, I dug it) and bricked on the charts. Williams returned with a self-titled full-length in '04. Like the vast majority of humans on this planet, I never saw or heard it. But when word of the complimentary release of Niggy Tardust! inundated the blogosphere, mostly because it's produced by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, people took notice. Williams and his hectic verbal assault require a strong sonic wave to ride, and Reznor's propulsive, fortified sheets of industrial noise result in a near perfect vehicle for the erudite rhymer.
Niggy Tardust! mostly works as a send-up of hardcore rap with jabs that mock thug culture. It also seems as if this album is meant to completely deconstruct the word "nigger." From implementing a variation of it in the David Bowie-indebted title to the blatant use of the slur throughout the disc, it's as if Williams — who has a master's degree in acting from New York University (and a bachelor's in philosophy) — is determined to render the insult impotent. On the title track, he addresses how the term is empowering for African Americans. The song is set inside a white classroom. On the hook, Williams sings: "When I say 'niggy' you say 'nothing.'" A young Caucasian-sounding male repeats "nothing" and Williams tells him to "shut up."
The 15-track collection begins with a lesson in "Black History." Over Reznor's robotic war drums and battle zone atmospherics, Williams spits in histrionic fashion: "I've never been shot but I betcha I'm braver/ I'm taking my spot, nigga, I ain't afraid/ To be me." On "Tr(n)igger," the rapper/spoken word artist intones over a relentless sample from Public Enemy's "Welcome to the Terrordome." The album's most poignant track is Reznor and Williams' innovative reworking of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday."
The line between satire and sincerity often gets blurred on Niggy Tardust! "Raw," for instance, has a slow, dramatic beat that briefly recalls the NIN classic "Closer" and finds Williams asking "What's a song if you can't fuck to it?" Is he serious? I'm not sure. Despite the artist's mixed messages and his penchant for poetry-slam excess, Williams has delivered the most focused, accessible (thanks to Reznor) and thought-provoking album of his career. 4 stars —Wade Tatangelo
Underground
LUTHER ALLISON
(www.rufrecords.de)
Generally overlooked for years in the pantheon of Chicago blues greats, singer/songwriter and ace guitarist Luther Allison had just launched a successful comeback before his untimely death from lung cancer in '97. Since then, fans have been treated to 1999's Live in Chicago and the 2002 leftovers collection Pay it Forward but nothing as revelatory as this eight-track jewel Underground — which predates any other known recording of the artist by more than a decade. Allison's debut album came out on the tiny Delmark label in 1969 and failed to spread his name beyond the Windy City. Finally, Motown made Allison one of its few blues artists and released his breakthrough LP Bad News Is Coming in 1973. Underground dates to 1958, when he was 18 years old, playing guitar in Bobby Rush's band. Eager to help his young protégé, Rush booked a little time at a small Chicago studio and pushed Allison out front to sing and play lead guitar. The resulting 25 minutes of music is first-rate blues spotlighting a gloriously raw performer who sounds assured beyond his years. Backed by Rush on bass, Bobby King on rhythm guitar and Robert Plunkett on drums, Allison roars on Sonny Boy Williamson's anti-gossip screed "Don't Start Me Talking," the seasoned teenager's voice a searing growl that gives way to spot-on guitar exploits: stinging licks delivered with immaculate phrasing that maximizes the tension and release factor. By the late '60s, Allison's guitar pyrotechnics drew comparisons to Hendrix's, but while Jimi famously did "Rock Me Baby" as a rave-up in concert (see Live at Monterey), on this recording Allison slows it down to a simmer, putting his own fierce stamp on the classic about getting it on. Granted, eight songs isn't much, but Allison shines on each one, making Underground mandatory listening for enthusiasts of the late blues great. 3.5 stars —WT
This article appears in Jan 2-8, 2008.