Black 47 -- Fire of Freedom

Don't believe the hype, Black 47 isn't worth it.

Maybe it's because the Pogues have been out of commission for a while. Maybe it's because Sinad O'Connor never was the type you'd want to party down with. Whatever the reason, these new Irish rock 'n' rollers are the critics' new toy.

After listening to the band's new album, Fire of Freedom, I don't get it. Band members want you to believe they are as hip as House of Pain, but unfortunately, they come off as wimpy Irish skate kids. It's EMF meets Bruce Springsteen, believe me.

On "Rockin' the Bronx," the band reaches new heights in bad rap. Lyrics such as "We learned some tunes/wrote some songs/and bought ourselves a drum machine to keep the beats strong," would make anyone reach for an AK. You'll turn red in embarrassment for them after hearing this song.

The one good point about this album is that it is very eclectic. Don't worry, you won't get all Irish street raps. "Fanatic Heart," with its acoustic melody and emotional vocals, is a strong ballad worthy of some of the band's overblown praise.

Still, it's the up-tempo songs that are irritating. Black 47 tries to create this psuedo-party atmosphere, which at times can sound as fake as an industry cocktail party.

Give me O'Connor any day over songs like "Banks of the Hudson" or "Livin' in America." One writer for The Daily Collegian described the band as just plain "yuck," and I'd have to agree. I should have known this because we were sent two copies of the album (which means double the news releases.)

Yanni -- In My Time

Yanni appears to be getting mellower and lazier with age.

Yes, that's right, just when you thought Yanni's New Age tunes couldn't get any more laid-back, they did. And the result is, well, incredibly boring.

His newest album, In My Time, evidences the lack of synthesized, creative wonders that made Yanni's name. Every song highlights the piano and uses strings and synthesized music to color the background.

Occasionally, the violin or cello takes a short solo to break up the incredibly mellow sound of the piano, but the lilting strings are trampled because the piano continues with the melody, doubling the line.

Yanni's gift for creating beautiful melodies still lingers, but the simple, pensive songs are repetitive and wear themselves out by the end of the two or three minutes. Instead, themes need to be developed in order to keep the interest of the listener -- especially in music without any words.

But there are two impressive tracks on the disc. "In the Mirror" is a graceful song pouring forth intensity and emotion. "Felitsa" has rhythms recalling Yanni's Greek background and some darker moods to finally provide depth found nowhere else.

Unfortunately, both pieces were also on his last disc, Dare to Dream.

The album closes with a song that stretches a simple melody to the tedious length of six minutes, leaving the listener with just less than 60 minutes of elevator music.

The album was an absolute disappointment.