Say it ain't so Vince! After a decade of decadence with Motley Crue, the lead singer left in 1993 because of those ever-present "creative differences." Unfortunately, he took most of the Crue's appeal with him.

The difference between this album and Dr. Feelgood lies where you would expect it to -- in the vocals. While Vince Neil took the crunch of the guitars and put a listenable melody on top, new singer John Corabi's sreaming style reveals a weakness that Neil covered so well -- the band's musicianship.

Although Tommy Lee is rock-solid on drums once again, Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars (where did they get these names?) fall short in carrying the creative load. This is all too obvious on tracks such as "Power to the Music" and "Uncle Jack," where the forgettable quality of the music clearly shines through.

Don't get me wrong -- I'd rather listen to Motley Crue than Tori Amos. After all, there are some high points when Corabi actually sings rather than screams. The recently released "Hooligan's Holiday" took some getting used to, but it proves enjoyable over time.

"Poison Apples" is the best song on the album, as well as the only one not written exclusively by the four members of the band. Coincidence? I think not.

The only advice I could give to the boys would be to beg for Vince's forgiveness. With him, they're a band destined for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Without him, they're a band destined for mediocrity.

One part of the liner notes in Motley Crue says, "Whoever stole Mick's guitars, we hope you die."

Maybe it was a hint.

Blue Note Records has kicked out some of the coolest and hottest jazz for more than 55 years, including musicians such as Thelonius Monk, Art Blakey, Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins.

Late last year, the self-proclaimed "baddest jazz label on the planet" continued the legacy when it released Hand on the Torch.

With a huge library of jazz at their fingertips and some ideas in their heads, the members of Us 3 went to work, combining yesterday's styles with today's to make some sweet sounds.

The 13-song disc has several high points, among them the over-played but still incredible "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)." In this song, the band seems to find the ideal mix of mellow jazz and hip-hop vocals.

Throughout many of the other songs, however, that ideal mix misses a few beats. The band seems to rely too heavily on jazz samples and neglects mixing and adding their own sounds. These songs still sound far better than the average pop tune, but they just don't match up to the standards set by "Cantaloop."

Hand on the Torch is outstanding for a debut album, and -- with the thousands of records Blue Note has the rights to -- Us 3 is almost assured a promising future. For the present, however, it may be more rewarding to buy some of the re-issues of the original jazz classics Blue Note and other labels are releasing and to wait for Us 3's next effort.