Audio By Carbonatix
On their 1999 debut, So . . . How’s Your Girl?, the faux-stylish studs in Handsome Boy Modeling School (a.k.a. super-producers Prince Paul and Dan “The Automator” Nakamura) emptied their imaginations and Rolodexes, creating an alternate musical universe with room for everyone from Mike D to Father Guido Sarducci. Yet while the follow-up, White People, is even more diverse — RZA, meet the Mars Volta; Pharrell, this is Julee Cruise — paradoxically, it sounds more coherent, dominated by several tracks (including “Greatest Mistake,” an R&B duet between John Oates and jazz whiz kid Jamie Cullum) that are songs first, production showcases second.
It’s also no comedy record; aside from the skits by Father Guido and ex-SNL-er Tim Meadows, a wistful feeling runs through White People, beginning with the bleak, reggaefied single “The World’s Gone Mad.”
Will you step up to support New Times this year?
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
