Scout's Singles Review
January 2001



ROADTRIPPIN' by THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS. This is the 5th single taken from
the CD 'Californication'. 'Let's go / Get lost in the USA', says  the lyrics
while the band is certainly not lost in the USA, not even in the world.  The
CD has already sold more than 8 million copies worldwide.  Still, I'm afraid
it wasn't a good idea  to release  this song as a single.  The most striking 
weakness of the song is that the vocals should have been a lot more
refined. There are  no percussions on the track, which  makes it reminiscent
of  'Time Of Your Life'  by GreenDay, but unlike 'Roadtrippin' it was a good
song.

LIVIN' FOR LOVE by NATALIE COLE. Do you notice a trend in the comeback
for great, talented and well-known American pop stars? First came Diana Ross
with  'Not Over You Yet', second Lionel Richie with 'Angel' and now Nat King
Cole's daughter Natalie Cole with 'Livin' For Love'. Natalie hit the
public in the early 1990s with the unforgettable 'Unforgettable',  which was
a  high-level  duet  with  her  late  father, whose  vocal  arrangement  was
sophisticated even to the tiniest details. If  somebody  had thought the new
release  from Natalie Cole  would be another  moving rhythm  and  blues 
ballad, he  would  have  been  wrong.  Although  'Livin'  for  love'   is  a
mainstream dance song at a satisfactory level, Natalie is still able to show
her talent and hopefully reach millions of listeners again.

INNER SMILE by TEXAS. The Greatest Hits CD by Texas  is doing fairly well on 
The British Album Chart even if the new songs are forgettable. 'Inner Smile'
is another bad attempt like 'In Demand', which hit the charts last year only 
because of the fame of the band. So Texas definitely continues its downfall.
While listening to 'Inner Smile' my nerves were shuddered by the line
'Yeah, yeah'; some substantial lyrics, to say the least.  What topped it was 
the line 'If I lose my patience / You must understand'. Well, I've lost
my patience as well.

ALL HOOKED UP by ALL SAINTS. Welcome back, All Saints! Although I've
heard some gossip about the possible split-up of the band, this  new release
should reassure everyone they'll stay together; in the near future at least. 
This fresh song  by All Saints proves  well  that the band is always capable
of renewing and make experiments with different sounds. 'All Hooked Up' also
proves that rhythm and blues is not lost in London  since the track takes up 
TLC and EnVogue-like sound mixed with the basics of All Saints so it is just
about right. The song will probably follow in the footsteps of 'Never Be The
Same Again' by Mel C and Lisa Left Eye Lopes and of course, in the footsteps
of their former British number one singles 'Pure Shores' and 'Black Coffee'.
All Saints! All Hooked Up! All Right!



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