Going Solo

By David Bright Staff Writer

hen the members of a favorite group of mine decide to do solo projects, I am always placed with a difficult decision. Which ones should I get? Should I get any of them? Why do I so willingly set myself up for disappointment by buying an album that most likely will pale in comparison to the group I so love?

In the rap world, the solo album movement has surged dramatically, thanks, in large part to the Wu-Tang Clan. In the beginning, the release of the Wu-Tang solo albums was a very wonderful thing. Each "solo" album features extensive contributions from most members, and uses the same production team. In addition, all the solo albums released so far have been comparable quality-wise (in some cases better) with the group's debut Enter the Wu-Tang. In a world full of bands like Metallica, that can take as long as five years to produce a new album, this was very refreshing. Just when I got tired of Enter the Wu-Tang, Method Man's album came along. After that came Ol' Dirty Bastard's, followed by Raekwon, The Genius, and Ghostface Killer's recently released album. However, soon there will be an overwhelming surplus of Wu-Tang products on the market that could very well confuse fans and produce the first slump in their streak of hit albums. In the coming months we'll see a second group album, U-God's solo debut; a second O.D.B. album, a second Method Man album (not to mention a possible EP collaboration with Redman), and releases from associates such as the group Sunz of Man (which features Killah Priest), a solo album from Killah Priest, a solo album by Capadonna, and a whole slew of other artists. When the albums released were by Wu-Tang's first string MCs and spaced out over a few months, I found the solo projects exciting, but now I think some of them are just getting greedy. Just because you had a cool verse on Raekwon's album, doesn't necessarily mean you deserve an entire album just for yourself.

These projects present some very tough choices. In January, Death Row will release solo albums by the two members of Tha Dogg Pound, Daz and Kurupt. I thought Tha Dogg Pound's album was pretty cool, but when asked to choose between them, I don't think I'd choose either. It may just be part of an effort by Death Row to spread them out on separate albums hoping to double the success of their group album, especially now that the label has lost two of its biggest stars, Dr. Dre and 2Pac. The big problem I see with it is that Daz is a gifted producer, but not as great a rapper, and Kurupt is a good lyricyst but not a producer. If they're not working on each other's albums, they promise to be only half as good, and if they are, well, they're not exactly solo albums, are they?

There have been some encouraging moves in the other direction, though. Solo rap star, Ice Cube, just released an album as a member of the group, The Westside Connection. The other members are WC, formerly of WC and the MAAD Circle (whose early line-up included Coolio), and Mack 10, a solo artist who's had little success outside of the west coast. A situation like this I think can work well for everybody. Ice Cube shows that he's not a spotlight hogging ego maniac, and because of the association with Ice Cube, WC and Mack 10, two good rappers who aren't quite as good as Cube, get their first Top Ten album (it debuted at #2). The members of the R+B group, New Edition (such as former solo star Bobby Brown and Bell Biv Devoe), have swallowed their pride and come crawling back to the safety of a group, where each member can now blame any failure on the other five guys. In the future we will also see an album by the group, The Firm, which includes Nas, AZ, and Foxxy Brown.

With rock groups, where every member isn't a vocalist, solo albums tend to be much worse. As a general rule, solo albums by lead singers bear all the signs of the singer's overbearing ego and suffer from the lack of musical input from other band members (I shutter to think of what an Axl Rose solo album would sound like). Solo albums by lead guitarists are good only if the guitarist does his own singing. Many guitarists think that since they are great guitar heros, people will accept their work even with some mediocre, unknown singer. Of course, they are wrong. Look at how many shitty bands have good guitar players. If the guitarist isn't an outstanding singer, people can accept it because the mediocre vocals are coming out of the mouth of the great guitar player. If you need any more proof of this, compare the solo work of Eric Clapton with the solo work of Jimmy Page.

I'll give some advice to members of successful bands thinking about ditching the other guys for solo success. If you're a bassist, switch to a guitar and do your own singing and you might do alright. Do NOT do an instrumental album of bass solos (yes, even if you're Flea). If you're a lead guitarist, do your own singing (see above). If you're a rhythm guitarist, go for it. Chances are you're not fully appreciated in your band and there are several good precedents (look at Peter Frampton!). If you're a drummer answer this question "Is your name Dave Grohl, Don Henley, or Phil Collins?" If yes, proceed (but think twice if you're Phil Collins). If no, stay where you are or join another band. If you're a lead singer, I have three words for you: David Lee Roth.