The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 86

UNSETTLED WEATHERODDLY LORD BUCKLEY CHASSIDIC HOEDOWNO'BRIEN'S HARD YEAR lot of good music with some fine back-up from Hot Rize members. O'Brien puts his strong voice to work on "Evening," a dim lights song that delivers believable blues and impressive fiddling. Ellington's "Cottontail" is a nice surprise for O'Brien, who hasn't recorded any true jazz. His mandolin takes the lead melody line and mixes nicely with Darol Anger educated fiddle. O'Brien and Hot Rize are at their hottest on "Cabin in Gloryland," a tight bluegrass tune driven home by Chuck Sawtelle on guitar and Peter Wer- study, "Between the Lines" a mysteriously moving tune about addiction.

But his third album seems unfocused, its very density vitiating its attack. Butcher's eponymous debut of 1983 remains his best. Carlo Wolff LORD BUCKLEY BLOWING HIS MIND (AND YOURS TOO) DEMON VERBALS (IMPORT) Milords and miladies, the ineffable Lord Buckley is back on the first of his classic records to be reissued. Another will be out this fall and, with luck, more will follow. His Lordship is a bit hard to describe.

He has been called a comic and compared to Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, but his art bears little relation to theirs. He was a jazz orator, a hip Homer, an earthy philosopher but never earth-bound. His records, made in the '50s, range from virtuoso vocal displays where he played several distinct characters in fast-paced conversations, to brilliant retellings of classic stories. Included is' a true story of the early Spanish explorer, renamed for brevity's sake "The Gas-ser," a discussion with a cow, and a bravura performance of Dickens's "Christmas Carol." A couple of pieces seem to have been cut off in mid-flow but the rest show one of America's finest actors and dramatists doing what he does best, hip-ly, fliply and with transcendent brilliance. Elijah Wald THE ADVENTURES THE ADVENTURES CHRYSALIS It's hard to take seriously a band whose debut alburn closes with a called "Lost in.

Hollywood" with lyrics "1 never thought I'd see the dayWaiting at tables and cleaning ashtraysThese aren't the things I had in mind." And it's bad when several songs are so intricately arranged, eddie Murphy how could it be columbia ddie Murphy a singer? And sing- ing about Jesus, racial integra-J i tion and nuclear war? It doesn't seem possible, yet here it is. Mur- phy has left be gutter-mouthed standup routines and salty irreverence of such films as "Beverly Hills Cop." "48 Hours" and "Trading Places," to make his first musical album. In general, it's a bust, indicating he should stick with comedy and film. Even though his aim is noble by singing about social concerns and about traditional eleancut romance (no wisecrack asides, either), he can't get by with a frothy voice that makes Michael Jackson sound like P-Funk. The album is padded with sophomoric funk and ballads, but there are a few songs suited for his narrow vocal range.

Two of them are by his friend, Stevie Wonder, whom he used to mercilessly satirize on "Saturday Night Live." The first, "Do is lilting funk with Wonder and Greg Phillinganes lending chic keyboard touches. The second, "Everything's Coming Up Roses," has Wonder contributing some dance-popping drum programs. Another treat is Rick James' effervescent "Party All the Time." but the quality starts to dissipate after that. Murphy, surprisingly, wrote most of the other songs but were it not for his lofty status and his starry friends, it's unlikely this album would have seen the light of day. Steve Morse TIM O'BRIEN HARD YEAR BLUES ROUNDER One of the best lead singers in blue-grass has cut an impressive first solo album.

O'Brien, the high-lonesome tenor mandolinist of Hot Rize takes a few detours off the country road here. There's a nick, banjo. His voice sounds best rising out of the big, bluegrass sound. Buck White and the Downhome Folks help resurrect "Twelve Gates to the City," a gospel number to raise rooftops. Aside from a couple of dog-eared renditions of West er Girls, have powerful, almost overwhelming voices but they're seldom tested.

That's mostly because of Leon Pen-darvis' rank arrangements which give studio pros such as Elliott Randall, Jesse Winchester and David Sanborn little to do. Nor do producers Hank Mendress and Jeff Kent appear to know how to get anything or anybody moving. Seven of the eight songs breeze by without making an impression. Only "March" has a bit of bounce, but otherwise there's a lot of talent wasted here. Marc D.

Allan JON BUTCHER AXIS ALONG THE AXIS CAPITOL "Stop," the opening track, is a killer, packed with deliciously liquid guitar. Butcher's lubricious voice, staggered background vocals and enigmatic lyrics. "Only the Fox," is a close second, and the title track is a lovely slice of psychedelic blues. But, producer Spencer Proffer has homogenizeed the elements of the Butcher band into facelessness, rendering Butcher's unique rock mysticism bland. Such tracks as "Two Hearts Running," a duet with Ava Cherry that has no need to be a duet, or the superfluous instrumental "The Ritual," suggest Butcher was short of ideas when he embarked on this obviously commercial bid.

The man can write, play and sing: "Carrie" is an interesting character ern swing songs this is a hot item. Jack Low WEATHER GIRLS BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY COLUMBIA But they sure do make mediocre re cords the biggest problem here is that rarely does it sound as if anyone is mak ing an effort, or being challenged by the material. Party sounds can't make this version of Creedance Clearwater Reviv al's "Down on the Corner" better than the original. Neil Sedaka's "Laughter in the Rain" gets a 'ho-hum cover. The title track is done in routine fashion.

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