European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 19, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Bolton a two worlds critics everyone else by James Endrst Hartford courant Singer songwriter Michael Bolton s world seems to be composed of two types of people the ones who understand him a people who Quot get it Quot a and the ones who Don t. At the top of the list of people who Don t get it most Rock critics. At the top of the list of people who do get it millions of fans most of them women who have been buying his albums since the late 80s. They re the ones who bought the hunger soul provider time love amp tenderness. They re the ones not critics who will Shell out for his just released album timeless the classics a a Wall to Wall collection of his covers of such songs As yesterday you Send me and Knock on Wood. They re the ones who Don t consider his Raspy passionate pop soul crooning Quot overwrought Quot or Quot overreaching Quot and Don t chastise him for failing to pay proper homage to recording artists like Percy Sledge when a Man loves a woman. Not the critics. Quot i find almost everyone else More knowledgeable about different areas Quot he says. Quot Rock critics get one thing and that s it. So they should t be allowed to cover other things. Yet they re allowed to have full columns and put a picture of you up and say Michael Bolton i Don t get it Quot at this stage of his grammy winning career says Bolton Quot i will have no mercy on these people. They be had no Neon  and you Don t have to look far to see what Bolton is talking about. Quot dumping on Michael Bolton is almost too easy Quot writes entertainment weekly s David Browne in a review of Bolton s new album which made its debut by the Way at no. 5 on billboard Magazine s album Chart and fans of Michael Bolton get it quickly climbed to no. 1adding that Quot Bolton s idea of soul As usual is to turn up the shriek quotient. Quot Bolton reacts to such barbs this Way Quot no matter How Nasty they get How bitter they get the Bottom line is they Don t get it and they re allowed to take up space. Fortunately for me there s a lot More space taken up in record stores and in people s Homes and at my concerts because otherwise i probably would have gone out of my mind thinking what Are these Guys talking about do they hear the same record Quot Success however seems to be lessening the tylors Day by Day. Quot if i did what the Rock critics wanted me to do i d be working clubs in new Haven Quot he says. Quot i d be one of their groups where they lose the first allium and when the group achieves mainstream Success Large scale Success they bail on them like an unfaithful  Bolton a new Haven conn., native whose family name is Bolotin started his career in Connecticut at age 15 but did t hit it big until he was in his 30s. Now he s so big he lives in a two House estate one House is a combination recording studio office behind tall Security Gates. Quot what a lot of people Don t get a people who Don t get my music or who have a problem with it a is that i be never been interested in just playing at clubs or playing at parties so people can dance and do their thing. This is the Way i express  so what about the fans the ones who do get it he has discovered in the past couple of years that his music does have a Healing Quality a emotionally even physically a for Many. Quot the ones with the kids Are the ones that stand out Quot he says. Quot i get letters from single parents who Are trying to survive trying to get their lives together emotionally and financially no express what the album did for them How the album got them through one period where they really did t think they were going to make  Bolton is momentarily stopped tears in his eyes As he recalls visits from Quot kids backstage who Are in wheelchairs and who May never see another  Quot that s another ignorance on the part of some of these critics Quot he says Quot who in their entire lifetime Are not going to achieve in a positive sense what happens in one week when a person uses their Success in a positive Way. And that s part of what has come with my Success that i did t ask for. That i did t  Quot i want to be appreciated musically and personally by As Many people As possible Quot Bolton  Funk with a Stream of consciousness by Denene Millner the associated press it s a rap video but where Are the obscenities the violence and the half naked dancing women Well it s arrested development and you won t see or hear any of that on the group s debut album. 3 years 5 months and 2 Days in the life of. Celebrates african culture Black consciousness and spirituality. It marries the message of the Black poetry and music group the last poets and Public enemy s Chuck d with the harmonies of the Funk Adelic Era and Rural blues creating what the group Calls Quot Southern Fried  watch the video for the group s first single Tennessee and you will see speech the group s Leader sing a soulful prayer to god that inspires him to seek his heritage in his native Tennessee. Speech sees maturity As separating arrested development s music from the hard Core Quot gangsta Quot rap of such groups As Nwa that can feature profanity and violence. Quot i think the difference is that As we grew As a group we grew with a concern for our people Quot said speech. In putting together the album speech incorporated the attributes of such disparate acts As sly and the family Stone Bob Dylan and Minnie Riperton. An added dimension to arrested development s music is speech s rapping style. Instead of actually rapping speech sings his lyrics to the beat reminiscent of How a Southern Baptist minister preaches to the amens of his congregation. Quot we look at our music As the child of hip hop Quot speech said. Quot traditional hip hop samples and the artists rhyme. We be taken on Harmony with a lot More singing and the music has its roots in folklore and african Folk . But arrested development s music was t always so intellectual and spiritual. When speech real name Todd Thomas first hooked up with . Headliner real name Tim Barnwell at an Atlanta music school in 1987, they were into Quot gangsta Quot rap. Public enemy s music suffused with the teachings of Black economic Power and self sufficiency made speech and Headliner change. Quot Public enemy inspired me a lot because it sort of gave me an insight on cultural ism and its struggle and the need for Black change Quot speech said. Quot once i had that insight it sent me on a continuous journey to learn More about my history my culture and where my people and i came from and the struggles we  it was arrested development s decision to change its musical direction that held Back the group s Fame speech said. The album s title chronicles just How Long it took for arrested development to get into the business. Said speech Quot we sent products to every record company under the Sun and it took that  in that time the group s members lived together worked daytime jobs and performed at clubs throughout the Atlanta area at night. Quot i think it was some actual godlike guidance that did t allow us to make it anytime earlier because we needed to grow As people Quot speech  a singles t. How do you talk to an Angel the  love Shai 3. I i Oie without you from Boomerang a p m Dawn 4. End of the Road boy ii men 5. Rump Shaker reckon effect 6. Rhythm is a dancer snap 7. What about your friends tic 8. Sometimes love just Ain t enough _9.,rexu8ve Mary j Blige 10. Jump around House of palmtop a albums 1. Timeless the classics Michael Bolton 2. The Chase Garth Brooks 3. Love deluxe Sade 4. Unplugged Eric Clapton 5. Keep the Fajth Bon Jovi 8. Some gave All  Ray Cyrus. 7. Soundtrack to pure country somatic for the people Rem 9. Erotica Madonna 10. Ten Pearl Jam country a singles ramp a singles 1. I m in a hurry and Don t know Why Alabama 2. Watch me porno Morgan. 3. If there had t been you Billy Dean _ 4. Shake the sugar tree Pam t us 5 Bubba shot the Juke Box Mark Chestnutt 6 even the Man in the Moon is crying Mark collie7 i Cross my heart George Strait 8. Two sparrows in a Hurricane Tanya Tucker 9 no one else on Earth a Nonna 10 just Call me lonesome Hadney Foster 1 games Chukri Booker 2 what about your friends tic 3. Work to do Vanessa Williams 4.1 got a thang 4 Yalo key 5. Rump Shaker wreck n effect 6 someone to hold Trey Lorenz 7. Love Shoulta brought you Home from Boomerang a Toni Braxton 8. If i Ever fall in love Shal 9 slow and sexy a Shabba ranks 10 Ain t nobody Uke you Miki Howard jazz a albums 1 i he fld you twice the first time Branford Marsalis 2 perfectly Frank Tony Bennett 3 haunted hear Charlie Haden quartet West 4 it s not about the Melody Betty Carter 5 portraits by a Jungton the Lincoln Center jazz orchestra 6 Black Hope Kenny Garrett 7 you must believe in Spring fun Morgan 8 All the Way Jimmy Scott 9 Here s to life Shirley Horn 10 More than a mood Stanley current me stripes Magazine