
Trolltown
by Alex HendersonNot as consistently boring as many of Richard Elliot's subsequent albums, Trolltown contains a few decent tracks. "Ducks From Mars" and "Stankfoot" are gritty jazz/R&B numbers that have a lot more bite than one generally expects from the tenor, alto and soprano saxman, and the edgy "Come to My Apartment" is surprisingly rock-influenced. But those selections are the exception instead of the rule; the CD is dominated by the type of unlistenable and painfully dull "elevator music" Elliot is best known for. Especially embarrassing is his note-for-note cover of Stevie Wonder's "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Going To Do)" -- what was a memorable R&B/pop hit in the hands of Wonder and Aretha Franklin sounds like pure schlock when Elliot gets ahold of it. Elliot has butchered his share of R&B classics, and this is one of the worst examples. Trolltown may not be as bad as some of the albums Elliot would record in the 1990...