Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop

For students in grades nine and up as well as general readers, this volume is part of an eight-volume introductory encyclopedia. It features alphabetically arranged entries on rhythm and blues, rap, and hip-hop artists, styles, songwriters, labels, radio stations, disc jockeys, producers, and arrangers in America. Hoffmann (library science, Sam Houston State U.) provides information on topics ranging from the Bee Gees, Mariah Carey, Luther Vandross, disco, and funk to Motown, Louis Jordan, Kanye West, and Death Row Records. A discography of recommended reading is included. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Library Journal

This seven-volume set (the eighth volume, consisting of a comprehensive index, comes only with the purchase of the complete set) on major musical branches is aimed at high school readers. Boasting contributors with some impressive credentials, it promises to be an ideal research tool. But the 300-500 A-to-Z entries in each volume tend to be cute and overly general (e.g., the definition of scat singing begins, "Bim, bop, bam, and dwee dooda ya. A vocal style in which the singer uses nonsense syllables to improvise on a melody"), and the bibliographies are a bit spotty. The major problem, however, is the number of factual errors and discrepancies found in several of the volumes. For example, Hoffmann's (library science, Sam Houston State Univ.) Rhythm & Blues lists the wrong birth year and city for Stevie Wonder as well as the wrong release year for his Songs in the Key of Life album; Weissman's (The Music Business) Blues mysteriously has Jimi Hendrix (who died in 1970) living until 1976; and Hill's Classical states that composer Howard Hanson's best-known work is his "Symphony No. 3 (the `Romantic')." True, but the `Romantic' subtitle belongs to his Symphony No. 2. The Country, Rock & Roll, and Folk volumes fare better. Each of the seven volumes includes approximately 50 black-and-white photographs, some general bibliographic information, a chronology, and a glossary of technical terms; all the volumes are well indexed, though not all contain fairly extensive, annotated discographies that would be useful. Bottom Line Despite its potential and some fascinating entries, the number of factual errors for even well-known figures makes this set less than suitable as a research tool. Since the volumes are available separately, Carlin's (Southern Exposure) Folk is recommended for high school libraries.-James E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, OH Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.