Various Artists - Different Strokes by Different Folks (CD)

All Music Guide

Proof positive that Sly Stone is still on the crack pipe, Different Strokes by Different Folks assembles Slyapproved and produced remakes of the Family Stone's most seminal funk hits, calling upon some of contemporary pop's most banal newcomers, and pasttheirprimes hacks, to butcher songs they should not be allowed to hum, let alone cover. Commissioned by Starbucks, a company that knows a little something about addictive substances itself, the disc is an absolute atrocity, its 11 remakes and remixes including such abominations as Maroon 5's "Everyday People," John Mayer and Buddy Guy's "You Can Make It if You Try," Aerosmith's Steven Tyler doing "I Want to Take You Higher" and Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am's "Dance to the Music" and remarkably, each one is even worse than it sounds on paper. The saving grace, apparently, is that after you throw up in your mouth, you can eliminate the aftertaste with a Starbucks Chantico drinking chocolate. And to top it all off, keep in mind that the tru...e beneficiary of the disc's sales is not Sly Stone himself, but the owner of his publishing rights in this case, one Michael Jackson, who prefers a very different kind of cream in his coffee. - Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide Read more Less