Where's the Music??

So a posting on this blog has been LONG overdue, but recent events have made it imperative to re-establish what once was. Never has there been a time I've been more disappointed in the global selection of music than right now. I typically live for the next best video, song, lyrics, concepts....and I can honestly say the economy is not the only thing in a recession. Where's our Marvin Gaye, our Janis Joplin, hell...our Whitney Houston (and I'm talking about old Whitney... not "Being Bobby Brown" Whitney). Until there is reason for me to look up in excitement, I guess digging into my music vault will have to do. Who knows...maybe I'll find what I've been missing all over again :P

It's an Extravanganza!!

So I have just heard this new joint by Jamie Foxx called Extravanganza. Strategically, he has yet again teamed up with Kanye West (the current producer extraordinaire) to produce a clever track about having "one too many drinks" during a crazy night out. It actually sounds nothing like Jamie Foxx, but it is a very well done song, a fun song about guys being well, guys. Kanye, of course, delivers his Kanye-style rap breakdown towards the end of the song, but all of it is very entertaining. If Jamie plays his cards right, (which I know he will, since he is the current black king of the world), he should do very well his second attempt at music stardom. Oh, the potential this guy has to become one of the few comic/actors to successfully transform himself into a bonafide triple threat that includes a music force to be reckoned with. Definitely, definitely, to be continued....

A Small Peep from a Robin

For you all who know me, you may have thought the title of this review referenced me. However, I am actually referring to another Tweety Bird on the block....Robin Thicke. He apparently has a new album coming out soon and a new single already blazin' the UK R&B charts. Yes, R&B...yes, he's another white guy...and yes, he sounds like Justin Timberlake...at least in his newest release "Wanna Love You Girl". Assisted by the infamous and more familiar half of the brilliant hip hop producer duo, The Neptunes, Robin displays a catchy tune about what else?...an irresistible female---right now, Charlize Theron comes to mind as such (I just saw her on Oprah) and by golly, I think she is intellectually and physically irresistible---but back to the task at hand. Robin, with the help of Pharrell, brings an attractive tune filled with noticeable, but not overbearing drum loops and a happy-sounding harpischord. While not groundbreaking, the song is a feel-good, unannoying pop song that makes you think of the "smitten stage" of love and how wonderful it is :) Awwww!! Robin kept simple with the entire effort. His lazy lyrics and sweet-sounding falsetto reminds you of the one and only...JT (a frequent collabo of Pharrel's), not bad...but again, not great either!! But hey, there's still a whole album to be heard!!

Recommendation: This single is an small indication of Robin's sway to a more commercial sound. While this is fine (hey, everyone needs to make a living), hopefully his individuality still manages to shine through in this newest album. If it does, this album has great potential. If it does not, get ready for Justified: Part II.

Late Registration - The Brillance of a College Dropout

There are only a few CDs that I actually make the effort to buy on its faithful Tuesday release and something by the hair of my chinny chin chin told me that indeed Late Registration was just such an album. On August 30th, 2005, the world was blessed with what I consider a hip hop masterpiece, even moreso than his first album, "The College Dropout." This says a helluva lot since, like everyone else, I thought (and still do at times) think this guy is an arrogant ass. Or maybe he's just better than we thought at pushing the public's buttons. Well, he would not be the first musical artist to try that tactic...at least he can back up the brillance of music. Ok, back to the album....last night was my 25th (possibly 30th) time listening to Mr. West's latest and no album has kept me so high on my musical toes. I find something new to think about or groove to, with every push of the Play button. Each song requires something new from its listener, whether that paying attention to lyrics, arrangements, guest appearances, production, instrumentation, etc. Quite a challenge when trying to offer album critique. Like West did with his "Jesus Walks" video, I may have to try this 3x over to get it just right. Well, here's the first attempt.....

The Album as a whole: In its entirety, West intelligently straddles the line between political consciousness and typical hiphop commentary, pure formula beats and refreshing musicality, and witty lyrics and deficient storytelling. As stated in "Diamonds from Sierra Leone", when he came in the game, he made his own lane. And so this album is on many levels, in a lane all its own, largely due to Jon Brion's contributions that inject lingering musical breaks and bridges (composed mostly of string arrangements that bring an uncanny elegance and grace--two words historically disassociated with hip hop). But the breaks are so accurately formulated, the listener never questions their song location. West also tries to loosely hold onto his College Dropout theme through the album title and repeated skits of a fabricated Greek fraternity, "Broke phi broke". As in, in case you weren't listening, college still does not ensure your life's fortune. An in-your-face fact that is proven over and over again by Hollywood's elite (many a high school drop out) and, to a lesser extent, at the executive level of Corporate America and the idiot we now have as president (Yale...or Fast times a Ridgemont High?).

Heard Em Say: Nothing's ever promised tomorrow or today...indeed it's true. And Adam Levine from Maroon 5 sounds, oh so sweet, on the hook of this song. But I think the video did the best justice to this song...at least the animated version. I never did lay eyes on the toy store sleepover that seemed to be the preferred choice among Kanye and his camp. Why, I ask???.. when such a beautiful cartoon depicted the song so gracefully. At any rate, nothing can take away from the angelic melody and softness of this song. Listen up!!!

Touch the Sky: Shout, shout, shout...these are the exclamations I think of when hearing the excited horns in this track. They really make the song come alive, not too mention Lupe Fiasco- superbly endorsed rap phenom slowly working his way to the top. This is not my favorite song on the album, but the video does call into question Kanye's thoughts behind song promotion. Even Evel Knievel himself wasn't too happy about this performance. Next.....

GoldDigger: The anthem of 2006???....if not THE anthem, then one of them for sure. Jamie Foxx still living off the credit of RAY. I don't blame ya boy!!

Drive Slow: Paul Wall?? C'mon son....the flow is crazy. Houston's finest. It can't get much better than that. Kanye does know how to pair himself up with the greats. And because of that, his song do great. Possibly hit material, but some other songs measure up slightly moreso. Awesome production, lyricism and concept.

My Way Home: I love my boy, Common. Even though this track is just a snippet for the imagination...I often long for the extended version just to know how the whole song would have sounded like. Can't touch Common Sense....and with Kanye, it's a dynamic duo.

Crack Music: Similar to Drive Slow, Ye pairing up once again with rap's elite: the one and only GAME. Na, na, na, na, na.....immersed with political commentary, accusations, and implications, this song is nutta butta....nothing but the truth. It depicts, the oh so commonly discussed, plight and downfall of African-American in a society that still does not see us as equal. Shit...it begins to make one wonder how far have we really come...when will it ever be equal? Don't hold you breath....similar to crack, racism is THE most evil existence known to ALL Blacks. Crack messes with our hearts and minds, racism is within our hearts and minds. And there is hardly a cure for something ingrained so deep :(

Roses: Inequity, sadness, life...all the theme of "Roses"--the story of a loved one on his death bed and how the living struggle with the very thought. Swimming in thoughts, Kanye actually delivers a stunning portrayal of his grandmother's struggle with sickness and his family's heartache at the potential outcome of death for their matriarch. It's all in the eye of the beholder.

Bring Me Down: A true testiment to Ye's faith in, well, himself....and a "stick-it-to-all-those-who-doubt-me" type anthem. Heard it before, though well done, with a little help from Brandy.

Addiction: I LOVE THIS SONG....but I am a succer for the underdog with tracks. This song would never make the hit list, but it's totally fun mainly due to its quick tempo and thoughtless wordplay. It's not really about much of anything, but it is crafted so well that it really does not need to be. Everyone has some sort of addiction, regardless of how big or small. Some of us can control it better though.

Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix): Jay-Z totally amps up with wanna-be thought-provoking tune...though the diamonds of Jay are all his own, with no homage to the very real issue of Blood Diamonds (out in theaters now). Jay's verse is superb, but would be stellar if it intermixed the story of the terrible happenings in Sierra Leone with the fruitfulness of American materialism. Three stars for effort though.

We Major: Not really feeling it...thought I love NAS.

Hey Mama: All rappers should have at least one homage to mama...

Celebration: Not really feeling it....but ok.

Gone: Um....yeah! Jon Brion is brilliant and Cam'ron's verse is pure fire. Ok, so most of the lyricists on this track can spit, but the instrumentation in the middle is what gets me. Call me a music nerd, an exceptional music enthusiast, or just plain weird, but the breakdown between the 2nd and last verse is just superb. It makes the song just that much better. One of the best examples of post-production I've listened to in a while. Could you imagine the craziness of creating that breach....the realization that this here is a masterpiece album. Whooo....ain't nuttin' like it in the world.

Diamond from Sierra Leone (Original): About the same as the remix.

You did what with a goat?

Brian has recently been dragging his reluctant girlfriend into listening to his latest musical obsession, the Mountain Goats. You all know that these musical obsessions come and go like wildfire with Brian and I am sometimes...shall we say unsympathetic to his expectation that we listen to them all the time. It takes me a while to slink into new music, it's like that few weeks after you get a dress or a new pair of jeans when you aren't quite sure if it was the right decision.

But last weekend, at Dave and Maggie's wedding we found ourselves with a rental car and no music and went to a wonderful store right near to the church called Luna Music, which its a miracle Brian and I ever escaped. He decided to get a Mountain Goats record and the new Nada Surf. Over the weekend I have been won over; I even had to admit that I (unlike Pitchfork Media, which is not at pitchfork.com) like it better than the Nada Surf he bought more for me.

Interestingly enough, I found out today that he also has a blog and I like it quite a bit, this time agreeing with Pitchfork in my enjoyment of John Darnielle's rantings and ravings at Last Plane to Jakarta.

Oh, and now I've posted on your blog, too, so you have to come and post on mine.

Ahhh, Tweet, Tweet!!

Hey, pop fans!! Ok, so in the midst of worker oblivion, I managed to pop in some music that hadn't made it to my ears in quite a while....Tweet's first CD: Southern Hummingbird. So her name and CD title sound a little funny, right? Well, don't let that fool you 'cause Miss Bird herself has some phenomenal music up her sleeve. So much so, that I can very well say she is the proud winner of the "Most Slept on Musical Artist" (well, at least for her first item). Beyond the heavily radioplayed, Missy/Timbaland-produced "Oops, Oh My" and "Call Me" tracks, which are truly dance feverish, Tweet sneakily offers up some really great conceptual and lyrical content that's all over the board. Take "Smokin' Cigarettes" for instance. Kind of a strange title, but when you listen to it...you've definitely feel the stressful situation Tweet paints regardless if it was caused by a man, woman, boss, family member, politics, etc. Sometimes those cancer sticks really come in handy and is the middle step before going off the deep end. In the musically simple "Motel", Tweet gives a western vibe like she may actually know how to strum a guitar in a one-woman show (a video for this would have been so much fun to watch). This song about catching her man "cheatin'" by eyewitnessing his affair at a local motel is common content laid out in an uncommon fashion. My favorite song on the album, "Complain", is one I first heard on the radio and was actually THE song that made me purchase the entire album. Tweet's beautiful version of the song is about lost love, but it's so loose, it reminds you of anything your heart aches to have once mo' gin. It's truly hard not to cry upon hearing it. "My Place", with Tweet's soft, sexy vocals, takes you to that place only shared by you and your significant other and most definitely, gets you in the mood. Other songs like "Boogie Tonight" run back in time to the roller skating rink that you and your crew used to go to every Saturday night. Remember the times? "Drunk" is truly captivating with her slurry voice and incomplete stings that make the music really sound inebriated. Basically people, Tweet gives it all to you and then some. Too bad her lead singles did not do her album justice.

Recommendation: If you are curious to know what's under the surface of the Southern Hummingbird and want some great low-key R&B, I urge from you to cop this album and peel it away track by track.

The Be-Coming

The B-Coming is the only appropriate title to celebrate Common's sixth album release. Nothing short of a classic, Common everso delivers powerful rhymes, metaphors and techniques that are, well...anything but common (yeah, I so went for the cheap pun!). This is arguably Mr. Common Sense at his best and Chicago at its finest, for the matter. Guided and heavily produced by Chi-town's unlikely, but extremely talented musical prodigy, Kanye (kon da louie votton don, kaine, Ye, etc.) West, this album could not help but be anything but a masterpiece....let me explain for all y'all that don't know. This disc is not only well crafted with positive storytelling, interesting, but unsophisticated wordplay and an unstoppable mixture of sounds, it also serves up a heavy dose of passion!! Who would have thought, right? True fans can so tell Common, Kanye and Jay Dee gave it all they had with this album. The mastery of production and collaboration is phenomenal and Common "done good" with the choice to have this album "all about him". Sounds a little vain...but Common undoubtedly had something to prove, especially coming off his previous "Electric Circus" release that was all too eclectic and truly out of this world (Damn, what Erika Badu can do to a man!!). BE was his way of saying "Listen, I still got it, always had it and always will have it!" Big props to Kanye for bringing out some common sense in a brotha....

So since I haven't written on this blog in a while..I am charged to go "hard core" and give my audience a run down of this superb piece of art. Ok...I'm up for it. The present is a gift and I just want to be...is the last line of his intro. Along with changing the world through his daughter, ain't it grand? On to THE CORNER, a beat-heavy track riddled with the signs of the times in everyone's favorite windy city. Here, Common depicts life's triles and tribulations on the streets of Chi-town as a hustlin' African-American, but cleverly does not isolate his audience, allowing them to reflect on their own sides of the street. GO, my personal favorite (although I have several), uses vocal gifts from John Meyer and Kanye West to help Common talk some sense about his fantasies with women. Leave it to C to tastefully describe every man's fantasy. Of course, C backs up his fantasies by coming back to his righteous self and describing how FAITHFUL he truly is to his women, his goddesses. TESTIFY is another personal favorite, using some awesome sampling to develop a story about a golddigging ex-whore who marries her lover and cleverly frames him for her crime by offering up false testimony. Common's rhyme scheme and storytelling are in full bloom here, giving any true fan goosebumps of the album's possibilities. LOVE IS...possibly stems from his most recent relationship with Erica Badu and his heartache, but also shares all the love and compassion he has experienced throughout his lifetime. C definitely makes you believe that there is a love out there for you...that you will find somehow, someway. How sweet it is!! CHI-CITY, another testimonial to his favorite hometown...gotta love it. THE FOOD, real chicken soup for the soul. REAL PEOPLE....helped by the album's most visible producer, it describes situations that Black men find themselves in from time to time. THEY SAY...testimony to the haters and society's moral values. IT'S YOUR WORLD....Common, like Trick Daddy, loves the kids and never seems to fall short of giving them something to strive for, think about, and live life for. This appropriately last track inspires hope, dreams and life for any kids with doubts...and I guess as any appropriate crit comes full circle, this album is a gift...and it can only BE....(inside my headphones)!!!

I'm Baaaaccckkkk, Muddafuddass!!!

Yo, pop culture fanatics....the only 1reason is back in full effect, ready to holla at you one mo' gin and this time it's fo' real. I'm talking to the latest, the greatest names in music...and maybe even movies....cause I'm really feeling Johnny Depp right 'bout now in his latest "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". If you think it's just for kids, you're sadly mistaken. Johnny has a presence like no other. Combined with Tim Burton's eerie and unmatched creativity and Freddie Highmore's innocent sincerity, this movie has a little something for everyone, especially fans of the original. I could hardly contain my excitement as I watched with blissful glee at the intricate (and quite eatable) stage set. Burton definitely outdid himself this time, much like his stone faced umpa loompa (definitely, by far, the hardest working man in the movie). So here's the real skinny: Johnny Depp's uncanny approach to his character, Willy Wonka, transforming him into a cynical gloved one is very memorable and completely hilarious. Highmore's all-around goodness and amplified intelligence (compared to other 12 year olds his age) is not so contagious to his on-screen counterparts, who one-by-one reap what they sow at the Chocolate Factory...just in the nick of time. Anymore wining from these children, and I would have definitely gotten my tubes tied. Somehow, the moral of this movie does shine through by the end, with Willy Wonka understanding the importance of family and Charlie somehow mature enough to handle running an entire factory. All in all, I give it an A+ for the entire cast and let's not forget...the crew!!! Brav-O, my friends, brav-o!!