The Pretenders ninth studio album Break Up The Concrete sounds more like music made by a bunch of rock-a-billies on a Mississippi back porch than the new album by one of Rock & Roll’s premier new wave/ post-punk pioneers. From the dreamsome steel guitar opening cadence on “Boots of Chinese Plastic”, to the weary pleading bluegrass pop of “Don’t Lose Faith In Me” it’s clear that legendary front woman Chrissie Hynde and her band set out to make an album that sounded more like the raw industrial noise of America’s rural heartland than the stiff-upper-lipped sophisticated London cool of their revered catalog. On their first album since 2002’s Loose Screw, Chrissie and the Boys explore issues such as; re-incarnation, religion, politics and of course the daunting quest of finding and keeping true love, but like always on a Pretenders album it is Hynde’s honeyed androgynous alto, that is the albums centerpiece. Her voice, coarse yet never harsh remains in pristine form, softly rolling and roaring, cold, yet warm somehow like a mid December snowstorm. Tracks such as the Bo Diddley inspired delta rocker “Don’t Cut Your Hair,” and the title cut finds Hynde running frantically around killer guitar riffs, stuttering and strutting with a renewed vigor; the 57-year-old rocker sounds more energized than she has in 20 years. Overall, Breaking Up The Concrete is a welcome comeback from a group that has managed to avoid the pitfalls of most of their contemporaries by consistently making music that is both steeped in their indigenous musical vision but is agile, and perhaps intelligent enough to allow their sound enough room to grow ergo keeping their music invitingly electric, as only true Rock & Roll can be.
Erykah Badu does not take prisoners as she has demonstrated on Okayplayer.com's chat board. The "On&on" singer responded to criticism of her choice to have her third child out of wedlock and with a third father (the first being Andre 3000, and the second west coast rap legend The D.O.C.)The message gives even more insight into Badu's opinions on social matters than even her politically charges album,New Amerykah. While some may feel Badu shouldn't have lowered herself to the standards of the bloggers, I personally think she did a brave and courageous thing standing up for herself, my mother always told me "run and they'll chase you, knock they ass over the head with a brick, and they will fall down!!!!" Erykah..U Tell'em Chika!!!!
HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT THE QUEENDOM...AND MY CHILDREN AND MY INTELLIGENCE.ive never been so disgusted in all of my life .there is no other place i used to enjoy more .i post no where else .you guys have taken an all time low , tho.I'LL STATE MY PEACE i am a great mother and care giver to my 2 children and to this world .my children are 2 of the kindest and happiest people i have met.I home schooled them and taught them the ways of good to the best of my ability.i am their doctor and their nurse .and even sometimes their mother and their father.i am an excellent mother and resent all of the negative comments and insults on my character.I PUT MUCH TIME AND THOUGHT INTO HAVING AND RAISING MY CHILDREN.IVE HAD THE HONORS OF HAVING 2 HOME BIRTHS AND 2 WONDERFUL PARTNERS BY MY SIDE.every relationship i have been in was because i loved the person DEARLY and was dedicated to us "exclusively" FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.the fathers of my children are my brothers and friends .we have a great deal of respect for one another and always will.WE LOVE OUR CHILDREN TO NO END.we took our own "vows" and CONTINUE TO UPHOLD THEM.AND THAT IS WHAT THAT IS .question?WHAT IS MARRIAGE ?WHO IS THE JUDGE?WE ONLY UNDERSTAND THE EXAMPLES WE ARE GIVEN ( well sort of)WOULD IT "LOOK BETTER " TO MARRY AND DIVIORCE AND MARRY AGAIN ?WOULD THAT BE MORALLY CORRECT ?WHATS THE DIFFERENCE ? the government's involvement i guess.IDEALLY , IT WOULD BE EXCELLENT TO FIND THE MAN OR WOMAN WHO FULFILLS YOUR SPIRIT AND STAY FOR EVER AND EVER ( thru sickness and health till death do us part ) AND HAVE HEALTHY STRONG CHILDREN AS A RESULT OF A HEALTHY AND STRONG UNION.(this CAN happen ... we need much training , however.)OR IS IT REALLY "GOOD" TO STAY IN A RELATIONSHIP WHERE BOTH PARTIES ARE UNFULFILLED , LONGING FOR RELIEF , BRINGING one another down as a result of improper training , creating BAD ENERGY AND EXPERIENCES FOR THE CHILD TO REPEAT ?(not to mention breeding deceit and anger and resentment )SEEMS TO CREATE FEARFUL CHILDREN WHO TURN INTO FEARFUL ADULTS .HOW MANY OF YOU GREW UP IN 2 PARENT HOMES THAT WERE MISERABLE AS *&%^$#@E ?OR 2 PARENT HOMES THAT WERE NOT PERFECT BUT WORKED?HOW MANY GREW UP IN ONE PARENT HOMES WHERE THE MOTHER WORKED HARD TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE CARED FOR BUT SHE WASNT QUITE HAPPY?HOW ABOUT A HOME WHERE THE FATHER WAS THE MAIN CARE GIVER AND DID THE BEST HE COULD -LACKING NURTURE?HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE A SIBLING THAT HAS A DIFFERENT FATHER OR MOTHER?DOES HE OR SHE MEAN LESS TO YOU?HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE MORE THAN 1 MOTHER OR FATHER OF YOUR OWN CHILDren ?HOW MANY OF YOU HAD /OR / ARE PARENTS RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILDREN ,THAT DONT QUITE FIT ANY OF THESE DESCRIPTIONS?HOW MANY OF YOU STAY IN UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS FOR FEAR OF GOING TO HELL?HOW MANY HOS OUT THERE ... THAT HAVE KIDS TO GET A PAYDAY?HOW MANY PEOPLE GETTING THEY ASS KICKED AND ARE FORCED TO SUBMIT CAUSE YO MAMA GOT HER ASS KICKED?THEN WHAT is CORRECT?how about this:I PRAY WITH MY CHILDREN I FEED THEM GOOD FOODTHEY RESPECT PEOPLES DIFFERENCES THEY TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH METHE KNOW WHO THEY ARE THEY ADORE THEIR FATHERS AND ARE LOVED BY 2 PARENTS OR MORE -OR TWO OR MORE SETS OF LOVING GRANDPARENTSTHEY CRY THEY GET HURT THEY GET SICK THEY HEALTHEY ARE realTHEY ARE NOT AN IDEA or a TOPICAND NEITHER AM I .I AM ALIVE .I AM BEAUTIFUL WOMAN.I AM A GOOD WOMAM.I AM GROWING I AM COMPLETE WITH OR WITHOUT A PARTNER AND WILL ALWAYS BE AND I HAVE DREAMS OF A FAMILY STRUCTURE ALL OF MY DREAMS DO NOT COME TRUE AND DESPITE ALL OF THE PAIN IN MY LIFE ...IN MY MOTHERS LIFE ...IN MY GRANDMOTHERS LIFE WE HAVE ALWAYS ENDURED AND THERE IS SO MUCH JOY TO BE EXPERIENCED.I NEVER HAD A FATHER AND I DONT KNOW WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE -BUT MY CHILDREN DO , AND THEY LOVE THEIR 'PARENTS' .WE ARE THEIR CHAMPIONS .live how you want . follow which ever pattern YOU like .MY CHILDREN WILL BE LEADERS and they will not ever be slaves to this society's failing idea of morality.THEY OWN THEIR MINDS AND THEIR DREAMS.BIRTH CONTROL lol ... could have 10 babies instead of 2 .I LOVE CHILDREN AND I WILL HAVE AS MANY AS GOD WILL GIVE ME .I AM VERY HEALTHY AND RESPONSIBLE AND SO ARE ALL OF MY PARTNERS I CHOSE THEM WISELY AND SOBERLY .ALL GOOD BROTHERS .your opinions lack experience and are not only careless but also very uninformed and immature.nothing is sacred here . and i see why.if i loose you as a fan because i want to continue to have children then *&%^$#@E OFF... WHO NEEDS YOU ....CERTAINLY NOT ME ... KICK ROCKS ... CALL TYRONE ... PACK LIGHT .... BITE MEi have defended myself here ON THIS SITE and hurled a few insults .. but only in response to your insults ofmy music , my clothes , my lyrics , my hair , my being a woman , my spirit, my choices of partners....these have all been on trial here . and i continued to support the energy of this place .this is to all the okay players / REAL HUMAN BEINGS hiding behind screen names in order to insult one another and who ever else you will.geeeez...i had to say somethingi am so sad for parents who try , today guys enough is enuf.dont judge to quickly , OKAY PLAYER?i know you are having fun , but what if it were you and your children?my son is 10 .my daughter, 4 .peace ANALOGUE GIRL and if this post is not clear kiss my placenta.
This songs incessant, pop reggae beat beautifully support Sade's husky alto,but what makes it one of my favorite songs is its uplifting message. I think everyone person on the prowl for success should listen to this song three times a day, at least!!!
Since many of today's pop stars are of African American heritage, it seems almost ironic that after listening current Top 40 and urban radio formats one so frequently finds themselves asking "Where's the soul?" "Most of these artist out here are being mass produced" says G, owner of Black Star Video and Music,"they [record labels]get a sound,it's successful and they want to sick with it. So in the process they got Ne-Yo in the studio working with everybody and producing the same song over and over. But soul is about being real and there's nothing real about what their doing." While many American R&B artist are sticking to formulaic and often predictable sources for their music,there are still those who make music from the heart and don't adhere to the generic, hit oriented, ideology of there peers, unfortunately many of these artist find themselves and their music habitually marginalized. Recently a new wave of European artist, such as Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone, Adele and Duffy emerged exploring the gutsy, emotional vocal styles and jazzy musical elements of classic soul, but some black music enthusiasts fear the commercial success artist such as Winehouse, who scored 5 Grammy's earlier this year and the mainstream rejection of new black soul artist like Ledisi, who lost the best new artist Grammy to Winehouse, is a bit dubious and may harbor underlined racism. "I don't have a problem with white artist performing black music" says Marcus Gibbons, an avid soul fan. "My only issue is that their calling this new wave of white British girls with good voices a soul revival, as if it [soul music] ever went anywhere. These girls are winning Grammys and selling millions of records, all the while black soul artist such as Ledisi, Alice Smith and Sharon Jones are being almost completely ignored by the the media and radio, it seems almost like a diss to black people. They want the big black voices, but not big black women, so the record labels sign Christina Aguilera and Amy Winehouse, because they are easily marketed, but where does this leave the black women who they are imitating." At the dawn of the millennium artist such as Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu and D' angelo, were at the spearhead of the neo-soul revolution. In their footsteps artist whose music drew comparisons to 60's and 70's soul were receiving praise from critics and audiences alike. Jill Scott, Floetry and Musiq Soulchid were being heralded the new generation of uncompromising soul stars. Unfortunatly by mid decade much of that success had run out, as demand for "bootylicious" dance divas and southern rappers reached a climax. But some don't agree that racism is at play in current situation. Many cite the laws of supply and demand as the key culprit. "Right now people don't want to think" says G. "People want to dance and party and music has always been and still is the best background for that, but soul music needs to be listened to, you have to savor it like wine, kids don't really have time for that. The audience for neo-soul has always been relatively small when compared to that of Beyonce or Rihanna, what happened was for a time the media chose to put a spotlight on that small community of artist after Lauryn Hill blew up, but the attention span of the media is very short and they moved on to something new and those artist returned to the underground.We live in a culture of instant gratification, people want something that they groove to immediately and not have to really spend time with. Winehouse was able to break though on the strength of Rehab, which was too catchy to deny and as a result she had a major hit record and a lot of people bought her CD and that brought a lot of the mainsterm back to soul. So now artist like Ledisi are entering conversations, that wouldn't have happen without Rehab blowing up the way it did. So maybe Winehouse's success will give some of these record labels incentive to properly promote black soul artist to this growing audience." Rather or not black soul artist gain mainstream support, it is important that fans support black, independently owned record stores. Norma, a manager at 2 Live Music, has a more unified outlook on the situation. " We sell a lot of Amy Winehouse and a lot of Ledisi, I think what people are looking for is good music, maybe radio isn't necessarily the format for that anymore, but now Myspace and Youtube have become very powerful sources of exposure to music that wouldn't have seen the light of day before. But to the question of rather or not white artist in soul are detrimental or beneficial, i don't know, I just think its great that their is good soul music out there being made rather its by Anthony Hamilton or Robin Thicke, it doesn't matter to me. It's just reassuring to me to know that soul music isn't going anywhere and thats what's really important."
After years as a professional singer, Ledisi has finally been thrust into the spotlight after the release of her most recent album, Lost and Found. The disc earned Ledisi Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best R&B Album.
The singer/songwriter grew up in New Orleans, in a house where music was always playing. As a girl, Ledisi says she was very shy and awkward, and was beaten up after school every day. Always the darkest one, it took her a long time to accept herself. Being in the music business wasn't easy, she says, adding, "I had a lot of people tell me I'm not pretty enough." But these days, she says she's happy to be her: "I started loving myself towards the end of my record, probably two, three years ago."
Ledisi is known for owning her audience. "When I sing, and it's live, I become this other thing," she says. "I become this old lady preacher." She takes it seriously, and says she speaks as honestly as she can on stage, pointing out things other people don't want to talk about. "Live is a personal relationship between you and your audience," she adds.
Lost and Found features a much more produced sound than heard on her other records, but Ledisi says she was very much in control. "I was leery of recording again," she says. She started making the record before she signed with the Verve label, so she already knew the sound she was going for when she was working with the producers.
The title of the album refers to her feeling lost at the beginning of making the record, but feeling found by the end of the process. Outwardly, her confidence has grown as others have gotten to know her music. When Ledisi called to tell her mom that she'd been nominated for two Grammys (Best New Artist and Best R&B Album), her mom was so excited that she hung up on her. As for her inclusion in the Best New Artist category, Ledisi says she'll let others debate the oddity of a singer with her vast experience labeled "new," and instead enjoy the feeling of being honored.(NPR)
Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known by her stage name Nina Simone (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), was a fifteen-time Grammy Award-nominated American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger and civil rights activist.
Nina Simone was not just a singer, she was a obeah woman, working her melodies like magic, bewitching her listeners into a world of honeyed soul and sometimes wild eclecticism. Her legend is of a temperamental musical genius, after her death it was revealed that her often unstable behavior was a direct result of Bi-Polar disorder, but the same erratic energy that may have made her a difficult to be around, also made her a music so compelling. Her ability to go from 0 to 100 in less than 5 seconds makes listening to her music an experience.
There was many great singers during the 20th century, some technically better than Simone, but no one could sing a song like Nina, she is and will always be in a league of her own. All Hail The High priestess of Soul.
At the age of 20, musical prodigy and accomplished singer/songwriter Jazmine Sullivan already has nine years worth of experience under her belt in the music industry. She’s anything but a typical singer and just one listen to her voice will make you understand why some of music’s most respected artists like Stevie Wonder, Fantasia, Omarion, Faith Evans, Monica and Missy Elliott have all praised the legend in the making.
Just a brief timeline of some of Sullivan’s musical accomplishments is enough to make any artist blush. At 11, she made her national television debut on Showtime at the Apollo, where she sang “Accept What God Allows.” While most artists recount always being absorbed with music while they were younger, Sullivan’s first introduction to music began at church. “I remember singing like around five or six in the choir,” she says before recalling a particular incident. “I was in the junior choir, but I was the first child admitted into the young adult choir. I was so proud of myself and with the support of my family and church, I began singing.” As Sullivan got older, she began polishing her craft as well gaining an appreciation for other artists, such as Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Kahn, Lauryn Hill, Brandy, Mary J. Blige and Donny Hathaway.
At 13, she was asked to sing with musical legend Stevie Wonder. Of their meeting, she says, “When you meet Stevie Wonder, it’s a great feeling,” before adding, “I was young though, so I didn’t understand it until I got older. I started thinking like, ‘Oh my God! I sang with Stevie Wonder when I was like 13.’” That was only the beginning. She began wowing audiences with her live sets in her hometown of Philadelphia at the popular Black Lily, where artists such as Jill Scott, Musiq, Kindred the Family Soul and Floetry performed before they became national recording artists. Soon after her continued jaw-dropping performances, she was signed to Jive Records personally by the president of the label, Clive Calder, where she began working on her debut album with the likes of heavyweight producers Missy Elliott, Timbaland and production duo Cool & Dre, to name a few.
Developing an effective marketing strategy that would allow a younger audience to identify with Sullivan’s vocal maturity as an artist proved to be difficult for Jive and after three years of singing with the label, the two parted ways. “I can’t say I wasn’t sad. I was very sad,” she says, but being the strong-willed and determined individual that she is hasn’t stopped her grind.
You can find her name on background credits for the Missy Elliott produced tracks off of Fantasia’s debut album Free Yourself and songwriting credits on two tracks from Christina Milian’s last album, So Amazin’, including the album’s first single, “Say I,” which features Young Jeezy. The single reached #1 on BET’s 106 & Park & Aolmusic.com, #2 on the World’s Singles Top 40, #13 on the U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Tracks, #21 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and #4 on the UK singles chart. She has also been traveling up and down the East coast writing/recording with producers such as Cool & Dre, Stevie J. & Havoc, Kwame, The Heavyweights, Anthony Bell and others to name a few. Last July, she also recorded material with 50 Cent for his upcoming album, Curtis, as well as guest appearing on two songs from producer-turned-rapper Dre’s (Cool & Dre) upcoming solo album, The Trunk. In late March of 2007, Jazmine started a new chapter in her career, signing with Clive Davis’ J Records in which she will work closely with one of the label’s most successful A&Rs, Peter Edge (Alicia Keys, Dido, Jamie Foxx), on her official debut album.
From the time she signed her first record deal, Sullivan and her music have been constantly evolving. While she was considered a “neo-soul” artist with her earlier work, she now understands that her music must at times meet the demands of listeners. “I can deliver a hit radio single, but it’s me wanting to find the compromise where I’m delivering something that I’m proud of and something that can get people dancing. I think a lot of producers didn’t realize that because when I used to go into the studio, and I wasn’t writing like I am now, they saw me as this older person because my voice was so much older. So they would give me stuff that reflected [my voice] — but they didn’t realize that I was 15.”
Now more than ever, R&B and honest music are in desperate need for a comeback. A few artists like Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke and Fantasia have continued to make solid R&B records, but Sullivan cites John Legend as someone who has made it easier for her music to be appreciated. “With John Legend, he seemed to break something new; with just singing with his piano and [having the audience] listen. So I think it’s coming back. I’m glad that I wasn’t let out too early, because people wouldn’t have gotten me ‘cause [my music] might have been over their heads.” If anything, the journey to this point has only made Sullivan mentally stronger and wiser about the music business. “I know that I can’t settle for singing at the local bar every other week or doing spot dates. I just know that it’s big, it’s legendary and it’s not confined to one type of group of people,” she says with conviction. “Everybody is going to love me and this is not being cocky — this is just what I see.”
SPOTLIGHT is about a woman trying to get out from under an overbearing relationship. It has an easy, slow build reminiscent of R&B songs of the '80s, and similar to Mary J. Blige, it's got a great hook and some very likable light piano riffs.
The song is an interesting first choice of a single for the delightfully audacious Jennifer Hudson. Most fans would expect a little bit of Dreamgirls Effie who strikes out with such dramatic conviction, "And I'm telling you I'm not going!" But there's no belting on "Spotlight" -- and that's OK. With it's steady beat, pleasing vocals, and strong lyrical message, the song (that lasts for almost a whole five minutes) it's still rather satisfying and will likely further catapult J-Hud into the superstar stratosphere.
Years before Madge wowed us with virtuoso acting chops in films such as Body of Evidence, The Next Best Thing and Dangerous Games, the Diva starred along side Griffen Dune in "Who's That Girl. While at the time of its released the film was ridiculed out of theaters, but a look back at this clumsy classic, will reveal a funny movie and Madonnas surprising decent comic timing!!!!!
R&B Duo Zhane- Pronounced Jay-Ney, Had a few notable hits during the early 90's, but this Gem is by far my favorite. "Your Sorry Now" brings back so many memories for me, where is Doc Brown with that damn delorean when you need him?
On "Summertime" The New Kids on The Block's first single since 1994's "Dirty Dawg," The boy's are now poised to reignite the semi-soulful white boy band craze that they two stepped into the forefront of the global music scene in the late 80's and early 90's, followed in succession by Color Me Badd, Nsync, UK sensation's Take That and the Backstreet Boys. Now the original kings of prepubescent pop are back and ready to reclaim their soiled kingdom, the only question is have their once faithful subjects gone astray? Their 12 year old female fan base of their hay day are now over 30, and the chances of a group of middle aged hairy guys seeming relevant to the Justin Timberlake crowd are dubious to say the least. What the New Kids have in their favor is the fact that there their new single resist the nostalgic dogma that plagued fellow comeback 90's act the Spice Girls "Headlines" last year, and instead fits right into the current pop radio format.While they have never been the most accomplished singers, they tend to rely on sloppy dramatics than actually hitting any meaningful notes, the melodic chorus and loose harmonies fit hand in glove with their vocal style. No new ground is broken in "Summertime," but that doesn't hinder the single from being a grand statement to sugary,infectious, guilty-pleasure pop lovers, but will that be enough to restore the relevance of their frenzied legacy?
"It's Oh So Quiet" By Bjork, belonged more on the original soundtrack of Guys and Dolls than it did on 90's radio formats, but that didn't hinder the indie hit from making hipsters dance in the street like Fred Astair.
Since her 1997 detour into the confused and sometimes beautiful world of electornica Madonna has made some of the boldest music of her career,her first two album's in the genre(1997's Ray Of Light,2000's Music)proved to be successful and reignited the diva's somewhat sagging career. Since then she has been misguided (2004's American Life) and a bit stagnant (2006's Confessions on a Dance Floor)but the material girl has promised to make amends on her first straight up pop album since 1994's "Bedtime Stories", the irony is her return to form "Hard Candy" seems to suffer from many of that albums problems.
Many of the beats are less than innovative and producers Timbaland and Pharrell Willaims don't quite seem to know how to use Madonna's thin,often icy voice to its fullest potential, which results in the songs lacking personality. This is a similar problem on the good, but clunky hip-hop inspired Bedtime Stories.
Those things being said track for track "Hard Candy" serves as a solid album and most of the songs,despite their glaring imperfections, are the most fun Madonna has had since the 80's and will most likely provide her with plenty o' hits which was obviously the intent of this less than ambitious set, and you know what... thats okay.
So..remember back when day-glo was a color and Michael Jackson was black...no...me either, but I heard a lot about it. While the decade we know, and love as the 80's is not typically known for its ground breaking music English alternative band The Smiths defy the crappy 80's band stigma. Lead by the electric yet wildly eccentric frontman, Morrissey, their personal, political lyrics over guitarist Johnny Marr lush melodic strum work and a wall of synth pop candy sound proves over and over again to be a genius and enduring combination. This bands influence can be seen in almost every UK alternative band from Radiohead to The Cranberries who worked extensively during the 90's with Steven Street, a producer who worked closely with The Smiths. Singer Morrissey has since become a solo superstar in most of the world, though he's yet to break though in the American market.
Start With: "Louder Than Bombs,"released in 1987, this album contains all their singles and most of their b-sides from their 5 year span of previous albums.
Best Track: The goth anthem,Unloveable, on which Morrisey croons "I wear black on the outside,because thats the way I feel on the inside," is not only one of rocks most notable cries for Prozac, but it also stands one of it's greatest lyrics.
This is a hot Track from the year nineteen hundred,ninety two. This was my favorite song during my 7th summer on the planet we know as earth, and it's still the shit!!!! It's Passin Me By, The Pharcyde...Listen to it..it makes sense.
It has recently been brought to my attention that teen-party rap star Soulja Boy, whose government name is Deandre Way, has made the shocking claim that he believes that he is a better rapper than Jay-Z. An article recently published on B.E.T.com, reported that the 17 year old "Jr.Mcrapper w/cheese" thinks he should top this year's list of the years hottest rappers. The sad part of this is not even his delusions of grandeur, but the sad truth that their are member's of the record buying public agreeing with this nonsense. The grim truth is that Souja Boy's "Crank That(Soulja Boy)" was everywhere this year and Jiggaz release "American Gangster" served no official hits and it's sales were lackluster. What happened hip-hop head's??? When did we get off our game so much that this kid could even let a sentence such as the above mentioned slip out his mouth without somebody slapping a little old school sense into him. We have to start by demanding that radio formats start supporting real "hip-hop," and as for Soulja Boy we need to make that dude go out back and get a switch!!!
E.Badu is back and better than ever on "New America:4th world War." The Album is laced with hot tracks provided mostly by Mad Lib and Little Brother Alumni 9th Wonder and as always Badu's flawless vocals.The Artiste has never been so honest about her take on the state of the world, or her own state of mind as she is on this set.The album cover revels the singer posing in a 70's Cleopatra Jones-esqe pose. She's rockin' her trade mark fro', heavy with images of fetuses,ankhs,syringes,bling,money,floods,etc mingled inside her crown of glory, while her fist is high before her triumphantly wielding the message "NEW AMERYKAH." The title is a play on words referring to her personal changes as well as her countries. On the autobiographical "Me" the singer coo's soulfully "This year I turn 36,damn the time went so quick. My ass and legs have gotten thick, but its all me." The album also tackles issues like hurricane Katrina, cycles of poverty and addiction and, perhaps most profoundly mortality. The albums closer "Telephone" is dedicated to noted legendary hip-hop producer J-dilla.It's set around a story the producers mother relayed to Badu the day after his funeral. As he was losing his battle to Lupus he would slip in and out of conciseness and he would have full conversations with late hip-hop artist ODB where the rapper would inform Dilla on which bus to take once he arrived in heaven.On the track the singer laments the death of her colleague and friend "fly away to heaven,brother,put in a word for me" she quietly recites over the lush flute laddened track. In this moment Badu is at her best mourning the death of a loved one and realizing and excepting her own mortality.The album will have a sequel which the title and the date of release will be announced later this year.
I love this Movie. It's entitled Once, it's an import from the ole'potato way, or Ireland. The movie focuses around an almost love story between Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. The two are both battling to stay afloat in life and love, they meet on the streets of Dublin; him singing for change,her selling flowers. The two form a bond that is strictly platonic. This movie is exceptional, full of fine acting and interesting storyline, but what really sets it apart from the pack is the incredible,now academy award winning, music in the film. Both the artist posses amazing voices, and every song is a true gem. It's a must see. Get it on DVD now!!!!
If I were to say that Radiohead was the only band that mattered, would I i be going to far?? I don'tthink so. The bands new album "In Rainbows" proves my claim, over the course of the albums minimalistic 10 tracks Radiohead manages to make both music that is both sonically intricate and stripped down. "15 Step" the album's opener is the bands heaviest straight up rock song since the 90's and then moves into the prog-rock jammer "Bodysnathers,"but the show truly begins with the quiet,ethereal "Nude." In the song Thom Yorke warms his devious lover "You'll go to hell for what your thinking" and even with his foreshadows of eternal damnation his voice is so damn beautiful that you can't help but feel baptized in it. The album's strongest point is the beatiful, aching ballad "House of cards". The songs is built more on echoes than actual instruments. The albums closer "Videotape" is a meditation about emerging from the wilderness of the analog into the digital, or perhaps vice-versa. Either way if you are a lover of fine music than you will fall in love with "In Rainbows."
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