So me and my facebook friends combed the net for what to call the decade of 2000-2009. The "ooohs," "Ohs," "double-ohs" were all thrown in the mix. But one pointed out that they had a name for it already, "The Aughts."
I've suffered through nearly a month of trying to remember what the heck I played in the first few years of the millennium (other than D'angelo) as there's no Ipod with data from those years. So here's a combo of my highest play counts and songs I think too many missed in the Naughty Aughties.
2000
1. -Girls Dem Sugar (w/Mya)-Beenie Man-Art And Life The Neptunes began the millennium where they ended the nineties…taking over. After Timbaland and Missy, VA Beach represented with Pharrell & Chad producing hip hop, R&B, pop and here, a reggae dancehall star. Mya’s parts were irresistible sing-a-longs as well.
2. -What The Deal-Boyz II Men-Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya-Still fresh as 112 and considering they outlived Jodeci by this point, we should've been listening to this hot one and the album it was on.
3. -You Ain't Right-Carl Thomas-Emotional-Hot track from a still slept on vocalist. I banged this more than "I Wish."
4. -Love's Still Alright-Chanté Moore-Exposed With the help and direction of James “Big Jim” Wright, the angelic songbird composes and delivers hope in love with a gospel icing finish.
5. -What 'Chu Like-Da Brat-Unrestricted-Even using a track already "out there" something about Brat's shit talking and Tyrese made her sexy after all the assumed non-hetero persona she had before.
6. -One Mo' Gin-D'Angelo-Voodoo-rawest soul record released in twenty years. period.
7. -Untitled (How Does It Feel)-D'Angelo-Voodoo-if you could get past the hormone raging the song ignites, you just might find out that the stripped (pardon the pun) instrumentation is killer. Spanky, Ray, & D brilliantly hold the attention without a naked body present.
8. -One Woman Man-Dave Hollister-Chicago '85... The Movie-Finally a bonafide solo hit for Dave. If only "beat" wasn't in the hook, it be a perfect song.
9. -Ooooh (w/Redman)-De La Soul-Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump Post Tommy Boy Records, De La stepped up their game where their younger brothers ATCQ had taken over but then acquiesced to Rule 4080. Independent and even better producers and artists, AOI pt. 1 set off with this jam. Shout out to crazy ass Redman who kills the ending humorously.
10. -Come Back In One Piece-DMX-Romeo Must Die-This is what B & Jay wanted for Bonnie & Clyde. Oh well.
11. -Stan-Eminem-The Marshall Mathers LP Storytelling at its eerie finest. Period.
12. -Booty-Erykah Badu-Mama's Gun-Funkier "I'll Take Your Man." Thing is, she actually won't 'cause she's YOUR sista. Hilarious and funky as hell.
13. -Certified (featuring Jay-Dee and Bilal)-Guru-Jazzmatazz Vol. 3: Streetsoul-One of the few times you'll hear Dilla steal spotlight from the singers and rappers on his track.
14. -I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)-Jay-Z-Dynasty Roc La Familia Neptunes most important moment in the decade (perhaps their career), giving Jigga his first #1, everybody a jam to dance to, and every “too old for the clubs” playa a new anthem.
15. -The Way-Jill Scott-Who Is Jill Scott? (Words And Sounds Vol. 1)-Probably unfair, but it reminded me most of Badu's "Otherside of the Game" mood and save for "Honey Molasses" (which I love for the answering machine), it got most run from her album in my pod and player.
16. -Neon-John Mayer-Room for Squares After turning the Beckies and Amys on, Mayer showed a bit of grit and promise of dimension.
17. -Everyday-Lucy Pearl-Lucy Pearl-The bass, bass guitar, and guitar were killer. The vocal arrangement was irresistible. Best of an already great album.
18. -Southern Hospitality-Ludacris-Back For The First Time-Neptunes' sound dominated the year and made a superstar out of an already local hero in ATL. "Drop bows on 'em."
19. -Oh No-Mos Def & Pharoahe Monch-Lyricist Lounge 2 The East/West hip hop feud was officially over with this Rawkus recording marrying the West Coast gangsta rap singer with Brooklyn’s flagship underground emcee. The end of Rawkus’ independent surge apexed with the Lyricist Lounge vol 2 and MCA buying out the label and Mos Def as an artist.
20. -Love-Musiq Soulchild-Aijuswannasing Carvin Haggins and Ivan Barias’ songwriting brilliance broke through the Philly Touch of Jazz barrier with this spiritual buried in a secular frame.
21. -Humble Mumble feat. Erykah Badu-Outkast-Stankonia-So many motivational pearls wrapped up in this upbeat jam. "You wanna lead the nation, start from your corner."
22. -Simon Says-Pharohe Monch-Internal Affairs-Though it dropped prior to the millennium, it was the banginest beat kick driving the year.
23. -Up And Outta Here-R. Kelly-Shaft-The fact that he had a classic soul production like this to throw away on a soundtrack while his real album was about to drop speaks volumes to the depth of Kels vault when in his zone.
24. -I Don't Mean It-R. Kelly-TP-2.COM-Classic, heartfelt, believable ballads Robert's ever written. If we weren't so into his ghettocentricities (no matter how much we deny it) perhaps this would've been a single.
25. -I Gotta Go-Rachelle Ferrell-Individuality (Can I Be Me?)-One of those best you never heard. My favorite from a stellar pianist & vocalist the industry abused.
26. -How I Could Just Kill A Man-Rage Against The Machine-Renegades-Though the release of this alone went against Rage's wishes, their flipping and upgrading an already classic hip hop gem with original funk rock at its finest must be noted.
27. -Da Goodness-Redman-Doc's Da Name Redman’s first platinum album came at the height of Def Jam’s 2nd wave and this one featured Busta Rhymes in a partnering that rivaled all Red’s Method Man collaborations.
28. -Every Word-Sade-Lovers Rock Though the iconic queen was clearly in love and potentially shaking up the foundation of her previous classics, the reggae-tinged fifth album had a classic or two and was accepted despite its happiness. Heh.
29. -This Could Be Heaven-Seal-The Family Man This beauty was completely ignored. So much so that Seal scrapped the album that was supposed to follow it. The oboe intro is hypnotic.
30. -Bad Boyz-Shyne-Shyne-Thank God for Grace, Sly & Robbie, and Puff's refusal to let the sound of Biggie die. Shyne & Barrington needed to make an entire album together.
31. -The Blast-Talib Kweli-Reflection Eternal Kweli and Hi-Tek delivered their own album despite Mos’ landmark solo project. Kweli embarked on an even more impressive catalogue than Mos, though he never sold as much as Mos’ debut. This jam only missed the charts because he didn’t have MCA’s backing yet. “Kweli!”
32. -Slowly-Tank-Force Of Nature-Soul/Gospel that slipped by too many. Durrell almost single-handedly took ya to the altar or bedroom in one fell swoop.
33. -I'm Good at Being Bad-TLC-Fanmail Their last album as a trio, T-Boz, Left Eye, & Chili with the aid of Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and WAR dropped this album gem all over the radio, despite never being released as a single. Scrub that.
34. -Spanish Guitar-Toni Braxton-The Heat The most impressive ballad of Toni’s 3rd release signified she was losing her artist when it failed to follow “He Wasn’t Man Enough” and “Just Be a Man” to the top of the charts. This is one of Diane Warren’s finest compositions.
35. -Shut Up-Trick Daddy-Book of Thugs: Chapter A.K., Verse 47-Not just a jam, but should be the anthem of southern, if not every, HBCU marching band.
36. -Beautiful Day-U2-All That You Can't Leave Behind-Ok, after decades they had a few I found impossible to ignore.
37. -Tired Melody-Will Downing-All The Man You Need Ok, Questlove and Poyser were reeeeeally wrong for this, but it was hot. Producing Will Downing to a D’Angelo cloned track and vocal arrangement, taken to its peak with Nicholas Payton’s trumpet ending.
38. -911 (w/Mary J. Blige)-Wyclef Jean-The Ecleftic The only savior from Wyclef’s sophomore slump being completely forgettable, Mary took it home on this one.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
The Love Bug, Green Eyed Bandit-Donnie Simpson
Why from 6 a.m. well into the 10-2 spot reserved for Michel Wright today on WPGC hundreds called, stopped by, or stayed put to listen, is because Donnie Simpson has been a great man to so many for so many years.
I'm sure my story isn't all that unique, but know that the dude is singular for me. As I child I loved Michael Jackson, Sugar Ray Leonard, John Riggins and Donnie Simpson. He was the voice 'til I was 10, and the face from then on. The crazy part is that if you heard his sign off, you were late for school or work. But we HAD to hear "Jesus is Love" signifying the close of the show. A man not afraid of ending a secular show with a gospel song was and remains a rare thing. But he is just that-rare. He was my first music teacher. He was the one who made you look for the album cuts on a record beyond the singles. Donnie and Candi Shannon were my day time voices and Melvin Lindsay tucked us in at night. When BET arrived, we not only had black videos to balance all the pop music on MTV, we had a dashing, warm-spirited Black role model to emanate right along with those. While Nina, JJ, Alan, Martha, and Mark filled MTV's days, we had DONNIE. And that was just fine.
At my very first concert, I got to meet him. And as he signed my Prince Lovesexy program, I told him that my brother and I would be on his couch one day. He signed encouraging words for my "promising" music career. (Hey a man CAN dream, right?!!)
When I went off to college, Donnie left the home we knew him from to go off to the enemy. What hurt the CITY, I believe, was the fact that Radio One wouldn't pay the money that would keep him in a Black owned station. We simultaneously celebrated with him that he had the biggest paycheck in radio at the time. He was blazing trails and doing it with a green-eyed smile.
I fight with calling him mine and happily sharing him with such a big world. All the musicians I love, LOVED Donnie-which only validated why I was fans of theirs and how Divinely touched he is.
As he exited with one last "Jesus is Love" spin today, I was emotional, but happy to have a fellow fan do the crying for me. A signficant amount of years behind me, she affirmed for me, "yes, the CITY will mourn the death of the legendary 6:00 to 10:00." We'll see Donnie somewhere soon, I know. But mornings will NEVER be the same here.
I'm sure my story isn't all that unique, but know that the dude is singular for me. As I child I loved Michael Jackson, Sugar Ray Leonard, John Riggins and Donnie Simpson. He was the voice 'til I was 10, and the face from then on. The crazy part is that if you heard his sign off, you were late for school or work. But we HAD to hear "Jesus is Love" signifying the close of the show. A man not afraid of ending a secular show with a gospel song was and remains a rare thing. But he is just that-rare. He was my first music teacher. He was the one who made you look for the album cuts on a record beyond the singles. Donnie and Candi Shannon were my day time voices and Melvin Lindsay tucked us in at night. When BET arrived, we not only had black videos to balance all the pop music on MTV, we had a dashing, warm-spirited Black role model to emanate right along with those. While Nina, JJ, Alan, Martha, and Mark filled MTV's days, we had DONNIE. And that was just fine.
At my very first concert, I got to meet him. And as he signed my Prince Lovesexy program, I told him that my brother and I would be on his couch one day. He signed encouraging words for my "promising" music career. (Hey a man CAN dream, right?!!)
When I went off to college, Donnie left the home we knew him from to go off to the enemy. What hurt the CITY, I believe, was the fact that Radio One wouldn't pay the money that would keep him in a Black owned station. We simultaneously celebrated with him that he had the biggest paycheck in radio at the time. He was blazing trails and doing it with a green-eyed smile.
I fight with calling him mine and happily sharing him with such a big world. All the musicians I love, LOVED Donnie-which only validated why I was fans of theirs and how Divinely touched he is.
As he exited with one last "Jesus is Love" spin today, I was emotional, but happy to have a fellow fan do the crying for me. A signficant amount of years behind me, she affirmed for me, "yes, the CITY will mourn the death of the legendary 6:00 to 10:00." We'll see Donnie somewhere soon, I know. But mornings will NEVER be the same here.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Voodoo is 10
The album's following speaks to the select few music listeners out there with the patience and artistic acumen to appreciate a work outside their normal listening.
D'Angelo
Voodoo
Producers: D'Angelo, ?uestlove, Raphael Saadiq, DJ Premier, James Poyser
2000 Virgin Records America
Main Entry: 1voo•doo
Pronunciation: 'vü-(")dü
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural voodoos
Etymology: Louisiana Creole voudou, probably from Ewe vódu tutelary deity
1 also vo•dou /vO-'dü/ : a religion that is derived from African polytheism and ancestor worship and is practiced chiefly in Haiti
2 a : a person who deals in spells and necromancy b (1) : a sorcerer's spell : HEX (2) : a hexed object : CHARM
(Voodoo's original draft began with this sound bite)
"Before we start, we'd like for you to forget everything that went on today or last night or things that's supposed to happen tomorrow...y'know? We're trying to make our own world right here...at least give us that.." – Jimi Hendrix to a live audience before starting a show.
The setup: 5 years, 5 soundtrack appearances & 5 other significant "neo-soul" albums after Brown Sugar, the album most responsible for labels' response to "the movement," D'Angelo returns with a darker, rawer take on soul music recorded in Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland studios.
The turn: The reversed approach where the "songs" are created from jam sessions as opposed to self-composed and orchestrated and given to a band later. Many were "pocket" based, unlike the fuller melodic arrangements of Brown Sugar.
The prestige: It wasn't voodoo that D'Angelo was casting on us at all. It had been cast upon him as he tried to: 1) survive the pressure cooker of the sophomore jinx in a movement he was 'responsible' for starting, 2) with pressure and expectations mounting, play alongside contemporary heroes in an almost mystical legend's house, 3) make a record worthy of dedicating to his most beloved idol, Prince.
The analysis: For those sold on D'Angelo, Voodoo was confirmation that Michael Archer was otherworldly and Heaven sent. A child rooted in; soul, in the core sense of the word (gospel & blues), funk, and hip-hop. It confirmed that his sound was not that of a carbon and only capable of evoking the Marvin/Prince voices or Donny/Stevie keys but able to create his OWN songs and sounds critical to the survival of creative black music. For those sold only on Brown Sugar, it was mostly disappointment as the tunes weren't neat. They weren't as audible. They weren't as melodic or simple. The instrumentation, whether supposedly more artistically complex or not, sounded all the same. Those who came in because of the mis-leading set up of a naked Adonis in the video for "Untitled" (furthered by the album cover), were utterly disappointed as the ballad was 2nd to the end, and there were no ballads anywhere similar until track 5. Sonically it was not of the times, but neither was Brown Sugar when it was released. Its setup is much to blame for its ultimate reception. Its sequence may have been just as punitive as the best compositions came in where the album indeed "started" with its first address to the audience, "The Line:"
"Let me tell you about it
I wanna tell you about it
Let me tell you
I’ve been gone for so long
I just wanna sing my song
I know u been hearin’
Hearin’ a lot of things about me
oh I know, I know
I've heard, I’ve heard it all too clear
This is what I am going to do
I’m gonna hold, hold on
Hold on to my pride, my pride
I'm gonna stick, I’m gonna stick to my guns
I'm gonna put my finger on the trigger
I'm gonna pull it and we gon see what the deal
I'm for real, I just wanna put it, put it on the line
I've gotta put it on the line
and we haven’t got much time
I've gotta put it on the line
Said, I've got a bullet in the chamber
and I’m not afraid of the danger
we've gotta go down to the wire
I’ll go through the fire with you
kill and die with you
I know everybody watchin’ me
I said the pressure is on
from every angle
political 2 personal
will I hang or be left hangin? Will I fall off?
or will it be bangin?
And I say it’s up to the man upstairs
All I got to do is…"
Pre-cursers and expectations be damned, it was downright ballsy and brilliant simultaneously. If he could be credited with starting the neo-soul movement, he could just as well kill it. Kill what? The commercial moniker given to sell good black music to audiences as if they weren't intelligent enough to decide for themselves what was real and what wasn't. "The Root" was the pivotal shift in the album's formatting. While the lyrics were sometimes indecipherable, the composition and arrangements were above the mainstream R&B or jazz and demanded the listener actually pay attention. The vocal arrangements, backwards guitar and overall mix were the very epitome of spell casting. This followed by "Spanish Joint," another genre and production twist with a level of musicianship, composition and arrangement worth at least of a real title, if not the title of "album's best."
"One Mo' Gin" is that tune that separates D'Angelo from any soul singer of the last 20 years. The foundation of a drunken metered loop from Quest, a moog bass, misleading us until the melodic keys enter and finally, those vocals ooze into the story. It's a gut-bucket crooning and bluesy soul that his colleagues and supposed competitors wouldn't even attempt. One of the completely solo compositions of the project, this is probably the best example of what D'Angelo is capable of with NO help whatsoever.
(Voodoo's original draft inserts another sound bite before "Greatdayndamornin'")
“I-I didn’t know exactly what to write to the track, because when I do my music I do the tracks and the music first. And uh, I thought that uh, it might be interesting to pursue it. And anyway there’s some sort of underlying psychological subconscious situation going there that uh, if you’re into that sort of deepness and everything, you might find some message there or something.” - Marvin Gaye to Don Cornelius on his recording process of I Want You.
"Greatdayndamornin'" was the very best of the family (Questlove, Angie Stone, D'Angelo and his brother, Luther) collaborations. It was funk, blues and gospel at its very finest and a recording that NO other artist this decade would be capable of delivering. The irony of "Untitled" being a sex offering for the ladies and ode to Prince is that it was so much deeper-naked, but not-stripped, but full. With simply four instruments: Questlove's drums, Raphael Saadiq's bass, D'Angelo's piano, and the legendary Spanky Alford's guitar, it was simplistic as musicianship excellence gets. The album's closer, "Africa" was like its name, a continent of its own. With a formula similar to "Root," it uses Questlove's drum technique offer pocket without noise and D's vocals platform without pretense. Dedicated (as the album is) to his newborn son, it's a thoughtful and no less masterful bookend.
Perhaps if Method Man & Redman weren't so profane so early in the album; perhaps if "Feels Like Making Love" was swapped for the more appropriate cover, "She's Always in My Hair," recorded with these sessions; perhaps if a different single was chosen; if "The Line" was track one the general mass would've appreciated a landmark album like Voodoo for what it was as opposed to what they expected. Though sales matched those of Brown Sugar, sales all but halted on this project before Voodoo tour when the word got out that the album was "different." However, given the recluse he has retreated to since may have been even furthered if the project had fully succeeded, mounting expectations to a level where his disappearance would even more mirror Lauryn Hill's. Did we love too hard? Until that question is answered, Voodoo and its predecessor will be discussed and dissected like the great works of those who inspired them. I take refuge in that.
D'Angelo
Voodoo
Producers: D'Angelo, ?uestlove, Raphael Saadiq, DJ Premier, James Poyser
2000 Virgin Records America
Main Entry: 1voo•doo
Pronunciation: 'vü-(")dü
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural voodoos
Etymology: Louisiana Creole voudou, probably from Ewe vódu tutelary deity
1 also vo•dou /vO-'dü/ : a religion that is derived from African polytheism and ancestor worship and is practiced chiefly in Haiti
2 a : a person who deals in spells and necromancy b (1) : a sorcerer's spell : HEX (2) : a hexed object : CHARM
(Voodoo's original draft began with this sound bite)
"Before we start, we'd like for you to forget everything that went on today or last night or things that's supposed to happen tomorrow...y'know? We're trying to make our own world right here...at least give us that.." – Jimi Hendrix to a live audience before starting a show.
The setup: 5 years, 5 soundtrack appearances & 5 other significant "neo-soul" albums after Brown Sugar, the album most responsible for labels' response to "the movement," D'Angelo returns with a darker, rawer take on soul music recorded in Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland studios.
The turn: The reversed approach where the "songs" are created from jam sessions as opposed to self-composed and orchestrated and given to a band later. Many were "pocket" based, unlike the fuller melodic arrangements of Brown Sugar.
The prestige: It wasn't voodoo that D'Angelo was casting on us at all. It had been cast upon him as he tried to: 1) survive the pressure cooker of the sophomore jinx in a movement he was 'responsible' for starting, 2) with pressure and expectations mounting, play alongside contemporary heroes in an almost mystical legend's house, 3) make a record worthy of dedicating to his most beloved idol, Prince.
The analysis: For those sold on D'Angelo, Voodoo was confirmation that Michael Archer was otherworldly and Heaven sent. A child rooted in; soul, in the core sense of the word (gospel & blues), funk, and hip-hop. It confirmed that his sound was not that of a carbon and only capable of evoking the Marvin/Prince voices or Donny/Stevie keys but able to create his OWN songs and sounds critical to the survival of creative black music. For those sold only on Brown Sugar, it was mostly disappointment as the tunes weren't neat. They weren't as audible. They weren't as melodic or simple. The instrumentation, whether supposedly more artistically complex or not, sounded all the same. Those who came in because of the mis-leading set up of a naked Adonis in the video for "Untitled" (furthered by the album cover), were utterly disappointed as the ballad was 2nd to the end, and there were no ballads anywhere similar until track 5. Sonically it was not of the times, but neither was Brown Sugar when it was released. Its setup is much to blame for its ultimate reception. Its sequence may have been just as punitive as the best compositions came in where the album indeed "started" with its first address to the audience, "The Line:"
"Let me tell you about it
I wanna tell you about it
Let me tell you
I’ve been gone for so long
I just wanna sing my song
I know u been hearin’
Hearin’ a lot of things about me
oh I know, I know
I've heard, I’ve heard it all too clear
This is what I am going to do
I’m gonna hold, hold on
Hold on to my pride, my pride
I'm gonna stick, I’m gonna stick to my guns
I'm gonna put my finger on the trigger
I'm gonna pull it and we gon see what the deal
I'm for real, I just wanna put it, put it on the line
I've gotta put it on the line
and we haven’t got much time
I've gotta put it on the line
Said, I've got a bullet in the chamber
and I’m not afraid of the danger
we've gotta go down to the wire
I’ll go through the fire with you
kill and die with you
I know everybody watchin’ me
I said the pressure is on
from every angle
political 2 personal
will I hang or be left hangin? Will I fall off?
or will it be bangin?
And I say it’s up to the man upstairs
All I got to do is…"
Pre-cursers and expectations be damned, it was downright ballsy and brilliant simultaneously. If he could be credited with starting the neo-soul movement, he could just as well kill it. Kill what? The commercial moniker given to sell good black music to audiences as if they weren't intelligent enough to decide for themselves what was real and what wasn't. "The Root" was the pivotal shift in the album's formatting. While the lyrics were sometimes indecipherable, the composition and arrangements were above the mainstream R&B or jazz and demanded the listener actually pay attention. The vocal arrangements, backwards guitar and overall mix were the very epitome of spell casting. This followed by "Spanish Joint," another genre and production twist with a level of musicianship, composition and arrangement worth at least of a real title, if not the title of "album's best."
"One Mo' Gin" is that tune that separates D'Angelo from any soul singer of the last 20 years. The foundation of a drunken metered loop from Quest, a moog bass, misleading us until the melodic keys enter and finally, those vocals ooze into the story. It's a gut-bucket crooning and bluesy soul that his colleagues and supposed competitors wouldn't even attempt. One of the completely solo compositions of the project, this is probably the best example of what D'Angelo is capable of with NO help whatsoever.
(Voodoo's original draft inserts another sound bite before "Greatdayndamornin'")
“I-I didn’t know exactly what to write to the track, because when I do my music I do the tracks and the music first. And uh, I thought that uh, it might be interesting to pursue it. And anyway there’s some sort of underlying psychological subconscious situation going there that uh, if you’re into that sort of deepness and everything, you might find some message there or something.” - Marvin Gaye to Don Cornelius on his recording process of I Want You.
"Greatdayndamornin'" was the very best of the family (Questlove, Angie Stone, D'Angelo and his brother, Luther) collaborations. It was funk, blues and gospel at its very finest and a recording that NO other artist this decade would be capable of delivering. The irony of "Untitled" being a sex offering for the ladies and ode to Prince is that it was so much deeper-naked, but not-stripped, but full. With simply four instruments: Questlove's drums, Raphael Saadiq's bass, D'Angelo's piano, and the legendary Spanky Alford's guitar, it was simplistic as musicianship excellence gets. The album's closer, "Africa" was like its name, a continent of its own. With a formula similar to "Root," it uses Questlove's drum technique offer pocket without noise and D's vocals platform without pretense. Dedicated (as the album is) to his newborn son, it's a thoughtful and no less masterful bookend.
Perhaps if Method Man & Redman weren't so profane so early in the album; perhaps if "Feels Like Making Love" was swapped for the more appropriate cover, "She's Always in My Hair," recorded with these sessions; perhaps if a different single was chosen; if "The Line" was track one the general mass would've appreciated a landmark album like Voodoo for what it was as opposed to what they expected. Though sales matched those of Brown Sugar, sales all but halted on this project before Voodoo tour when the word got out that the album was "different." However, given the recluse he has retreated to since may have been even furthered if the project had fully succeeded, mounting expectations to a level where his disappearance would even more mirror Lauryn Hill's. Did we love too hard? Until that question is answered, Voodoo and its predecessor will be discussed and dissected like the great works of those who inspired them. I take refuge in that.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
How do Mexican-German-Irish kids become revolutionary MCs?
Happy 40th Birthday, Zack De La Rocha
Rage Against The Machine
Evil Empire
1996 Epic/Sony Records
Produced by RATM
Zack's just too deep for me. Anytime I get a "suggested reading" list with my cd, I know I've bitten off more than I can chew. But hey, that's my excuse for owning 25% of Miles Davis' collection-I want folk to THINK I'm deep. For the record, 25% of that dude's collection is twice Jay-Z's catalogue. At least I aspire to depth.
What wins for Rage on their sophomore album they made newly ignited and incensed fans three hard years to receive, is a combination no other entity in music has ever encompassed.
First, Zack De La Rocha uses hip hop to address political wrong-doings worldwide in a way 9 out of 10 rappers aren't up on shit enough to express, let alone skillful enough to. He walks, no stomps the dangerous "white boy" waters in the 90s where no Eminem has yet to appear validate fair-skinned skills. (He's not white, of course, but you get my point.)
Second, Tom Morello's guitar work is innovation that should be chronicled, patented, and trademarked. To be able to create dj, keyboard, and other sounds to the point where nothing feels missing is beyond art, it's science.
Third, the combination of Morello's guitar, Commerford's bass, and Wilk's drumming is unclassifiable. What it does however, is satiate Zeppelin, Funkadelic, and Public Enemy followers simultaneously.
Evil Empire houses "Bulls on Parade." That alone makes it a classic recording. It also contains the killers "Vietnow," "People of the Sun" and "Year of the Boomerang" (from the film Higher Learning). But I say again, "Bulls on Parade" is on this album! It's hands down the funkiest rock outside of Prince's recently released Gold. But hey, that's Prince! The lyrics were insightful, if not “inciteful” and incendiary.
"Weapons not food, not homes, not shoes
Not need, just feed the war cannibal animal
I walk the corner to the rubble that used to be a library
Lined up to the mind cemetery now
What we don't know keeps the contracts alive and movin'
They don't gotta burn the books they just remove 'em
While arms warehouses fill as quick as the cells
Rally round the family, pocket full of shells"
The rhythm arrangement is split into three vicious movements where Morello, Commerford, and Wilk demonstrate funk/rock 101 for the next generation. The production and engineering delivering the previous ingredients is as monumental to metal and hip hop as Zeppelin to rock in the 70s.
Rage was ahead of their time, but pivotal to nearly any band annoying their neighbors for the remainder of the millennium and the decade to follow.
Rage Against The Machine
Evil Empire
1996 Epic/Sony Records
Produced by RATM
Zack's just too deep for me. Anytime I get a "suggested reading" list with my cd, I know I've bitten off more than I can chew. But hey, that's my excuse for owning 25% of Miles Davis' collection-I want folk to THINK I'm deep. For the record, 25% of that dude's collection is twice Jay-Z's catalogue. At least I aspire to depth.
What wins for Rage on their sophomore album they made newly ignited and incensed fans three hard years to receive, is a combination no other entity in music has ever encompassed.
First, Zack De La Rocha uses hip hop to address political wrong-doings worldwide in a way 9 out of 10 rappers aren't up on shit enough to express, let alone skillful enough to. He walks, no stomps the dangerous "white boy" waters in the 90s where no Eminem has yet to appear validate fair-skinned skills. (He's not white, of course, but you get my point.)
Second, Tom Morello's guitar work is innovation that should be chronicled, patented, and trademarked. To be able to create dj, keyboard, and other sounds to the point where nothing feels missing is beyond art, it's science.
Third, the combination of Morello's guitar, Commerford's bass, and Wilk's drumming is unclassifiable. What it does however, is satiate Zeppelin, Funkadelic, and Public Enemy followers simultaneously.
Evil Empire houses "Bulls on Parade." That alone makes it a classic recording. It also contains the killers "Vietnow," "People of the Sun" and "Year of the Boomerang" (from the film Higher Learning). But I say again, "Bulls on Parade" is on this album! It's hands down the funkiest rock outside of Prince's recently released Gold. But hey, that's Prince! The lyrics were insightful, if not “inciteful” and incendiary.
"Weapons not food, not homes, not shoes
Not need, just feed the war cannibal animal
I walk the corner to the rubble that used to be a library
Lined up to the mind cemetery now
What we don't know keeps the contracts alive and movin'
They don't gotta burn the books they just remove 'em
While arms warehouses fill as quick as the cells
Rally round the family, pocket full of shells"
The rhythm arrangement is split into three vicious movements where Morello, Commerford, and Wilk demonstrate funk/rock 101 for the next generation. The production and engineering delivering the previous ingredients is as monumental to metal and hip hop as Zeppelin to rock in the 70s.
Rage was ahead of their time, but pivotal to nearly any band annoying their neighbors for the remainder of the millennium and the decade to follow.
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Best you (N)ever Heard....
Far from the mischievous "Kid" he played with Fergie on Kids Incorporated twenty-seven years ago, Rahsaan Patterson re-entered the music scene from behind the scenes penning Brandy's biggest single (at the time) as well as songs and session work for other well known artists. By the time he sought a record deal, there was a near bidding war over him. MCA Records won the battle in 1995 and by 1997 Rahsaan Patterson's self-titled debut was released.
Rahsaan Patterson was simultaneously retro and fresh the way neo-soul was supposed to be. The difference was that Rahsaan and collaborators Keith Crouch and Jamey Jaz didn't reach as far back as most neo-soulers. Crouch's funk sensibilities and Jaz's chord structures and bridges harkened to the very best of 80's R&B while every other product of the hip-hop that bred neo-soul fished for rhodes, rim-shots and upright bass. Patterson, Crouch, Jaz, and Les Pierce reminded R&B lovers of bridges and solos long since replaced by rap verses. But we mustn't dance around what pulled the average listener and locked in nearly every vocalist in a church or club - Patterson's voice. It was an itchy scratchy thing when he wanted it to be-like his pipes were silver-coil lined. It was a soaring falsetto when he wanted it to be. It was a funky ass tenor-bass when he wanted it to be. It was a nearly operatic alto when he wanted an exclamation point. What range is this?!! Who sings like this? One thing couldn't be denied by ANY true vocalist, in 1997, there was no male vocalist out who had the range and control Rahsaan Patterson wielded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha1UDuK8kI8
Though he was as unique as any of the newly crowned "Neo-Soulers" of the late 90's, Rahsaan at MCA was very lost in the shuffle of corporate fools who didn't know how to "package," "market" or "promote" him. The truth is, his material was so top shelf that the markets that truly mattered to Black music, specifically in the adult category, were already spinning one if not two of his singles from the early EP and he didn't need the label to step in and do anything but support the momentum the quality recordings already came with. With an overly sexual Maxwell fresh on everyone's lips, minds, and hearts, EVERY man in the industry after Max HAD to have an image. MCA allowed their confusion and control over Patterson to inhibit otherwise gold/platinum material for reaching its full potential.
Despite MCA's shortcomings, Rahsaan Patterson's music made it to urban adult radio in enough markets to garner a truly loyal following who anxiously awaited the sophomore project after being thoroughly serenaded by the singles "Spend the Night" and "Where You Are," the latter remaining a show favorite for more than a decade to come.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttvYb6wcJSU
Love in Stereo arrived in stores in late 1999 as neo-soul and R&B lovers anxiously awaited D'Angelo's Voodoo. As Voodoo was pushed back to Jan 2000, Love in Stereo had time enough to permeate the souls of any true R&B fan willing to listen. Much more up-tempo than his debut, LIS was a late 70's, early 80's tour de force reminiscent of Travolta disco, Natalie Cole- styled happy jams, clav-filled Wonder-esque ditties, and some of the freshest vocal arrangements heard in years. The songwriting was more personal as well, humanizing Patterson to endearing fans. "Sure Boy," "It's Alright Now" and "Friend of Mine" invited us in to an apparently cerebral and complex man's mind and world. The jamming didn't stop though and the last half of the album was jamming ass "roll back the rug everybody" party. Despite the studio synergy of Patterson, Jaz and newly added Van Hunt & Steve "Silk" Hurley, MCA still found no way to deliver 1999's most important black album to a large public withering away from malnourishment.
For a moment there was urban contemporary hope for Rahsaan's 3rd project as spins were growing on the Steve Harvey compilation track "The One for Me." It was also to be the lead single from Patterson's project. For the first time, he had spins on major urban contemporary radio. Alas, the Music Cemetery of America, as Rahsaan's label mates, The Roots unaffectionately referred to the former 80's black music powerhouse, underwent a huge merger and were themselves retired by parent company Universal in 2003. In attempts to trim "fat," Interscope, now responsible for MCA's roster, dropped over 40 artists before re-instating the Geffen label. Rahsaan and his third project, initially titled The Best, were set "free" to fend for themselves in the open market. Though initially dismayed, Patterson and his management found solace in their new independence forming Artistry Music and renaming the label funded project, After Hours.
For the third time, Patterson and Jaz delivered the purest rhythm & blues compositions, arrangements and productions since Jam and Lewis. "Don't Run So Fast" and "Sometimes You Gotta Let Go" were needed by the masses as they scrapped up the remains of the neo-soul movement searching for simply "good music." Van Hunt's former title cut "The Best" is perhaps the greatest composition of Patterson's to date. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0pVjWBxIWw Add a dash of Hurley ("Yeah Yeah Yeah") and Patterson drummer/compadre D-Locc Walker ("April's Kiss" and "Always Find Myself") and After Hours ranks solidly with Patterson's previous masterpieces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr1hv7FTQEw
His fourth effort, Wines and Spirits, ventured into new horizons with Patterson more in control production-wise. Though its inclusion of his patented formula with "Stop Breakin' My Heart" and "Feels Good," W&S traveled electronica, rock and hip hop roads, Patterson hadn't before. Widening the scope of work his catalogue traverses and adding new listeners in the process, he continues to grow thirteen years since his debut. Rahsaan Patterson is a testament to triumph over adversity. The music biz could easily have killed the spirit of an artist as pure and authentic as he is. To continue pressing on without the support of all the pretty things that seem so necessary for artists to get heard these days is remarkable, but more importantly, inspiring.
Rahsaan Patterson was simultaneously retro and fresh the way neo-soul was supposed to be. The difference was that Rahsaan and collaborators Keith Crouch and Jamey Jaz didn't reach as far back as most neo-soulers. Crouch's funk sensibilities and Jaz's chord structures and bridges harkened to the very best of 80's R&B while every other product of the hip-hop that bred neo-soul fished for rhodes, rim-shots and upright bass. Patterson, Crouch, Jaz, and Les Pierce reminded R&B lovers of bridges and solos long since replaced by rap verses. But we mustn't dance around what pulled the average listener and locked in nearly every vocalist in a church or club - Patterson's voice. It was an itchy scratchy thing when he wanted it to be-like his pipes were silver-coil lined. It was a soaring falsetto when he wanted it to be. It was a funky ass tenor-bass when he wanted it to be. It was a nearly operatic alto when he wanted an exclamation point. What range is this?!! Who sings like this? One thing couldn't be denied by ANY true vocalist, in 1997, there was no male vocalist out who had the range and control Rahsaan Patterson wielded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha1UDuK8kI8
Though he was as unique as any of the newly crowned "Neo-Soulers" of the late 90's, Rahsaan at MCA was very lost in the shuffle of corporate fools who didn't know how to "package," "market" or "promote" him. The truth is, his material was so top shelf that the markets that truly mattered to Black music, specifically in the adult category, were already spinning one if not two of his singles from the early EP and he didn't need the label to step in and do anything but support the momentum the quality recordings already came with. With an overly sexual Maxwell fresh on everyone's lips, minds, and hearts, EVERY man in the industry after Max HAD to have an image. MCA allowed their confusion and control over Patterson to inhibit otherwise gold/platinum material for reaching its full potential.
Despite MCA's shortcomings, Rahsaan Patterson's music made it to urban adult radio in enough markets to garner a truly loyal following who anxiously awaited the sophomore project after being thoroughly serenaded by the singles "Spend the Night" and "Where You Are," the latter remaining a show favorite for more than a decade to come.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttvYb6wcJSU
Love in Stereo arrived in stores in late 1999 as neo-soul and R&B lovers anxiously awaited D'Angelo's Voodoo. As Voodoo was pushed back to Jan 2000, Love in Stereo had time enough to permeate the souls of any true R&B fan willing to listen. Much more up-tempo than his debut, LIS was a late 70's, early 80's tour de force reminiscent of Travolta disco, Natalie Cole- styled happy jams, clav-filled Wonder-esque ditties, and some of the freshest vocal arrangements heard in years. The songwriting was more personal as well, humanizing Patterson to endearing fans. "Sure Boy," "It's Alright Now" and "Friend of Mine" invited us in to an apparently cerebral and complex man's mind and world. The jamming didn't stop though and the last half of the album was jamming ass "roll back the rug everybody" party. Despite the studio synergy of Patterson, Jaz and newly added Van Hunt & Steve "Silk" Hurley, MCA still found no way to deliver 1999's most important black album to a large public withering away from malnourishment.
For a moment there was urban contemporary hope for Rahsaan's 3rd project as spins were growing on the Steve Harvey compilation track "The One for Me." It was also to be the lead single from Patterson's project. For the first time, he had spins on major urban contemporary radio. Alas, the Music Cemetery of America, as Rahsaan's label mates, The Roots unaffectionately referred to the former 80's black music powerhouse, underwent a huge merger and were themselves retired by parent company Universal in 2003. In attempts to trim "fat," Interscope, now responsible for MCA's roster, dropped over 40 artists before re-instating the Geffen label. Rahsaan and his third project, initially titled The Best, were set "free" to fend for themselves in the open market. Though initially dismayed, Patterson and his management found solace in their new independence forming Artistry Music and renaming the label funded project, After Hours.
For the third time, Patterson and Jaz delivered the purest rhythm & blues compositions, arrangements and productions since Jam and Lewis. "Don't Run So Fast" and "Sometimes You Gotta Let Go" were needed by the masses as they scrapped up the remains of the neo-soul movement searching for simply "good music." Van Hunt's former title cut "The Best" is perhaps the greatest composition of Patterson's to date. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0pVjWBxIWw Add a dash of Hurley ("Yeah Yeah Yeah") and Patterson drummer/compadre D-Locc Walker ("April's Kiss" and "Always Find Myself") and After Hours ranks solidly with Patterson's previous masterpieces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr1hv7FTQEw
His fourth effort, Wines and Spirits, ventured into new horizons with Patterson more in control production-wise. Though its inclusion of his patented formula with "Stop Breakin' My Heart" and "Feels Good," W&S traveled electronica, rock and hip hop roads, Patterson hadn't before. Widening the scope of work his catalogue traverses and adding new listeners in the process, he continues to grow thirteen years since his debut. Rahsaan Patterson is a testament to triumph over adversity. The music biz could easily have killed the spirit of an artist as pure and authentic as he is. To continue pressing on without the support of all the pretty things that seem so necessary for artists to get heard these days is remarkable, but more importantly, inspiring.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Why Ray Ray's a genius, pt. 1
Raphael Saadiq is the most consummate, multi-dimensional producer of the 21st century. Yes. A very big statement. I shall prove this theorem in four parts.
Let us begin with the production/album that had me walk 5 minutes to work today instead of 10 as I damn near floated here.
An itchy artist formerly known as Charlie Ray Wiggins was ready to record again, but not with his cousin and brother in Tony Toni Tone anymore. Raphael Saadiq, D’Angelo, & Q-Tip had talked of forming a group, but it may just have been too much artistry for one unit. Lucy Pearl was the confluence of Ali Shaheed Muhammed from A Tribe Called Quest, Dawn Robinson from En Vogue, and Raphael Saadiq. That was easy enough to sell as all three acts had scene platinum and groundbreaking success in their respective fields. But LP was more than merely the communing for the audiences, the brilliance of one man whose vision and music it mostly was. Raphael was not ready to be a solo artist. He was more comfortable with crew, but his stamp on every song and ability to play lead or support is the formula his later solo albums.
The fact that the introduction is even a remake of Raphael’s first solo single, “Ask of You,” makes it pretty clear who to focus on, no matter how fine Dawn is. “Trippin’” has a bass line nearly incomprehensible and is merely Saadiq showing off. I love him for it. What a fool I look like trying to “air guitar” this shit. Then Saadiq’s grown man (older than most think) shows up with the inclusion of Benjamin Wright’s strings and orchestration for the lead single, “Dance Tonight.”
Who da heck uses strings in 2000? Damn that Saadiq.
The adorable “Lala” feels like peeking in on Dawn and Raphael cuddled in a hammock, it’s too cute. “Everyday” immediately follows with bottom and bass for days. It also brings along one of Tony! Toni! Tone!’s most crucial ingredients with John T. “Jubu” Smith on guitar. Follow that with “Can’t Stand Your Mother” and yes, even when juvenile, the grooves keep coming. Honestly there is no good reason to skip for the first ten songs, which by many a classic album’s standard is a finished record. The tracking and programming Shaheed brought to the table was significant, I’m sure, but nothing Raphael wasn’t capable of doing on his own, evidenced in productions for others out around the same time. Dawn is a perfect co-star, but make no mistakes, the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role here goes to Raphael Saadiq.
Amidst the new shunning of neo and death of funk music as we knew it, Ray Ray, Dawn and Shaheed came without something over thought, over baked, or corporately labeled. They with Raphael’s direction delivered simple good well rounded music, and though the shine would never be quite this bright for any recordings they touched after, for a minute there was hope for the millennium.
Let us begin with the production/album that had me walk 5 minutes to work today instead of 10 as I damn near floated here.
An itchy artist formerly known as Charlie Ray Wiggins was ready to record again, but not with his cousin and brother in Tony Toni Tone anymore. Raphael Saadiq, D’Angelo, & Q-Tip had talked of forming a group, but it may just have been too much artistry for one unit. Lucy Pearl was the confluence of Ali Shaheed Muhammed from A Tribe Called Quest, Dawn Robinson from En Vogue, and Raphael Saadiq. That was easy enough to sell as all three acts had scene platinum and groundbreaking success in their respective fields. But LP was more than merely the communing for the audiences, the brilliance of one man whose vision and music it mostly was. Raphael was not ready to be a solo artist. He was more comfortable with crew, but his stamp on every song and ability to play lead or support is the formula his later solo albums.
The fact that the introduction is even a remake of Raphael’s first solo single, “Ask of You,” makes it pretty clear who to focus on, no matter how fine Dawn is. “Trippin’” has a bass line nearly incomprehensible and is merely Saadiq showing off. I love him for it. What a fool I look like trying to “air guitar” this shit. Then Saadiq’s grown man (older than most think) shows up with the inclusion of Benjamin Wright’s strings and orchestration for the lead single, “Dance Tonight.”
Who da heck uses strings in 2000? Damn that Saadiq.
The adorable “Lala” feels like peeking in on Dawn and Raphael cuddled in a hammock, it’s too cute. “Everyday” immediately follows with bottom and bass for days. It also brings along one of Tony! Toni! Tone!’s most crucial ingredients with John T. “Jubu” Smith on guitar. Follow that with “Can’t Stand Your Mother” and yes, even when juvenile, the grooves keep coming. Honestly there is no good reason to skip for the first ten songs, which by many a classic album’s standard is a finished record. The tracking and programming Shaheed brought to the table was significant, I’m sure, but nothing Raphael wasn’t capable of doing on his own, evidenced in productions for others out around the same time. Dawn is a perfect co-star, but make no mistakes, the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role here goes to Raphael Saadiq.
Amidst the new shunning of neo and death of funk music as we knew it, Ray Ray, Dawn and Shaheed came without something over thought, over baked, or corporately labeled. They with Raphael’s direction delivered simple good well rounded music, and though the shine would never be quite this bright for any recordings they touched after, for a minute there was hope for the millennium.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Where did the funk go?
What does the term "funk" mean? The pocket drumming of the Meters, guitar riffs of Melvin "Wah Wah Watson" Raglin, slap bass of Larry Graham, wah-bass of Bootsy, and clav work of Stevie died a miserable death in '90 when the Time had their last hit with "Jerk Out." It was an old Prince-track resurrected for their final reunion album and made popular merely because the world was happy to see the group who'd all seen solo success either on stage or backstage reunite as the unit who whipped "The Kid's" ass in Purple Rain. But has anyone truly succeeded being "funky" w/o sneaking it in since?
Chuckii Booker's bass work and pockets on his albums Chuckii and Niice 'N Wiild fell on deaf ears as his prettier R&B melodies soared to the top of the charts. Mint Condition soon followed and met with the same fate. [A sin, I say. No band as good and funky as Mint should only be known for ballads.] Me'shell N'degeocello was heralded by Rolling Stone as "the future of the funk" when she released her sophomore masterpiece Peace Beyond Passion. But who cared? Really, who bought her album because they missed the slapping funk of Slave's Mark Adams, Cameo's Aaron Mills, or Prince? I dare say the "rainbow coalition" had more to do with Me'shell's fanfare than funkheads. [Another sin, I say. The funkiest musician on the planet in the last 20 years should be known for more than banner carrying.]
They slid some funk in on us while we weren't looking though. Keith Crouch behind Brandy's five-millon selling debut claved and mooged us some nasty stuff, even if "Moesha" was so cute and captivating we thought it was about the sanging. Crouch laid the funkiest keys and grooves beneath Lalah Hathaway, Montell Jordan, Rahsaan Patterson, Ray J, Kenny Lattimore, Toni Braxton and others and has perhaps the most underrated and unappreciated sound in black music of the 90s.
The slickest of all were Timbaland, Raphael Saadiq and Rich Harrison. Timbaland's ASR-10 programmed beats behind Aaliyah, Ginuwine, and Missy for starters was the closest thing to Prince's innovative Linn Drum programming of the 80s. (check “When 2 R in Love” vs. “One in a Million.”) Saadiq continues to slip in pockets, wah wah effects, and Louis Johnson-level bass work in his countless productions. Rich Harrison, a Washington DC area native, incorporated go-go sounding breaks in his productions of Beyonce, Amerie and Jennifer Lopez making the entire world dance to funk whether they understood it or not.
So how funky is your chicken? In your very own collections, it's right there. Still not convinced?
Here's 20 to get you started:
1. Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
2. Funky Ride - Outkast
3. My High - Mint Condition
4. Touch - Chuckii Booker
5. Come & Get Me - Jay-Z
6. Let it Go - Ray J (from Set it Off or Everything You Want)
7. I Got it Bad - Tevin Campbell
8. The Way - Me'shell N'degeocello
9. Trippin' - Lucy Pearl
10. Sumthin' Sumthin' - Maxwell
11. Sprung on You - CeCe Peniston
12. Bulls on Parade - Rage Against the Machine
13. Shiver - Maroon 5
14. Bad Habit - Joss Stone
15. Bad Habits - Maxwell
16. Talking in His Sleep - Toni Braxton
17. Glow - Kelis
18. Hit 'em Wit Da Hee (Remix) - Missy Elliott
19. I'm So Famous - Joi
20. Cold Blooded - Common
Chuckii Booker's bass work and pockets on his albums Chuckii and Niice 'N Wiild fell on deaf ears as his prettier R&B melodies soared to the top of the charts. Mint Condition soon followed and met with the same fate. [A sin, I say. No band as good and funky as Mint should only be known for ballads.] Me'shell N'degeocello was heralded by Rolling Stone as "the future of the funk" when she released her sophomore masterpiece Peace Beyond Passion. But who cared? Really, who bought her album because they missed the slapping funk of Slave's Mark Adams, Cameo's Aaron Mills, or Prince? I dare say the "rainbow coalition" had more to do with Me'shell's fanfare than funkheads. [Another sin, I say. The funkiest musician on the planet in the last 20 years should be known for more than banner carrying.]
They slid some funk in on us while we weren't looking though. Keith Crouch behind Brandy's five-millon selling debut claved and mooged us some nasty stuff, even if "Moesha" was so cute and captivating we thought it was about the sanging. Crouch laid the funkiest keys and grooves beneath Lalah Hathaway, Montell Jordan, Rahsaan Patterson, Ray J, Kenny Lattimore, Toni Braxton and others and has perhaps the most underrated and unappreciated sound in black music of the 90s.
The slickest of all were Timbaland, Raphael Saadiq and Rich Harrison. Timbaland's ASR-10 programmed beats behind Aaliyah, Ginuwine, and Missy for starters was the closest thing to Prince's innovative Linn Drum programming of the 80s. (check “When 2 R in Love” vs. “One in a Million.”) Saadiq continues to slip in pockets, wah wah effects, and Louis Johnson-level bass work in his countless productions. Rich Harrison, a Washington DC area native, incorporated go-go sounding breaks in his productions of Beyonce, Amerie and Jennifer Lopez making the entire world dance to funk whether they understood it or not.
So how funky is your chicken? In your very own collections, it's right there. Still not convinced?
Here's 20 to get you started:
1. Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
2. Funky Ride - Outkast
3. My High - Mint Condition
4. Touch - Chuckii Booker
5. Come & Get Me - Jay-Z
6. Let it Go - Ray J (from Set it Off or Everything You Want)
7. I Got it Bad - Tevin Campbell
8. The Way - Me'shell N'degeocello
9. Trippin' - Lucy Pearl
10. Sumthin' Sumthin' - Maxwell
11. Sprung on You - CeCe Peniston
12. Bulls on Parade - Rage Against the Machine
13. Shiver - Maroon 5
14. Bad Habit - Joss Stone
15. Bad Habits - Maxwell
16. Talking in His Sleep - Toni Braxton
17. Glow - Kelis
18. Hit 'em Wit Da Hee (Remix) - Missy Elliott
19. I'm So Famous - Joi
20. Cold Blooded - Common
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Introduction
Blackjackets: 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute is a celebration of Black art in music over the last 50 years. Showcasing specifically artists that have blueprinted, influenced or dominated the Black charts and/or box offices with their definitive Long Play formats, Blackjackets, is an historic, but entertaining account of too seldom heralded Black legends. Where The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin usually dominate other "classic" album discussions & publications, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Earth, Wind & Fire appear here as comparable juggernauts.
Blackjackets honors the seminal works of Black acts in jazz, blues, soul, rap, but most importantly, American music.
Blackjackets honors the seminal works of Black acts in jazz, blues, soul, rap, but most importantly, American music.
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