reviews : music 2

RECENT MUSIC REVIEWS

albums

Radiohead : Hail to the Theif - Best CD from the since 'the bends' and ok computer. Less of the techno blips and bleeps and more of the sweet tone guitars theses guys are famous for. Some of the songs are just plain ambient in feel. They gave away a hell of an album for free, I tell you that.

Britney Spears : blackout - Well I was one of the few who actually liked Paris Hilton's CD, so I guess after listening to this I could not find any reason not to like it any less than that. Say what you will about Britney and her F'd up public image, she managed to put out something that was at least2 2 steps up on Kelly Clarkson's My December. The obvious use of autotune software doesn't really bother me cuz these days I think very little music is pure performance. For what it is it's decent pop music. I've heard a lot worse.

amy winehouse : Back to basics - First of all any singer who performs with live musicians gets props from me. Dat being said what you have here is an amazing voice testing the waters. IT's a great album to listen to, period. Even when some of the songs are a little lesser, her voice makes up for any shortcomings.

Rihanna- good girl gone bad - Me really likes this CD. I think Rihanna must be an interesting person cuz her album suggests she listens to a wide variety of music. When I say wide variety of music I mean as a black person she goes beyond R7B, hip hop & the occasional smooth jazz record. Me thinks she digs classic rock and alternative as well. Her album is all over the place in a nice way. A blend of straight pop and r&B with a playful sense of adventure. Lyrically it tries harder to entertain. I'd rather hear a girl sing psycho like about smashing dishes than "get my nails did, iz u my boo" type junk. The productions aren't typical, and when I say typical I mean it doesn't sound like everything else that's on the radio. Mid tempo, house, stripped back...all kinds of styles. She sings within her range and sells each song for what it is. It's like Janet Jackson when she was really hungry making Control and Rhythm Nation. Great Pop Music. Nice one. Oh yeah, she is purty too, but thankfully I'm actually more interested in listening and enjoying the music instead of ignoring it and thinking about her doing a lap dance for me. I mean c'mon some of these female artists might as well do soft porn.

albums

Mark Farina : house of OM - Mark is pro bally my favorite DJ out there right now. His track selection is always interesting and funky. HOuse of OM is another classic. Check it out.

Alicia Keys : As I am - I wish she would realize she's not in the hood any more and start writing real songs. Alicia Keys is one of hate rare r&B singers today who can actually get away with singing songs without having to be a stripper to get someone to pay attention. She's a great talent, but she needs direction. She needs her George Martin or someone like that who can get out of her the things she doesn't even know she's capable of. It's hard to listen to these songs from beginning to end cuz it's all been sung before from her. That's a problem with R&B since the 90's. All that is being sung about is ass, booty, and betrayal. The single 'No One' is really nice, but by the time the arrangements star getting interesting it's the end of the songs already.

REM : accelerate - Nicely done. Albums are way to frikkin long these days. NIce to see a band who knows how to write great songs give you just the goods, no filler. The productions hark back to their IRS days, which is when they were untouchable. Buy it now.

Kate Nash : made of bricks - Nice album. I'm a sucker for chick records and chick voices. This was an interesting listen. It's almost like listening to someone learn how to write songs and sketch out ideas. Luckily with the music biz being so shitty, it's nice to hear an artist start to develop right before your very eyes. The thick british accent gets me too. Foundations is lovely and "Nicest Thing" is extraordinary. I love it when emotions are laid out direct to digital recorder. Looking forward to the next album.

madonna : hard candy - Well, it has it's moments. I think this is just a Madonna experiment. Kind of like releasing a bunch of b-side songs (with a-list producers) for the fun of it. Why else would she want to sound like 50% of what's on the radio already. I mean Rihanna's cd makes Hard Candy look like a demo. I know the top names in productions is in on this one but honestly, we've heard better from them (Neptunes, Timbaland, ect). I know I have this automatic switch in my mind to where when I hear any singing from Pharrell (or Moby) my hands automatically hit the fast forward button on my mp3 player. Can't stomach it. Great producers they are, but vocalists no no no. Thankfully it's kept to a minimum here but when it happens....ewwwww. If you want to hear Madonna at her best, and when I mean best I mean when she's working with producers who are trying to push things musically, go get 'Ray of Light' and 'Music'. Now that's the Madonna I like. Timeless jams from producers you never heard of. Hell, I still remember the first time I hear Music (the single)....shit blew my mind, and then I got the CD and was like who da hell produced this! ReSpect! I guess those days might be over. It's a listenable album, but I dont know if I need to listen to it again.

albums

Timbaland : Shock Value - I For the most part the CD Works. Some nice songs there. The overall production screams BEATS and not music so the drums will always be at the forefront. He mixes it up with a variety of tempos and the star power he has on the record shows how much clout he has in the industry. Timbaland is one of the few all in one music producers out there today I label genious. Pick it up.

Mark Farina - Live in tokyo - Another stomper. Released not to long after House of OM, this one has more of a dub vibe to it. You get the crowd noise but it's obvious that it was mixed in to the direct line mix. Check it out!

Bob Dylan - Dylan -you don't realize how good Bob Dylan is until you hear what he did yesterday. He's never slowed down and he's never put out bad music. When he sings I listen, and I try to understand. That's very rare these days with music. They have everything you could want on this collection. Can someone tell me what vocal mic Dylan uses? The tone he gets on his voice is amazing. This is along the lines of the Beatles #1's or the ROlling Stone 40 licks. You have to have it. The re mastering is tops. Pick it up now.

Erykah Badu - New Amerykah - Impressive. Instant classic. Fresh. Innovative. I never paid a lot of attention to Erykah Badu other than the smoking lead single she released from each of her previous albums. Most of the songs sounded the same to me. Well that's changed with New Amerykah. As a music producer I'm impressed with the productions on this album. R&B sucks ass crack these days, no doubt. There is no imagination any more. Used to be when booty was sung about, there was imagery...poety...something other than "I'm gonna tap that shit 2nite". She may not have many solutions to todays problems, but she's found a unique way to talk about them. I haven't heard a record like this since Sly & the FAmily Stones "there's a riot goin on" (which is my all time favorite record period), and if the normal r&b record buyers respond to this masterpiece the way I think they will, it'll be a long time for I hear something like this again. All R&B singers can sing about is booty ass, thug love and sex, so I don't know where a social & political themed album can fit with todays tastes. Sad state. As a music fan I've found something I can listen to each month without it ever getting stale and crusty. Really, it's that good, and it's under the radar. Publications like Rolling Stone wouldn't know good R&B if it smacked them upside the head, and when they do review it it's often labled as being sloppy or unfocused. Ignore them. Scoop up a copy, put on your headphones, dim the lights and enjoy. Looking forward to the Part 2 release.


© 2009 WyndellLong / nosleepmusic