Album: Kaleidoscope Dream
Artist: Miguel
Genre: R&B
Sounds Like: A CD produced using Incredibox and a Casio keyboard
Reviewer: Beth
I really didn’t want to write a bad review of this CD. I wanted to listen to it and be like hell yea! Everyone seems to think Miguel is the truth. My question is what truth, the truth that commercial R&B is going down the drain quickly?
Before I get into reviewing this CD I need to say something. Yesterday my dude Phenomblak from Where’s my 40 acres told me that folks are comparing Miguel to Prince.
*Record scratch*
DO WHAT!?
See that right there lets me know that anyone comparing him to Prince does not know a damn thing about Prince. It is an insult to Prince and good music around the world! I could say more but Slaus would fire me for real because we’d probably lose advertisers.
Now that I have that out of the way let’s get to this CD.
When I first heard the lead single Adorn, which I can’t stand, I kept thinking it reminded me of something. Then it hit me, it sounds like a kid playing around on the Incredibox website. When I told Slaus that he said he didn’t know if it was in insult to Incredibox or Miguel, I’m leaning towards it being an insult to Incredibox but that’s just me.
Even with me hating that Adorn song I was still determined to give this CD an honest listen. I listened to every song in their entirety (things I do for OHN).
As I said the CD sounds like it was produced using Incredibox and a Casio keyboard, you know the kind we all had as kids. I will say that having a more electronic sound (not to be confused with electronica or techno) is OK if it’s done well. Unfortunately, I don’t think he pulled it off very well. It is very hit or miss musically. Some songs sound disjointed, as if he was trying to put in all the little beeps, clicks and laser sounds he could find. A couple of songs left me thinking ok what just happened here.
Personally, I don’t think Miguel can sing worth a damn. But that doesn’t mean anything, not every male R&B singer is going to be able to sing like Maxwell, Raheem and the like. On this CD you can tell on some songs he is just trying too dang hard to be a “sanger” (not to be confused with your everyday garden variety singer). Stay in your non-existent lane Miguel!
Anyway, the other thing that turned me off about this CD was the lyrics. Every time I thought oh this song isn’t that bad, I hear the lyrics. What in all the hell, Miguel?!
Let me give you a few examples of the lyrics:
Do you like drugs
As I kiss your third eye
Let me dig that out like a fossil
Those are just a few that I caught during my first listen. I’m almost certain there are more cringe-worthy lyrics on this CD.
At some point I need these up and coming R&B “singers” to realize that lyrics like this do not belong in real R&B, but anyway.
Overall this CD is very hit or miss. Does it have potential I think in some ways it does but overall it’s just rather blah to me. The CD left me wondering exactly what is Miguel trying to do musically.
Artist: Lupe Fiasco
Album: Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 2
Genre: Hip-Hop
Sounds Like: “Lasers 2: Electric Boogaloo” aka Message in Watered Down Music rap tactics (3 out of 5, worth copping the full album on sale or a few mp3s here and there)
Reviewer: DJ Fusion
Lupe Fiasco would like to think he’s a complicated mystery wrapped in an enigma of revolutionary fervor. But on so many levels, for good and for bad, he’s not.
The Chicago Hip-Hop MC is definitely talented, hitting the scene with a stream of solid major label releases like Food & Liquor and “The Cool”.
Balancing out average guy rap steeze with local and political commentary, he felt like a breath of fresh air in the mainstream Hip-Hop scene that seems to sometimes be entirely too comfortable floating on the inflatable rubber duckie at the shallow end of the content pool.
However, by the time his 3rd album, Lazers, dropped, folks started to look at the young upstart kind of sideways, and for good reason.
The strange album had mostly intelligent lyrics full of uplift & structured messages (regardless of whether you personally ascribe to Lupe’s political worldview or not), but paint by numbers Billboard Top 100 production that just didn’t fit in with his subject matter. It was like he was trying to sonically spoon feed fire to people by mixing in cheap artificial flavored ice cream with the medicine, ultimately diluting the message.
Also – let’s be real – Lupe Fiasco is a brat. He’s at that stage where he has to fly off the handle every time someone doesn’t think he’s Ebony Perfection Personified with his music, worldview, business choices, political decisions or style.*
Everyone can do or believe in whatever they want to. This is not that type of review or critique.
But if you’re going to try to use music to push out a message, you need to REALLY make quality music on all fronts – or at least have it not sound like most everything else out there on the airwaves & video shows today.
And Lupe Fiasco did not make that happen with “Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 2″.
People remember & support Hip-Hop folks like Public Enemy, Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, Mr. Lif and Brother Ali not just because of them doing “concious”/message rap but because they actually know how to make quality music PERIOD.
Like any other MCs in your personal Top 25 list, they know how to meld the beats and rhymes smoothly into songs that can both make you think PLUS head nod & stomp your feet.
Lupe Fiasco has the message part pretty clear (although sometimes it’s a tad bit too “college-area coffeehouse spoken word open mic preachy Revolution 101″ mentality at times), but needs a good amount of work along with an A&R that loves him in crafting songs that don’t either drag on too long (“Unforgivable Youth”, good Lord o_O) or just have extremely, EXTREMELY terrible hooks (like the 3/4s dope “ITAL”).
Lupe spits pretty cool and has pretty solid lyrical skills on display throughout the majority of the album, talking about everything from how Black People are portrayed in the media, violence from the homefront (his in Chicago and the U.S. as a whole) and beyond, the music industry and more.
The 15 track work has competent OK to good boom bap to rock-rap production on the boards (the essentially jacked Pete Rock “T.R.O.Y.” instrumental on “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)” is the best sonic background on here), although it’s nothing to write home about.
While I know we’re currently in a desert of mainstream Hip-Hop here in the States where it seems that no one will take a stance on ANYTHING worth a damn due to trying to be good label “company men/women”, the rap audience can’t give a fellow like Lupe Fiasco a pass just because he actually says something.
The sheer mediocrity of the beats along with the too cool for school attitude of the Chi-town representative kind of makes “Food & Liquor Part II” vacuuming around the house music rather than something you blast away on a daily basis or play for someone who actually wants to learn something. Which is a damn shame.
Right now, his new age Lasers are dimming due to the cotton candy he’s using to try to sneak his message in the music. If he could get some real artistic development in his corner and actually accept that his craft on the mic needs some work, he could truly be one of the greats instead of just another MC who read a few books. It’s time for him to really go hard, go home or just accept that he’s just another guy on the Hip-Hop assembly line. Not complicated at all.
* See his Twitter feed on any given day and the amount of times he’s threatened to retire from rap.
Personal Favorite Tracks: ITAL (Roses), Bitch Bad, Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)
Music Video: Lupe Fiasco – Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)
Music Video: Lupe Fiasco – Bitch Bad
Album: Rich Girl
Artist: Angie Stone
Genre: Soul
Sounds Like: Your average Angie Stone CD
Reviewer: Beth
I think I’ve said it before; I wasn’t always an Angie Stone fan. I’m not so sure if I’d call myself one now either.
I remember her first single No more Rain really irritated me. At the time I was on this “I hate anything that samples” kick. I was disappointed with anyone in R&B sampling music. That kind of set the tone for how I felt about Angie Stone.
I can honestly say I don’t own nor have I heard any of her earlier works. I was just not feelin’ her enough to purchase or even bootleg her earlier CDs.
When she moved over to legendary Stax Records something definitely changed with her sound. Her first CD on Stax Records, The Art of Love and War was a GREAT CD! I loved that CD it was in rotation for a long time. Matter of fact I need to put it back in rotation.
We now have her latest CD Rich Girl. I’m not sure how I feel about this CD. First listen I found myself wondering when it was going to end. It seemed like it was just one long song. I actually checked to see if I had my iTunes player on repeat by the time I got 5 or 6 songs into the CD.
It still has that “soul/neo-soul/slow to mid-tempo groove” you expect from Angie Stone. I think the biggest complaint is that it has too many songs on the CD. As I said as I went further into the CD it all started to sound the same. I think she should have cut it off at 11 tracks instead of extending it to 15 tracks.
It’s not a bad CD it’s just not something that stands out to me.
I’m not sure that Angie will ever “stand out”. I’m not saying that to be mean what I’m saying is her voice is so distinct that she pretty much has to stay in this soul/neo-soul vibe or it will just be all wrong.
If you are a fan of Angie Stone then I think you will like this CD. If you are on the fence like I am, then I suggest you just cop a few MP3s (as DJ would say) I wouldn’t recommend getting the entire CD as I think it runs a little to long for my liking.
Album: Push and Shove
Artist: No Doubt
Genre: Pop/Rock/Dance
Sounds like: A Gwen Stefani solo album (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).
Reviewer: Hex
It really can’t be understated just how much of an influence Gwen Stefani has had on the business of modern pop music – even though a lot it might not have been intended.
There have always been toys for girls who wanted to be princesses or movie stars – but if you really start to look at it — the idea of a girl rock star as a theme for toys, clothes, folders for school, video games, and even the generic plots of after school shows on networks like Disney Channel and Nickelodeon has really exploded in the past few years.
I think the reason for this is that despite the fact that she’s a happily married mom of 2, Gwen Stefani has always been able to maintain an image of being “Just a Girl.”
There’s something very innocent and young about her beauty and style, and even if her own personal life has sometimes been tumultuous – neither No Doubt nor her solo albums have ever really been loaded with over-sexualized lyrics.
Even more, Gwen Stefani has always been able to exist as a bit of a musical and stylistic chameleon. Whether she’s a ska-punk rude girl with No Doubt, a hip-hop diva singing with Eve, or a Harajuku-influenced pop-star – she’s always been able to pull it off.
Gwen Stefani is like a paper doll that you can make up in all sorts of different ways, and none of them are especially slutty or strung out – and perhaps most importantly, all of them seem sorta temporary. In other words, she can be a punk or a goth or a diva all she wants at her day job — but at the end of the day Gwen Stefani is a wife and a mother at heart, and white people eat that s**t up.
Look, it’s cute when your daughter wants to dress up and pretend she’s a pop star — but we can’t have our baby turning into Miley, Britney, or Lindsey, can we?
Because when you really think about it the last thing uptight people want their daughter to be is some sort of band chick or groupie — but if there was maybe some way she could play dress-up as a sanitized version of one so that she could “get it out of her system” at a certain point –then hopefully she can get down to the real business of marrying some nice republican and making grandbabies for her parents to dote on.
Which made it extra interesting to see what it would sound like when No Doubt returned to the studio after almost 11 years of being away from the scene. Even if the group’s intentions were pure — now that the mold of this band had essentially become a corporate standard and their sound had be co-opted by so many others, would there really be room on the radio dial for them?
But perhaps more importantly, now that her life had settled down into more or less normalcy – what on earth was Gwen Stefani going to sing about? So much of No Doubts appeal had been in the surprising honesty of the lyrics, of the emotional openness Stefani showed in singing about the troubles with her past relationship with bassist Tony Kanal. Her marriage to British rocker Gavin Rossdale seems to be problem-free, so does this mean that we’re getting another Rock Steady?
..Kinda, yeah.
The 11 tracks on Push and Shove are lyrically sorta flat. There are ballads about her happy marriage, and pop songs about looking good on the dance floor. Stefani’s voice sounds as good as ever, but there’s sort of a directionless feel to the album that reminds me of a girl flipping through different dresses and outfits in an overcrowded closet, trying to find the look that fits her best. She’s still charming as hell, but without the emotional food that made albums like Tragic Kingdom so easy to listen to over and over – Push and Shove comes away feeling more like a light snack.
But like so many snack foods out there – what it lacks in substance it makes up for in flavor. The rise of Gwen Stefani as a star has largely come at the cost of reducing the rest of No Doubt to little more than a backing band. Gone are the shifting influences of the various band members on the songwriting process, which results in an album that feels a lot more consistent from cover to cover – but not one that recalls the punk-rock chaos that made this band so much fun to me when I first heard them.
The distorted guitars and ska breaks are gone, replaced instead with a more modern spin on 80’s new wave and reggae rhythms.
And yet even with all these flaws Push and Shove is still a hell of a lot of fun.
Big drums, sweeping synths and snappy guitars swirl around Stefani’s multi-layered harmonies and sing-along choruses. It might be the lyrical equivalent of microwave popcorn, but how many bags of that can you eat when you’re in the mood for something light?
See what you think, here’s “Push and Shove”
Latest posts by Bethlanai (see all)
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i'm so mad about bytches referring to Miguel as the new Prince…. like.. for real for real….
that's like calling ….like… like…. there aint nothing that stupid.
I "understand" the comparison, especially given how he does his live performances (Miguel) and the way he dresses, but musically, he simply sounds rock, synth, 80's. Not Prince. That's how you know people have just seen pics of Prince and not actually heard his music.
Sam Bowie being drafted ahead of Jordan was that stupid.
Miguel sounds more to me like that group of Miami bred singers that came on to the scene after DeBarge broke out — that sort of Peabo Bryson/Shalamar (there's another guy that he actually sounds closer to, but I can't think of the name) higher pitched voice type of sound that has nothing behind it.
And that Adorn song is terrible.
And that Adorn song is terrible.
Say that again for the folks in the cheap seats!
The Jetts? No…
Although there was certainly reason for it — since he was doing his best to copy him from the get, it was the comparisons to Prince that I think stacked expectations against Van Hunt and ultimately kept him from getting his own due.
All that being said, I think there is room to be influenced by someone's sound and presence — but if you're naive enough to buy into the hype of getting compared to the Kid, don't be surprised when you end up sinking in the waters of Lake Minnetonka.
but you know what Hex
it seems every black artist who tries to go outside the box is compared to Prince…
i don't see the comparison with Van Hunt…
when you can't be defined by the run of the mill R&B standards…the default is to compare you to Prince…
which just shows a lack of musical knowledge on the part of those doing the comparing
and if it's the label then it's just a way to get folks to listen cause being compared to Prince is something to brag about even when you aren't even in the same league as him…
My feeling always was that Van Hunt was more of a Curtis Mayfield — which is why I'm generally a fan.
But the simple fact is that anytime you get a Black soul artist who wants to inject rock guitar style into his music the word Prince is going to appear. Prince is of course a lot more dynamic than just that one thing — but when the mainstream press wants to say "Black guy playing rock guitar in a love song" it's like autocorrect on an iPhone for the word Prince to show up in the next sentence.
There's a difference between being compared to someone's style or assumed pop-culture identity and being held up as comparable to the person himself.
The ONLY reason I can see folks saying that is visually – because of his flamboyant still of dress. But musically? Nawl – not even in the same universe.
Who in the hell said that? o_O
Like..I have nothing against Miguel (don't love the album but don't hate it either….it's OK) but he's nowhere near Prince. At all or at least at this stage.
(since there's already a thread on it, i'll add it here)
while my knowledge of his purpleness isn't as vast as you wise, learn-ed folk here, but um…i don't see it. i listened to all i could stand of those two tracks and my ears thanked me for it after they cussed me out for listening that long in the first place. prince has never, NEVER imitated, as far as i've heard. he kept up with the changes of music through the years, yes but that's completely different. he creates what's good for his ear and what his fans know him for, making him original every time. this dude? i would understand more if they said that he is heavily influenced by prince, but to compare the two? nawl.
Thanks for reviewing Angie's cd,it will be bought asap!Living down here in Saltineville,there are no black radio stations,so I only hear about new music by way of mouth.
Saltineville?
ma'am…
I "understand" the comparison, especially given how he does his live performances (Miguel) and the way he dresses, but musically, he simply sounds rock, synth, 80's. Not Prince. That's how you know people have just seen pics of Prince and not actually heard his music.
Fugg Miguel and fugg Lupe!
How do I give you +.5 for this? is that possible? lol
I can't say fugg either of the fellows…I think they just need to step up their game a bit.
Lupe Fiasco is overall just frustrating since he is SO there on many levels but has been 0 or 2 in killing it the way he can and should do it on his past 2 mainstream label releases (while his last 2 mixtapes were f***ing fantastic).
I hated FOTP.. I tossed that tape in the recycle bin so fast.
Great reviews.
Wack review on lupes new record, sounds like a bias review against his message and what he stands for than the album itself. I bet the likes of 2chainz and Rick Ross would be a hit for you guys SMDH!
comment from our facebook page
I really wanted to cuss this ignant kool-aid drinking fool out!
someone go over there and let him know what's up!
LOl f*ck that guy
So apparently that person did not actually READ my review where it says multiple times that it's cool that Lupe Fiasco is one of the few mainstream rappers that actually has a message and that's appreciated. :/
I give zero damns if people agree or not with my reviews, but man, at least actually read the joint in depth first before flying off the handle and making foolish statements.
Having a message in your music doesn't mean that you can make music that's less quality as standalone MUSIC because you're saying something powerful or deep. If music is your medium to say something, then it better be done at a high standard. Otherwise, if you want to rhyme while talking about various things, do spoken word.
That "Bad Bitch" song especially the sermonizing just takes over the whole vibe of the song, and even if he's making any sort of point at all it feels like he's talking down at you. I fast forwarded through the last half of it.
Methinks the Lupe doth protest too much.
I think the video brings the point home more than the actual song itself…and that's kind of the problem with Lupe.
He has stuff to say, he just in more ways than one needs to find a clearer & heavy impacting way to say them while keeping the music quality high.
To a degree, I think he gets kind of a pass because he's the only cat more or less who's saying ANYTHING remotely deep or pushing back against the constant drone of stereotypes and nonsense in the current mainstream Hip-Hop world.
I hate that song more because of how much credit people give him for making a song about a discussion that Black women especially have been having for years. From the lyrics, I truly don't get what he adds to the conversation at all. He claims he just wanted people to think about it. N*ggafawhy? Given your presentation of it. Eh..
And he lost me on the album with:
"If povery is chocolate, and privilege is vanilla, then what's the color of the Sunday Preacher's pedophilia." <—- I really checked out at that point…smmfh
there's a message there? maybe i should listen again
I miss skater kid Lupe Fiasco.
you aint never lied
If you haven't imagined running a tongue up and down the front of gwen stefani….something is wrong with you.
*daps*
I just want y'all to know that Hex said he loved my Miguel review
<—-this sista is happy as fugg right now!
Hex is an amazing writer and for him to compliment my little writing AWESOME!!!
get a damn room
stop hatin'
Ok, the Angie Stone track is ok — but who's that playing bass for her in the video?
This is need to know information, and I'm the one who needs to know!
i hate that you're making me watch her video to find that out….
Solid reviews! I love when DJ Fusion so eloquently rips into an artist. lol
*bows* Merci madame.
For Lupe, it's out of love. I honestly hope the best for the young man (the more MCs who can…well, actually MC & give a damn about what they're saying is always going to be beneficial for the music and culture), but he's been really disappointing with the music output lately IMO.
And to whomever is comparing Miguel to Prince….they are REACHING without even the slightest remote possiblity of entering the realm of almost true. G.T.F.O.H.!!!!!
Ok, this new falsetto breed of studio crooners needs to die a quick death. That damn Frank Ocean and Miguel need to find something else to do. Maybe a few courses at Devry is a good solution. IJS
And that Adorn song is horrible. I hate that mainstream radio insists on jamming it down our throats. Slacker Radio FTW
Cool reviews from everyone all around as always.
I really dig Angie Stone's music…I haven't been able to listen to the new one in full yet but have liked the songs I've heard from it so far. I wish she did a few more up tempo jams at times.
With No Doubt….I got to give the new album a chance. The single that's out is aiight but hasn't done it for me yet to the point I'm singing along with it. I'm probably one of the few folks that actually liked the majority of tbe "Rocksteady" album for what it was (and they got some MAJOR producers on that joint) and can deal with some decent pop rock that's fun.
Rocksteady stands well on it's own, and I can listen to "Waiting Room" any day of the week, but when you compare it to the rest of what the band can do, and even Gwen's solo stuff it feels rudderless.
To me (as much as I like the disc) Rocksteady was really the album where Gwen was clearly larger than the band, and they were having trouble adjusting to it.
Whereas on this new disc the group seems to have accepted their roles better, which makes for a more mature sounding album, but also (at least for me) steals some of that wild-eyed mosh pit fun that these guys used to bring.
No Doubt used to open up for Fishbone, can you imagine just how much fun that must have been?
*thumbs up for liking "Waiting Room"…it's AMAZING they never pushed that as a single (especially as a Prince song…WTF labels?!)*
I feel you on "Rocksteady" being more of a "Gwen and 'Em" album than a straight up No Doubt album.
And true…that show had to be CRAZY. Didn't even know they used to rock with Fishbone.
Angelo and Gwen go waay back. That's how I first heard about the group.
That makes No Doubt extra awesome. The more ya know…
Where the hell is my Casio??? I gotta good falsetto…
Why bother with the Casio? Apparently all you need these days is one friggin drumstick.
[youtube tO33POVfplE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO33POVfplE youtube]
Anything could hoppen…
O.o
-i already said my piece on miguel, but i'll have to pass on him.
-lupe fiasco. while i do like that he's…aware, this quote from dj stuck out to me:
"But if you’re going to try to use music to push out a message, you need to REALLY make quality music on all fronts – or at least have it not sound like most everything else out there on the airwaves & video shows today."
i like what he has to say sometimes, but it easily gets lost in the generic, processed cheese that is today's music of choice when it comes to arrangement of beats, etc. and that's a problem for me. because with that, i could've watched an after school special that my older cousins used to watch if he was going to do that.
-angie stone belongs in that category with joss stone to me, i'm sorry. nice voice and all, but her music bores me to death.
-it surprised me when i found out that no doubt was a ska band in its beginnings. i wished that they stayed like that, but evolution can be a good or bad thing. in their case, it's still tough to say. gwen stefani can do no wrong to me. i love her style, her voice, her personality. she's like a breath of fresh air. yeah, ND may have hits and misses and settle down was a miss for me (at least for now if i hear it enough times at publix or somewhere else lol), but i'll still love her. why? because she's f**king gwen stefani! (yeah i let my bias show on that one but juuuuuudge me!)
In the beginning No Doubt was a ska band formed by Gwen's brother Eric and a singer named John Spence who used to hang out at the Dairy Queen where Eric worked. One day the two wanted to get a jam session together, and Eric made Gwen come along as a backup singer.
The band was mostly ska-punk (think Mighty Mighty Bosstones) when it started — but after they added the current bassist and guitarist they began to branch out into more reggae and new wave stuff.
Sadly the original singer committed suicide just as the group was taking off, and after some changes Gwen took the lead role (her brother left the band to go back to art school — and eventually ended up working as an animator for shows like Ren & Stimpy and The Simpsons).
I love me some Gwen Stefani, but in a lot of ways what I loved about the original No Doubt is gone — that sorta all musical styles are fair game sound they used to play. Now it's more like a Gwen solo thing, which is also cool — just different.
[youtube sxbfmofAles&feature=relmfu http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxbfmofAles&feature=relmfu youtube]
loved it! now you're making me look all through the couch for loose change to buy it lol
i remember seeing some of this on "behind the music" (vh1 should really bring that show back). my tastes didn't evolve to music outside of what my parents listened to on the radio when original no doubt was around, but thank goodness for amazon. but if OND started out that way of genre mindf**k (in a good way) to evolve into what we see CND now, you're right it would be very different. still likeable, just different.
but i can't wait to get a job. once i pay these bills, i can finally cop OND. they were first on my amazon wish list for about 8 years now lol
Growing up I had friends in bands that did the same thing, which stems from being huge Fishbone fans: ska based songs then add the R&B, punk rock and new wave influences, most times all in one song. These bands got signed to major labels too and toured with Living Color and 24/7 Spyz. But their songwriting changed as they got older and didn't want to be locked into ska band status. This was before No Doubt blew up and the ska fad came about. I actually told one band that they should have stayed a ska band instead of being a proto Rage Against the Machine and their label would have kept them around.
I can see where you want the band to be more of the just having fun playing type and not No Doubt, Inc. but that is not going to happen to any band who has longevity.
Sad but true.
Living Color and 24/7 Spyz did a New Years Even benefit show back in January, and couple of guys from the BRC were also on stage with them too from what I hear. Almost like a sequel to that brotherhood tour. Who were your friends? I probably saw them live that time around.
I know it's sorta over-optimistic to expect a band to be able to keep that wild abandon going long term, but those are my favorite kinds of groups, so I'm gonna keep banging that drum, you know?
One band was called Sinister Dane, out on Sony, and the other was called the Urge, who had a semi hit with 'Walk Right In'. SD did heavy touring with Living Color. With the Urge, saw them play the Whiskey out here before they went on European tour opening for Korn. The other opening act: Incubus. Brandon had dreads and thin little wispy mustache, not the heart throb he is now. And the Urge got lost in the shuffle. Such as the case with GNR on tour with the Cult. Opening act's LP breaks out and they become more popular than the headliner.
Sinister Dane rings a bell, but I'm not placing it — But I do remember seeing the Urge. They had a track on a movie soundtrack that I thought was fantastic — My Turn to Fly, something like that?
Back in my union stagehand days we did a show with a pre-Appetite for Destruction GNR opening for a very tired Motley Crue. It felt like half of GNR's set was songs by the Exploited, but man they tore it up that night. Before that band flamed out they were really something.
But I know what you mean about the opener taking off. Reminds me of the story of a guy who opened for the Monkees back in the day on their US tour, lol.
My cousin used to live in same building as GNR and she thought they were so disgusting, (well yeah, they were all junkies then, lol) but her roommate said they were going to be huge.
I would call Ne-Yo or Maxwell the new Prince…. in fact, Ne-Yo would be a Prince/MJ hybrid, but NAWL!
You caint eva replace MJ or Prince. NEVA!
*sings* i'm just a giiiiiirl…..
Sounds like a hell of a show. Good times.
Wow. Never notice how chola-esque she is!
he doesn't play 4 million instruments and creates entire masterfvckingpiece albums from his bedroom closet by his damn self
that made me giggle
and yea Max can match vocally and that's it…there really is no comparison or a need
Ne-Yo COPIES MJ in a lot of ways musically…that does not show originality so there again no comparison…
1) Miguel – never heard of him, which is something I always like saying before hearing something. Nice review, btw – good to see you spreading out! Upon hearing it, Lady C and I went on a little journey that ended up with Robin Thicke, then Gang Starr (don’t ask). Anyway, I think the music has potential, from the sounds of the two songs – a decent retro kind of soul, of the kind that has been explored in the underground scene the last few years (Dam Funk sprang to mind). His voice, though? Hmmm….you know those old Alexander O’Neal tracks where he’s finished the track, bar a minute or so of “oohs” and “aahs” before it all fades out (yea, probably just my old arse – dammit, I love me some Alexander O’Neal!) Anyway, that’s what the entirety of those two songs vocal performances made me think of – all finish and no lead-up.
2) Lupe – I really want the fella to succeed, so boo! to him for not doing so…..firstly, though, DJ, I completely zoned out when you mentioned Mr Lif – one of my fave MC’s! And when you wrote that the Pete Rock rip is the best bit of beat-making on it? Well, that’s kind’ve it for me on this one then. Shame, as I agree, I think his lyrical style is – whilst hardly original – at least of sufficient quality to want to support the guy….
3) Angie – Lady C and I actually liked that track. Nice groove. I do kinda get you on how you feel about her though, Beth, as I’m pretty much the same. She can shine, I think, but it’s intermittent at best.
4) No Doubt – I never really fell for No Doubt that much. And no, I don’t even go for Gwen Stefani that much either. Which all adds up to it always being unlikely I’d like the song put up here. And, true to that form, I ain’t a big fan. Like most of their stuff, I don’t hate it, I just ain’t that bothered by it either. Not my bag.
(On a side note – great reviews, well done all! And, my hearty apologies for not having a review in the last few weeks – life has kinda got in the way of me sitting down to do that recently. For the one or two (well, okay, maybe one) who might be bothered by this news, I’m gonna try and sort that out this weekend. There are a few on my radar, so I’ll try to sharpen up my pencil….)
I STAN for Maxwell…do you hear me? STAN like a muh'fuggin BAWSE!! But I can't argue with your assessment my dear. Nope. I cannot. Carry on.
I like Angie Better when she's more upbeat – like this:
[youtube L4Xqs95wlSs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4Xqs95wlSs youtube]
I'm kinda disappointed, I waited two weeks for the review of Lupe's new album. I wanted to see if you had a better spin on some of the songs meanings than I did. I waited to see you explore the fact that FINALLY
after a year of mediocre lyrics consistently touching the exact topics that the last "rapper" had, we finally
had one mainstream artist break out of the machine. No M.C.H. songs, no banal lyrics about black people
in their place in the ghetto. And you rip apart the beats(I kinda agree, though I like Lamborghini Angels as
the best of the bunch) , and neglect the fact that every one of his songs have a purpose. Not just a single
that will comfort the masses, but a complete album with a meaning behind every word. If he gets preachy
sometimes in interviews or twitter, I could care less, if I don't have to hear ONE more frigging song about
drugs, strippers, clothes I can't afford, places I can't afford to go, cars I can't afford, guns I don't want or
the ghetto being a kingdom. I really don't have a problem with the opinion, mine is different true, I just want
some type of balance in the reviews of hip hop. I want to run screaming into alt/rocks arms to hear music
that means something, and I feel like OHN is my Obi Wan. Just review somebody, you like that won't
kill my eardrums with the negativity of being inner city black ghetto youth. Appreciate it