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  • The New Music Files 12/9/08: Common, Maroon 5 & More

    Common Universal Mind Control
    The rapper formerly known as Common Sense is used to being one of the most critically acclaimed emcees by the music press. That apparently has stopped with Universal Mind Control. The Chicago wordsmith’s eighth album has been panned by just about every publication I’ve laid my eyes on. Common has forgone his usual soulful, thoughtful raps for a more danceable, electronic style-apparently inspired by an experience at a club in Europe where he apparently got upset because none of his songs were being played. Hey, man…not all good music is danceable. The jury’s out on this, but I’m prepared to be disappointed.

    Maroon 5 Call & Response: The Remix Album
    The remix album is a phenomenon that’s kinda fallen by the wayside in recent years, and probably with good reason-anyone remember Limp Bizkit’s attempt at one? At any rate, Maroon 5’s album contains reworkings by the likes of DJ Premier, Jazzy Jeff and ?uestlove of The Roots, as well as some more club-conscious remixes by some of today’s hottest electronic producers. I’d trust Adam Levine and the boys to make my body rock a little more than Common does. Just sayin’.

    Brandy Human
    It’s Moesha, y’all!! The former teen idol is now pushing 30, and has a great deal of life experience behind her. She suffered the indignity of a lie she told the public about getting married blowing up in her face, and she was involved in a car accident a couple years back that killed a woman. So, we’re looking at a new, thoughtful Brandy. So if you’re one of those folks who was bopping to The Boy is Mine back in the day, you can welcome your girl home.

    Musiq Soulchild OnMyRadio
    I like Musiq Soulchild, despite the fact that he’s essentially made the exact same album four times in a row. I’m not expecting #5 to be any different, so I’m on the fence about getting this. The current single, “Ifyouleave” (cut it out already with the stupid song titles), features Mary J. Blige and is a pleasant enough song. Just not sure if it’s good enough to make me part with my eleven dollars.

    Avant     Avant
    The only thing notable about Avant is that he sounds like R. Kelly. Well, there’s also the fact that people seem to buy his records for some odd reason. This is, if I’m not mistaken, his fifth album. And apparently, there’s a duet with R. Kelly on it! Ha! I get it!

    As you can tell, this Tuesday is a heavily R&B and hip hop-centric release date, so it’s up to Thrice to represent for all the rock folks out there. Live at the House of Blues is a 3-CD set which should appeal to diehard fans of the band (whoever they are). In the “Where Are They Now?” department, the first solo effort from Ken Block, the lead singer of rootsy-rock band Sister Hazel, is hitting stores today as well.In the re-issue department, a couple of classic albums have been expanded and re-released: Jimi Hendrix‘s Electric Ladyland and Pavement‘s alt-rock classic Brighten the Corners. Finally, Motown #1s is a multi-CD box set that collects every single #1 record in the U.S. or the U.K. from the legendary label. So you not only get the best of The Supremes, Tempts and Tops, but you get Seventies Classics from Stevie and Marvin, some 80s flavor from DeBarge and Lionel Richie, and a little bit of Nineties courtesy of Boyz II Men. If you’ve got the scratch and a jones to hear these classic tunes (or know someone who does), this would make a very nice stocking stuffer!

    A full list of this week’s releases can be found here.

  • Not Necessarily The News – KFed, John Forte, 50 Cent and Britney Spears

    There aren’t many moments in life that you get to write about KFed and John Forte in the same blog. This is one of those moments.

    John Forte is trying to stay alive. (Billboard)
    John Forte hasn’t been seen since he was stayin’ alive with Wyclef Jean. You still a small timer. Drug trafficking charges put him behind bars, but thanks to President George Bush he will be released on December 22 after serving only half his sentence.

    KFed says he’s still rooting for Brit. (E! Online)
    What’s most interesting about KFed’s statement is that he admitted that the turning point in their marriage was when the kids were born.

    “For me, I’d become more concerned with my children. Not that I ignored Britney, but my kids are always most important…I mean, we were having complications.”

    Word to KFed just in case he ever gets married again. Your wife is most important my friend. If you put the kids above her, it’s no wonder that your marriage dissolved. What an admission for those kids to read when they get older. Yep, your birth is the reason your parents got divorced according to your dad. These people need to get a clue. Either that, or don’t have kids.

    Eminem is 50 Cent’s grandmother. (MTV.com)
    50 Cent was trying to say how special it was to work with Eminem. 50 is in the UK shooting a movie and the plan is to go to Detroit to work with Eminem for both of their upcoming albums. He said that Em is like a relative to him, someone who’s done something for him. “He’s like my grandmother.” Huh? What does that make Dre? Grandpa?

    Britney’s dancers are drug tested. (E! Online)
    Britney’s dancers are drug tested so that they are good influences for Britney. Shouldn’t Britney be the one that is drug tested? Well, she probably is too. Let’s just hope that they’re not testing for steroids, because all her male dancers would fail miserably. Oh, you thought they were natural? Don’t be so naive.

    Photo of 50 Cent by aleksey.const and shared via creative commons

  • Infatueighties: #64: Pass the Dutchie

    Ba-psssshhh! Dis generay-SHUN, brrrrap! ruuules the nay-TION, brrrrrap! with VER-shun!!

    Whether you’d been grooving to reggae since its’ inception or had never heard a song by a Jamaican act before, there was no doubt that Pass The Dutchie got asses wiggling and backs off walls as soon as it came on a sound system. A remake of a song called Pass The Kutchie, the title was changed because of the fact that the members of Musical Youth were all in their early-mid teens (for the uninformed, a “kutchie” refers to a joint. A “dutchie” is a pot that food gets cooked in. Pot? Pot!! Oh, those crazy Jamaicans).

    The members of Musical Youth, who were British of Jamaican descent, brought reggae to the Top 10 on the pop charts for one of the first times, presaging acts ranging from Shaggy to Shabba Ranks to Sean Paul. The reason this song sticks out from so much other music released around this period is that it sounds like everyone involved in the recording is having a blast. Must have been one good kutchie being passed around!

    Watch the video. I dare you not to dance or at least bob your head (because you might be reading this at work and if you start dancing, your co-workers might worry a little bit). I can even help you out with a translation of some of the Jamaican patois. Just don’t ask me why the kid croaks “ribbit!” at the end of the song.