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  • ClashBack: Soul Coughing

    In the mid-late Nineties, when “alternative” became mainstream, the term lost it’s meaning. Bands like Counting Crows, who were as traditional a rock band as there ever was, were all of a sudden “alternative”. Alternative to what? A term that was first used to describe bands that were off the beaten path turned into a catch-all for any act that wasn’t dance/pop. I was gonna add R&B and hip-hop to the mix of categories, but there was an “alternative” division of each of those genres as well.

    New York’s Soul Coughing was truly alternative. Led by Mike (then known as “M.”) Doughty, Soul Coughing invaded rock radio with a sound that dipped toes in genres ranging from jazz to hip-hop. They was definitely more cerebral than your average mainstream music, and although they were never huge, they do have a couple of tracks that would be easily recognizable to anyone that was watching MTV in the late Nineties, like “Circles” and “Super Bon Bon”, a live clip of which is included here.

    After the band imploded in 2000, Doughty began making solo recordings that explored a more traditional singer/songwriter approach while still being inspired by beat poetry and hip-hop. He’s also a respected author and blogger (you can catch him at mikedoughty.com). His latest album, “Sad Man Happy Man” was released about a month and a half ago, and I was very fortunate to be able to see him perform a week ago.

    This live clip isn’t the best quality, but it’s still enjoyable.

     

  • Jay-Z Hits #1…For The First Time?!??!??!??*

    In the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart published today, Jay-Z rises up to unseat Owl City at the #1 position with “Empire State of Mind”. No big deal, you say? Well, consider this: “Empire State of Mind” is Jigga’s FIRST number one single ever.

    Sort of.

    Jay has never hit the top of the charts as a lead artist before. He HAS hit the #1 spot three times before as a featured artist. First there was Mariah Carey’s “Heartbreaker” in 1999, then Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” in 2003. Most recently there was his guest rap on Rihanna’s “Umbrella” in 2007. But no song from an actual Jay-Z album has ever hit #1. Not “Can I Get A…”, not “I Just Wanna Love You (Give it To Me)”, not “99 Problems”. So, congrats Jay. Although when you consider that the man has 11 #1 albums, this may not be such a big deal for him…

    And while I’m writing, a few words about Jay’s nemesis, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. 50’s “Before I Self Destruct” is on track to open with about 160,000 copies sold in it’s opening frame, a sharp fall from the first weeks of his three previous albums. It will be trumped on next week’s Billboard charts by John Mayer’s “Battle Studies”, which should open with about 300,000 copies sold. To add insult to injury, neo-classical singer Andrea Bocelli, contemporary Christian outfit Casting Crowns and Norah Jones could all potentially sell more than 50 this week, which would leave him with a quite lame (for him) #5 entry on next week’s charts. Of course, it’s only Thursday and anything could happen (like Interscope Records sending a battalion of minions out to buy copies of 50’s album and inflate the sales numbers), but this has gotta be a blow to Fiddy’s massive ego and perhaps a sign that the hip-hop audience has finally gotten smart and moved beyond his tired gangsterisms.

  • The Janet Interview: What Did You Think?

    I have a love/hate relationship with Janet Jackson. While I’ve nursed a huge crush on her since she was Penny on “Good Times”, and I famously shouted down a relative who insisted Pebbles was hotter than Janet back in the Eighties, she’s not really been on my radar lately. First there was the whole Super Bowl fiasco, which I thought was tasteless. Then there was the way she refused to talk about it, as though she wasn’t responsible for it happening in the first place. THEN there’s the fact that her last couple of albums have been less than memorable. Truth be told, the last worthwhile Janet album was 1997’s “Velvet Rope”.

    Anyway, JJ has been largely silent since the death of her big brother Michael in June. She emerged from her cocoon to sit for an interview with Robin Roberts on ABC last night. I must admit, the interview didn’t do much to change my recent ambivalence.

    It rubbed me the wrong way that she decided to wait until she had an album to promote before talking about her brother’s death. Those kind of tactics wouldn’t have surprised me had it been ANY Jackson other than Janet. However, it does seem like Janet is taking advantage of the added glare of the limelight to say “hey…remember I still have a career!??!!?”

    Aside from that, she was as charming as ever. She certainly deserves her reputation as the most grounded Jackson, answering her questions openly and honestly (despite protesting a couple of questions, she did go ahead and answer them). The pain she feels from her brother’s death (and the fact that she participated in several interventions, to no avail) is quite evident. There’s also a lot to be said for someone who will go on record as noting that they have issues, and Janet was quite real in that regard, talking about her issues with weight as well as her infamously abusive dad (although in regards to that, she kinda seemed to be taking a passive-aggressive approach, allowing that he was abusive, but “that’s Joseph”).

    She is working on new music, and writing her own lyrics again, which is a good thing. I sincerely hope that she can go back to writing about her life and the struggles she goes through, since her last 4 or 5 albums have been more or less fixated on sex. If she can put out a work befitting her status as a mature 43-year old woman who has seen a lot in her lifetime, I think she’ll gain back a lot of the fans she’s lost over the years. I also hope she finally decides to sit down and write an autobiography-I’d be the first in line to read that.

    Here’s a preview of her new video for “Make Me”, a song that’s grown on me quite a bit. It actually sounds like some of her work with Jam & Lewis, which is definitely a good thing.