This week’s seven is being brought to you during commercial breaks for the Emmy Awards, which is surprisingly funny and entertaining this year.
Ah, and if anyone would like to do a Guest Sunday Seven, please let me know. Let’s get busy.
Track 1: “The Blast (live)” by Talib Kweli & Erykah Badu
This is a live version of Kweli’s hit taken from “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party”, a show I actually had an invite to and skipped. Because it was raining and I’m a lazy bastard. I regretted going for a while, and then while sitting in the movie theater watching the movie version, I realized I had a much better view of what was going on at the show than I would have had I actually gone to the show.
This version has more energy than Kweli’s studio version on “Reflection Eternal”, and Badu is a nice touch on the chorus. He’s a little husky here, but he sounds energetic, something he didn’t when I saw him in an underwhelming performance opening for the Beastie Boys three years ago.
Remember on “American Top 40” when Casey Kasem would skip over songs that had been on the charts forever and a day? Well, since I already discussed “Yah Mo B There” here, there’s no point in rehashing. It pops up at #87 on my list.
Now, song #86 is probably one of, if not the least-known song on this whole countdown. Most of you know Jody Watley as 1/3 of bubbly pop/disco group Shalamar or as the fashion plate who delivered post-Janet hits like “Looking for a New Love” and “Real Love”, but this song, while not a huge hit, served as her finest moment.
Not only is Jody almost unrecognizable vocally-rocking a tone so deep you wouldn’t be out of line if you thought a man was singing, but this song has a nasty funk groove. The chicken scratch guitars and popping bass were provided by a guy named Andre Cymone. Prince fans may know Cymone as the Minneapolis Wonder’s original bass player (he left right before “1999”) and his de facto brother-Andre’s mother took Prince in as a teenager and the two boys grew up together. Andre had a fairly forgettable solo career, but scored a handful of hits as a producer, working with everyone from Jermaine Stewart to Adam Ant to Jody, who at the time of this song was his girlfriend and later became his wife. The two divorced at some point in the mid-Nineties, reportedly under a fair bit of acrimony, and Andre has become something of a recluse. Jody, however, still regularly scores hits on the dance charts and tours the country. Her most recent album, “The Makeover”, was released last year and scored a minor hit with a cover of Madonna’s “Borderline”.
Oh, you’ll also find Andre fairly prominently featured as the love interest in this video.
Who knew sitting on your ass could be so exhausting? After a day at the beach, I’m maxin’ and relaxin’ and ready for another edition of the Sunday Shuffle. Let’s get started!!
Track 1: “Room To Breathe” by Downtown Science
Downtown Science was a rap group consisting of Sam Sever (who at that point was best known as one of 3rd Bass’s producers) and Bosco Money (who had one of the most unfortunate rap handles ever invented). It took me ages to track this CD down on half.com, as it’s been out of print for ages. This song has a very airy quality to it with a looped piano riff and a fairly easygoing backbeat for the average hip-hop record. I like it more for the beat than anything else. Another thing worth noting is that Bosco Money sounds a LOT like 3rd Bass’s MC Serch. This album is also notable for featuring the recording debut of noted female MC The Lady of Rage. Wonder if she’s still rockin’ rough and stuff with her Afro puffs.
2. “Everloving” by Moby
“Play” was Moby’s lightning in a bottle. I haven’t particularly cared for anything before or since (actually, I kinda gave up on him after being completely unimpressed by “Hotel”), but, damn, “Play” is such a good album. This song has a very hazy, new age-ish quality to it, like a very slightly more caffeinated Enigma (without the Gregorian monk chants).
3. “My Ex-Girlfriend” by Tony! Toni! Tone!
“Sons of Soul” is one of the five best R&B albums of the Nineties. The smoothness of this track sort of obscures the fact that the chorus of the song goes “My ex-girlfriend is a ho”. It comes off as more funny than misogynistic. It’s got a pretty neat doo-woppy mid-section, too. Damn, what happened to the R&B band? There’s Mint Condition, The Roots, and…
I guess it ain’t cool for black folks to play instruments anymore.
Track 4: “I Miss You” by Bjork
OK, Bjork’s always been kind of weird, but as her career has progressed, her albums have gotten more and more obtuse. Her first couple of albums at least placed her weirdness in a danceable, poppy framework. Now, it’s basically just like “I don’t get it”. I hate most dance music made after 1990, but this and the rest of “Debut” is pretty damn good. Wacky horn part too.
Track 5: “Diamonds & Pearls” by Prince & the New Power Generation
This is one of the few songs-perhaps the ONLY song-where Prince plays second fiddle to another artist. In this case, Rosie Gaines hits this one out of the park. It’s one of Prince’s more lyrically slight songs, but this is one of those cases where the feeling overrules the somewhat Hallmark-ish sentiments. I’d post the video, but I don’t want to feel Prince’s high heel in my ass, so let’s just skip it for right now.
Track 6: “Trying People” by De La Soul
Hip-hop isn’t exactly overflowing with tearjerkers, but this song is near the top of my list. Over a dreamlike Laura Nyro sample (this song was one of several things that made me investigate her music further), Pos and Dave deliver subdued, mature meditations on life. Sounds simple enough, but man, rarely is hip-hop so nakedly emotional. Yet another stamp on De La Soul’s status as the most criminally underrated hip-hop act EVER.
Track 7: “Possibly Maybe” by Bjork
Wow…I wasn’t expecting iTunes to go Bjork crazy on me tonight. After the relative nuttiness of “I Miss You”, “Possibly Maybe” is the calming rain after. Just Bjork and a heartbeat of a drum machine. A perfect way to end this week’s seven. Good night.
