Tag Archives: albums

B. B. King

Posted on by
Reply

B. B. King.
Genre: Blues.

- Aint Nobody Home (1972): Live.
- Live At Newport: Other performers include Big Mama Thornton and Muddy Waters. Little Red Rooster by Big Mama is a clever piece. She gets clucking and crowing away.
- B. B. Boogie: Don’t seem to be the real album.
- Blues Summit (1993): Every song is a collabo with artist like… Ruth Brown, Robert Cray, Albert Collins, Lowell Fulson, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Koko Taylor, Irma Thomas, Joe Louis Walker, Katie Webster and More.
- His Best – The Electric (1998): Yo the church organ balance is off in some songs. Keeps going left to right… extremely irritating. Mostly studio tracks… which I prefer.
- B. B. King & Eric Clapton – Riding With The King (2000): Clean sound, in rhythm and tone.
- Live at St. Quentin (1991): Ray Charles does a better version of one of the songs.
- Live at the Regal (1965): S’orite.
- Live in Cook county Jail (1971): Usual.
- Lucielle (1968): New stuff.
- The Best of B. B. King: Not good quality. S’orite.
- Why I Sing The Blues (1983): Yeah yeah yeah. It’s all good and stuff.

The Juice: Look the guys done too many albums, too many singles, too many shows. He’s the king of Blues and that’s it. All I can say is since 1950’s he used a custom guitar that he called Lucille. Sorry still recovering from the Madonna review.

Share

Little Brother

Posted on by
Reply

Little Brother.
Genre: Hip Hop
- The Chitlin Circuit. Genre: Rap/Hip Hop. Comment: Pretty good album. Good lyrical skills. Not too gangsta and word is it’s THE album to be playing in your ride. Others say its good old contemporary Hip Hop.
- DJ Drama & Little Brother Separate But Equal (Mixtape) A Gangsta Grillz Extra (2006): Oh my god! The styles, the raps, the flows, samples, instruments, harmony… it all takes you back to the good ol Hip Hop days. Every song has something tasty. In fact not just something… most songs have everything in the right place. Truly impressive.
- The Minstrel Show (2005): DJ Jazzy Jeff makes an appearance. If I heard this album first I’d be wowed and then even more wowed by the mixtape. It’s still pretty good. Just love the old skool feel. Twin daughters called Faith and Abstinence… funny. Slow It Down is THE perfect track… the bass, tambourine, ol skool sample, new skool R&B and philosophical love rap.
- The Listening (2003): Their debut album and what just like the rest of the albums. Pure quality! Big up Viv once again for the recommendation.”
- Getback (2007): They do it again! For rap fans this is a must have. I’m really glad Viv told me to get these guys stuff coz rap had become so damn stagnant with boring stuff. I mean there was hits now and then but not hit albums. These guys are THE CHEFS of lyrical delicacies. They carve those words just right, mix in the music so tight. At the same time it seems so simple but its not. The samples, the touch of R&B. They’re so good I started writing rhymes again. Lol I’m at work with scrap paper full of lines.
The Juice: Reminiscent of the days when Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and others carefully crafted complete experiences from beginning to end. They’re great!!! The attitude is anti-mainstream. Their sound is jazzy/soulful/ol skool and focus is positive. Impressed with the boys. Big up Viv for the recommendation. The 9th Wonder controversy. He says he’s still part of Little Brother. Big Pooh says they’ve decided to part ways to continue giving the world dope music.

Share

MC Solaar (Discography)

Posted on by
Reply

MC Solaar (Discography).
Genre: French Rap/Francophone Hip Hop/Jazz Rap.

- (1991) Qui Sème le Vent Récolte le Tempo (He Who Sows The Wind Reaps the Rhythm): Gool ol Jazz, Dance and Groove beats. Reminds me of Kris Kross, Apachi Indian, Shabba Ranks, Arrested Development, etc… in a French fashion. S’alright.
- (1994) Prose Combat (Fighting with Prose): Increased quality and maturity. Good thing is his lyrical content, its not usual American rap and when he does get into the ghetto side of things he breaks it down properly. Of course my French is not that good to understand a lot till Google’s translator kicks in. Don’t know why one of his tracks is called L’HMIACCd’HTCK72KPDP, which is dedicated to Jazz. Anyway even though this gave him international status, I think it’s worth a listen just once.
- (1998) Paradisiaque (Paradise): One track samples from 2Pac’s Keep Your Head Up, another copies Snoop and Dr. Dre, yet another copies Touch Me, Tease Me beats by Case and Foxy Brown… I think. Make’s word play sound so natural.
- (1998) MC Solaar: It’s alright. Starts sounding more like American rap.
- (1999) Le Tour de la Question (Live Double-Album): Live version of most of the songs he’s done.
- (2001) Cinquième As (Fifth Ace): My all time favourite album. I’ll just break you off the names of the bombest tracks. Solaar Pleure (Solaar Weeps… over the crap the world is going through and fighting Lucifer), Hasta La Vista (He mixes Spanish with French… wicked Mexican theme), L’Aigle Ne Chasse Pas Les Mouches (The eagle does not chase the mosquito), La Belle Et Le Bad Boy (Has a Beauty and The Beast theme). Got US exposure when La Belle Et Le Bad Boy was played for Sex in the City.
- (2003) Mach 6 (Mach Six): Excellent album! Dude gets better. More towards Jazz Rap in few songs, more towards American Rap on others. His stories, his word play, his philosophy… dude rules! Content is so diverse… e.g. – life being good, lingala, kwasa kwasa, Gandhi homage (the cover of this single is wicked lol), war, money, God, memories, saving the world, his experience with cops coz of his riches and what haunts him. Big up Solaar!
Note: Couple of beats are not sampled but copied.
- Chapitre 7 (2007): Dude wasn’t gonna release anymore but he wanted to cover something different from French rap and he’s done it well. Apart from the styles above there’s little hints of a country harmonica/mouth organ. Of course quite a bit of the format is pretty similar to his old albums like reminiscing old times, battling the devil, saving the world and that one deep song with nursery xylophones and instruments. The messages are still the same, politics, philosophy, controversial stuff and just so rich with all sorts of knowledge. So imagine all that knowledge in French made into something sweet to the year, something you can dance to. First I gotta review it as music, then I gotta research the lyrics and make sense of it. Add his word play to it. It’s just so fun! Some choons are very reminiscent of 50 Cent (exactly like Candy Shop), Fat Joe (Lean Back remix), some of that Usher shouting. Hell some of the synths and beats are pure Southern style clubbing. Hi Samba one is pretty funky. Clic Clic is a deep story about how big guns are from politics to games and he admits how he fell for the fascination for and then the ‘clic clic’. Blooper! He asks ‘In the Simpsons, “”Who Killed Kenny?””. He does a very skilled speed rap in Avec Les Loups (Twista and Bone Thugs style). Then you got Impact Avec Le Diable (Impact with the devil), which has audio from Hitler and Martin Luther King in the background.

The Juice: Claude M’Barali originally from Dakar, Senegal moved with folks to France when he was six months old. Then stayed with his unc in Cairo. Gets his name from back in his teens when his graffiti tag names were Soar and Solaar. Known for the complexity and poetry of his songs, which rely on wordplay, lyricism, and philosophical inquiry. Dude caught my ear when he rapped for Missy’s All In My Grill and then I saw the Solaar Pleure vid. Amazing! Hehehe he’s appeared on a Japanese TV show called Hum Tum. Apparently France’s most influential rapper and coined the Leader of French Rap Revolution. Other songs not in albums include Inch-Allah and John Woo.

Share

New Kids On The Block (N.K.O.T.B.)

Posted on by
Reply

New Kids On The Block.
Genre: Rock/Pop/Hip Hop/R&B/Love Jams/Grunge & New Jack in final album.

- New Kids On The Block (1986): Got songs that sound like they meant for them innocent cartoons like Pound Puppies, Denver the Last Dinosaur and that Werewolf one. Middle of the album they break out with 2 rap songs, good for their time. Then you got the song which sounds like a recording for some dating agency… Hi I’m (Name) and I’m a (star sign).
- Hangin’ Tough (1988): Hangin’ Tough is the album I remember… well more like just 2 songs. This is the album you start to notice them getting better.
- Merry, Merry Christmas (1989): You know the drill. Last Night I Saw Santa Claus is wicked man!
- Step By Step (1990): Has the obvious album titled hit PLUS… it’s got Happy Birthday. Why do I mention this? Kenyan folks remember the birthday dedications that used to come on KBC? Need I say more? LOL. Stay With Me Baby has one of the boys letting it out in a Rasta accent.
- No More Games Remix Album (1991): Sounds like it’s been C&C Music Factory’fied.
- Greatest Hits: Greatest Hits is well… GREATEST HITS!
- Face The Music (1994): I think one of us passed the age of sharing chemistry. This is the album that ventures even more into Hip Hop and New Jack Swing.
- The Essential: The Essential album is two thirds Greatest Hits and a third of remixes, solos, duets and B-Side stuff.

The Juice: When they started the oldest member was 16… or was that 12. I thought I was girl crazy… the nearly every song was girl this, baby that. Took me 2 days to give their albums a once over. Normally I listen to the album 2-4 times… Not even gonna think about it lol… Saved 7 of the ones I liked.

Share

Shlomo Carlebach

Posted on by
Reply

Shlomo Carlebach.
Album: Various.
Genre: Klezmer/Hassidic.
Comment: Check it out, he comes from a long line of Rabbi’s and started singing Hassidic songs with guitar and became a spiritual pop icon kinda thing. Now Hassidism is a more mystic form of Judaism but this dude managed to mix both orthodox Jewish practice and traditional Hassidic mysticism. He feels a new age is coming as humanity recognizes the limitations of scientific knowledge and believes Jews will have a special role to play, reminding the world that there is only one God. His… what’s the word I’m lo… yes… repertoire includes ‘approximately’ 25 albums and several songbooks. How much is several? Always think it’s 7 coz of the spelling connection. Back to Shlomo. Preacha Man been accused of sexual charges but don’t really care about such news. Notice how you’re being fed all kindsa info except the main music review… coz I just don’t know what he’s saying!!! Lol most songs are for weddings and other celebration type songs. One song is called Shalom Aleichem… how familiar?

Share

Pink/P!nk

Posted on by
Reply

Pink.
Album: I’m Not Dead.
Genre: Pop/Rock/R&B/bit of Folk and Blues.
Comment: On of my fav lady warblers and the albums so gold I’m gonna have to review each track. 1 – Stupid Girls has her dissing the bimbo type’s coz she wants to see outcasts and girls with ambition. (PREACH ON HUN!) 2 – Who Knew she sings about how her and her partner thought it’d last for ever and cherishing past times. (Def not gonna delete this one). 3 – Long Way To Happy is about depressing crap and how it’s gonna take a long time to get back on track. (Delete or keep???). 4 – Nobody Knows does not need to be explained. (Keeper). 5 – Dear Mr. President requests the idiot to walk in homeless/starving/homosexual/prisoners/soldiers shoes. 6 – I’m Not Dead about her between lost and finding her way, riddly lyrics. 7 – Love the instruments and arrangements in Cuz I Can, personal favorite and today’s lyrics. 8 – Leave Me Alone (I’m Lonely) about confusion. Go away, no come back, ok give me a chance to miss you kinda thing. 9 – U + Ur Hand about her out for a good time so don’t waste your time trying to mac coz its just you and your hand tonight. 10 – Runaway touches not fitting in/not being accepted/not making sense and stuff so she gotta run. (Personal). 11 – The One That Got Away… nuff sed. 12 – I Got Money Now… beautiful… starts out with her wanting to be liked, then goes on to she don’t care coz she’s got cheddar and she’s living the life, don’t need friends or family and bla bla right… end of each stanza there’s 3 words … So it seems. I love this woman. 13 – Conversations With My 13 Year Old Self oh man this hits home. Basically unresolved stuff that carries forward to mould the person they are at present. 14 – Fingers has club beats. Its about her letting her fingers do the walking coz she needs more than the guys gonna give. 15 – Centrefold, don’t quite get it, either she’s leaving the dude with her centrefold so he can regret losing her or shlack. 16 – (Hidden Track) I have Seen The Rain has history to it… here’s how it goes… It’s written by her dad 40 years ago in Vietnam. She grew up singing it with him at different Vietnam vet functions. That’s how she learnt to harmonise and learn the acoustic guitar. They did it live in the vocal booth, him playing and singing, her harmonising and they did it in one take. It’s the first song she ever learn and dedicated to the vets out there.

- Can’t Take Me Home (2000): Split Personality is pretty clever but sounds like a dodgy Genie In A Bottle. Ok so the albums sounds like it was good for the time it was released… arrangements, instruments, etc. Think Destiny’s Child.
- Missundaztood (2001): Excellent. All different styles, very similar to her latest I’m Not Dead album and wow… it’s nearly as good.
- Try This (2003): The Catch Me While I’m Sleeping track sounds like amateur R&B. Couple of good ones, the rest sound ok.

Share