Frenchy’s Fracas

General Description
Artist/Band: Q-Tip || ||
Album Title: The Renaissance
Year: 2008

Don’t call it a comeback?

How I Got Into This Music
I’m still a total fan of A Tribe Called Quest. Haven’t paid any attention to any of his previous albums, but with this release I thought I’d just give it a try.

Reviews: || || ||
Videos: ||
Have a listen on:

Tracks that got my attention:
Johnny Is Dead
But what good’s an ear if a q-tip isn’t in it?
Heheh, nice one.. Guitar intro and the chorus are kinda not happening, love the keyboards and bass line.

Won’t Trade
Kinda catchy, enjoyed it the first coupla times, but now it’s almost a bit bland. Weird.

Gettin’ Up
Video:
Great track, so mellow. The keyboard intro/loop is very sweet and the bass just reeks of nostalgia It’s an incredibly simple setup, production-wise, but it’s very effective and catchy. The late great J Dilla in the producer’s seat.
This one of those Walk In The Park tracks, love it!

Official
Very strong scratchwork and samples. Makes me wish D’Angelo was doing the backing vocals. Damn it, the whole song triggers D’Angelo vibes. Like it very much.

You
Think this one’s my favorite track. Now let’s see if I can explain why.
The staccato rap flow. The simple and subtle yet funky bassline. The lyrics trigger some old memories. The very tight setup.

We Fight For Love feat. Raphael Saadiq
Meh.. Just the great bassline, but not really working for me.

Manwomanboogie feat. Amanda Diva
Triggering memories of his Breathe And Stuff period, which is a bit dubious to me. Don’t get me wrong: I liked the track, but like Vivrant Thing it was too much of the Hype Williams videos that turned me off.
Again a very nasty bass..

Move
Video:
Maybe later on I’ll learn to understand and/or like this track. But for now: me no likey.

Dance On Glass
The intro of this track: 1 full minute a capella of pure excellence. And the flow when the music joins in is blissfully well produced.

Life Is Better feat. Norah Jones
Wow! Guaranteed hit, release the track as a single as soon as friggin’ possible!
But.. what I don’t get, is the way the track’s produced: you got the excellent vocals by Miss Jones and somehow the choice was made to use a (very well performed) dedication rap as main theme. It doesn’t work for me; I’d prefer a simple love theme or whatever, but this?
Still, hope they release it soon!

Believe feat. D’Angelo
Heheh.. When will D’Angelo finally represent his shit like he used to a while back? I was lucky enough to see him perform live at the North Sea Jazz in the 90s, but we need to see him in action again!
Ehm.. Back to the track: this is how Life Is Better should’ve been produced. Sweet, laidback and sexy.

Conclusion
Like blkbetty said: this album’s a creeper. It really grows on you. I wasn’t really impressed the first coupla times I listened to it, but then I found myself playing the album over and over, getting a better understanding and feeling of the vibes and stuff..
Wonder if I’ll still be listening to it in three months. Not sure, but for now, it’s a very sweet album to listen to.

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General Description
Artist/Band: A Tribe Called Quest || ||
Album Title: The Low End Theory
Year: 1991

One hundred percent intelligent black children

How I Got Into This Music
For me these guys are one of the most important rap groups of the business: A Tribe Called Quest. And this album is another one of my favorites.

Reviews: || || ||
Videos: ||
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Tracks that got my attention:
Excursions
Jazz? Jazzy influences in rap? In 1991? For me, that was one of the first times I paid attention to rap bands using jazz.
Opening bass line, tasty and scrumptious! Vocal samples from the Last Poets.
Beats that are hard, beats that are funky
It could get you hooked like a crackhead junkie
What you gotta do to is know that the tribe is in the sphere
The abstract poet, prominent like Shakespeare

Rap Promoter
Just a groovy track, love the guitar riff sample!

Butter
Phyfe on the solo trip, being a total bad boy, heheh.. The man is one of the best rappers with an unbelievable flow. The horn sample in the chorus is Smoothness.
Well here comes Flo, with the crazy whip appeal
And I’m all true man, like Alexander O’Neal
Is this really love, then again, how would I know
After all this time tryin’ to be a superhoe
She finally played me, but yo, I’d find another
Cause I got the crazy game and yo, I’m smooth like butter

Verses From The Abstract
Q-Tip AKA The Abstract in his best form. A soft reggae flow with mister Ron Carter on Bass, oooohhwweeeee!!
The world is kinda cold and the rhythm is my blanket
Wrap yourself up in it, if you love it, then you’ll thank it
One of my favorite lyrics ever.. You could put it on my tombstone, yes please, thankyouverymuch..

Show Business
Nice tempo, sometimes a bit boring, sometimes still interesting. If I’m not mistaken, this track’s the first time they had other rappers on their work.

Vibes And Stuff
The choppy keyboard sample has been used many a time since I heard it on this album. Love it! Great dedication track.

The Infamous Date Rape
A very serious subject, putting things in perspective, I guess.

Check The Rhime
Gotta try and remember where the horn sample’s from.
Classic anthem!!! (repeat to infinity:)
Q: you on point, Phife?
P: all the time, Tip

This is a master class in rap lyrics, boys-n-girlz, pay attention!
now here’s a funky introduction of how nice I am.
Tell your mother, tell your father, send a telegram.
I’m like an energizer ’cause, you see, I last long.
My crew is never ever wack because we stand strong.

Got this one printed on a t-shirt:
One hundred percent intelligent black child.

Another shout-along:
Industry rule number four thousand and eighty,
Record company people are shady.

Everything Is Fair
Female equality, a flipside story.

Jazz
Another mellowed out track, sweet bass work and nasty horns on the sampler.
Back and forth just like a cameo song
If you dig this joint then please come dance along

What?
Momma, this is hurting me fine!! A minimalistic setup: a basic loop and beat, mixed with Q-Tip’s vocals.
A lot of very smart questions:
What’s duke ellington without that swing?

What is hip-hop if it doesn’t have violence?

Scenario
Yeah.. It took me some time to like this chant, but I love it now and it still rocks!
Here’s the video, made by Spike Lee:

Guest performances from the Leaders of the New School with a very young Busta Rhymes.

Conclusion
The importance lies in the production and choice of samples: jazz is given a serious center stage without being to preachy about it and mixing it all up into a very broad spectrum. It still is an accessible record for the rap crowd while triggering interest from the non-rap crowd.
Also the lyrics: seriously, these guys were setting new standards with the words and vocals.
This album’s a favorite, still prefer Midnight Marauders though.
Go have a listen!

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General Description
Artist/Band: Buika || ||
Album Title: Niña De Fuego
Year: 2008

More than just a pretty picture..

How I Got Into This Music
I just didn’t have any choice. LadyTO kept nagging me about this artist, and I kept ignoring it. Then she gave me this CD and continued nagging me into submission. After a month or so, I decided to cave in in a manly way and listen to the album.

Reviews:
Videos: ||
Have a listen on:

Tracks that got my attention:
La Falsa Moneda
Thirty seconds into the track and you get a clear idea of what you’re gonna get with this album: soft tones, lazy summer breeze and an incredible voice. Believe you me, I do not like the whole Spanish guitar hero & gitano traditional crap, but as usual, there are a few exceptions..

Culpa Mia
It’s that voice.. the intro of this song is beautiful and when the guitars join in, it’s also sweet!

Mienteme Bien
Some parts remind me of stuff my parents use to play when I was a kid, and I didn’t like it that much then and I still don’t..

Arboles De Agua
H O L Y S H I T ! !
The intro, when her vocals get in on the song, the whole track: wow, goose bumps!
Break both my legs and play me this song, you have a great chance I won’t be pissed at you.
This is such a great feel good track, there’s no way you can be sad or angry after listening to it.
(Still break your limbs later on, but that’s a small detail..)

La Niebla
Ohman, that voice.. Mellow work on the piano too.

Volver Volver
More of the ranchera stuff I don’t really like. The mixup with the almost jazzy trumpet is a nice touch.
By the way, don’t know if ranchera’s the right category to use.. It’s that cry-cry type of music from Mexico that this song’s reminding me of.

Mentirosa
Hmm, a nice and unexpected change of style: a bit of easy latin with some brass on the side. Works for the European crowd, I guess.

Conclusion
I saw five minutes of her show at this year’s North Sea Jazz Festival and it’s a shame I didn’t see more of her (in more ways than one, yep..). And, as I said before, I’m officially in love with that face
Macho bull aside: I really enjoy listening to this album and this artist. The way she uses her voice on this record is fantastic, the musicians are solid and the production is nice and subtle. Some tracks are just a bit too cheesy for my snobby tastes, but I can recommend the whole product.

Oh, LadyTO? You were right.

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General Description
Artist/Band: José González || ||
Album Title: In Our Nature
Year: 2007

Talented singer..

How I Got Into This Music
Funny thing, I’ve ignored this album for almost a year. I didn’t mind his vocals on the Zero 7 album The Garden, but it wasn’t something that got me all enthousiastic to go listen to other stuff from this guy. Hey, that’s how things work sometimes in my head!
Anyway, coupla months back I heard a small part of his cover of Massive Attack’s Teardrop and that triggered quite a lot of interest on my part. So, I had a listen.

Reviews: || || ||
Videos: ||
Have a listen on:

Tracks that got my attention:
How Low
Love this opening track: a single guitar and those deep, dubbed vocals give a great threatening/sad mood to this song. Walking happily drunk through a minefield.

Killing For Love
Love the guitar, annoying repeating bit at the end.
Great lines:
You’ve got a heart filled with passion.
Will you let it burn for hate or compassion.

In Our Nature
Sweet title track. Another simple anti-violence song.

Teardrop
Just listen to it (the vid’s a bit crappy, but still..)
Here’s the Teardrop video at youtube:

It’s brilliant because Gonzalez doesn’t try to better Elizabeth Fraser’s vocals, he makes the song his own..

The Nest
Beautiful vocals, mellow track.

Cycling Trivialities
Beautiful vocals, mellow track.
(No, not a copy/paste error..)

Conclusion
It was fun (re-)discovering this version of Teardrop. I mailed friends of mine about it as if it was one of my greatest achievements in finding this song and telling them about it. But.. They already knew the song and had the album.. An ego is such a silly, fragile thing, heheh..
Back to the album. I played it for a month without getting bored by all the syruppy sweetness and that’s something in my book. For this review I played it all again and still find it enjoyable, something I really didn’t expect.
Like the album and the artist!

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General Description
Artist/Band: Duffy || ||
Album Title: Rockferry
Year: 2008

Mixed bag, lacking substance yet committed

How I Got Into This Music
Not really, just curious about the vibe and hype after seeing the clip of the Mercy track on television.

Google Search for reviews of this album || Album details at || ||
Video clips at ||

Tracks that got my attention:
Rockferry
Hmm.. Trouble brewing, right off the bat.
Listen, this girl’s voice is incredible, so that’s not something to disrespect. But the catch is in how she uses the retro vibe on this track. Reminds me of other stuff I’d rather go listen, like Gerry & the Pacemakers, or something.
And, of course, Dusty Springfield.

Warwick Avenue
Ouch, don’t use the My Girl intro and guitars so blatantly obvious, please?

Stepping Stone
For me, the right kind of Retro: giving me a sense of Things from the Past without Looking Back - this song and its performance stand on their own two feet (or, so to speak: messy metaphores make my mind meander mysteriously.. )

Syrup & Honey
Lulu anyone? And all the bluesrock dames of yesteryears too.

Mercy
Ah, the current hit single. Snappy video, nice work, nice track. Of course there’s a “But”..
But, can we start give credit where credit’s due? Go back in time, say around 1984 and look up songs from the excellent Carmel.
The song’s been nicely modernised, and it’s catchy and everything, have fun. I’ll be going back to the record shop to get me some The Drum Is Everything from Carmel, okay? Right..

Delayed Devotion
Man, this makes me run to some Al Green.

Conclusion
First things first: Duffy is a great singer, no doubt, end of discussion.
Using Retro is a tricky endeavour: an obvious copy shows too much lack of imagination, even if you call it a tribute. A subtle reference, a tip of the hat with some personal touches helps to keep it interesting.
Duffy’s work is a bit of both in the worst way: you get Retro that reminds you of other stuff, easily ignoring her own tracks.
She’s the John Legend of whatever her pop genre is: her music will sell, she will be successful, but it’s empty of any added sentiment. That wackjob Winehouse somehow does the job a bit better (the lyrics for example), making it much more interesting to listen and remember.
So, Duffy will sell and become a Big Star and old farts like me will go listen to the artists she reminds us of. Sounds like a good deal.

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