Frenchy’s Fracas

General Description
Artist/Band: Visioneers ||
Album Title: Dirty Old Hip Hop
Year: 2006

Excellent grooviness..

How I Got Into This Music
I’ve been enjoying 4hero and Marc Mac’s Chess Cadet All Stars for about a year now. This album’s another of Marc Mac’s projects and I just had to listen to it..

Google Search for reviews of this album || Album details at Artistdirect.com || || Discogs ||

Tracks that got my attention:
Replay ft. Voice
Mellowness taking the listener on a flashback trip through the history of quality rap musicians and producers like A Tribe Called Quest, Jazzy Jeff, Gangstarr and The Pharcyde. Love the smooth vocals by Voice.

Runnin’
Never thought people would be so smitten with the original version by The Pharcyde, but I ain’t complaining! I remember hearing the intro of this version with Hieronymus Fox and we were both jumping like happy kids; when we noticed it was an instrumental version, we stopped acting silly.. for about thirty seconds

The World Is Yours
Laidback bass and keyboards, catchy loops. Love the bass solo, but not that much else happening.

Funk Box ft. Capitol A
Familiar vocals by Capitol A, who also worked with Jazzanova. Basic quality, groove and funkiness.

It’s Simple
A very relaxed version of Simple Folk, a track from Marc Mac’s project from yesteryears, The Chess Cadet All Stars.
More jazzy influences, the flute working some nice magic in the background with the guitar, and that bass? Love it.

Dirty Old Bossa Nova
Damn, got me scanning all my CD’s from A Tribe Called Quest, grmbl.. Hold on.. Nope, I give up, can’t find it, argh!
Back to the track itself: lovely bossa groove!

Run For Cover
Yep, pure gold. Great way of using a central theme in the track, and then the sudden double tempo variant at the end? Great stuff!

55 Dollars
Oooooh.. Flashback to all those TV series from the seventies. Love the horns..

Paul’s Guitar Story
Hmmm, jazz guitar track, sounds nice, just a bit too bland for my taste.

Days Gone By (Egyptology)
Much better guitar work on this track. The track sounds a bit like Jill Scott’s Slowly Surely, I’m sure that’s intentional since they’ve worked with eachother in the past on Jill’s Experience album.

Conclusion
I think my love for previous work by Marc Mac and 4hero has kinda spoilt me a bit. Dirty Old Hip Hop is a great album and very tightly produced too. But… For me, there’s not a lot of new things happening. That’s why this album’s not one of my Favorites. Still very curious to hear the remix version called Dirty Old Remixes!

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General Description
Artist/Band: Plantlife
Album Title: The Return Of Jack Splash
Year: 2004

Swinging, up and down, still massively groovay..

How I Got Into This Music
Another one from last.fm that I just couldn’t ignore..

Google Search for reviews of this album || Album details at Artistdirect.com || || Discogs ||

Tracks that got my attention:
Jack’s Back
Kinda weird reviewing a 30 second intro but it’s worth it: a great way to start an album, a condensed version of what you can expect.
Promises, promises..

Appreciate
A bit lazy, a bit weak. Track’s very well produced, getting into a fine groove, but nothing spectacular.

Underwaterluvboogie (deep blue)
Well, they’ve been labeled as an electrotechnofunkrock band and they deliver as promised. But kinda so-so experience.

When She Smiles, She Lights The Sky
Ohwow.. Incredible build-up: the string loop, the soft falsettos, that bass/guitar in the background and then.. The Pay-off, sweet! Excellent track, yessirree!! Keeps your head bobbing with a great smile on your face..

Got2Get2Gether4Luv
Excellent funky nastiness, a Nile Rogers guitar, a plucking bass and a great chorus.

Two Beautiful Souls In A Crazy World
Here’s where the band keeps disappointing me (as if their existince is based on pleasing me, heh..). Just doesn’t work for me, yuck..

Beautiful Babies
Yeah, it’s been done a gazillion times, but they get this one right: just a sweet soulful kinda ballad, their style is right on the money for this track.

Stardancer
Hey, Jamiroquai got away with doing this kind of music for years and in this case, Plantlife nails it, even though I know I’d skip this track more times than I’d let it play on.

The Girl Said Give It To Me!
Excellent floorfiller. Plus a great MC Lyte sample at the end.

If I Wuz Ur Man
Hmm.. The title’s a dead giveaway - we’re invited to listen to a very Prince-inspired track. Kinda nice..

Conclusion
Here’s the thing, play some of these tracks on the dancefloor and the floor will go wild, but don’t you dare to play more than one song, it will become boring. And that’s the same thing with the whole album: some tracks are excellent, well-thought and deepdown Groovay. But most tracks just turn me off, there’s this laziness that just makes the songs a bit too cheezy to ignore. I love the fact that some classic styles are being recycled, but it’s not done well enough for me to enjoy. Probably getting way too many Outkast references from this record, but that’s my mindset being a bit too nasty.
The intro doesn’t deliver, but hey, we’re just talking about my expectations, I’m sure this album will work for other people..

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General Description
Artist/Band: Koop
Album Title: Koop Islands
Year: 2006

Laidback, low-brow and funfunfun!

How I Got Into This Music
Damn, can’t remember.. Must be last.fm again
Got the album from Hieronymus Fox, and well, I like their vibe!

Google Search for reviews of this album || Album details at Artistdirect.com || Answers.com ||

Tracks that got my attention:
Koop Island Blues ft. Ane Brun
What a way to start a track: the cheesiest of Mediterranean strings (I’m guessing) and harmonica; immediately setting the mood for a jazzy, French film noir kinda movie. And Miss Brun finishes it all off with that perfect hint of melancholy. Excellent flute and brass works at the end!

Come to Me ft. Yukimi Nagano
When I heard this one, early November last year, I thought it’d be the most excellent X-Mas Alternative Track. And guess what I saw during the festive season? Yep, the clip of this track.. With the incredibly stunning Miss Yukimi Nagano; a name and a face you’d simply not associate with this type of music (proving my own limited mindset of course). The track itself is such fantastic Nostalgia, love it!

Forces… Darling ft. Earl Zinger
The name Zinger doesn’t ring a bell? No? Really? Oh well.. Remember that UK band called Galliano (thanks for the heads up, HF!). Not a bad track.

I See a Different You ft. Yukimi Nagano
Second track with the sweet vocals of miss Nagano; a bit more up-tempo, a bit heavier on the string arrangements and very, very catchy!

Let’s Elope ft. Mikael Sundin
Tropical jazz with great vibes and breathy vocals.

The Moonbounce
Heh, I think this track could be defined as Classic Koop: smart, jazzy and entertaining. It always takes a bloody great amount of courage and skill to use a flute on a track without seriously pissing me off. Nice horns too.

Beyond the Son ft. Earl Zinger
This is why the combo of Koop and Earl Zinger is so bloody obvious. Great vibes and laidback keys accompanying the soft and whispery voice of Zinger, who’s telling us a weird and enchanting story. Takes me back to Galliano’s work.

Conclusion
Hmm.. While writing this review I realised that this album isn’t that good at all. Weirdly enough, if you pay too much attention to what’s being presented, you lose sight of it’s allure and the whole thing loses its attraction.
This album is excellent: these guys take classic easy-listening jazz and reboot the whole thing; and it works! Just don’t try to read too much into it; sit back, relax, dip your toe in the pool, have a sip of that tropical cocktail and enjoy the setting sun. What? You’re just sitting in your appartment on a rainy and gloomy day? This album takes away all your greys and replaces them with technicolor rainbows of mellowness. It’s not a great album, it’s a great experience!

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General Description
Artist/Band: Ferdinand Jozef George
Album Title: Human To Human
Year: 2007

Human to Human,
A travel to you as a travel to me.
We come closer as time is not.
In beauty I realise destination in me.

How I Got Into This Music
My pal, Hieronymous Fox, was nagging me about this album from this Dutch musician for months and seeing that sometimes I just don’t wanna listen to his stuff too many times, I kinda ignored the advice. But then the guy never gives up and tends to be right about this stuff 4 out of 5 times.. He gave me the album to listen to and well, I’m kinda glad I did..

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Tracks that got my attention:
Human To Human
Great opening track; mellow vibed keyboards with a nice drum-n-bass energy and wicked percussion.

Madam Boogaloo
Title kinda says it all. It’s that South-American thing combined with that Lounge Lizzard feel, added bonus: the French Boulevard styled keyboards..

Gitano ft. Lillian Vieria
Nice build up, sweet vocals by Lillian Vieria of Zuco 103. Very subtle bass play, and again, Brazilian/Portuguese sounds great regardless what’s being said.

Ballad
Not so strong, it works for me sometimes as a nice lullaby, but usually I kinda wanna skip the track - the citar is nice though.

Song For Noah
Wow.. Incredible mood-filled song, the whole haunting fairy tale feel to it is just beautiful!! Beautiful vocals and lyrics by miss Simone Pormes.

Babybass
Like the title suggests, it’s all about the bass, baby!

Everytime We Say Goodbye
Nothing to do with the Cole Porter classic, but still an impressive piece of work. The track is a bit of a show-off: we are serious and talented musicians, listen to our work.
And that’s just it: it’s a technically superb performance, but not really meant to be accessable. Kinda like it, kinda don’t.

Yoopee
Heheh.. Great theme in three interesting variations.

Conclusion
This album and this artist show us another example of the great quality that the Dutch music scene can provide. A nice mix of styles, I think an interesting compromise between an almost purist love for music and simple, easy access pop music. This is done without selling their souls and that’s what makes the album so strong and incredibly mature.
HF was right as usual (godsdammit!) about this album and I share in his frustration that this guy doesn’t actively promote his stuff a bit more through the internet and with live performances. A myspace page isn’t enough, more interaction with audiences is needed.
I wanna see and hear more from this guy!

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General Description
Artist/Band: Jazzanova
Album Title: Belle Et Fou Soundtrack
Year: 2007

Meh..

How I Got Into This Music
A band (or, music production team, whatever..) that I’ve been enjoying for quite some time now. Loved their In Between album from yesteryears and now, this album’s been released a coupla months back.

Google Search for reviews of this album || More on the band at || Watch their stuff at || Jazzanova at Answers.com

Tracks that got my attention:
Rendezvous
Very nice intro and tribute to the late great Barry White. Love the the whole setup, classic strings and horn section.

This Is The Place (Overture)
Jazzanova doing their wicked stuff, continuing the theme from the previous track and tearing it apart, going in all directions.

Maybe Now - Clara Hill
Have do more research on this singer, took me a while to get used to this track. Depending on your mood, it can get a bit too repetitive.

Behold These Days (Berlin ‘74)
Sweet sounds, love the mellowness.

D-D-D-Dance - Micatone
Know the band by name, but never listened to any of their stuff, more homework to do. It’s the combo of funny lyrics and the catchy chorus that work for me best.

Morning Star - Clara Hill feat. Thief
One of the reasons why I first hated this album: incredibly boring stuff. A band like Air can walk that tight line between sweet beauty and boring pompousness, but these guys are just on the wrong side of the line.

That Night (Live at the SK Office)
And wow, now the combo does get the job done! Nice save from that awful Morning Star stuff.

Keep On Making Me High - Jazzanova feat. Georg Levin
Ah, if only George Michael would hear this track..

Sun In My Candlelight - Wahoo
Funny how Pharrell/N.E.R.D. have a monopoly on this type of track: slow guitars and a falsetto vocal always reminds me of them. That’s about the only reason I like this track, but I still really hate the title.

Flickermood - Forss
Holy $#!T, Batman!!1! One of the best things I’ve heard in a very frigging long time! Instrumental, multi-sample, breakbeats and a nice box of chocolates for dessert - listen to this track before you leave this mortal coil..

Conclusion
Hmmm.. Jazzanova rules my waves, top 10 faves on my list on last.fm, but this album?
My first listening sessions were in the car, a big no-no, totally ruined my driving mood and I stopped listening to this album for about two or three months. Then, after a while I started listening to it at home and that saved the album for me, kinda.. Barely..
Keep in mind that this whole album is more of a music score to accompany a dance theatre music show thingie. I’d be interested enough to go see it, but the album as such isn’t that great. Honorable mention for Flickermood!!

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