Frenchy’s Favorites: The Chess Cadet All Stars - How About A Game Of Chess?
General Description
Artist/Band: The Chess Cadet All Stars AKA Marc Mac 
Album Title: How About A Game Of Chess?
Year: 2005
My kind of weirdness!
How I Got Into This Music
One of those late discoveries through the lovely people at Last.fm. I was just browsing their excellent music selection and came across this album (can’t remember which track precisely). Finally got the album in september 2006 and was totally and completely mesmerised.
The Chess Cadet All Stars is a one-off project by mister Marc Mac, one half of 4hero.
Google Search: Reviews of How About A Game Of Chess? | This artist at Last.fm
Tracks that got my attention:
Intro
Heheh, setting the theme and style - a short sample from some Asian action movie (at least, it sounds like it)
Simple Folk
I remember some nitwit commenting on the repetition on this track; he still has use of his left arm on occassion and he can feel a rain storm coming just by the itching in his right hand..
Seriously, I love the repetition: adding little layers to the ground beat and piano sample is beautiful!
Space Cadet
Man, that beat.. It’s something from the Caribbean, not quite sure.
See Me Smile ft. Etta James
Hmm. my least favorite track; I don’t mind the vocals but they just don’t blend that well for me.
Blue Phil
Movie theme music, I can imagine Guy Richie using this for his umpteenth comeback movie
Tune For God
The weirdness expands into saxophone loops
Take The Queen
The Melancholy is all over this track. Thanks to that creep Moby, I started hating blues vocals being looped in a track. Take The Queen is the antidote.
A Bad Minute
50s/60s brass and strings mixed with some very heart-wrenching dialogue
Pick A Colour
I had to get used to the piano loops and high-pitch keyboards, but after a while I really loved this track. Listen to the beats in the background.
Sandman
Impossible to describe, but here goes. Another 90 second track with a great beat, lovely strings and general grooviness
No Bread No Peace
This track just gets to me everytime. When the music starts blending into the intro-monologue, I get all mellow. It’s the tear-filled guitar and horns, they’re beautiful!
Got U In Check
Lovely, lovely, lovely! Oh man!! It’s a lullaby with a cool beat. That’s it, beauty in simplicity!
Alone Me And The Sea
Damn! Still not sure who’s being sampled here, but my guess is Stephanie Mills. The mood on this track is total MellowDrama.
Dell’s Bells
A great track for a long drive.
Slide Bishop Slide
Subtle Arabian Nights flavored track with some crazy horn samples.
Latin Gold Theme
Instant dance classic! It’s a great remix/remake of I Am the Black Gold of the Sun track from the Nuyorican Soul album; a classic album by the boys of Masters At Work.
Conclusion
One of my all-time favorite albums ever! It’s got the precise balance of weirdness, beats, loops and orchestration that gets me jumping with joy everytime I listen to it. I still can’t get bored by it. I can’t explain it to other people, so just go and try to find the album and listen to it..
