Frenchy’s Fracas

First things first: some cunts over at rotterdamjazz dot com are splogging my posts through Technorati - no way of contacting them yet, but I have my traditional greeting for them: choke on it and drop dead, pretty please with sugar on top..

The Acts
Bob Brookmeyer New Art Orchestra
Meh

Deelder Draait
The pride of Rotterdam, poet and Mayor of the Rotterdam Night Life: mister Jules Deelder! A jazz fanatic and he likes to preach to anyone who wants to listen: jazz is Jazz! - nice!

Africando
Another mix of styles, nice, but not really memorable - not bad

Dave Holland Quintet
Bassist Dave Holland has a great group of musicians to bring us excellent jazz music - sweet!

Hieronymus Fox:
I think I have never heard a guy playing the contra bass as tight as Dave Holland was. Great drummer, great blowers, great vibraphone and berimbau.. everything was so damn good!

Candy Dulfer & Friends
Just the closing fifteen minutes. I’m always amazed by this lady: her albums are mediocre at best, but her performance is something everybody should experience - solid!

Amy Winehouse
Who? The craziest of the craziest people in the music business at the moment, failed to show up and canceled. I guess I was lucky to get a chance to see her perform at Paradiso, because this is the second time the girl’s canceled a show in Holland this year. As I said before: this gal is one of the most incredible entertainers we have at the moment, but the way the anorexic drunk is behaving at the moment, I expect her to do a Hendrix in six to twelve months - Silly Rabbit..

Sly & The Family Stone
The One Everybody Was Waiting For.. Can’t find the words, I’ll probably post a seperate piece later on.. HF gives a great review:

Hieronymus Fox:
..What happened? The band started to play about five or six songs, playing straight ahead funky music. Timeless classics with a couple of the original band members still standing strong, but without.. Sly…
Anyway, at last he came on stage and yes, he looked hunchbacked, wore a strange XXL T-shirt, but was alive and active and when he sad down behing his Fender Rhodes and started to play and sing… aaaahh the old Sly was back! A deep soulful voice, sometimes soft, sometimes crying out loud. Shivers all over!

Sleepwalker
Japanese modern jazz/R&B - nice!

Snoop Dogg
WTF is Snoop Dogg doing at the North Sea Jazz?!? I mean, last year we had that horrible Kanye West, so this was a nice improvement, but still..

Conclusion
Third day was weird, we were dead tired, but we did get to see Sly & The Family Stone!!

Hieronymus Fox’s North Sea Jazz Journals at Last.fm:
Bob Brookmeyer New Art Orchestra
Dave Holland Quintet
Da Sole Selecta’s
Sly & The Family Stone

Pictures at Flickr.com

Share This

Oooooo, daddy-o! Those crazy people of the North Sea Jazz Festival have anounced their line-up/program!! And it’s an interesting collection of artists that will be performing during those hot and sweaty days in July; here’s a few names:

• Amy Winehouse (still sober?)
• Snoop Dogg (WTF?)
• Steely Dan (the masters of silky pop)
• Sly & The Family Stone (xcellent surprise)
• Joshua Redman
• Ornette Coleman
• Wynton Marsalis (arrogant legend)
• Al Green (YES!!!!)

Me am happy, me start saving cash for three days of music, me am happyhappy!

Share This

General Description
Artist/Band: Outkast
Album Title: Idlewild
Year: 2006

Not a Classic?
 
How I Got Into This Music
Hmm.. First time I saw/heard a track by these guys was The Art Of Storytelling with Slick Rick . It caught my attention: speedy, smart rapping and two guys not really fitting the usual rap star mold. I kinda lost track of them (didn’t even remember the band name), but then Bombs Over Baghdad happened - WOW! Still one of the most incredible things I’ve ever heard in my life.. Just the drum beat programming knocked me off my chair, damn!.
And then, I kinda lost track of them, again - silly me. With the fantastic Speakerboxx/The Love Below album these guys made it to the top and now they’re a household name in rap and pop. Now the soundtrack to their Idlewild movie Project has been released.

Album credits at artistdirect.com || Google Search: Other reviews of Idlewild || Review at Answers.com

Tracks that got my attention:
Intro
It’s a great way to start an album: taking on the critics in one clean sweep. But the sneakiness is in the great music that’s lurking in the background

Mighty “O”
Easy single material - the Cab Calloway/Minnie the Moocher hook works perfectly for the pop charts

Peaches ft. Sleepy Brown, Scar
Outkast has a lot of styles that can be called their own and Typical Outkast. This is one of them: Big Boi’s hi-tempo rap, sweet and lush accompanying vocals and a very, very tight beat. Love it

Idlewild Blue
Second single off the album. Very gutsy video, song’s okay.

N2U
See the remarks for Peaches - it’s smart, how they do this track, people ‘ll be humming this track for weeks

Chronomentrophobia
This one’s more the Andre 3000 flavour but in this case, it doesn’t work for me

The Train ft. Sleepy Brown, Scar
Okay, I should be getting tired of hearing the same style over and over, but like Peaches and N2U, this track really gives me a great feeling. I guess with this album, I’m preferring Big Boi’s work more than Andre 3000’s

Hollywood Divorce ft. Lil’ Wayne, Snoop Dogg
Very strong track, the combo of different rap vocals, the haunting keyboards and ultra-dry hi-hat beat are very tasty. Also a likely candidate for single release

Call The Law ft. Janelle Monae
Very nice vocals from this lady, the retro Roaring Twenties feel fits the theme of the movie

Makes No Sense At All
Andre 3000 genius insanity - love it and hate it at the same time, makes no sense at all..

PJ And Rooster
This is truely Outkast: weird, funny, sharp and witty - that’s what Gnarls Barkley tried to copy and still haven’t mastered..

Greatest Show On Earth ft. Macy Gray
I just love this girl’s attitude, her performance on this track with Andre 3000’s backing vocals help create a great circus atmosphere - offbeat, kinky and fun!

Conclusion
I kinda expected the same new discoveries I made while listening to their previous album, but that’s very silly and contradictory.. These guys have a unique and fresh approach to the production and performance of the tracks. Even if their work is a bit predictable on this album, it still is very high quality stuff. Not really interested in the movie, the album’s good enough for me.

Rating: (being just a wee bit generous..)

Share This

General Description
Artist/Band: Justin Timberlake
Album Title: FutureSex/LoveSounds
Year: 2006

Twice shy?
 
How I Got Into This Music
First single from his Justified album took me by surprise: a boy band nobody doing serious pop, produced by the Neptunes, how can that be?
I just didn’t know what to think.. Second and third single came out and I knew I had to give that record a listen. The element of surprise worked for 4 or 5 tracks but the other ones weren’t that good. Still, I was curious for whatever this guy was producing. His incredible track on Sergio Mendes’ Timeless showed the quality of a real performer.
And now, his second album is out.. Logical progression or ??

Album info at Answers.com || Album review at artistsdirect.com || Google: Other reviews of this album

Tracks that got my attention:
Futuresex/Lovesound
Title track. Took me quite a while to get used to the sound, the groove and beats. There’s this Another One Bites the Dust effect on the bass groove, catchy.

Sexyback
First single off the album - can’t get used to it. It sure as hell is different than what I kinda expected, but that’s okay with me

Sexy Ladies/Let Me Talk to You Prelude
That bass is what makes it work for me on this track. Timbaland’s production value is working its stuff here..

My Love
Second single, so typical of this album: can’t put my finger on it, great yet disappointing

Lovestoned/I Think She Knows Interlude
First part of the track’s full of dance energy. Second part, nothing subtle about it

Chop Me Up
Horrible, horrible.. First time I’ve been able to categorize this guy as a wigger. And that’s not fair, but this track really gets on my nerves

Damn Girl
Annoying Will.I.Am featuring on this excellent track, full credits for the Old Soul Vibe they’ve produced on this track

Until the End of Time
Already labeled as the new King Of Pop and he still wants more: great beat sample of Prince’s Purple Rain era.

(Another Song) All Over Again
A very mature track, but what really knocked my socks off was finding out who the producer was: one of this sweet earth’s most important and influential producers of the last two decades, Rick Rubin

Take Away Your Love
Shit, close your eyes and you get that Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Debarge feeling - scary how well produced this track sounds. And Timberlake’s no slouch either..

Pose ft. Snoop Dogg
Nasty lyrics, great beat and of course long-time collaborator Snoop on this funky bonus track

Floatin’ ft. Charlie Wilson
Like the previous track, Floatin’ is more like the tracks of the first album - love it!

Conclusion
Respect. Sounds cheesy, but the guy keeps on taking risks and on this album there are plenty taken: no Neptunes, no reusing of the success formula of the previous album, more Dirty South influences. Some work, some really, really don’t. Timbaland seems to be the main influence and that works quite well, but I kinda miss the Neptunes on this album. It takes guts to take these risks and even though I preferred the debut album, the FutureSex/LoveSounds album is a great follow-up. I just wonder if it’ll be just as successfull.. It’s kinda weird that I enjoyed the bonus tracks more than the album itself.

Rating:

Share This

General Description
Artist/Band: Pharrell Williams
Album Title: In My Mind
Year: 2006

Finally..
 
How I Got Into This Music
It took quite some time for this guy’s album to come out, but it’s finally here: Pharrel Williams’ In My Mind. For those not in the know: this artist/producer is one half of the famous The Neptunes. I really have enjoyed the work they’ve produced these last five years; I’m sure that one in ten songs that have hit the top of the pop charts in that period has been produced by these guys, and that’s really scary.
Now this album’s been delayed so many times that I almost gave up on ever hearing it, and I was curious to see if the waiting took all the possible enjoyment out of this album.

Album credits at artistdirect.com || Google Search: Other reviews of In My Mind ||

Tracks that got my attention:
Can I Have It Like That ft. Gwen Stefani
Wow!! This track was the first single release and it showed the great potential I’d expect from this artist. Just listen very closely to all the different low-spectrum sounds, the mix of samples and the great hook. Stefani’s being paid for one single line I guess.. Pharrell’s not very strong on the lyrics, tho.

How Does It Feel?
A typical Takes A While To Get Use To track. Just didn’t get used to it, nope.

Raspy Shit
Reminds me of Faith Evans’ “Mesmerized” track. Great chorus, catchy.

Best Friend
One of the two sublime tracks on this album. Granted, his rapping flow ain’t the greatest, but here it’s the lyrics: very open and naked. A real Takes A While To Get Use To track, coz the chorus got on my nerves in the beginning, but now? Man, I’m screaming my lungs inside out!

Keep It Playa ft. Slim Thug
Honorable mention: don’t like the track, but it really takes you back to the first Neptunes success with Mystikal “Shake Your Ass”

That Girl ft. Snoop Dogg
What he does best: the mellow retro soul mixed with a wicked beat and, of course, Snoop Dogg - excellent track!

Take It Off (Dim the Lights)
Great production, excellent smooch ballad. Takes me back to my first slow dance, ah.. The memories, hope the girl finally got some feeling back in her toes, heheh..

Stay With Me (Dim The Lights) ft. Pusha T
Another great modern Soul production

Our Father
Second of the Sublimes. Dunno, but his lyrics seem credible, his performance enhances his words perfectly

Number One ft. Kanye West
Second hit single, still detest Kanye West. Great pop song

Conclusion
The main problem is that of expectations: this guy’s work with The Neptunes is fresh, smart and innovative. And it’s been that way for quite a while, an impressive feat by itself. But still I kinda expected this album to have those same qualities, and.. it didn’t deliver the goods. I can’t expect someone to keep amaze and surprise me with new sounds, beats and production, but still, I kinda do..
Another thing, most tracks weren’t really club songs, but I expect the different mixtapes and remixes to be compensate that shortcoming.
It’s an excellent album even though some tracks were less than okay (the tracks with Jay-Z and Nelly respectively were first class duds). Those expectations were just too high.

Rating: (still gifted..)

Share This