Album: Cancer 4 Cure Artist: El-P Year: 2012 My favorite thing about closely following new music is those rare moments when an album comes along that shines a new light on a tired sound or genre. Cancer 4 Cure, the latest release from Brooklynite Jaime Meline, a.k.a. El-P, is one of those albums. Just when… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Hip-Hop / Soul / Funk
Album Review: Murs, “Love and Rockets, Volume 1″
Album: Love and Rockets, Volume 1 Artist: Murs Year: 2011 I’ll admit it. I had heard of Murs of a long time ago, but wrote him off as the type of aggressive, chauvinistic hip hop that I don’t generally care for. When Love and Rockets, Volume 1 came out last week and I read some of… Continue Reading
Album Review: tUnE-YaRdS, “WHOKILL”
Album: WHOKILL Artist: tUnE-YaRdS Year: 2011 No it’s not tune-yards. It’s tUnE-YaRdS, and no it’s not indie-rock, it’s some kind of Afro-pop-electronic-soul fusion. And yes, the music is wonderful and new and different and deserves all the the acclaim it is receiving. tUnE-YaRdS is essentially a one-woman band, the work of Merrill Garbus, a young… Continue Reading
Album Review: Shabazz Palaces, “Black Up”
Album: Black Up Artist: Shabazz Palaces Year: 2011 I’m not an aficionado of hip hop or rap, but from time to time a hip hop album will grab me by the gut and not let go. This was the case with my first listen to the new release from Shabazz Palaces, Black Up. From… Continue Reading
Album Review: Black Dub, “Black Dub”
Album: Black Dub Artist: Black Dub Year Released: 2010 There are voices and then there are voices. Trixie Whitley is a young girl with some powerfully soulful pipes and she is the voice of the new group Black Dub, headed up by all-star record producer, guitarist and composer Daniel Lanois. Lanois produced albums for such… Continue Reading
Album Review: The Roots, "How I Got Over"
Album: How I Got Over Artist: The Roots Year Released: 2010 As you can tell from the albums I choose to review, I don’t listen to that much hip hop. When I do venture out into the world of rap, and hip hop, my expectations are sometimes a little too low. That said, How I… Continue Reading
Album Review: John Legend and The Roots, "Wake Up!"
Album: Wake Up! Artist: John Legend and The Roots Year Released: 2010 I’ll admit, I was about three songs into the album before I realized it was an album of cover songs. I was sitting and listening, thinking, “These songs are wonderful! They sound like instant classics.” That when it hit me. They are… Continue Reading
Album Review: Frazey Ford, "Obadiah"
Album: Obadiah Artist: Frazey Ford Year Released: 2010 Frazey Ford is the first female singer/songwriter I’ve heard in a while who doesn’t make me want to go back and listen to Neko Case, rather than another voice that sounds kind of like her. Similarly, Frazey Ford is the first quasi-folk singer who has made me… Continue Reading
Album Review: Rob Swift "The Architect"
Album: The Architect Artist: Rob Swift Year Released: 2010 I’ll be honest, I don’t listen to that much Hip Hop or DJ’s, not because I don’t like the music, but mostly because I can’t handle the violent/sexual themes in so much of today’s rap music. On the other hand, a good DJ is pretty hard… Continue Reading
Now Listening: K'Naan "Troubadour"
Aparently, K’Naan (Keinan Abdi Warsame) has been around for a while, releasing his first major LP in 2004. I feel incredibly grateful to have finally found his unique and soulful brand of hip-hop with his newest release, from February of this year, Troubadour. K’Naan has elicited a number of comparisons to Bob Marley, with his… Continue Reading