Break My Soul

Welcome to the Europop portion of the show. I came across this group purely by accident. I was looking for something and this group popped up and I fell in love with what I heard. Anyone who knows me knows I love my music drenched in the low end. In other words, the more bass the better. Those that know me also know that I have a thing for dark grooves, great melody, and strings (my mom used to play the violin, don’t blame me). The music offered up by the group Hybrid pleases me on every last one of those fronts, hence the name “Hybrid” I guess. Their song entitled “Break My Soul” encompasses all of that. The melodies are beautiful, the strings are prominent, and this song isn’t meant to be heard through your little headphone buds but on real speakers because only real speakers can capture the low end properly. Add to that the fact that it's an anthem for women and you have a great song.

I fell in love with their album “I Choose Noise” and couldn’t wait for their next release which dropped earlier this year called “Disappear Here”. Now just because you hear vocals doesn’t mean that all of their previous music has this sound. The group comprised of Mike Truman and Chris Healings didn’t start really trying to write structured songs until Charlotte James rounded out the group. “Noise” and “Disappear” couldn’t sound more different and in some ways that’s a good thing and a bad one but I won’t criticize. If you choose to look into the group you can make that determination for yourself. All I know is that I love this song and one of the most beautiful things about this song is those are actual strings you’re hearing courtesy of The City of Prague Orchestra and not some synthesizer. It adds a more dramatic touch to the song in my opinion.

Just when you don’t think this song can get any better the break comes in with an acoustic guitar, strings, and Charlotte that’s just really pretty. It’s a nice reprieve from the darkness of the song, like a refreshing drink of water before the action resumes, and it does resume with a vengeance. There have been just a few songs where I wish I could have been in the studio at the time of their recording. Marvin Gaye’s “Mercy, Mercy Me”, Stevie Wonders “Love’s in Need of Love Today”, Prince’s “Purple Rain”, Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” and “Redemption Song” and this song. Strange I know but what can I tell you? Those that know me know what I mean.

Downtime

I have to thank my friend Art for hipping to this man. Robert Glasper is an amazing piano player and his song “Downtime” is the perfect soundtrack for those “lazy Sundays”. Off of his third album “Double Booked”, “Downtime” is the kind of track you cue up on your stereo while you’re in the kitchen making pancakes or reading the paper in your robe. It’s the perfect compliment to a day where the last thing on your mind is putting clothes on and going out. And if it’s raining or snowing then all the better.

If you haven’t been able to tell, I am always looking for new music and new doesn’t have to be fresh out the wrapper. New for me could be something that was released fifteen years ago but I just never heard it and my friends know this and Art had ever asked me if I’ve ever heard of Robert Glasper and I said no. He suggested I look into him (and his drummer, the amazing Chris Dave) and take a listen to “Double Booked”. The album was definitely impressive and one of the best cuts on the album in my opinion is “Downtime”. To me there’s nothing better than jazz on a Sunday morning and this song is the embodiment of that casual feeling.

Chris Dave is amazing and even on such a cool out, mellow tune his drumming is like an animal contained. His high hat work throughout the song from beginning to the end seems out of place at first but you slowly realize it’s just not random, that he’s playing his own little melody along with Roberts piano playing. For the majority of the song it’s just Robert and Chris but seemingly smack dab in the middle comes the cool upright bass played by Vincente Archer.

Do not, I repeat do NOT play this song while you’re in a rush to get somewhere. It will not put any pep in your step and in fact it may just slow you down and make you late. Hey, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

'Round Midnight

I figured since I mentioned him in an earlier post that I would post one of his most influential and one of my all time favorite jazz tunes by him. The him I refer too is Thelonious Monk and the song is called “’Round Midnight”. Quite simply one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded in my opinion, composed and played by the mad genius of jazz. This song altered not only Monks life but so many others as well, most for the better, a few for the worse. This song has been done over by everyone from Dexter Gordon to Bobby McFerrin, it became a jazz standard. If you called yourself a jazz musician then you had to play this song, it was as simple as that. It’s melancholy in its melody and breathtaking in its simplicity. Monk has been called the man who plays those notes that fall in-between the cracks and this song I think clearly demonstrates that.

When I first came across Monk I wasn’t a fan. I didn’t like his music but then what the hell did I know, I was a jazz novice. I thought I knew what there was to know about music and I thought jazz fell into that category. I was a fool. Jazz is a completely different beast, a land all it’s own with Kings and Queens and not just anyone was allowed on the property. You had to know what you were talking about and now I realize back then I really had no clue. I thought Monks music was discordant and strange. I thought his piano playing took away from the overall beauty of what the other players were doing. As I grew as an appreciator of jazz and my appetite for the music grew I gave another listen to Thelonious Sphere Monk and he blew me away.

Instead of taking away from the other musicians playing with him, he enhanced them. Instead of ruining the melody, he made it unique. There was no one sounding like Monk and no one ever would or could and he became an icon to me. The coolest cat amongst the coolest of cats, Pannonica and I agreed on that. He’s had other pieces that have moved me but none like ‘Round Midnight. It’s crazy but the more you listen to it the more it grabs you and won’t let you go. If you disagree with me then I dare you to put it on repeat and see what happens.

Dark Water feat. John Boutte

How to even begin with this one? Let me start off when I first heard about this group. I was sitting at home and watching a show called “Treme” on HBO about post Katrina New Orleans. I tuned in because the creators of that show were the people responsible for the amazing series “The Wire” of which I was a HUGE fan. Again if that show were a woman there would have been a restraining order out on me but I digress. If you haven’t checked out “Treme” yet by the way, you really should but anyway, this one episode starred Elvis Costello playing himself and he was at a recording session. Session ends and the musicians invite Elvis to come check out this “funky group of white boys” known as Galactic. I thought to myself “I wonder if that’s even a real group” and after a little bit of digging I found out they sure were real and like they said in the show they damn sure were funky. I got the chance to see them in concert when they visited The Brooklyn Bowl earlier this year and they blew the roof off the place.

This song, “Dark Water” off of their second release “Ya-Ka-May” is by far my favorite off this album. First time I heard it the bassline reached out and grabbed me by the neck. My brain said “holy SH*T, turn that UP!” and since then I was hooked. The bassline dominates and the drums compliment it to perfection. It’s got a gangsta lean type feel to it, full of swagger and bravado and maybe that’s why I love it so much. Anything this bad ass is hard not to love and admire. The lyrics seem like an after thought but if you listen to them carefully they bring the song together. It would have been fine as an instrumental but the lyrics sung by the award winning John Boutte (whose song "Treme" is the opening theme to the same named HBO show) are profound and the vocals are another instrument the fits in along side the bass, drums, guitar, and cello (yeah I said cello, listen close).

If this is the kind of music they are rocking to down in Nawlens then I need to get my ass down there and QUICK because apparently there’s more down there than crawfish, The Saints, and mardi gras. Check it out and see if I’m wrong. Maybe you'll want to come with :-)

Paris Groove

I have been a fan of this group ever since I walked in a record store (yeah I know keep bringing up this thing called a record store but I swear they really did exist) at least twenty years ago and I heard them playing over the sound system. I bought the album right on the spot. I didn’t need to hear anymore of the album because the song I heard was enough to sell me right there on the spot. Ever since then I’ve been following The Rippingtons w/Russ Freeman with crazed enthusiasm. If they were a woman I’m sure there would have been a restraining order out against me. That’s how big of a fan I am of their brand of music. Now those that know me know I am a jazz lover and a purist. Trane, Monk, Bird, Dizzy and the rest of the masters are the ones I love the most but there’s just something about The Rippingtons and their sound that I can’t deny loving, it almost represents a certain lifestyle or way of living, especially this song.

“Paris Groove” is catchy, easy, breezy and the perfect antidote for whatever is ailing you. I’ve offered up songs I thought were day starters, well this song and almost anything else The Rippingtons do are after work songs. Throw this tune on and you’ll get caught up in it and I’m confident your shoulders will relax and whatever was stressing you about your day will fade away and you may not even need to imbibe in the spirits. “Paris” starts off with that classic guitar sound, very mellow, very relaxing, the kind of music you can bop around the house to. It’s great background music or driving music (not that I drive but you know what I mean). Then comes the accordion (or the accordion sound) that cooks and plays well with the guitar work.

There are so many other Rippington songs I can recommend but I’ll let you dig into their vast collection for yourself. That’s only if you like their sound and if you don’t I’d ask you the cake question. Not liking this sound is like not liking cake and how could ANYONE not like cake?

Alive and Kicking

This is for all you 80’s heads. This is one of my all time favorite bands and this song is one of their bests in my humble opinion. The band is Simple Minds and the song is “Alive and Kicking”. You may already know this song and hate it or like me you may love it and unlike me just forgotten about it. I’m here to introduce it to you or re-introduce you to it. This song is one of those early morning get up and go songs that propels you into your day with a smile on your face as you sing along with Jim Kerr on your way to work or in the shower perhaps. Off of their amazing album Once Upon A Time, “Alive” harkens back to the days of the 80’s and John Hughes films when Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson were icons to the misfits and disenfranchised youth we used to be. I know I played this album more than any other when I first got it. I never left the house without this tape (yeah, I said tape dammit).

Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland Simple Minds has been a phenomenally successful band and in fact “Alive” went to number 3 worldwide (Don’t You (Forget about me) went to number 1). Released in November of 1985 “Once” reached number one in the UK and number ten here in the States and became their most successful full length album of the bands career and that was done without the song “Don’t You” from “The Breakfast Club”. The thing I love most about this song is how it builds. It simmers at first with the drums and keyboards intro and then Jim’s voice comes in with “You turn me on / you lift me up / like the sweetest cup / I share with you / you lift me up / don’t you ever stop / I’m here with you” and that leads into the soulful chant which leads into the catchy chorus and we’re off and running.

After the second verse, soulful chant and catchy chorus there’s a piano break that comes in all alone and settles the song down only for the drums to come back in and bring the song back up to a simmer along with some soulful vocals very reminiscent of “Tears For Fears”. Guess that was the recipe for success back in the day and that credit should really go to Pink Floyd but I’m again getting off track here. Jim comes back in with the catchy chorus and his adlibbing at the end elevates this song to another level.

Quite simply this song cooks and it brings to mind Ferris and Bender, bananas in tailpipes, the moonwalk and everything else the 80’s gave birth too. Take a listen and enjoy the trip down memory lane.

Where is My Mind?

If you haven't heard this wacky, groovy, addictive song then allow me to bring it to you. It's by The Pixies and it's called "Where is My Mind?". Right away it starts off wierd with someone humming and someone else saying "Stop". Then the groove comes in starting with an acoustic guitar and then the drums, lead guitar, and funky bassline all join in. And behind it all is that humming that someone told someone to stop doing in the beginning. Wierd, right? Or is it just me?

Well wierd or not this song rocks even if it doesn't blaze and if it's not as tight as "lazy eye" by Silversun. But in fact it's the sloppiness that adds to the charm of the song in my opinion. It sounds like a stoner anthem actually and it probably is somewhere to someone. From the title of the song and with lyrics like "With your feet in the air / and your head on the ground / try this trick and spin it, yeah / your head will collapse / but there's nothing in it / and you'll ask yourself / where is my mind?", I ask you how could this song NOT be a stoner anthem?

The band is originially from Boston but never really found any serious success here in the States like they did in England which is why most mistake them from being from there. The Pixies are homegrown and while their record sales have never broken any records, they've been far more successful touring over the years and "Mind" sounds like it would be incredible to hear live. What do you think?

lazy eye

I felt it was time to flip the script so to speak and change things up. I thought it was high time I introduced some harder music on my blog and introduce you to a very cool band. The harder music comes in the form of a song called "lazy eye" and the band is the indie rock band named Silversun Pickups. I've been a fan of this band from Los Angeles for awhile now and "lazy eye" is one of my favorite songs from them. It's off of their album "Carnavas" and the first thing that caught me was the drums laid down by Christopher Guanlao. The word precision does him no justice.

The second thing that caught me were the vocals by lead vocalist/guitarist Brian Aubert. His voice is so smooth over this track that it's the perfect compliment over the guitar distortion abd syncopation. The distortion smacks of early Nirvana to me but it works with the vibe of the song and of course the vocals. The band also includes vocalist and bassist Nikki Monninger and the guy the band considers their secret weapon keyboardist Joe Lester.

Carvanas is their first full length album and for a first attempt it's damn good and the highlight of the album is "lazy eye". Take a listen and let me know if you agree with me. They might just make you a fan too (and keep your ears open for those drums).

I'm Not The Enemy

When I first I heard this song I thought it was compelling but I didn’t pursue it. I liked the melody and instrumentation but for the most part I brushed it aside. How foolish of me. Thankfully I heard it again this past weekend and I pounced on it and had it on repeat for the majority of the weekend. It’s an amazing song by lina entitled “I’m Not The Enemy” off of her album “Stranger on Earth”. Lina isn’t the strongest vocalists out there, she’s not anywhere in the same category of say a lizz wright or a Laura Izibor but her vocals work for her style and they definitely work for this song. “Enemy” is a well executed song on all fronts. It’s arranged beautifully and it couldn’t have been produced any better. This song has a seriously sexy swagger to it and if downloaded you will put this song on repeat because it’s that good.

The instrumentation has a retro 1920’s feel to it but what stands out to me are the lyrics. The chorus speaks nothing but the truth when lina sings “You can’t love nobody unless you love yourself / Don’t take it out on me baby / I’m not the enemy”. Once I heard those words I played a lot closer attention to the rest of the lyrics because honestly upon first listening I was purely focused on the music. It’s just so damn catchy but the songs lyrics make this song something definitely worth listening to. Lina starts off with “I don’t know you, don’t know those melancholy eyes I see / do you even know me?” and she goes on to talk about how her man is familiar to her but his words aren’t and it speaks to a certain part of me as I’m sure it would most men. There are those moments when we don’t open up, when we don’t speak and we hold in things until we explode and we become unrecognizable to those who love us at that instant but they aren’t the enemy, we are.

Why this song didn’t get more play, earn a Grammy nomination, or put this artist on the map I will never figure out or understand because it should have. This song is worthy of that kind of attention, at least it is in my humble opinion. Take a listen and see if you agree with me.

Just One More Day

I ask you, honestly is there an all around voice in the history of all around voices better than the man that is Otis Redding? You could argue Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Teddy Pendergrass, Smokey Robinson perhaps? You could even add Al Green and Sam Cooke sang better than Otis and it would be hard to win that argument but there is no way anyone could argue on how once you start listening to Otis your soul yearns for more. With a voice that is one part smooth as glass, two parts Southern Baptist preacher, and two parts gravel road Otis’ voice is unmatched by those other magnificent vocalists I mentioned earlier. The man mastered the begging and the pleading on a record before Teddy did it and he rivaled James Brown for the beg and plead crown. And in my opinion Otis was at his beg and plead best on “Just One More Day”.

The song is about a man who would do anything his woman wants him to do if he could just have one more day and as a man I can definitely relate to that sentiment. Hell, regardless of the sex I think we can all relate to that at one time or another. This was a song in his collection that I think was severely overlooked which is understandable when you look through his collection of hits and classics but “Just” should be right up there. The music is beautifully mournful, melodic, and simple. It’s Otis and a guitar at first and then an organ comes in followed by some horns (a staple of his). Then the more instruments come in but it never loses that intimate feel. The song then builds at the end and Otis gets his begging and pleading on but you saw that coming even if I didn’t give you the heads up.

Taken from us far too soon who knows what Otis was working on and would have given us before his untimely demise. Thankfully though the man was a workhorse and left us so many songs to enjoy and remember him by. “Just One More Day” is definitely one of those for me.

It Could Happen To You

This is an old favorite of mine and I smile whenever it plays in my headphones so I thought I would share it. It’s a well known jazz standard and when I bought the album “Heavy Nova” by Robert Palmer all those years ago I certainly didn’t expect to hear it. What was even more surprising was that it was done so exquisitely well. On the same album as his mega hit “Simply Irresistible” and the Gap Bands great remake “Early In The Morning”, “It Could Happen To You” was snuggled away and vastly overshadowed but when I heard the vocals and those strings I was floored. I was never a really big Robert Palmer fan before this album but after this album I was because this album definitely showed his range. This album also contains his version of The Jackson’s “Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming”, the easy, breezy “She Makes My Day” and the mellow “Between Us” and it’s those songs plus “It Could” that clearly demonstrated his ability and willingness to step out of the box and go against peoples perception of who they thought he was.

Robert had been recording music pretty much all of his life but it wasn’t until his stint as point man in Power Station with a few members of Duran Duran (when that group took a hiatus from each other, remember Arcadia?). The success of Power Station along with his album previous album “Riptide” propelled “Heavy Nova” to number one here in the States. You remember the video for “Simply Irresistible” right? Does the all girl look alike band with the short skirts “playing” the instruments ring a bell? That wasn’t the reason why I bought the album but it wasn’t not the reason either (if you know what I mean). To be honest I forgot what the reason was that I bought “Heavy Nova” but I’m glad I did.

“It Could Happen To You” is a classic jazz standard that’s been recorded by such luminaries like Dinah Washington and Chet Baker. It was even done by the late Heath Ledger in the movie “A Knight’s Tale (who gets an A for effort). It’s a great song with a great message of be careful because this love thing could happen to you like it happened to me. With lyrics like “Guard your dreams at night / lock your heart up tight / it could happen to you” and “All I did was wonder / how your arms would be / and it happened to me” makes this the perfect cautionary tale about love done in such a lush way that you can’t believe it’s Robert Palmer doing it but it was him doing it and he did it well.

Ali in the Jungle

I’ve got another morning song to put some pep in your step. It’s called “Ali in the Jungle” by the band The Hours. Now if you think you’ve heard this song before you’re probably right. It was used ingeniously in a Nike campaign. It’s where I first heard it and fell in love with it. It asks that age old question about after you get knocked down, how quick are you going to get back up. As you may have also already figured (thanks to the title of the song) Muhammad Ali is mentioned numerous times in the song but so are other prominent historical people who’ve dealt with difficult circumstances only to overcome them and succeed.

Now while the lyrics are uplifting and encouraging, they would almost be insignificant if it weren’t for the backing track. The music grabs you and propels you forward. It starts of some double time percussion which is joined by a guitar lick and piano. Then comes one of the greatest opening lines to any song, ever “It’s not how you start, its how you finish” and after that the song is off and running. And to top it off, at the end of the song you get the radio broadcast that was aired when Ali beat George Forman in Kinshasa, Zaire which was the perfect finishing touch. This song will definitely recharge your battery and if it doesn’t you might want to look into getting a new battery, asap!

Land of Promise

Okay, I can’t hide the fact that I am in love with this song "Land of Promise" off the album “Distant Relatives”. A joint effort with Nasir Jones and Damian Marley “Distant” is a collection of some of the catchiest melodies, hooks, and singing I’ve heard in awhile. All of that is so clearly on display on the song “Land of Promise.” The first thing that catches you about this song is the menacing bassline. It works in such a way that you can’t help but nod your head in time with it and Damien Marley’s vocals float on top of the track so perfectly that he almost reminds you of his father Bob. Then Nas comes in and rocks the mic like he hasn’t done in years. His recent projects haven’t come close to the lyrics he drops on “Distant Relatives”. His own albums don’t contain such uplifting, political, empowering, and searing verses delivered with the power like he offers on this album and if you listen to his rap on this track it’s a good representation of his work on the other tracks.

How these two got artists got together I don’t know but I hope they get together again and do another project soon. “Land of Promise” is a hot track but there are other tracks on this album in my opinion are simply amazing. That doesn’t mean there aren’t tracks that should have been reworked or completely forgotten about but for the most part if you are a fan of these two men then you will love this album. Songs like “As We Enter”, “Friends” and the poignant “Africa Must Wake Up” are just three of the highlights on this album and on “Strong Will Continue” Nas even raps about his recent marital strife and being divorced from the mother of his newborn son.

If you’re not a fan of hip hop or reggae then maybe you won’t like this album but if you’re of an open mind then maybe, just maybe you’ll listen to this song and enjoy it as much as I do (well, maybe not as much but I’m confident you’ll like it).

Sunrise

Okay, right up front I am going to admit something I have only admitted to very few people (Yes I am about to lay something on the table here, brace yourself). I am a HUGE Hall & Oats fan, there I said it and there is no shame in my game. I don’t know what it is or was about their music but I loved it. Bopping my head, tapping my feet, singing along with the song walking down the street, yep that was me. I was that guy and still am for the most part. I don’t have a particularly favorite song of theirs but “I Can’t Go For That” always made me smile when I heard it and I would crank my radio, stereo, or walkman (remember those?) all the way up when it came on. I was a fan because those two rocked and I defy anyone to prove otherwise. So imagine my initial horror when I heard “Sunrise” by Simply Red. At first I was like “dude, WTF?” but the more it played the more I calmed down and my initial disgust became a real appreciation.

I love Simply Red and Mick Hucknall’s voice especially. Songs like “Money’s Too Tight to Mention” and one of my all time favorites “Holding Back the Years” made me a fan and I’m sure pulled you in as well. So I took a keen interest in their music and enjoyed most of what they released. I missed a few albums and a few songs over the years because I became a busy man. Seriously, I was busy but when things calmed down for me I took a walk back through their catalogue and I found this song.

“Sunrise” is a very cool song, easy and breezy which was a staple of Simply’s sound but what grabbed me was the backing music of Hall & Oats classic “I Can’t Go for That”. When the song first hit I felt that hint of familiarity like I’ve heard this song before while never hearing this song before. Then it hit me like a truck barreling down I-95, this was a blatant rip off of my boys. DUDE, WTF? ‘That’s so not cool’ I thought but the damn thing grew on me (no not like a fungus, where is your MIND?) and the more I listened to it the more I loved it. It’s a great morning song as you prepare yourself to get past the burning sands of the day to make it to the oasis that is quitting time and I defy you to NOT bop your head or tap your feet.

The Last Time

This entry is about a song that I doubt very many people heard that was on an amazing album that got very little play. Sadly much of that, oh hell, all of that was due to the artist’s personal life at the time. No one wanted to hear anything by Eric Benet, the guy who checked himself into a clinic for sex addiction, the man who broke Halle Berry’s heart in the process. Even I was one of them. I’m not big into celebrity gossip and nonsense but even I thought “damn, that’s some foul shit”. But one day as luck would have it I was in a music store (hard to believe I know) and I came across “Hurricane” by Eric Benet and if it wasn’t on sale I wouldn’t have looked at it twice. Luckily it was and I decided to buy it. I brought it home and gave it a listen. It blew me away.

I was never really a fan of Eric’s. His voice never really grabbed me, it’s a little on the light side and his songs felt like they were rejected Brian McKnight tunes. His main audience was of course the ladies and they fawned over him until the unforgivable Halle Berry debacle. He was front page cannon fodder and was dragged over the hot coals for a good minute so basically he disappeared and went off to lick his wounds. He re-emerged with “Hurricane” and from listening to it his time away was well spent. It’s a collection of songs filled with regret, hurt, and promise by a man who realized he’s made some mistakes. As I made my way through the material I was impressed that these tunes didn’t sound like rejected McKnight songs and while his voice still didn’t impress me, “The Last Time” damn sure did.

It starts of with a beautiful piano melody and it immediately comes across as a torch song or an old Blue Eyes standard. The orchestration is beautiful, the melody is haunting, and the lyrics are perfect. I went in to listening to this CD that was on sale not expecting much and I‘ve been haunted by this song ever since and sadly this wonderful album was hardly touched and this song was hardly heard. That was a shame. Now please understand that after this CD he went right back to being the weak voiced Benet that I never liked but his “Hurricane” album was the perfect storm. A broken man who had to rediscover the artist that the world beat down and trampled into the ground. He came back and in my humble opinion captured lightning in a bottle and “Last Time” exemplifies that emphatically. Take a listen and see if you agree with me…

The Worst Is Over

Allow me to introduce to you another amazing female vocalist (if you don’t already know of her). Another amazing singer-songwriter who is not a household name yet, Laura Izibor has a voice that’s addictive and her songs are fun and uplifting to her demographic so not all of them grabbed me like this song did. “The Worst Is Over” is simply a great song regardless of the fact that the man is the bad guy. The musicianship is beautiful, the strings lay a lovely bed for Laura’s piano playing and vocals to make this song truly poignant. It’s about getting up again because once you’ve said goodbye, the worst is over. I have known quite a few women who were afraid to cut ties and walk away and every time I hear this song it strikes me like an anthem for them.

Originally from Dublin, Ireland she discovered soul music around 13 years old and fell in love with it when she heard the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Roberta Flack and others of that era. She’s been dubbed “the soul of Ireland” and when you listen to her you can see why. Her debut album “Let The Truth Be Told” is a collection of hard hitting soul songs that Laura called “her truth” and you can hear that in each song. You can also hear that this wasn’t a thrown together project. In fact it took four years for the 22 year old singer to complete it (yes I said “22 year old”). There’s been no video of this song but I found a live version of it which isn’t all that bad, it gives you a good idea of the song and of her talent.

“The Worst is Over” is that kind of song that will make anyone sit up and listen, it’s not one of those songs that will play meekly in the background and will soon be forgotten. This is a song that is an anthem for those people, not just women that fear taking that step of saying goodbye to someone who doesn’t deserve them. Maybe it’ll even be your anthem, you never know.

Mend (To Fix, To Repair)

I came across this artist completely by accident. I was rummaging around itunes looking for whatever caught my ear and punched in the name of a group I had recently unearthed named Hybrid. I wanted to see if they had anything I had not heard yet and this artists album came up and curious me took a listen. The first thing that caught me was of course her voice. She sounds like a mix between Bjork and Macy Gray which of course is the most bizarre pairing of voices one could ever possibly conceive and yet here she was, in the flesh (so to speak).

Her name is Elsiane and her CD is entitled (of course) Hybrid. I took a listen to this song and was immediately hooked. It wasn’t just her voice that pulled me in but the music backing her made me pay more attention to it than just her voice. It's lush and beautiful and her vocals fit perfectly in with the track. Granted there are times I have no idea what she’s saying but to me that’s not always important, what’s important is how beautiful what I am listening to is and Hybrid is simply beautiful. And the prettiest song on this beautiful album to me is “Mend (To Fix, To Repair)”.

“Mend” is the reason I purchased the entire album of this artist I had never heard of before and I was never prouder of myself and happier with my taking the leap. This album is a cool out and it will not disappoint in any way. It’s great background music to unwind to after a long and stressful day and “Mend” is the song I recommend playing first. Pour yourself a glass of wine, put your feet up and begin your unwind with this track and you will thank me, I swear.

Maybe this song will hit you like it hit me, making me wonder how was it I had never heard of this woman and her music before and maybe like me you’ll want to share it with your friends. Or maybe you’ll just decide to keep this to yourself and enjoy it all on your own, who knows? What I do know is if you listen with an open mind you will come to love this song and it may just make you want to hear the rest of the album. You might want to buy some more wine though.

Finding My Way Back

I wasn’t sure about this song when I first heard it but I have to admit that it has indeed grown on me and is now one of my favorites. It’s put images in my mind of a different time when the landscape was dominated by real singers and there was a group of young men crafting their sound in any acoustic rich area they could find. A time where there was a talent show every week at some venue and these groups came to show their stuff and win the cash prize of the night and the heart of every girl in the audience. Where their suits were impeccable and their choreographed steps were super sharp and they sang their hearts out because they loved doing it and they were hoping that maybe someone in the audience was or maybe knew Berry Gordy.

Robert Townsend's movie "The Five Heartbeats" comes to mind where silky smooth tenors, amazing falsettos, and rich baritones would do battle and the crowd would pick the winner. Call me crazy but I still think that's the way it should always be done and this song conjures up that image for me. Jaheim and his song “Finding My Way Back” is definitely a throwback in my opinion and I could see him and some back up singers doing their thing to win a showcase.

I have been a fan of Jaheim since he first hit the scene years ago but that “thug crooner” image wore thin on me so I kind of left him to his own devices. It seems he’s matured in both sound and image and I may have to start paying closer attention. “Finding My Way Back” is off his latest CD entitled “Another Round” and from what I have heard of the CD it sounds like he’s found his niche and has grown comfortable being one of the best male singers out today.

With a voice that itself sounds like a throwback to the time of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Al Green, Smokey Robinson, and The Temptations Jaheim may have finally set himself apart from the R. Kelly’s, the Usher’s, and the Joe’s of the world. Let’s see if he can keep it up now.

Let Me Love You Down

My ongoing love for the voice continues, I hope you don't mind. I have been a fan of Me’Shell NdegeOcello's since her first CD “Plantation Lullabies” and I was enraptured with her classic “Bitter” CD (definitely check that out if you don’t already have it). While I can’t say that I dug everything she’s ever done, she has pleased me more times than she has disappointed me. A gifted musician, singer, songwriter she’s has at times stretched the music envelop and has gone places that I just couldn’t follow but she’s always come back to me with tracks that I couldn’t take off of repeat, like this one.

Originally recorded and released by the 80’s gheri curl group Ready For The World, “Let Me Love You Down” was provocative back then but in the hands of Me’Shell it takes that provocative ness up a few notches to say the least. Off of her lastest CD “Devil’s Halo” “Let Me Love You Down” is the perfect song for Me’Shell to redo. Her voice is a deep baritone and she makes it work for her every chance she gets and it works perfectly on this track. The way this song is arranged, another voice would have sounded ridiculous but her voice is pitch perfect and the lyrics while unchanged sound brand new with her singing them. “Never really mattered too much to me / that you were a little too young for me / all that really mattered was you were my girlfriend / and baby that’s all that mattered to me”.

The second verse gets even better. I don’t usually use this word when describing songs but this song is sultry and it gets even hotter towards the end as the music builds and transforms this tune from a song into something akin to a soundtrack for lovers to do whatever lovers do to make their partners happy. This is pure seduction at it’s finest. Take a listen and let’s see if you agree with me.

Closer To You

Continuing down that path of amazing songs and even more incredible voices I bring to you the one and only Cassandra Wilson and the simmering song entitled “Closer To You”. Again if you haven’t heard of Cassandra before then that must have been one hell of a big rock you were living under since she’s one of the preeminent female jazz vocalists of the day. She may not be a household name either but in the jazz community Cassandra Wilson is a towering talent.

The closest she ever came to mainstream success was when she was on the “love jones” soundtrack with her song “You Move Me”. Blessed with am voice that’s as deep and as raspy as they come without being scratchy and annoying Cassandra’s voice is like a mug of hot chocolate on a winter’s day. It wraps itself around you and doesn’t let go even once the song is finished because you can’t get it out of your head.

She uses that voice to perfection on “Closer To You” off of her “Thunderbird” CD. It’s funkier than you would expect from a jazz vocalist but this just shows that Cassandra can do more than jazz. The song starts out very easy with a subtle piano intro and then the beat kicks in. It’s almost a hip hop beat, the bassline dominates nicely and is the perfect companion to her husky voice. She comes in with “How loud a whisper can get / When you’re walking through a crowded space / I hear every word that you say / I remember that every day / I get a little bit closer to you”.

It’s a song of yearning though that doesn’t really come across until the bridge comes in and the song goes from good to great. The arrangement is top notch and the musicianship is as tight as a drum. You may not have heard of Cassandra Wilson or you may have known of her but wasn’t a fan but this song may just change all of that.

Take a listen and see if you agree with me….

Strange

If you haven’t heard of the incomparable lizz wright yet then you need to shove that big rock you’ve been living under out of your way and clean out your ears. Unearthed for me by the music critic for CBS Sunday Morning Bill Flanagan, lizz wright is an immense talent that will more than likely never be the household name Alicia Keys or Beyonce is but she is as equally talented, if not more so.

A bonifide singer-songwriter with a voice that sounds like something out of a southern Baptist Choir, lizz’s CD “The Orchard” is an astounding collection of original material like “Speak Your Heart”, “Song For Mia”, “When I Fall” and mixed in are some pretty good remakes like “Hey Man” by Ike Turner and the amazing “Strange”.

Originally sung by Patsy Cline, “Strange” is a heartbreakingly sad song about a woman that can’t seem to let go of a man that’s broken her heart. Patsy’s version was more upbeat and almost playful (yes I listened to the original, don’t ask) but in the hands of lizz this song is simply painfully beautiful. If the lyrics don’t grab you buy the neck and pull you in, the haunting guitar will and lizz sings this song in a way only she can thanks to that voice.

There’s not much else to say about this song except to say it’s one of the best heartbreak songs I’ve ever heard. Take a listen and see if I’m right.

Pa' Bailar

In keeping with the name of the blog I introduce to you a very tasty tune entitled Pa' Bailar by the group Bajofondo. This song is sexy, hot, and fun all at the same time and the vocals provided by Julieta Venegas makes this song sizzle. It's pretty much tango music for the 21st century. I'm more fond of the instrumental version but I thought I'd hit you with the vocal version instead (cause I'm just that kind of guy).

Bajofondo is a collective group of talented musicians, singers, and artists hailing from Brazil and neighboring Uruguay. They were formerly known as "Bajofondo Tango Club" but they shortened it to the hipper Bajofondo and when they felt they moved on past just making music for the tango. They have often been compared to Gotan Project but where Gotan Project has a more traditional sound to their music, Bajofondo were directly responsible for "electrotango" while also dipping into trip-hop, house music, and drum and bass.

While not much of that is obvious on this track, it still does it's thing. I first came across this song in the Acura ZDX car commercial. The tune caught my ear (the girl caught my eye but that's for some other blog) and it made me a fan almost immediately.

Maybe it will make you a fan too perhaps?

Dance me to the end of love

I want to apologize for not posting for awhile but football season is right around the corner. That means fantasy football and that means fantasy football drafts so I've focused my attention there instead of here. I hope you can forgive me for wanting to crush my opponents :-) I promise to make it up to you starting with this song.

Now when I first heard this song there was no way anyone could have convinced me that this wasn't the incomparable Billie Holiday singing. Granted the sound quality was too good and would have given it away that it wasn't Lady Day but I'll be damned if the woman singing didn't sound uncannily just like her. I don't know if the lady singing studied the vocal stylings of Billie Holiday and eventually mastered the distinctive style and sound of Billie or if she was just born with this voice. It doesn't really matter how this artist wound up sounding like one of the greatest female vocalists in the last century I guess, just know that she does.

Her name is Madeleine Peyroux and she was born in Athens, Georgia but spent a significant amount of her childhood in Paris once her parents divorced. She pursued music and started singing when she was around fifteen. She's cited Billie, Bessy Smith, Edith Piaf, Johnny Mercer, Patsy Cline and even Charlie Chaplin as having direct influence on her music.

The song, "Dance me" is a playful tune with a groovy swagger about it. It doesn't transport you to a particular time or place but it can make you bop your head and snap your fingers if you give it the chance. It can grow on you. The piano plays well with the bassline and Madeleine's vocals lie on top of them exquisitely. Her first album "Dreamland" got her dubbed "the 21st century Billie Holiday.

Take a listen and tell me if you think that's hyperbole....