Category: votes

The Watcher or The Watcher 2 : Which Dr Dre song is better?

The Watcher or The Watcher 2 : Which Dr Dre song is better? The Watcher or The Watcher 2 : Which Dr Dre song is better?

I like both versions. The original has Dr Dre; his verses were apparently written by Eminem; rapping way better than he could on his own. The same can be said for the sequel, on which his part is (apparently) penned by Rakim who follows with a brilliant verse of his own. Jay-Z, whose song it really is, also steps his skills up for what is easily one of his best.

The fact that Jay-Z’s verse is longer than his collaborators; Dre and Rakim stick to the standard sixteen bars as they all should’ve; stands as one of two notable flaws on the otherwise superior and more dynamic sequel. The other flaw has to do with Truth Hurts’ chorus, which is better than the original, being followed by the original instead of being left alone.

my vote : ?

Fine Young Cannibals or The Raw And The Cooked : Which Fine Young Cannibals album is better?

audio review : Fine Young Cannibals ( album ) ... Fine Young Cannibals audio review : The Raw And The Cooked ( album ) ... Fine Young Cannibals

Fine Young Cannibals released just two albums; one in 1985 and one in 1989. Which is better? It’s tough to tell. Each consists of ten song servings, most of which are good. The debut should’ve been given a proper title, but its sound is more organic and consistent. Its best cut is probably Like A Stranger. The Raw And The Cooked is more contemporary and experimental. Its best cut is probably As Hard As It Is.

my vote = ?

Roxanne Shanté or Tone Lōc : Whose Fatal Attraction song is better?

Roxanne Shanté or Tone Lōc : Whose Fatal Attraction song is better? Roxanne Shanté or Tone Lōc : Whose Fatal Attraction song is better?

These songs were inspired by Fatal Attraction; the 1987 movie starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. Roxanne Shanté’s came two years later and Tone Lōc’s two years after that. Both are first-person accounts of romantic allure turned violent; the former playing the maddened mistress while the latter serves as a heartless casanova.

Roxanne Shanté tells her story in a more interesting way; her raps/verses are better composed and I prefer the vintage effect on her vocals; but her song gets rather lonely during the breaks. Tone Lōc’s (breaks) are enhanced by “baby” ad-libs and bits of said movie dialogue, which help make his (song) the more Attractive of the two.

my vote : Tone Lōc

Masta Ace’s Other Side Of Town or LL Cool J’s Cheesy Rat Blues : Which song is better?

Masta Ace's Other Side Of Town or LL Cool J's Cheesy Rat Blues : Which song is better? Masta Ace's Other Side Of Town or LL Cool J's Cheesy Rat Blues : Which song is better?

These are songs by, at least in the case of LL Cool J, rich men portraying the role of bums. LL plays himself gone broke; he has the Cheesy Rat Blues; while Masta Ace simply goes by the name of Joe; a student slash panhandler from The Other Side Of Town. Both songs were released in 1990. Both are produced by Marley Marl. That means he made the music.

The beats are damn funky, but Town’s, with its splendid bassline and organ breaks, sounds a little better to my ears. Masta Ace’s raps are also more poignant and better composed technically, but LL Cool J is funnier and thus more entertaining, especially during the second half. His “back of the bus”, “who this” and “know how to get busy” lines are classic.

my vote : ?

Lionel Richie’s Hello or Billy Ocean’s Suddenly : Which song is better?

Lionel Richie's Hello or Billy Ocean's Suddenly : Which song is better? Lionel Richie's Hello or Billy Ocean's Suddenly : Which song is better?

These two “love” songs, released about a year apart, are quite similar in soundscape. Lionel Richie and Billy Ocean both croon sweet nothings to an anonymous “you” over a tender backdrop. The main difference, other than the fact that Ocean makes sure to let us know he’s referring to a girl, is that he’s been with his for a long time while Richie admires his stranger from afar.

Both songs represent the singers at their best, meaning these are among their best songs. Both soar with melody. Listen to the way Billy Ocean stretches out the word “of” at the end. He also has the better voice. Lionel Richie has the better song though. His vocals (melodies) are just impeccable. Forget the person; I hope it’s a girl; he’s singing to. He had me at Hello.

my vote : Hello

Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle or Eminem’s Slim Shady LP : Which album is better?

Doggystyle ( album ) ... Snoop Dogg audio review : The Slim Shady LP ( album ) ... Eminem

These are the debut albums of Dr Dre’s most successful (popular) protégés. Both are good. The Slim Shady LP is much better lyrically; Eminem’s unprecedented rap skills, in fact, make it the best I ever heard in that regard; while Doggystyle, with its P-funk-influenced (G-funk) soundscape, is better musically.

It’s not just the beats. Doggystyle, with guest singers like Nate Dogg and The Dramatics, is also better at the breaks. Shady’s hooks are inferior; especially Bonnie And Clyde, My Fault and Cum On Everybody. His verses though. Snoop is a decent rapper, better at style than substance, but Eminem wins that battle every time.

my vote : ?

Stevie Wonder or Prince : Who has better songs?

Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Prince have always been the top artists that come to mind when I think of (pop/soul) music icons. Determining who has the best songs between the three is for me a no-brainer. Michael Jackson is number one. He’s my favorite singer and songer. A vote between Stevie Wonder and Prince isn’t quite as easy.

Still it’s not hard. Both have some great songs, a lot of good songs, plenty of mediocre ones and barely any bad ones, but Stevie wins out. All songs considered, he simply has more great/good ones; mostly due to his Wonderful vocal melodies. The verses on I Just Called To Say I Love You, for example, rank among the best I’ve ever heard.

That his verses sometimes outshine his choruses; Queen In The Black is another example; when it should be the other way around puts Prince closer behind him than he otherwise would’ve been. Prince’s best songs are from the 1980s; Purple Rain being his obvious magnum opus. His more recent highlights include Sticky Like Glue and 1000 Xs And Os.

my vote : Stevie Wonder

Donald Trump or Joe Biden : Who’s the better president?

Donald Trump or Joe Biden : Who's the better president? Donald Trump or Joe Biden : Who's the better president?

There’s nothing to ponder here. I don’t know much about most presidents and don’t trust so-called recorded history enough to want to learn about them, but this is probably the best president in my lifetime against the worst. It’s more of the latter than the former. I agree with most of Donald Trump’s policies because they’re basically what I regard as common sense. I disagree with most of Joe Biden’s because they’re basically the opposite.

Blatant discrimination under the guise of diversity; they actually have the nerve to call Trump a racist; allowing illegal aliens to invade the border, ignoring biological reality to promote the delusion of transgenderism and ruining the economy seemingly on purpose are all things I’m strongly against. Not that Biden is solely to blame. It’s his handlers; he’s obviously more of a figurehead than an actual leader; who are the true culprits.

Trump isn’t superb, but he is, as president, exceptional in being a breath of fresh air in a world gone partly insane. That “partly” is the problem as both he and Biden are a result of the great divide and conquer; the cultlike republican versus democrat war Americans are stupid enough to partake in. It’s just that; aside from the God bit, which is even more of a delusion than transgenderism; the so-called right is making a lot more sense right now.

Neither speak as eloquently or come across as presidential as Obama; Trump can be petty when attacking his perceived enemies and Biden seems to be in the early stages of dementia; but we need more outsiders and less career politicians in office. I suspect Trump’s anti-establishment (“swamp”) rhetoric is the main reason the establishment-controlled (“fake”) news media has been on the attack since the day he announced his run.

That constant bias from armchair activists representing themselves as objective journalists and reporters; Trump is their arch nemesis, but they treated Michael Jackson similarly; is the main reason I honestly wouldn’t watch CNN or MSNBC for the weather. A lot of gullible people do. Many of them hate Trump. Others watch Fox, which is also biased, and love him. I’m more or less neutral to him as a person, but I certainly like him as a president.

my vote : Donald Trump

Janet Jackson’s All For You or Michael Jackson’s Invincible : Which album is better?

audio review : All For You ( album ) ... Janet Jackson audio review : Invincible ( album ) ... Michael Jackson

It’s not exactly a case of sibling rivalry, but it’s hard not to compare Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson when it comes to their music. Big brother far surpasses little sister in popularity and record sales, thanks mainly to his reign as King Of Pop in the 1980s, but this is about the quality of their music, specifically in 2001; the first year both released a new album since Janet’s debut got trounced by Thriller. She’s basically been on the come up since then while only Dangerous nears the level of Michael’s 1982 magnum opus. In this new era of All For You and Invincible, it seems Janet has begun to eclipse her brother.

It’s not a blowout by any means. Both are good albums, but Janet’s is consistently good while Michael, whose signature vocal style and unprecedented ad-libs make him the better singer, stumbles a few times along the way. If I were to compare the albums song for song, they’d be about equal, but the essence of an album is more than just its individual tracks. There’s order and flow to be considered. In that regard, Janet does better, partly because Invincible, though led by Rodney Jerkins, employs five main producers while All For You continues Janet’s partnership with Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis.

Jam and Lewis are major music talents, at least in the soul groove genre they specialize in, and Rodney Jerkins doesn’t stand a chance against them. His music, on a Michael Jackson album, actually disappoints more than it impresses, leaving it up to the singer; my pick for best in the world of pop (popular) music; to lift the songs from mediocrity. Listen to the first three. The title song doesn’t even have a bassline. You Rock My World sounds great; not only is it the best song on the album, it’s one of Michael’s all-time best; but even it can’t outdo the title song of All For You, which happens to be Janet’s all-time best.

That song; five minutes of flirty fun; owes its party life, and much of its artistic credit, to a Luther Vandross (Change) cut from decades ago. Invincible, the album, is more original, sampling only a rap verse from The Notorious BIG and TV clips from The Twilight Zone. It’s no Thriller though. It’s not even Bad. It’s Michael Jackson’s worst album going up against what I consider to be Janet Jackson’s best. To be clear, All For You is the title of both her best song and best album. With that said, while I certainly prefer Michael Jackson as a music artist overall, deciding the better of these two albums isn’t hard to do.

my vote : All For You

2Pac’s All Eyez On Me or The Notorious BIG’s Life After Death : Which album is better?

audio review : All Eyez On Me ( album ) ... 2Pac The Notorious BIG's Life After Death

These two albums, each considered a double album as far as the time limits of CDs and cassettes go, were bound to be compared. What’s amazing is how comparable they are. They represent the rival rappers at their best, though it’s not so much 2Pac and The Notorious BIG but their musical associates that make the projects as good as they are.

The beats are the best parts. They’re mostly provided by Death Row and Bad Boy’s in-house producers; Johnny J and Stevie J get the most credits; though Diddy steps out to invite the likes of DJ Premier, who produced Unbelievable from BIG’s debut, and Rza. I prefer the grimy streets of New York over west-coast California’s G-funk though.

Eyez has better hooks because Death Row has better singers. Nate Dogg, Danny Boy and Michel’le are the highlights of their features along with uncredited crooners like Nanci Fletcher and Stacey Smallie. It’s special guest George Clinton who shows his ass though. Can’t C Me is the best song. Life After Death doesn’t have an obvious standout.

Still, when it comes to Biggie and Pac as rappers, while neither will wow you with lyrical prowess, I prefer the former. Pac, whose flashy delivery would make for a more entertaining concert performance, rarely has anything particularly interesting to say. Biggie can be surprisingly poignant, funny even, especially when he’s Got A Story To Tell.

my vote : Life After Death

Yomo And Maulkie or Bone Thugs-N-Harmony or Jon Connor and Dr Dre : Whose version of For The Love Of Money is the best?

Yomo And Maulkie Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Jon Connor and Dr Dre

The first version of the song was released in 1991 on Are U Xperienced; the sole album of Yomo And Maulkie. The rap duo were protégés of Eazy-E, who brought the concept back three years later for Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Their version, stylized as Foe Tha Love Of $, can be heard on their Creepin On Ah Come Up EP. The song wouldn’t be revisited, at least among NWA associates, until Dr Dre’s 2015 Compton album. This one is led by Jon Connor.

I like all three, but the original is the best. Yomo And Maulkie’s raps are rudimentary; a sign of the times; but the music (loop) is melodic and Jewell adds some powerful ad-libs near the end. The Bone one is the worst. The music is basically the same and their raps are better, but I don’t like their hook and Jewell’s parts are limited. The John Connor and Dr Dre version, which takes the most liberties musically, ranks somewhere between the other two.

my vote : Yomo And Maulkie

What is R Kelly’s best album?

R Kelly’s best album, as far as I’m concerned, is his fourth, or third if you don’t count the one with Public Announcement. I hate the title. Eponymous titles are silly in general and R is his second in row; he should’ve called it VIP as the Chase interlude suggests; but the music represents Kelly at his artistic peak. You can say it’s his magnum opus.

It’s also by far his longest, but most of its twenty-something songs are damn good. Would it be better if it were stripped down à la 12 Play? Certainly, but that can be said for most long albums. What I Feel; a song that should’ve been reserved for his friend Michael Jackson; is superb in any case. Down Low Double Life is another major standout.

I like TP2 and Chocolate Factory. The Happy People [ U Saved Me ] set is probably his second best. R Kelly was making mostly good albums up to that point, but he hasn’t made a good one since. The rest, from TP3 to his 12 Nights Of Christmas; all the 12 Play references suggest a music icon, legend even, longing for his glory days; are merely decent.

my vote : R

audio review : R ( album ) ... R Kelly