Category: reviews

audio review : Blackout [ White Noise ] ( EP ) … Booka Shade

audio review : Blackout [ White Noise ] ( EP ) ... Booka Shade

Chelonis R Jones adds nothing of value to this set. In fact, he takes value away. His vocals, presented upon both versions of the title track as a dub blend of sorts, are annoying and distracting. It just sounds like some random gay guy talking nonsense over thumpy house grooves.

My only other major complaint is that the Karrera song is already included on the Haleshop EP released just a few months ago. Otherwise the music is typical Booka Shade, which typically isn’t a bad thing, especially if you happen to be night-outing on a crowded dance floor.

my rating : 3 of 5

2013

audio review : The Comeback ( album ) … Bass 305

audio review : The Comeback ( album ) ... Bass 305

The title is about as trite as can be. Bass 305 already made a Return twelve years ago. That one, from a four-year album Departure, produced just one follow-up; a 2002 remake of their Digital Bass debut. Both albums were massively disappointing, at least for those of us anticipating music near the aesthetic level of Bass The Future and Virtual Bass. The problem with Bass 305, at one time one of my favorite song artists, is that they lost their way and are apparently too inept or too apathetic to get back on track. Artists lose talent, yes, but I’d bet on the latter, which goes back to the laughably unartistic album title.

The tracks, of which descriptions like Supa Bass DJ Mix and DJ Hip-Hop Drop serve as actual titles, only make matters worse. There are savers. The Fort Lauderdale song is quirky and fun. I can imagine it playing on a tour bus as it arrives in the city. The Brave, with its soothing synth notes, comes close to revisiting the duo’s glory days. As generic as this Comeback sounds; plenty of bass but hardly any good music to accommodate; there is melody there. It’s one of too many political songs featuring the voice of Ronald Reagan, but it stimulates. A random JL Audio plug sloppily tacked to the beginning of the album just annoys.

my rating : 2 of 5

2011

Skittles [ Darkside ]

Skittles [ Darkside ]

This is getting ridiculous; all the random assortments of Skittles introduced over the years. Darksides are just as unnecessary but also as delicious as most. There is a Dark Berry, Forbidden Fruit and Blood Orange; the three best flavors; along with Pomegranate and a Midnight lime that seems to taste less tangier, thus better, than Original lime.

my rating : 4 of 5

audio review : Speechless ( song ) … Michael Jackson

This is Michael Jackson at his most mawkish, which isn’t necessarily something to frown upon. The problem is that there aren’t any soothing melodies to counter the nausea. “Your love is magical,” this teenage love poem insists, “I’ll go anywhere and do anything just to touch your face.” If a person were to say that to me with a straight face, I’d question their sanity.

The King proves he still has one of the best singing voices in Pop music; he begins and ends with an a cappella; and I like the way he ad-libs “You are always in my heart” like he did at the end of You Are Not Alone, but the ballad’s only true saving grace is the gorgeous orchestration happening in the background. It would do much better as a sap-free instrumental.

my rating : 3 of 5

2001

audio review : Invincible ( album ) ... Michael Jackson

audio review : The 20-20 Experience [ 1 of 2 ] ( album ) … Justin Timberlake

audio review : The 20-20 Experience [ 1 of 2 ] ( album ) ... Justin Timberlake

Timbaland needs to shut up. The decision to use him and co-producer J-Roc was a wise one; their grooves are sleek and often superb; but he rarely, if ever, has anything poignant to add vocally. His signature ad-libs serve as not much more than a minor distraction made major because it happens too often. This is a Justin Timberlake album, after all, and though Timberlake is no master poet himself, he does have a pleasant singing voice and a knack for vocal melody. For comparison’s sake, since it would take an artist at least near Michael Jackson’s level to take the King Of Pop crown, you can call Justin Timberlake a modern-day Andy Gibb. Like Gibb, as creatively limited as it is, most of his songs have to do with girls and romance. In the case of this album, they all do.

Besides stealing Barry White’s music and emulating Prince’s falsetto, the set begins and ends with a random metaphor. The Love he has for his “baby” is a drug addiction. Their romantic getaway is a Blue Ocean Floor. Even Let The Groove Get In, a party anthem that simply encourages people to dance, is focused on “little mama”. It’s also built around an annoying party chant that’s abandoned for a much better 1970s-style floater about three-fourths in. Most of these songs make grand transformations at some point. That Girl, the skit-like intro of which throws things off a bit, isn’t much to look at and I don’t see anything special in Mirrors, but much of this 20-20 Experience, the title of which allows for such corny visual puns, is dazzling enough.

my rating : 3 of 5

2013

audio review : The 20-20 Experience [ 2 of 2 ] ( album ) … Justin Timberlake

audio review : Done By The Forces Of Nature ( album ) … Jungle Brothers

audio review : Done By The Forces Of Nature ( album ) ... Jungle Brothers

“I’ll walk a mile for a funky beat,” Mike G says on the title song, but I think these brothers would rather swing from the trees. It’s those funky beats in either case; mostly modern hip-hop but sometimes 1970s-style disco, acid jazz and African tribal; that make this album a standout. Listen to the groove of the starter song for example; a space jam entitled Beyond This World; and try not to dance to it.

If there’s a misstep, it’s that the production, beatwise and vocally, is so experimental and sporadic that sometimes the Brothers stop rapping and stumble across short breakdowns that would’ve been better-off looped to lace the entire song around. The a cappella jingles of Beads On A Strings, the piano scratch ending of Comin Through and the spirited peak of Good Newz Comin are all prime examples.

That’s a minor complaint though. The J Beez; a rap group that seem to have more collective talent than A Tribe Called Quest and maybe even De La Soul; provide ample entertainment for your listening pleasure. Whether or not you agree with their Afrocentric philosophies and History lessons, they’re a likable bunch with fun (girl-chasing) personalities and plenty of good music to shake your Nature to.

my rating : 4 of 5

1989

audio review : Hearts And Bones ( album ) … Paul Simon

audio review : Hearts And Bones ( album ) ... Paul Simon

I don’t know why Paul Simon decided to put two versions of the same song on this album. There are A and B versions of Think Too Much. The better one should be the only one. For me that’s B; a placid Karimba tune that, for some reason, comes before A. Also troubling is how the album ends. The Late Great Johnny Ace is a nice tribute as far as peer homage goes but not a proper way to close a Paul Simon album.

If there’s a saving grace, it’s the inclusion of the title song; Hearts And Bones; and Train In The Distance. They’re less songs than narrative poems set to music, but they’re two of Simon’s best. René And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War; you’ll appreciate the long title after hearing the song; is also enchanting, but the background singing; the best part; is abandoned before the halfway point.

my rating : 3 of 5

1983

audio review : The Outsiders … REM ( featuring Q-Tip )

The best part is when Q-Tip raps, but it’s not because of Q-Tip. His verse, which reads like a poem, is neither here nor there. What makes that part standout is the soothing tranquility of the background music, which, along with some urging ad-libs from singer Michael Stipe, is just beautiful enough to save the song.

my rating : 4 of 5

2004

audio review : Around The Sun ( album ) ... REM

audio review : Hallelujah ( song ) … REM

A piano plays at 02:34. It’s panned to the right, but it should be mixed, louder than it is, in stereo. That or dead center. It should play repeatedly, perhaps as a continuous loop, so that the guitars, drums and what sounds like orchestral strings revolve around it.

As it is, REM’s Hallelujah, their final song as far as album chronology goes, struggles to lift itself up from the pits of mediocrity. The music carries with it the grandeur of a huge and historic cathedral. The verses are also enchanting. It’s the refrain that suffers.

my rating : 3 of 5

2011

audio review : Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage ( album ) ... REM

audio review : Give In To Me ( song ) … Michael Jackson

“Give in to me,” demands the controller. He’s addressing a woman and there are sexual undertones to his persistence. “I’m on fire,” he exclaims, “Quench my desire.”

This ballad, driven by an echoed snare and raunchy guitars, follows in the footsteps of Dirty Diana, which comes after Beat It, as the sole rocker on a Michael Jackson album.

my rating : 4 of 5

1991

audio review : Dangerous ( album ) ... Michael Jackson