Category: reviews

audio review : De La Soul Is Dead ( album ) … De La Soul

audio review : De La Soul Is Dead ( album ) ... De La Soul

Dissing yourself is an effective way to prevent other people from dissing you. It’s called self-deprecation and De La Soul takes it to the extreme for what might be hip-hop’s first critic-proof album. De La Soul Is Dead utilizes skits to tell the story of three thugs, led by a guy named Hemroid, who decide to give their new tape a listen after stealing it from a kid they just beat up. They’re listening as you are, in real time, stopping the cassette to state their opinions between tracks.

It’s a clever concept; check for read-along dialogue and comic illustrations in the featured booklet; one that loses its ironic charm if the album is indeed “garbage”. Thus the rap trio, along with producer Prince Paul, do everything in their creative power to make it match the qualitative level of their Rising debut. That it does. The two projects are actually quite similar; twenty-something tracks of mostly good songs with a quirky assortment of samples and bits planted about.

my rating : 4 of 5

1991

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

“Tickle tickle, trickle trickle; you can’t buy Nature with a nickel,” Afrika insists before stopping what is supposed to be his second verse for an impromptu saxophone break. That’s one of several quirky bits that help make this song; the title track of the second Jungle Brothers album; the gem it is. “I’ll walk a mile for a funky beat,” Mike G says and this one; a fusion of hip-hop and jazz; certainly is.

my rating : 4 of 5

1989

audio review : Ghetto Music [ The Blueprint Of Hip-Hop ] ( album ) … Boogie Down Productions

audio review : Ghetto Music [ The Blueprint Of Hip-Hop ] ( album ) ... Boogie Down Productions

KRS-One is The Teacher and, as the title of this album suggests, his classes focus, almost exclusively, on two main subjects. Rapping about rap is appropriate enough. The genre is inherently lyrical. It’s his obsession with race, specifically “the black race”, that gets tiresome. Not that this isn’t good (Ghetto) Music because it is. The beats are “slamming” and the aforementioned rhymes are far from wack.

my rating : 4 of 5

1989

C4 Performance Energy : Frozen Bombsicle

C4 Performance Energy : Frozen Bombsicle

The name suggests this should be served chilled from the freezer on a hot summer day, which is how I prefer my Energy drinks, but that would be hard to do on a court or field. C4 is subtly promoted as a sports beverage for “superhuman Performance”, though that could also apply to sex. The taste is par for the course; sweet and Pez-like with a slight sting.

my rating : 3 of 5

IMUSA Electric Single Burner

IMUSA Electric Single Burner

With 1100 watts of power, this Burner, designed for use “at home, dorm or office”, makes a decent single-serving cooker. It’s a bit annoying how it turns on and off, presumably when it reaches a certain temperature, instead of running continuously, but it does its job. It’s perhaps even more handy as a small, albeit somewhat dangerous, space heater.

my rating : 4 of 5

video review : Killers Of The Flower Moon

video review : Killers Of The Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon is, coming after The Irishman, somewhat of a disappointment. There is suspense, at least for those unfamiliar with David Grann’s book about The Osage Murders, but it comes scantily as is often the case with stories based on real-life events. The acting, led by Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, is generally superb, along with the cinematography. It’s the convoluted plot that could use a shot in the belly.

Headrights money is an underlining theme here, but if you’re not paying attention, you could easily get lost on the reservation. Plot-turning revelations happen in a flash. It’s hard, for example, to keep count of how many people are Killed with little fanfare. This is, in that sense, another Scorsese gangster flick. Being set in mostly 1920s Oklahoma; a time and place where a homely pie-faced Lily Gladstone could pass as “beautiful”; is what distinguishes it.

my rating : 3 of 5

2023

Van Leeuwen French Ice Cream : Dill Pickle

Van Leeuwen French Ice Cream : Dill Pickle

You might think this isn’t bad if you’re just tasting it as a sample, but the more you eat the worse it gets. Besides the sweetness of French Ice Cream, it really does taste like a Dill Pickle; the ingredients list includes vinegar; and that’s the problem. Pickles aren’t even good on their own. Why would I want one ruining my Ice Cream?

my rating : 2 of 5

audio review : a DM Records compilation : Bass Sound Off USA [ Volume 3 ]

audio review : a DM Records compilation : Bass Sound Off USA [ Volume 3 ]

This third Volume in the Bass Sound Off series is about on par with the first two. That is to say it’s just as much of a bloated mess. An EP of the six actual Bass Syndicate songs; the rest are 808XS beats and random sound effects; would make for a decent listen. The better among them include Aruba Prelude, which should’ve started the set, and Backward Glances, which should’ve ended it.

my rating : 2 of 5

1997

audio review : Bass Sound Off USA [ Volume 4 ]

audio review : Who Is It ( song ) … Michael Jackson

This song; easily one of Michael Jackson’s best; is simply majestic. Its orchestral highlights; there’s a string prelude and a cello break before the final chorus section; and Epic vibe make the concept of a man’s wife leaving him for “someone else” seem rather trivial in comparison.

It’s the end of the world for him though. “I am the damned, I am the dead, I am the agony inside the dying head,” he laments, “This is injustice; ‘woe unto thee’; I pray this punishment would have mercy on me.” Those are the poetic ramblings of a heartbroken man.

my rating : 5 of 5

1991

Van Leeuwen French Ice Cream : Kraft Mac And Cheese

Van Leeuwen French Ice Cream : Kraft Mac And Cheese

At first spoonful, this treat, made with real Kraft Cheese “sauce mix”, is better than expected. That’s because, while it does taste like “the comforting bowl of Kraft Mac And Cheese you grew up with”, the flavor is more (sweet) Ice Cream than (savory) Macaroni. It doesn’t take long though for the novelty to wear thin and you’d rather just be eating regular Ice Cream.

my rating : 3 of 5

Van Leeuwen French Ice Cream : Kettle Corn

Van Leeuwen French Ice Cream : Kettle Corn

This circus-themed Ice Cream; a Limited Edition from Van Leeuwen; doesn’t taste like Kettle Corn to me. It’s certainly sweet, but the flavor is more akin to caramel, though there’s none included on the ingredients list. There are, however, “pieces of honeycomb”, which adds to the fun.

my rating : 4 of 5

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

This Limited Edition (December) cereal is based not just on Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, the popular Christmas character, but the stop-motion TV special from 1964 specifically. That’s him on the box. The main flavor is hot cocoa, which makes the addition of yummy marshmallows all the more appropriate.

my rating : 4 of 5