video review : Paige VanZant versus Michelle Waterson at UFC Fight Night

video review : Paige VanZant versus Michelle Waterson at UFC Fight Night

This is a fantasy match of sorts; two of The UFC’s sexiest women going at it. Michelle Waterson begins with a death stare as Page VanZant bounces about happily. That smile is soon wiped away when Waterson throws her to the floor and locks her in a rear naked; yeah, I wish; choke. That’s when the party lights go out.

my rating : 3 of 5

2016

video review : Johnny Walker versus Nikita Krylov at UFC Fight Night

video review : Johnny Walker versus Nikita Krylov at UFC Fight Night

Nikita Krylov has an effective gameplan here. Johnny Walker has explosive knockout power, so Krylov smothers him with clinches and wrestles him down whenever possible. The problem with Walker seems to be his cardio as he starts to tire out in the first round. Easy decision victory for Krylov.

my rating : 3 of 5

2020

audio review : Amethyst ( mixtape ) … Tinashe

audio review : Amethyst ( mixtape ) ... Tinashe

I don’t know why she’s hiding her pretty face on the cover photo, but in Tinashe’s hand is an Amethyst. If that means this mixtape, which sounds more like a straight EP, is supposed to be some kind of precious stone, she’s not too far off.

“The future is mine,” the singer declares and it could be if she keeps making good songs, which her more popular peers can’t seem to manage. Something To Feel is particularly sensational despite being the shortest of the set.

my rating : 4 of 5

2015

video review : Going Back To Cali ( song ) … LL Cool J

video review : Going Back To Cali ( song ) ... LL Cool J

It’s summertime in California, but LL is as Cool as ice as he roams LA in a black Corvette with the top down. Black and white glamor shots, some of which feature sexy white girls dancing off-beat, give the video an artsy 1940s throwback kind of vibe.

my rating : 4 of 5

1988

video review : Weili Zhang versus Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 248

video review : Weili Zhang versus Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 248

Joanna Jędrzejczyk suggested this would be the greatest strawweight title fight in UFC history, which doesn’t mean much as she’s known for making grandiose claims. Remember her Boogeywoman shtick? She delivers on this one though with the help of opponent Weili Zhang, who happens to hold her former championship title.

This bout, an epic strikefest, is close, but, though I was rooting for Jędrzejczyk, I think the judges get it right. Weili Zhang gets hit more, but she hits harder, so Jędrzejczyk gets the worst of it. By the end, her face is drastically deformed. She leaves The Octagon with a swollen (“Frankenstein”) forehead and a crooked nose.

my rating : 4 of 5

2020

video review : Israel Adesanya versus Yoel Romero at UFC 248

video review : Israel Adesanya versus Yoel Romero at UFC 248

You can hardly blame Israel Adesanya for being tentative early, especially after taking a big shot to the face. He takes another in round 2. Yoel Romero is a beast, but his explosiveness comes in spurts, so the gaps are filled with tension. He begins this fight standing nearly still and it’s scary.

Intimidation only goes so far though and he doesn’t offer much beyond it. Adesanya, while cautious, is more offensive, especially with his leg kicks. Romero blames Adesanya’s “running” for his own inactivity during his interview with Joe Rogan, but he’s full of shit. No, I won’t say that to his face.

my rating : 3 of 5

2020

audio review : Ignatius ( album ) … Jadakiss

audio review : Ignatius ( album ) ... Jadakiss

Jadakiss dedicates this album to his friend Icepick Jay who died of cancer not too long ago. Ignatius was his first name. It’s an odd choice in that, as the first new Jadakiss solo release in nearly five years, we get a project based on such a specific, albeit endearing, concept.

The music itself is mostly standard Jada for better or worse. The worse includes a song entitled Me in which the rapper is constantly stilted by a Peabo Bryson song sample. The best is Government Cheese; a Christian poverty anthem featuring Dej Loaf, Nino Man and Millyz.

my rating : 3 of 5

2020

audio review : The Lion King [ The Gift ] ( album ) … Beyoncé

audio review : The Lion King [ The Gift ] ( album ) ... Beyoncé

Listening from the start, you might think this album; a needless soundtrack from a needless remake of The Lion King; is going to be Beyoncé’s best in a long time. Indeed she should’ve saved the first couple of songs; Bigger and Find Your Way Back; for her next (proper) release.

Here they’re nearly lost in a mix that includes a slew of Interludes; there’s one before almost every song; and vocals from African artists most Beyoncé fans probably never heard of. Not that the beats, indigenous soundscapes served with modern drum thumps, aren’t groovy.

my rating : 3 of 5

2019

video review : Joanna Jędrzejczyk versus Michelle Waterson at UFC Fight Night

video review : Joanna Jędrzejczyk versus Michelle Waterson at UFC Fight Night

Michelle Waterson is simply outclassed here. She can smile all she wants. She loses every round to Joanna Jędrzejczyk and her superior kickboxing skills, which leave Waterson bloodied and battered. Jędrzejczyk actually injures her own foot kicking her ass.

my rating : 4 of 5

2019

video review : Ion Cuțelaba versus Magomed Ankalaev at UFC Fight Night

video review : Ion Cuțelaba versus Magomed Ankalaev at UFC Fight Night

Ion Cuțelaba crosses the line by interrupting Bruce Buffer’s introduction to approach Magomed Ankalaev; it would’ve been funny if Ankalaev knocked him out right then; but his loss here is the result of a premature, albeit arguably justified, stoppage.

“Kevin MacDonald’s got his work cut out for him,” Brendan Fitzgerald observes, but though Ankalaev’s strikes appear to excessively wobble Cuțelaba, he steps in a bit too soon. It’s a decision made to look worse than it is when Cuțelaba immediately protests.

my rating : 3 of 5

2020

audio review : Make Time For Love ( album ) … Keith Washington

audio review : Make Time For Love ( album ) ... Keith Washington

Keith Washington is a handsome man who sounds like Luther Vandross when he sings. Is there any wonder why his entire debut album is dedicated to romancing women? Every single song is about Love; he’s made nearly an hour For it; which is often a euphemism for sex.

“Lie close to me; hold on; let’s make our love last all night long,” he croons while Kissing You; he always addresses her directly; “Baby, I’m yours; take all of me.” That and Are You Still In Love With Me are the best cuts. The others serve as basic background bedroom music.

my rating : 3 of 5

1991