Category: reviews with a 3 of 5 rating

audio review : The Bar Exam 4 ( mixtape ) … Royce Da 5-9

audio review : The Bar Exam 4 ( mixtape ) ... Royce Da 5-9

“I’m better than the young’uns,” Royce Da 5-9 says about his rap skills, “better than the legends.” I agree if he means most. Jay-Z, 2Pac, Biggie; all overrated. When it comes to dope lyrics, Royce is the real deal. He’s not on level with Eminem and he seems to know it, but this fourth Bar Exam has him rapping probably the best he has since his 1999 debut. There’s a lot of clever wordplay, but his skills plummet when it comes to making whole songs; a problem for most rappers.

my rating : 3 of 5

2017

video review : Orange Is The New Black [ Season 5 ]

video review : Orange Is The New Black [ Season 5 ]

This fifth season of Orange Is The New Black starts promisingly enough. The first few episodes, which bring back the suspenseful zeal of the first two seasons; the story continues at the cliffhanger from the end of the previous one; are a pleasant surprise. But before long, the show loses its focus and slips back into the piss-bowl of mediocrity it’s been swimming in for a while. Part of the problem is that, in an attempt to stretch a few days of rioting into a whole season, the tension wears thin. By mid season, the soap opera has once again become mundane.

Lolly is gone and that’s a big relief, but it also means more screen time for, thus more annoyance from, Suzanne. At one point, she almost dies. I wish she would’ve. Cruel as that may be, it’s not as cruel as what some of the women (inmates) of Litchfield do to the guards they manage to capture. It’s humiliation and “torture”, but is it justified? Perhaps. This is a show that takes pleasure in breaking your moral compass. Is it entertaining? At least more than the overall plot arc, which focuses on Taystee’s strong-willed efforts to get justice for Poussey.

Remember, Poussey died. She was killed by a guard. This season is the immediate aftermath. It’s supposed to be anarchical drama. Again, the first few episodes get it right. The rest drag. The closest thing to an exception is the finale, in which men in riot gear finally bust in with smoke bombs, electrified shields and (peppered) bullets. Chaos ensues and the level of watchability rises, but loose ends are tied too conveniently. The ending suggests next season will be a lot different, which could be just what the show needs to get back on track.

my rating : 3 of 5

2017

video review : Orange Is The New Black [ Season 6 ]
video review : Orange Is The New Black [ Season 7 ]

audio review : Scribble ( album ) … Esham

audio review : Scribble ( album ) ... Esham

The “S” in the title is stylized with a dollar sign, so the final song makes sense. Too bad its melody is lifted from a Prince song. Esham has never been particularly creative as a music artist and that’s part of the problem here. His bars are decent enough; on rare occasion, even surprisingly profound; but his hooks and overall concepts leave a lot to be desired. At 43 years old, the Detroit native is a lot less mischievous, thus less interesting, than he used to be. The rapper who once portrayed himself as an entity from Hell apparently wants to be a Christian role model.

“I don’t want to live like I used to live,” he says at one point, “I don’t want to be the peson I used to be.” That may be a major disappointment for long-time fans, but they can take solace in the fact that he’s not fully converted as of yet. Black Sheep sounds like vintage Esham. It also features one of the album’s best beats, along with Time Card and Organic. Esham’s music production, as crude as it sounds when it comes to the technical art of mixing and mastering, is still the best thing about him as an artist, though he sometimes sways too far into druggy experimentation.

my rating : 3 of 5

2017

audio review : Neva Left ( album ) … Snoop Dogg

audio review : Neva Left ( album ) ... Snoop Dogg

The album cover, based on a photo taken back in 1992, is confusing. It suggests a sort of retrospective compilation, but, while Neva Left is intentionally enveloped in old school vibes; Snoop Dogg makes several references to 1990s rap culture; this is an album of new songs. Conceptual exceptions include a Remix of Vapors that’s even more unnecessary than the original remake and a Remix of Lavender by BadBadNotGood that’s basically just him (Snoop) rapping to the original instrumental. Elsewhere it’s mostly “official gangsta shit”, as Big Tray Deee so eloquently puts it, from the former gangbanger who now has a VH1 cooking show with Martha Stewart.

Snoop can get away with that though. It’s admirable how he’s managed to successfully diversify himself with different people since the days of his rap world debut without giving up his hood persona. Even if you’re just now getting back into his music, it’s true he’s Neva left the game since that aforementioned photo was taken. The quality of his albums is another case. Doggystyle, Last Meal and Blue Carpet Treatment stand as high-lights, but most are just okay; this one included. Let Us Begin is notable if only because it features a verse by KRS-One and Trash Bags works as a drunken ode to strippers, but songs like Swivel and Big Mouth are ruined by wack hooks.

my rating : 3 of 5

2017

audio review : The World Is Mind ( album ) … KRS-One

audio review : The World Is Mind ( album ) ... KRS-One

“I wrote and recorded this album in the same week,” KRS-One says. That’s impressive if true; the Teacha is still a better rapper than most of his students; but there’s no excuse for the lack of proper hooks, though the boom bap tries to make up for it. Out For Fame didn’t need a half-assed remake, for instance, but the beat is raw.

The title track is a thought-provoking tale about two patients sharing a hospital room. It reminds fans how much of a compelling storyteller KRS-One can be, but more should’ve been done to reinforce the concept; Ill or Sick in the album title could’ve worked; so that it doesn’t come across so jarringly random where it is at the end.

my rating : 3 of 5

2017

audio review : Be Myself ( album ) …. Sheryl Crow

audio review : Be Myself ( album ) .... Sheryl Crow

It seems the title is a reminder, but there’s paradoxical irony in having to remind yourself to be yourself. This project has Sheryl Crow taking the Long Way Back to her rock roots after that near-awful country album she released a few years ago, though it is (also) a little bit country. Rest Of Me, which could pass for an old standard, is bouncy and delightful. Most of the others are only about Halfway There.

my rating : 3 of 5

2017

audio review : Reachin [ A New Refutation Of Time And Space ] ( album ) … Digable Planets

audio review : Reachin [ A New Refutation Of Time And Space ] ( album ) ... Digable Planets

Digable Planets do sound cool. I’ll give them Dat. This album, as ridiculous as its full title may be, has the monotone rappers vibing over an array of hip-hop beats inspired by jazz and funk. Perhaps “inspired” is an understatement. Every track, song or otherwise, includes an old sample from a funk or jazz record. That puts the word New in quotation marks and slaps a big question mark on the trio’s perceived talent. Good To Be Here is my jam though.

my rating : 3 of 5

1993

audio review : Last Place ( album ) … Grandaddy

audio review : Last Place ( album ) ... Grandaddy

Fambly Cat was supposed to be their final album, but it’s common for bands to foolishly announce retirement only to reunite years later, so Grandaddy is back. Their sound, semi-psychedelic folk-rock led by a stoned Jason Lytle, picks up where it left off a little over a decade ago.

There’s nothing here as instantly catchy as Elevate Myself, let alone AM 180; probably their best song; but This Is The Part is a real winner. Clear Your History, a new song released to promote the coming of this album, should’ve been included in place of one of the inferior others.

my rating : 3 of 5

2017

audio review : Solid Wall Of Sound ( song ) … A Tribe Called Quest ( featuring Busta Rhymes + Elton John )

This concert anthem doesn’t get good until near the end when what serves as the chorus; a bit of an old Elton John ballad sampled and looped; is dropped for something more original and much easier on the ears. The drums stay the same, but the enveloping music changes into a melodic wonderment of sorts.

“A million watts are shaking the room,” Q-Tip sings as you wonder why the whole song doesn’t sound like this, “In just a few hours, you’re going to feel the burn.” Is that really new Elton John singing with him? If so, that’s epic. I just wish they’d abandoned the Bennie And The Jets sample and used this part for the chorus.

my rating : 3 of 5

2016

audio review : We Got It From Here [ Thank You 4 Your Service ] ( album ) ... A Tribe Called Quest

audio review : Loyalty And Betrayal ( album ) … E-40

audio review : Loyalty And Betrayal ( album ) ... E-40

The title has to do with friends, which is appropriate considering there are just two solo songs on the album. Every other features a guest vocalists from Clicksters like Suga-T to Cash Money’s Baby and No Limit’s Mystikal.

Nate Dogg should be limited to one song and the Nah Nah beat sounds too much like Lucy Pearl’s You; both are produced by Battlecat; but Ya Blind, a dedication to Captain Save-A-Hoe, is fun and Doin The Fool is a major slapper.

my rating : 3 of 5

2000

audio review : 12 Nights Of Christmas ( album ) … R Kelly

audio review : 12 Nights Of Christmas ( album ) ... R Kelly

This is 12 Play, the Christmas edition. I’ll give R Kelly credit for not including any covers. The problem with most of these songs is that they lack the magic of a typical holiday carol. The vibes are smooth and soulful in the style of the Love Letter and Write Me Back albums; there’s even a song called Letters with eggnog drip snares; but 12 Nights, which serves fine as Christmas Lovin mistletoe music, is nothing to write home about.

my rating : 3 of 5

2016

video review : Creepshow 2

video review : Creepshow 2

This show is better than the first. The Old Chief bit is dumb, but The Raft; a cross between The Blob, Jaws and Cujo; is interesting. It has four partiers stranded in a lake at the mercy of killer slime.

The best story is the final one, about a woman who accidentally kills a Hitchhiker on her way home from having sex with someone other than her husband. It’s the one tale that is truly Creepy.

my rating : 3 of 5

1987

video review : Creepshow 3