It's been an electronic week. There's Jill Scott and Anita Baker, and although they've been hitting the airwaves, my focus has been nu jazz and nu soul, with a capital N. [Please note that I really will focus on them, as soon as I get my head out of the clouds.]




Ernesto's Album. Ernesto's vibe has been in a couple of places: Beanfield, remixes by Naked Music NYC, and now he has his own CD finally out, Ernesto's: Album. Too many interesting tunes to list here, but what grabbed me initially was the single Try from Bare Essentials, Volume 2, which led to Beanfield and anticipation of his album. Eclecticism? No doubt, which tracks like Tip Toe and Portugese Nights displaying vibes which can't be pigeonholed.

Make your selection:
1. Check out Soul Creation.
2. Purchase Ernesto's: Album.
3: Check out Try.
4. Purchase Naked Music NYC's Bare Essentials, Volume 2, if you're vibing off of Try.

P'Taah. P'Taah has also been an electronica fixture from Chris Brann. Although the Wamdue Project, also helmed by Chris Brann, has been an enormous success, he's content in trying things altogether new. Hence, my vibe to Staring at the Sun. This is much less vocal arrangements instead vibing for instrumentation with a fusion of drum and bass, jazz, and house.

No conventional sounds here. Check out The Oldest Story or better yet, purchase the album.

Queen Latifah can now put the rap mic in the same catchall room as the African-themed hats. Her next album, due September 28, will celebrate her singing voice on a collection of standards from the jazz, R&B and pop genres.

"The Dana Owens Album," to be released via Vector/Flavor Unit/Interscope, is produced by Arif Mardin and Ron Fair, whose resumes include the likes of Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Chaka Khan and the Black Eyed Peas.

According to "Billboard," two first single from the album premiere today via AOL Music's "First Listen" program. The first is a cover of the Mamas & the Papas classic "California Dreamin'" inspired by Jose Feliciano's quasi-flamenco version on his 1968 album, "Feliciano!" The second is a big band arrangement of the Leonard Feather/Billy Moore Jr. song "Baby Get Lost," versions of which have been recorded by Billie Holliday, B.B. King and Dinah Washington.

Guests on the album include Al Green (appearing on a version of his own "Simply Beautiful"); James Moody (on a take of his "Moody's Mood for Love"); and Herbie Hancock (on the Screamin' Jay Hawkins standard "I Put a Spell on You.")

I'm telling you now, I purchased The Okayplayer Compilation, and was impressed by Little Brother. I wasn't the only one spinning their tune. So, when I diverge my ride home from work to go to the rekkasto' (both by cell phone call and email notification) to pick up my releases for the week, I was enlightened by The Foreign Exchange. The new CD, Connected, is currently in my player and right now has escalated quickly into my top 10 for the here and now.

From Ecko Unlimited, it turns out that Nicolay and Little Brother never met face to face:

"It was all very surreal actually, " says Phonte, half of the duo, about the albums "virtual" recording experience. "Nic would just send me tracks via Instant Messenger, and I would record to them and send the finished product back. I had no idea that our simple IM sessions would develop into the beautiful project that we have now."

Prince's concert, the quick review - August, 2004 - Phillips Arena.

I could call Prince's concert awesome, and all of those other words that you would expect to find, but the truth of the matter is that the older we get, the less it is free-for-all, and the more it is of a wayback machine.

Gettin' up on the funky ride, The Time (consisting mostly of Morris Day and Jerome Benton) was the opening act, and they were pretty good, although I would have liked to see more of the original guys. Most of it was reworking of what we'd come to expect, although there were no remarkable solos-- I really did miss the stylings of Jesse Johnson, the keys from Monte Moir and Jimmy Jam, and of course, the drums of Jellybean Johnson.

What more can I say about Prince's concert than it was what I expected it to be and didn't drive on solos, wild and funky dancers, screams, moans, and the obligatory grind on the floor. With Maceo Parker and Candy Dulfer on saxophone, instead of hearing guitar licks, we heard horns both funky and classy, dreamy yet sassy. Maceo graced us with Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World, where even the people who were looking for pure funk paused to pay tribute to a great classic.

The goal for the next radio blog is to demonstrate the songs that were not performed, currently a work in progress.

Eight years since the breakout album, Sweetback, the album Stage [2] breaks into different ground. The vocalists present in the previous album, namely Maxwell and Amel Larrieux, are absent from this album. The groove here is a bit edgier in some places- more earthy and less ethereal, which may offset some fans while garnering others.

The Aya track Lover was the initial release which predated the release of the album, and with the eight years of waiting for this release, this song was a welcome change from the mundane. Upon listening to the album in it's entirety however, Aya's vocals, which starts out sweet and simple ultimately saturate the album. Additional vocals in some of the songs help break the theme somewhat. Mountain stands out because of additional vocals from Byron Stingily, one of the founding vocalists of the house movement. On the flipside, Love is The Word, smartly graced with the flow of Ladybug Mecca from Digable Planets, is overtaken by Aya's vocals, thereby blending into the rest of the album.

A welcome change of pace breaks some of the commonality of the album. Mark Anthony Thompson, known here as Chocolate Genius, is the avante-garde standout on this album, both in lyricism and vocal contructs. Voodoo Breath (Master's Love) starts the album out on a strong note:

If I light the wick can you handle it?
My fuse your only guide
The sheets are wool, the tank is full
Bust the Marvin out, let's glide.

Tracks like Circles , which starts out with simple instrumentation and vocals reminiscent of Bob Dylan, crescendos into one of the finest tracks which defies any classification, definitively accentuated by Stuart Matthewman's guitar solo.

Under pressure, some good things break
I need to find a brand new mistake

In this circle I am turning
Now you're turning too
Everything is beautiful
Living without proof

Even Jesus Girl , which has the more mainstream vocals from Chocolate Genius and also with expected instrumentation, is a standout. Instrumentals, like the guitar-laced Blue Heights, and the sublime Shining Hour, are welcome additions.

Ultimately, upon repeated listens, the album grows into a welcome (albeit long-overdue) musical soundscape. Those wanting more of the jazzy vibes always given by the group known as Sade may be dissapointed, but if you're willing to open your mind up to a different type of vibe, then give it a listen.

*Photos by the effervescent, everloving Matt Lambert present at the Apache Cafe, 06.12.2004*

I'd like to think of myself as one of those people who are more laid back, who absorb the music, and envelop all the love. Calling me a dancer would be a misnomer for the most part. That is, until someone kicks the beats to me and makes me move and groove. When the grooves are funkier than normal, it's impossible for me to absorb them all. And so, for that reason, I gotta dance.

Take Joseph 'Amp' Fiddler. If I attempted to elaborate on the long list of his accomplishments, it might as well be a couple of chapters of a book, if not a short encyclopedia. Think of Prince, the Brand New Heavies, Ramsey Lewis, George Clinton, the P-Funk All-Stars, the Dramatics, Primal Scream, Was (Not Was), Giles Peterson, Maxwell, and Too Short in the same sentence, and that gives you a good idea on what this man has done. He lit up the Apache Cafe on a Saturday night. The funk was in the air, and with the heat and humidity, the last thing I wanted to do was sweat.

I'm really glad I did, though.

His CD Waltz of a Ghetto Fly is the representation of his abilty to touch the masses. Live versions of his songs kick it up a notch by not only providing most of the songs on his CD, but also some interpretations added to his reportoire (mixing up Dreamin' with I'm Still In Love by Sean Paul is merely one example).



With a man with this musical resume, it's hard to imagine him having a short concert. He did not dissapoint, giving us a performance that had us standing, clapping, and singing along with him for more than two hours. This included having Paul Randolph (above left), playing his bass across his shoulders in Superficial, or Patrice and Stephanie (above right) having numerous solos between themselves (particularly in the cuts Unconditional Eyes and Possibilities, which was was more than superb), as well as giving us the freestyle vibe - a vibe that was hard to shake - that is, if you ever felt like you needed to shake it.



The following tracks from his CD Waltz of a Ghetto Fly along with one from Only Child's Solitaire are present on the 'musical melodies' on the right:

You Give Good Vibes (with Only Child)
Dreamin'
Superficial
Unconditional Eyes
Soul Divine

He's got the power. He's got the charisma. Check him out.

]]> 2005-03-27T00:27:56Z 2004-04-11T23:17:32-05:00 tag:exponent.ejflavors.com,2004://2.21 2004-04-12T04:17:32Z

With Jam and Lewis present, as with every release, the Janet Jackson sound is still there. Island Life and Truly are standard Flytetyme tracks expected off of every album. The infusion of old-school beats is a boost that some of these tracks provide. With Spending Time With You, with a slight interpolation of the Gap Band, and R&B Junkie breaking off Evelyn Champagne King, the 80's enhancements uplift the album for the old-school legion.

The addition of other production teams give this album variety also. With BAG & Arnthor helming All Night (Don't Stop) and Slo Love, there's additional funk that effortlessly guides people to the floor. Having Kanye West pulsing us into I Want You and My Baby, along with Babyface giving us his signature cut Thinking About My Ex, the current fan base are granted songs designed for this day and age.

Janet has previously given us many things to be thankful of...and with Jam and Lewis guiding the ship, the results have been stellar. With groundbreaking songs from All For You like the minimalist funk of the initial track All for You, the emotion of Son of A Gun, and the rock-infused Trust a Try, the album, while not a blockbuster when compared to her previous efforts, was a release that signalled growth inside of the woman that is Damita Jo. The rub here? This album is a continuation of comfort and familiarity, rather than satisfying the above-the-radar expectations that is her norm. There are tracks not present on the United States release of Damita Jo as well. With Could This Be Love and Put Your Hands On missing, the album lacks more of what her fan base has been accustomed to. It's expected that videos, her performances, and interviews will boost this album as they have in the past. Now, more than ever, however, it's absolutely essential.

As albums go, this is not a bad album release from artists with a smaller fan base, and for that it, it gets a rating of 7/10. In the realm that is Janet, this release can be considered a minor setback, however, placing it at a 6/10 when compared to her other releases. There's so much that has been received in the past that has made the future so bright, I've had to wear my shades. This time, however, I didn't need to wear them. We can only hope that the next release will shine a bit brighter.

Express yourself to eXponent. It's a good thing.

• There's the radio blogging thing that's hit everyone in full force....from Prime, Karsh, S-Train, Buccho, and myself, there's a musical cornucopia going on in the oh fresh. I'm waiting for a couple of more music-centric people to join in on the Radio Blog train, because there's lots out there.

• S-Train, a while back, had mentioned the 1997 recording of H.O.T.E.P. on his Blog Radio. As I'm sitting here listening to it at work, I'm waiting for Gloria and Emilio Estevan to walk through the door with him and jam right here in the middle of the joint. I like it, really I do.

• Then S-Train mentions Feed The Cat, and it's on Amazon backorder. After hearing the one joint on his Radio Blog, I had to pick it up.

• Seek just came through the mail, so now I'm all geeked out over that CD.

• JT mentioned Madlib, so that's in the mix.

• Michelle and Gldnspce brought Maroon 5 to my attention and that's in the mix.

• Gldnspce and I are feeling Jason Mraz. Again, the pot is getting full.

• I got a copy of The Grey Album and I was demanded that I review that pronto.

• Then, I started listening to Kanye and now I'm in complete agreement with Magic Negro that this is indeed dope. I would be remiss if I didn't review it this week.

With a total of 6 CDs to review, I think I'm in overload heaven. In which order should I review these? Anything else I forgot, people? Bring it on!

past: Jamiroquai , 'Latenigttales'
present: Amel Larrieux, Bravebird
future The Grey Album, Kanye West, Jason Mraz.

She's back, that wonderful Amel. With her talent gracing Groove Theory, Sweetback, Towa Tei and then her solid debut album Infinite Possibilites, I anxiously waited for three years for her followup CD to drop. There are some gems here, but this leaves me wanting more.

I expect to hear cuts like For Real and Bravebird, with their accentuated rhythms and flow, they start the album off on a high note. Maintenance however, seems to be the weakness here placing the album in a lull until we're graced with We Can Be New, the in-your-head beats and chanting of Congo, and the solid gold Say You Want It All near the end of the CD. It ends how it starts, on a high note-- but still wanting more. It's time for me to go back and get Stanley Clarke's CD 1, 2, To The Bass graced with her presence.

My take? 6/10. It's my second take so far this year. Time for upliftment.

Express yourself to eXponent. It's a good thing.

past: Musiq, 'soulstar'
present: Jamiroquai , 'Latenigttales'
future: Amel Larrieux

Jamiroquai, having graced us with A Funk Oddysey in 2001, has taken us into their late night musical inclinations with Anotherlatenight, which explores what's in the mind of Jason.

It's interesting to see what Jamiroquai has taken from the musical world. In listening to this CD, it's easy to see where their influences lie. While mostly backdrop music, there are some clear gems in this set.

Starting out with Pointer Sisters and The Commodores, the tunes are not quite Jamiroquai. Rufus's Once You Get Started is a cut with which Jamiroquai has utilized, but it's not nearly their best cut. (At Midnight) My Love Will Lift You Up would be a more delectable spread indicative of Jamiroquai's style.

Johnny Hammond's album released in 1975 called Gears got such bad reviews, but the song Fantasy was definitely one of those tracks that deserved to be included. Having just heard this original, it's impossible for me to say what that album was like, but the single is great and is an inspiration to get more Johnny Hammond tunes. Ramsey Lewis' Whisper Zone, a very solid track, brings us right into Leon Ware. The track What's Your Name is something that, albeit old-school, gives you pause and makes you understand just what Jay Kay has in his head when he's expressing himself. This sounds like classic Jamiroquai complete with an outstanding horn section and wonderful female vocals. It would be absolutely great if Jay and Beverley Knight would remake this tune.

The album takes a lull right up to Skyy's Here's To You and on into The Real Thing with Raining Through My Sunshine. This was very surprising, because this tune clearly fused Jamiroquai's and Loose Ends' debut album together with the songwriting and production abilities of Chris and Eddie Amoo, much to my delight- inspiring me to retrieve The Best of The Real Thing.

Finishing up the CD with Marvin Gaye, Patrice Rushen, and The White City leaves me with a generally good album, but I'm going to be tapping my foot a bit louder waiting for the next CD from Jamiroquai. Let's hope 2004 brings us the next release.

My take? 6/10.

Express yourself to eXponent. It's a good thing.

past: Kelis, Tasty
present: Musiq, 'soulstar'
future: Jamiroquai , Amel Larrieaux

The third CD from Musiq is a continuation of his soulful exchange, with some very subtle distinctions coming front and center, namely his production capabilities, both behind the boards and in the executive suite.

I know you love me baby
'Cause I love you too
So tell me why is it I'm having doubts about you?

womanopoly slides on into forthenight which is the current release - a release that has a solid touch of 70s music revamped into this millenium. Along with being graced with AAries, it's a strong cut to start off with. infatueighties teaches us how to mack Musiq style:

We went from a spark to a raging fire
Down like a car with 4 flat tires
She my superstar, I'd be the shine behind her (ya mean)

whoknows is a very solid cut itself, complete with horns and a crescendo in the middle which, in this reviewer's opinion, would be a good choice for the second release. babymother accentuates whoknows, stating his ownership of a child on their way, sliding into The Rolling Stone's enhanced missyou. Mick Jagger should be proud.

momentinlife is an outstanding cut showcasing the talents of Cee-Lo and Kindred the Family Soul. thereason slides us into the groove of dontstop graced by the vocals of Bilal, yet another solid cut. When both vocalists are crooning to droppin' clothes, it's funky.

Dipping into the sdness of breakup, whereareyougoing gives us a thoughtful pause with good vocals, which is more expansive than his normal vocals. We are then pulled back into romancipation, a strong ending.*

This CD shows that Musiq has indeed expanded, yet he hasn't reinvented himself. It's still solid, and solid is good. Fans of Musiq will remain fans, and there will more than likely be more fans acquired. Has he stretched? A bit, but it's more on a positive vibe.

My take? 7/10.

Express yourself. eXponent. It's a good thing.

Hey, ooh, when im singing im sharing
Or rhyming I'm shining my light
And although the love is so blinding I still end up finding my wife
All I can do is reminisce cause there is no rewinding my life
But the future's so bright it's almost blinding my sight
- momentinlife

* There are two hidden tracks on the CD. In particular, leaveamessage which is very solid, replete with answering machine messages, making me replay the song continuosly. Very, very solid.

Name four things you wished you had ::

A new laptop. How long have I been whining about that though?
A workout partner. Trainer's becoming a bit too expensive.
A solid contract spanning the year.
More time.

Name four things you are thinking about:

Travelling to the N.Y.C.
Purchasing more CDs.
Green Tea.
Visiting some long lost friends.

Name four things you did today ::

Read through Bloglines
Blogging
Shopping
Purchased some more CDs.

Top 5 songs of the right now ::

"momentinlife" - Musiq featuring Kindred The Family Soul and Cee-lo
Something about this cut just thrills me at all times, and this CD is really growing on me in a good way.

"Communion (Instrumental)" - Swing Out Sister
Every so often, I have to jump into the wayback machine. A drummer's gotta beat, after all.

"Since I Seen't You" - Anthony Hamilton
This should be the next single, no doubt.

"Half A Breath Away" - Esthero
I'm so afraid that we may never hear another thing from her again. I had to dig this outta the crate.

"Bowtie" - Outkast
It's still up in my head. This should definitely be the next release.

Last thing you ::

• Did :: Let my beagle Anna lick me while I blogged.
• Read ::Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Still Reading.
• Watched on TV :: Boiling Point on MTV

Who do you want to ::

Kill :: No one of note.
Hear from :: Wilkerson.
Look like :: Today, I'll say me. With a haircut of course.
Be like :: Donald Trump, so I can fire people at will. Just for a second or two.

Last time ::

Last song you heard :: Smooth Operator by Sade
Last movie you saw :: X2
Last movie you saw on the big screen :: Kill Bill, Volume I. I need a life.
Last thing you had to drink :: Ghiradelli Chocolate with Blackberry Schnapps
Last thing you ate :: Tuna casserole
Last time you cried :: Still can't remember.
Last time you smiled :: a few minutes ago talking about Chauncey.
Last time you laughed :: While IMing with friends as they talked about purchases from XXX stores.
Last time you danced :: downstairs while listening to forthenight by Musiq
Last person you hugged :: Baldi
Last thing you said :: "Where's the Anna...heyyyy!"
Last person you talked to online :: Karsh
Last thing you smelled :: The scent of Anastasia Beaverhausen.
Last car ride :: my car from the supermarket
Last CD played :: Smooth Grooves After Hours
Last item bought :: Jamiroquai - Late Night Tales

Albums playing on the regular right now ::

Swing Out Sister :: Living Return, It's Better To Travel, Get In Touch With Yourself
Musiq :: Soulstar
Kelis :: Tasty
Justin Timberlake :: Justified
Ruben Studdard
Amel Larrieux :: Infinite Possibilties
Anthony Hamilton :: Comin' From Where I'm From
Alicia Keys :: The Diary of Alicia Keys
Morcheeba :: Charango
Smooth Grooves After Hours

past: Seal, IV
present: Kelis, Tasty
future: Nelly Furtado, Musiq, Only Child, 112, Missy Elliott, Timbaland and Magoo

This is the third CD from Kelis. Many of you may remember merely two, but between Kaleidescope and the current one, Tasty, Wanderland is the unforgotten CD in the US, only being released overseas. There's something to be said about Kelis, who won quite a few awards around the globe, but was all but noticed here. Wake up.
]]> Trick Me is a nice Dallas Austin intro to the CD, complete with guitar and a mini-rap from Kelis. 'Might trick me once, but I won't let you trick me twice'. . Milkshake has been played continuously for the better part of the fall, and as Kelis' first bonafied smash, hitting even harder than Caught Out There.

Keep It Down, is another Dallas Austin rock-soul mix that is welcome on this CD, even though Perfect Day was largely ignored by the world during Wanderland's rule.

Using fiancee Nas to describe how private sexual encounters are almost oxymoronic, as Kelis with The Neptunes asks to get it on In Public. R rated, even. Flashback, another R rated cut pulled from Wanderland, leads us into The Neptunes standard fare, the non-groundbreaking but nonetheless memorable Protect My Heart, accentuated by Pharell. Andre 3000 lands squarely on Millionaire, another Andre 3000 gem. It takes Rafael Saddiq to add his flair to the singles Glow, one of the strongest cuts on deck, and Attention.

Sugar Honey Iced Tea and Rolling Through The Hood are yet two other Neptune cuts, which should enlighten non-Wanderland purchasers, dipping into Stick Up ending with the nice finishing touch of Marathon.

For myself, Tasty is yet a redux of Wanderland. With the additional work of Rafael Saddiq and others, this gives Kelis a little more exposure for the world to realize her talent the third time around. Executive producer Kelis has shown that she is still a force to be reckoned with. Don't sleep. If by chance this enightens you, go back and dip into Wanderland.

My take? 8/10. Solid.

Express yourself to eXponent. It's a good thing.

Had him on the train one day when I wrapped in pain
He said 'I love you' in more ways than I've ever heard
And before I got his name I thought that it might be okay
To use the service to take some pain away
- Keep It Down