exponent

late night with jamiroquai

January 31, 2004

latenighttales

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.

in the sky by ej at 18.30 | revolutions: (2)

shining 'soulstar'

January 26, 2004

shining 'soulstar'

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.

full moon »

soulstar featuring DJ Aktiv and Carol Riddick in her spendor, graces the track with their voices, sliding into youloveme, which explores the two-sidedness of love:

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.

« wane

in the sky by ej at 00.21 | revolutions: (4)

big post of life lists - the first of the 'oh fresh'

January 10, 2004

Happy New Year. Via Mister JT....

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

in the sky by ej at 18.19 | revolutions: (1)