From his EP THE COLE SESSIONS....
Saturday, 15 November 2008
Little Brother Tracks 2
This is perhaps the most played (in Modern Soul circles) track involving LB.
Keelay and Zaire-alright with me. It's mostly because of that sample of course: This version looses the rather poor rap segment and in doing so it becomes a Modern Soul standard....
Keelay and Zaire-alright with me. It's mostly because of that sample of course: This version looses the rather poor rap segment and in doing so it becomes a Modern Soul standard....
The Little Brother Tracks 1
For the last few years my best of list has included something by Little Brother-or an off shoot connection to them. Though widely acknowledged and rated in Hip Hop circles (and by people under lets say 40)-The Modern Soul World I inhabit has been very slow to catch on. In 2008 I've heard a lot of material new to me by them-including one home made collection by the California Agents Blog that is one of the very best of the year.
The legitimate release of the long overdue sophomore CD by Foreign Exchange is one of the few follow up releases that truly delivers-no best of list should exclude a track from it. My own take on LB is that they clever and often very witty. Phonte has a deliver style and vocabulary that I like and they are very melodic (given the musical genre)-they use good singers. LB also are quite commercial as in doing songs as well-and have this year reached a wider Modern Soul audience.
This track is from 2007-it came out on Jazzy J "Return" EP but I don't think it made the CD (??). It's just fantastic and I love it...
The legitimate release of the long overdue sophomore CD by Foreign Exchange is one of the few follow up releases that truly delivers-no best of list should exclude a track from it. My own take on LB is that they clever and often very witty. Phonte has a deliver style and vocabulary that I like and they are very melodic (given the musical genre)-they use good singers. LB also are quite commercial as in doing songs as well-and have this year reached a wider Modern Soul audience.
This track is from 2007-it came out on Jazzy J "Return" EP but I don't think it made the CD (??). It's just fantastic and I love it...
AZ Edit
From his 2008 CD this heavy handed edit was done by me in order to make this track acceptable for Radio Play in the SCR Soul Show (see my links). Huge thanks go to Cath Inchbold for her suggestion-(insistence!) that I do the edit. Her selections are always right-her taste is beyond reproach. I couldn't name anyone who has had a greater effect on what I listen to this year. This track is typical of her magnificent ear for music Urban with Soul.....
Friday, 14 November 2008
Almost Gone
From yet another home made compilation called Mary J-B sides and unreleased comes this mighty bit of musical genuis. I've no details on it and I don't want or need to know. It's a sad lament to Love and me-well I just love Mary J....She adds gravitas feeling and drama (and when it comes to drama-I'm not mellow- I'm melodramatic)
Monday, 10 November 2008
Ty and Kory
A few months ago on the Forum EMS -I read a post by Mattfox that was titled "The Sound Track of your Life". Even though he's German and therefore English is his second language his post had something special about it. He stated that somehow certain tracks fit into a persons life. He listed a few classics and you could tell that he'd associated moments in time with his soundtrack. His only problem was that they were all quite old causing one reply that said "Did you die in 1982?".
However that post was in part the inspiration behind this blog. I didn't post on his thread because where would I start ?-all music is a sound track to my life.
After a few replies Maxfox stated that a lot of his soundtrack was about love- well hell yes!
From 2008 two tracks about Love from the same mixtape by Ty and Kory that fit into my soundtrack....
The first is about when love is good. It's fantastic ! So witty and with a melody which is almost MGM musical....
The second is about when love is bad and insecurity is writ LARGE
They both tell it like it is.......
Soundtracks! I got them.....
Jay King-I have a way
Another huge recent fave...
see here
"she says I am the words to her song"
http://thejazznetwork.ning.com/profile/JayKing
see here
"she says I am the words to her song"
http://thejazznetwork.ning.com/profile/JayKing
Sunday, 9 November 2008
Lovers-Billy Cook
Somehow these tracks fit- and this is such a great fit for me. I knew it the moment I first heard it-it still makes the tears flow because I just buy into it so much. A song about Lovers-so it's tragic-and it's bitter-but it's also hopeful even grateful. Because that's what I see- I read the vocal- and it has the emotion I seek... It's a two verse song with a change and just I love that...
"when everything is mixed together as one-I know that we are done"
But somehow underneath it is hope
"I hope that you'll find comfort and I'll pray you will find peace-but only time can tell where your heart will lead"
Yet it's still bitter-and when he sings-"with all my heart with all my bitty itty heart"-I thank God for Music.
Sobriety By Jessie Boykins III
Now this is one only I could Like...
Thanks go again to Greg Clifford for making me interested in hearing this rather special EP. I just associate with this track-it's a dream...a vague musical wash with enough about it to catch me. Could be the Dwele-Leon Ware type memories it invokes. It could be the title and the fact that Tinny's fuel my writing-or that feeling music gives me of love-lost/had/wasted-Just enough words to give me....just a feeling......
Q Tip- We fight the Love
A recent upload to my Imeem Account and a back story quite typical of the loneliness of the long distance Soul fan.
I read about this track on a Forum called back2basics-
see here: http://back2basics.biz/ (As the Blog Grows-I'll make sure all these links are readable!)
I have to thank member Greg Clifford for making sure I listened and I fell for it. So I uploaded it to embed in another Forum-and did a grand post about it. I didn't get a single reply-and my file didn't pick up more than 4 plays. But it's a long game-and eventually someone will nail this track-everyone will agree-and I will feel aggrieved. I've no right too feel anything other than assurance that I'm not the only one who feels this track-but it's just not that simple. Somehow a whole lot of personal issues surface-which I can't rationalize. Putting a track "out there"-especially to the people who would I like to think have some respect for my taste-takes a leap of faith. How far that leap is depends on a lot of variables-the prime one for me is my own investment(in terms of back story).
2008 has been a year where I have contemplated how feedback gives such huge encouragement to carry on-in what frankly is always a personal quest. Feedback is addictive-and I struggle with it. This is why if you read this Blog you'll get used to reading the words "only I like this". Whenever you do read them though-be assured that the track in question is VERY important to me....
This isn't one of those tracks because people are picking up on it......
Yeah it makes no sense to me either....
I read about this track on a Forum called back2basics-
see here: http://back2basics.biz/ (As the Blog Grows-I'll make sure all these links are readable!)
I have to thank member Greg Clifford for making sure I listened and I fell for it. So I uploaded it to embed in another Forum-and did a grand post about it. I didn't get a single reply-and my file didn't pick up more than 4 plays. But it's a long game-and eventually someone will nail this track-everyone will agree-and I will feel aggrieved. I've no right too feel anything other than assurance that I'm not the only one who feels this track-but it's just not that simple. Somehow a whole lot of personal issues surface-which I can't rationalize. Putting a track "out there"-especially to the people who would I like to think have some respect for my taste-takes a leap of faith. How far that leap is depends on a lot of variables-the prime one for me is my own investment(in terms of back story).
2008 has been a year where I have contemplated how feedback gives such huge encouragement to carry on-in what frankly is always a personal quest. Feedback is addictive-and I struggle with it. This is why if you read this Blog you'll get used to reading the words "only I like this". Whenever you do read them though-be assured that the track in question is VERY important to me....
This isn't one of those tracks because people are picking up on it......
Yeah it makes no sense to me either....
Montell Jordan Me and You
In order to get this blog under way-I'm busy embedding stuff from my Imeem Account. It's easy and quick to do and gives folks the chance to listen. This track I downloaded about 12 months ago a leak by Montell Jordan. I didn't tag the imeem track because (sigh) I wanted to keep it quiet-and I embedded this track in a couple of Forums-and amazingly enough got some reaction. Well over 12 months later it made the Montell Jordan Let it Rain CD-which was reassuring. The same didn't happen with the many Jazmine Sullivan leaked tracks- alas many of them didn't make her CD-see later.....
Nelson Wanna Be Yours
I've always liked this Black n Beatzs Vibzs leak from Nelson. So understated and gentle and rather haunting re visit of Carl Thomas "I wish I never met Her"
Hip Hope number 1 Scott Johnson.......
I like "hip hope"- musical tracks featuring the spoken word-where the emphasis is on something other than the negative...
This is from Scott Johnson and though it starts by being quite depressive-it's anything but....
This is from Scott Johnson and though it starts by being quite depressive-it's anything but....
Tonex post one
I'm a big fan of Gospel Star Ton3x. He's the most creative Gospel Artist out there-always courting controversy-and never quite coming to terms with himself. He turned his back on the majors took control of his own output and this year has released two mix tapes. On both there are moments of musical madness- seemingly he pushed the envelope just too far-(for acceptability). Somehow though I admire him even more because of this. Here he is taking the Carpenters and creating a masterpiece which deals with the old Gospel problem "If God is good why does he let bad things happen?"
God doesn't its us that do that....
God doesn't its us that do that....
From Jan 2008 Joseph Jnr
Downloaded a compilation called VA Streets Jan 2008-and on it was this fantastic track....
Just love it....
Just love it....
Lets get started
Hell this isn't even from 2008-though it's relevant. I was asked to Locate the new Raheim Devaughn CD some weeks before release-which I couldn't do. I searched though and found this mixtape and this track is edited from it. Never did any track fit the mood and precise feelings about the task in hand. Never did find out who the female singer is (Jill Scott)??.
"what you do is crazy baby-not like you belong in an Asylum!-Crazy babe !"
"what you do is crazy baby-not like you belong in an Asylum!-Crazy babe !"
Thursday, 6 November 2008
Intro one
I'm doing this for me-just for me-I don't expect a lot of readers or listeners...
This is my best Music I've Heard in 2008 -
I've done a few Lists like this in the past but never as a Blog
It's actually nonsense to have a best of list-(the best what-and for whom?)Top lists well that I can understand. Top selling singles for example are based on stats
Best of though is personal-which is why I no longer do a best of list.
Last year on a couple of forums I did try to do a list-but I found that I just can't JUST write a title -I love some of these songs-they remind me of things-events-places-relationships- the stuff that happened to me in 2008.
These factors are the back story-the whys and wherefores of why I heard that track, played it a lot of times and how it kinda helped me get through another year.
This blog gives me a chance to tell a bit of back story-I'm mindfull though of personal overshare-though I doubt anyone who does read it will understand any comments enough to take offence.
I'm not the only music fanatic-I'm one of many-my only difference is my willingness to indulge my love. But straight up-it's not important. People watch TV-talk to each other-I Mean even Games outsell CD sales (or so I've just read). Me I never play Games-Sure I've bought them-not for me of course-but yes I've spent plenty which adds to that sales figure. The notion that kids spend hours alone makes me feel uncomfortable-I mean how much meaning can you take from a Game.....
As much as you want really
This is my best Music I've Heard in 2008 -
I've done a few Lists like this in the past but never as a Blog
It's actually nonsense to have a best of list-(the best what-and for whom?)Top lists well that I can understand. Top selling singles for example are based on stats
Best of though is personal-which is why I no longer do a best of list.
Last year on a couple of forums I did try to do a list-but I found that I just can't JUST write a title -I love some of these songs-they remind me of things-events-places-relationships- the stuff that happened to me in 2008.
These factors are the back story-the whys and wherefores of why I heard that track, played it a lot of times and how it kinda helped me get through another year.
This blog gives me a chance to tell a bit of back story-I'm mindfull though of personal overshare-though I doubt anyone who does read it will understand any comments enough to take offence.
I'm not the only music fanatic-I'm one of many-my only difference is my willingness to indulge my love. But straight up-it's not important. People watch TV-talk to each other-I Mean even Games outsell CD sales (or so I've just read). Me I never play Games-Sure I've bought them-not for me of course-but yes I've spent plenty which adds to that sales figure. The notion that kids spend hours alone makes me feel uncomfortable-I mean how much meaning can you take from a Game.....
As much as you want really
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