mixtape maestro (2.0)

Laying breathy baby-doll coos over beauteous girl group arrangements, El Perro Del Mar (in actuality, Swede singer Sarah Assbring) offers a sweet and dreamy alternative to all the numerous retro-embracing pop-soul vamps swarming about these days. Listening to her lulls you to this ethereal place that could easily be considered the aural equivalent of heaven; that is, if her voice and, at times, lyrics weren’t drowned in so much sorrow.

Such a melancholic hell was masterfully configured on her wintertime pleaser, “How Did We Forget?”, a molasses-flowing tune that found Perro repeating lines like “It’s easy babe, It’s easy babe/ To make it hard” like some heartached loony while the band behind her laboriously clung to this circuitous doo-woppy rhythm, the occasional blasting of horns popping up to add some zing to the instrumental’s sleepy slow jam churn.

It might have left you near-comatose, but the record was compelling nonetheless, it’s few elements at hand capturing the depressing haze of a once-lively romance that had somehow steered into auto-pilot.

With the arrival of the album that “How Did We Forget” teased, From The Valley To The Stars, we are supplied with even more malt-shoppe-era confections mired in misery. One of the best is the non-Jackson Browne cover “Somebody’s Baby”, a jovial jaunt that could totally soundtrack the giggly peaks of young passion. But a deeper listen to the songwriting, revolving around a commitment-phobic woman (“You was somebody’s baby/ But you went back into the sky/ Want somebody’s daddy but/ You kissed them all goodbye”), and Perro’s cheerful vocal suddenly feels weighted with a somber tone, quickly deteriorating the surface notion that this is an effervescent puppy love entry.

Her allegiance to dreary subtexts may get you down, but El Perro Del Mar’s knack for draping her sadness with ear candy simplicity keeps her music too good to ignore. Pencil her in as the latest in a long list of Swedes who do pop the best.

DL: “How Did We Forget” (YFH)

DL: “Somebody’s Baby” (YFH)

Questionably chosen as the lead-off single for Busta Rhymes’ eighth studio effort, I’m Blessed, “We Made It” pairs the Flipmode-repping rap titan with Linkin Park for a commemoration of both acts’ years of super success while spitting in the face of those that doubted them along the way. Yet the rap-rock bridging doesn’t really teeter in Busta’s favor, making one wonder why the roles weren’t reversed and this wasn’t released as a Linkin Park (or Fort Minor) record featuring Rhymes.

Busta’s out-sized personality and rapid-fire delivery has always sounded better when backed by beats that are deliriously wacky or madcap to the infinite power, so it would have been exhilarating hearing his ferocious rhyming display over some headbangin’ metal noise. Instead we get a tamer Bust, awkwardly tackling a relatively straightforward performance over a rock track that bears little of the extreme excitement we would expect.

“We Made It” might not be so complimenting from Busta’s end, but it provides a cool Linkin Park moment, with Chester Bennington pulling off another likable anthem of a hook and the blocky, White boy flow additions of Mike Shinoda (holding down a decent middle verse) reminding us why Fort Minor turned out to be such a surprising listen.

The move for some pop attention is understood (and we should appreciate the fact that he didn’t go the obvious route and call up Chris Martin), but “We Made It” is nowhere near the Busta of ’08 jump-off that’s desired. For that flavor, bypass this and soak in the fiery monster that is “Don’t Touch Me”. Now that’s the type of Busta we know and love.

DL: “We Made It” (YFH)

U ready to get nasty? Whether you are or not, a single immersion in the sleazy electro-soul/ funk of “Love Toy”, from L.A.-based band Plantlife, will definitely pull that inner-raunch to the forefront.

Launching off with the kind of “in-between jams” bassline that warns you that something sticky-hot is about to be unleashed, “Love Toy” ends up being nothing more than a well-practiced walk-through of early Prince theatrics (the disco underlining coupled with a rawking electric guitar solo, the heavy breathing and falsetto whispered lead vocal performance, smarmy lyrics about being some sexy girl’s “loverboy/ love toy”). But even with everything about it feeling so “Paisley” predictable, the track carries a goofy, tongue-in-cheek air that makes for an enjoyable, surely-to-be-repeated listen and it certainly fulfills it’s mission of getting all listeners in a lewd mood.

If nothing else, at least note “Love Toy” for the talents of chief contributor Jack Splash. Already on the charts via “Teenage Love Affair”, the charming, girl group-styled sparkler he helped write and produce for Alicia Keys, upcoming plans for a side project with Cee-Lo (under the name Heart Attack) definitely makes him one to watch over the next year.

Pick up Plantlife’s new album, Time Traveller, when it drops in May.

DL: “Love Toy” (YFH)

Like that old friend who always knows the right things to say to pull you out of your own personal doldrums, Jamie Lidell‘s “Another Day” is the quintessential pick-me-up tune, easing you into a giddy, carefree stride with it’s jubilant gospel/ Motown template.

With his emphatic soul-man belts (which always seem thisclose to feeling over-the-top) comfortingly framed by the track’s spirited groove, Jamie Lidell explodes with glee in his recent discovery of how best to communicate with his lover. “I used to scream when talking would just do,” he realizes, “Now I’m letting silence do the talking”.

The backing arrangement illustrates his self-backpatting with celebratory flair: handclaps, feel-good organ work, the support of a perky background choir and a somewhat cheesy horn interlude lifting the track to the heavens above. It’s all very ’70′s Stevie Wonder-ish (a vibe not necessarily new when it comes to Jamie’s work), covered in a golden-like hue that re-assures you that “everything is gonna be alright”.

The perfect musical pick for when you think life isn’t worth living anymore, once the sounds of those chirping birds in the opening seconds hits your ears, any quasi-suicidal thoughts you happen to be stewing in should instantly disappear.

From Lidell’s new album, Jim.

DL: “Another Day” (YFH)

Last summer, I pegged Kat DeLuna’s Selena-esque bachata ballad “Am I Dreaming” as the record that could really distinguish this big-voiced young singer from the rest of the overcrowded pop/ R&B scene; yet it was bypassed in favor of “Run The Show”, an amped-up party cut more in line with her debut single, “Whine Up”.

Remixed for the re-release of her largely ignored 2007 album, 9 Lives, “Am I Dreaming” now boasts the added star power of the ubiquitous Akon to make it an even stronger track. Here, ‘Kon presents himself as the ideal man from her storybook fantasies, quickly pointing out that he’s not going to come “smothered in lies/…Leaving you black and blue” like all those other cats who approach her. While his past widely reported deceptions makes claims like that a bit hard to swallow, the addition of his signature vocal stylings amid the track’s summer-friendly exotic bump ends up a magnificent choice, raising “Dreaming”‘s already high level of enticement well through the roof.

But don’t think Kat DeLuna has been completely pushed aside to make room for her multi-platinum collaborator. She sustains her place as the song’s main attraction, dressing it’s melodic pounce with powerful diva pipes that seem quite odd coming from a woman of such a tiny frame. If her handlers know what’s good for her, they’ll time the release of this re-configured smash-in-the-making in perfect conjunction with the upcoming sunny season.

DL: “Am I Dreaming (Remix)” (YFH)

Whether it was the official first single, relegated to bonus track status or pushed off as a stand-alone download, the ill-fitting Roots/ Patrick Stump collabo, “Birthday Girl”, just never sat well. It wasn’t all that bad of a song, but everyone sort of agreed that it is just too late in the game for our lone hip hop band to start chasing the pop charts in such an obvious way (plus, one Gym Class Heroes will do, thank you). Thankfully, the Philly ensemble’s eighth album, Rising Down, doesn’t follow in that direction at all, instead, finding them doing as they should and giving rap the politicized shot in the arm it needs to backdrop this tense election year.

Anchored by a nervy, ear-lobe tickling Afrobeat soundtrack, album cut “I Will Not Apologize” is a sure enough standout, pairing Black Thought with familiar Roots’ associates Porn and Dice Raw for some sharp-toothed venting. Nursing taut, rhythmic flows that compliment the track’s funky, “spy-creeping-through-the-shadows” undertone, the three emcees sound like they’re using all their might to stay on the right side of sanity, not wanting to completely succumb to heated inner boilings.

Thought scores in the role of a “felon for the second time” searching for the golden ticket that could set his life back on the right path. Even as he’s wrecked with never-ending worries (“Look into my daughter’s eyes/ Wonder how I can provide/ Got to get from A to B, but how can I afford to drive?/ Messed around, tried to get a job and wasn’t qualified”), he remains cool, calm and collected, refusing to fall victim to his plight. Elsewhere, Dice spews shame on his rhyming peers (“Jewels rented, cars rented/ Homie that ain’t authentic/ Actin’ tough on TV but to me you seem a little timid”), summing up the idiocies of the current rap game in a few acutely observant lines (“Actin’ like a monkey is the only way to sell tickets/ Shit I can dig it/ Niggas gossip silly digits/ White kids buy it/ It’s a riot”).

More than enough to make you forget that “Birthday Girl” ever existed, “I Will Not Apologize” plants The Roots right back where we want them, only affiliated with the “fall outs” that arise from their dynamic sixteens and blazing hot live jams.

DL: “I Will Not Apologize” (YFH)

Remember when we thought of Ashlee Simpson has nothing more than another annoying, reality TV-made pop star who would probably never score a fraction of the success of her big sis? My how things have changed. Ashlee might still be the bane of many music lovers’ existence, but her recent trek into ’80′s-influenced dance-pop have made her harder to hate, while Jessica’s at-once flourishing career has seemingly fizzled out. Following guilty pleasure delights “Outta My Head” and “Boys”, “Ragdoll”, from Ashlee’s playful romp of a third album, Bittersweet World, offers another reason why she’s the Simpson sib to get behind.

A bit Police-reminiscent, the Timbaland-handled joint (that’s also co-written by current blog phenom Santogold) encircles her raspy coo with sharp, ska and punk pop-tinged quirks that bridge the worlds of No Doubt Gwen and “Hollaback Girl” Gwen. Aimed at a “rotten to the core” boy giving her an emotional run-around, Simpson gets increasingly frustrated as her attempts to completely win him over continue to end up unsuccessful.

“Why you gotta throw me around like a rag doll?”, she cries on the infectious hook, her desire for him to “touch me now” inching her ever-so-close to hair-pulling insanity. She would like to think of herself as the kind of tough chick that could bypass someone that consistently leaves her feeling so sour, but his hold over her is too strong to be easily dismissed. So she instead sits by pitifully, waiting for the day he will transform into the prince she wishes him to be, the man who will tenderly wipe away her streaks of “black tears”.

Filled to the brim with numerous lyrical and musical hooks, “Ragdoll” is an infectious ditty that’s just waiting to explode as a sing-along favorite for unappreciated girls everywhere. When is the last time Jessica has had a no-brainer delectable like this in her grasp? Come to think of it…has she ever?

DL: “Ragdoll” (YSI)

Mock the wail-lenient Hall and his bushy-mustached lil’ partner Oates all you want in public, but don’t act like your iPod doesn’t include at least one of their irresistible greatest hits or you don’t get all excited when “Maneater”, “She’s Gone”, “Say It Isn’t So” or “I Can’t Go For That” comes through your car radio. The duo unleashed some of the best lite soul-informed pop of the late ’70′s-mid-’80′s and you know it.

Art Alexakis sure isn’t afraid to publicly air his love for them, even going so far as to take on one of Hall & Oates earlier smash hits (“Rich Girl”, from 1976′s Bigger Than The Both Of Us) for his band Everclear’s recent all-covers release, The Vegas Years (Don’t worry, you’re probably not the only one surprised that the band are even still around).

Hall & Oates’ hooky “Rich Girl” employed a perky pop rhythm, some sleek Philly soul strings and a child-like melody that didn’t distract from the record’s pointed lyrical advice (which basically warned: Wealthy heiresses are soul-less, pitiful bitches!!). Everclear drown all of those pleasantries in their remake, a competent, but not all that interesting, retread of everything else they’ve recorded. Unable to venture away from their dated post-grunge-meets-punk-pop guitar crunch formula, Art and Co. miss the simplistic appeal of the original, making the entire affair rather pointless.

For a better take on “Rich Girl”, and proof of how wide H&O’s fanbase really was, peep the cover version made by none other than the High Priestess of Soul herself, Miss Nina Simone.

DL: “Rich Girl (Hall & Oates)” (YFH)

DL: “Rich Girl (Everclear)” (YFH)

DL: “Rich Girl (Nina Simone)” (YFH)

(WARNING!! The following recording may cause heart attacks across the globe from over-excitement.)

“Love In This Club (Part II)” pulls together the reigning trifecta of Black music, Ush, Lady Be and Weezy, for a slick, ’80′s-styled R&B slow jam (think the original Usher #1 fused with his previous hit “Lovers & Friends”) that’s sure to be the go-to final dance selection at every one of this year’s senior proms.

Despite being attached to other people, the two superstar singers can’t deny the magnetism they share as they lock tongues in some dimly lit corner of the nightclub. Aware that he’s got her trapped within his web, Ush fills up her head with all kinds of sweet talk (“If I walk away and just let you leave/ You’ll be stuck in my head like a melody”), trying his best to ease his piece into her naughty zone. Be can’t help but acknowledge their hot chemistry, but falling in line with the privacy-cherishing plasticity she projects in her real-life persona, getting down in the clear view of the surrounding public just isn’t her style.

Struggling to fight off his forward advances (even though her body is screaming for him to take her right then and there), she politely informs him that “this right here is only for your eyes to see”; besides, she later notes: “I strongly doubt this velvet rope would hold me up/ And I don’t want security rollin’ up on us”. Meanwhile, over in the VIP area, a mush-mouthed Wayne is pulling off some extreme PDA of his own, getting his lady all hot and bothered while shouting out the DJ “for playing this song”.

With both Usher and Beyonce past their respective “I do”‘s, their commitment to this fantasy (and what would be the ultimate must-see sex-tape!!) is commendable. But no matter how many A-listers are brought in to push the title, the whole idea of “making love in this club” is still kinda gross. Let’s just all be thankful that the clubs already have so many black lights.

DL: “Love In This Club (Part II)” (YFH)

Looking for the ’08 version of J. Holiday’s oh-so-dreamy “Bed”? Look no further than Raheem DeVaughn’s “Customer”, a gently lilting R&B number that features the widely appreciated crooner (please pick up his late ’07 album, Love Behind The Melody) inviting women to his own personal sex diner. “Take your time ‘fore I fill your order/ I can appetize ya or main course ya/ Caution, caution/ ‘Cause the plate is hot,” he offers to lonely, starved vaginas everywhere.

While DeVaughn is a solid artist in his own right, it’s hard not to be submerged in “Customer”‘s twinkling salaciousness without noting it’s obvious similarities to about 85% of R. Kelly’s material (though you admittedly feel less sleazy after listening to Raheem). The Pied Piper himself must have sensed this as well, and unwilling to be one-upped in the food/ sex metaphor department, he’s made “Customer” the latest stop on his pre-12 Play: Fourth Quarter remixing tour.

This remix (R. calls it the “Have It Your Way” Version) finds Kells re-opening the Chocolate Factory, urging ladies to taste-test his “buffet” and “good, good lemonade” alongside plans to put a “roast in your oven/ Until you can’t get enough”. His contribution quickly veers the original’s tender, soft-core pinings into full-on XXX-rated territory, a move that makes Raheem’s version a bit more enticing to the ears and makes Kelly appear slightly threatened (don’t worry, R., will never forget you). Still, we got to thanks Kelly’s competitive spirit for only further heightening the public’s awareness of DeVaughn and one of the hottest R&B records of the year. Can’t wait to hear what Rob does to Weezy’s “Lollipop” cause you just know that’s where he’s headed next.

DL: “Customer (Remix)” (YFH)

Peep the video from the original: