mixtape maestro (2.0)

Jay-Z tried, but sadly his grumpy old rapper efforts were, it seems, for naught.

As if “D.O.A” never meant anything (which, to be honest, it kinda didn’t about a nanosecond after first hearing it), T-Pain, one of the bigger faces of the “Auto-Tune” movement that’s suffocated the pop, R&B and rap music scenes in recent years, has polished off his BIG ASS CHAIN and begun his march back to ubiquity. Leaks from his forthcoming fourth album RevolveЯ have already started to surface all across the Web, but the tracks that will likely trigger more interest amongst the masses would have to be the couple of high-profile remix gigs found below that he’s smartly lined up to aid in creating buzz for his…guess you could say “comeback”.

The first re-pairs him with R&B kindred spirit of-sorts R. Kelly in a 2.0 take of what’s become Kellz biggest hit in two years, the currently chart-climbing “Number One”. And like their previous collaborations (the remixes to “Same Girl” and “I’m A Flirt”), it’s another memorable joint of the minds between the two modern soul freakazoids.

Featuring Keyshia Cole in place of Keri Hilson and dubbed a “remix for the clubs” despite the fact it bears the same slow groove tempo of the original, the song births plenty of great lyrical snippets to add to both men’s already very lengthy lists of awesomely WTF!! songwriting nuggets, from Pain’s “I’m-a put that BMI all over your ASCAP” to Kelly’s “Baby girl I guarantee once I get up in you/ I will make that pussy speak to me in Auto-Tune” making for what could best be described as robot-icized sex jam heaven!!

DL: “Number One (Remix)” (alt)

For his other remix appearance, T-Pain is inserted into a “re-configured for urban airplay” version of Shakira’s “She-Wolf” that ticks all the necessary boxes to realize it’s goal with it’s disco beat stifling, generic ’09 hip-pop production overhaul (listening to it, you nearly expect Flo-Rida to pop up with some corny club rap banter at some point).

Unnecessary? Totally, though some slight entertainment value can be found in Mr. Pend-Her-Ass-Down’s aping of Shakira’s vocal melody. But it did get us to thinking of how cool would it have been if he had found a way to bring his boy R. Kelly in here. Having the “R” in R&B spout out some naughty verse about a fanged seductress would have really brought this revamp to the next level.

DL: “She-Wolf (T-Pain Remix)” (alt)

Black Eyed Peas are finally moving on to a third single from their The E.N.D. set, and we’re actually quite excited about this. Not only because it seems we’re finally going to get a airplay break from the US chart-topping stranglehold of previous E.N.D. singles “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling” (they’ve been at the top of the Hot 100 for a record-breaking TWENTY-THREE STRAIGHT WEEKS people-that’s more than enough love for two songs that were irksome long before they got played 50 billion times!!!), but also due to the fact that the album’s official junior joint will be the far more likable “Meet Me Halfway”, previously hyped here as “an amped-up ballad which bites the soaring drive of The Killers’ “When You Were Young” in it’s epic “oh-oh-oh” melody while The Dutchess commits a solid vocal performance that hints of a newly reinvigorated interest in her old, childhood Cyndi Lauper/ Madonna records” (ahh, we’re so good when we try).

And look, the track has already begun inspiring hot remixes.

Likely the first of many, this re-haul by the production duo of Joshua Bass and Aaron Jones is tricked out with some trash-can percussion stomp, synthesized marching band fanfare and flashes of electric guitar, nicely competing with the club-ready beat of the will.i.am/ Keith Harris-helmed original in the kitchen-sink, dance-hip-pop-crafting department.

DL: “Meet Me Halfway (Joshua Bass & Aaron Jones Remix)” (alt)

We’re still not entirely sure it’s a good idea for Amy Winehouse to be helming a label right now (since A: we’d rather have her focusing all her energy on shaping up and recording another album, and B: well, would you want her as a boss?), but then again, what do we know. Her Lioness Records imprint is set to be launched this Fall and it’s first order of business is in releasing the debut album by her 13-year-old goddaughter Dionne Bromfield.

Somewhat un-surprisingly, the London-born Bromfield has been groomed to be a Winehouse mini-me. She may not be crowned with a ratty, on-the-verge-of-collapsing-at-all-times bee hive or look disturbingly under-fed, but she’s definitely presented as a precocious soundalike to her God-mama, down to the beyond-her-years soul pipes and penchant for remaking old R&B/ girl group material (her premiere long-player, Introducing Dionne Bromfield, is an all covers set featuring takes on “Tell Him”, “He’s So Fine” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, amongst other cherished oldies).

The project’s first single is a remake of The Shirelles’ 1963 Top Ten hit “Foolish Little Girl” and, as is the case with a majority of Winehouse’s stuff, it’s impossible not to appreciate. Yeah, it makes for an odd fit as a solo performance (part of the campy charm of the original was the way it was set of as a conversation between friends, the different members of the Shirelles’ trading off leads to play both the song’s jealous ex-girlfriend main role and that character’s well-meaning pals), but that can be overlooked with Bromfield having such sturdy, self-assured vocals and the track rocking this adorable lil’ reggae-for-beginners trot we could listen to over and over for hours.

It’s a decent jump-off for the Lioness label (maybe Amy knows what she’s doing after all!!!), but we gotta admit, we’re more interested in hearing what original stuff Bromfield will be serving up for the follow-up album.

Introducing Dionne Bromfield is due October 12th in the UK.

After spending the entire summer getting most of the country to sing along with their “so not for children” desire to boink every female on the planet, the over-sized Young Money clique finally get around to releasing a new single with “Bedrock”, and as a repeat of previous single “Every Girl”‘s winning recipe of radio-(and summer-)friendly production with horn-ball lyrics (though this time with a couple more YM employees and solo R&B crooner Lloyd added into the mix), and an upgrade from the previously leaked incarnation “Girl You Know” (that earlier take featured a slightly different Wayne verse and brief Young Money member Omarion horribly straining his way through an inferior hook), it mostly succeeds in laying the path for another full season of airplay domination.

Supported by a Kane Beatz-helmed…um, beat that’s damn near worth the price of admission alone, conjuring up this candy-coated sense of vertigo with it’s ear-tickling loop of rapidly tip-toeing keyboard/ synth work, “Bedrock” unfortunately gets off to a lame start with un-inspiring opening verse contributions from Weezy (definitely texting it in here) and Gudda Gudda, who comes up shamefully flat on at least two occasions (“I see me with her/ No Stevie Wonder” + “I got her nigga/…Grocery bag” = someone needs to retake Clever Rap Punchlines 101).

But following that introductory misfire, “Bedrock” quickly rights itself with good-to-great lyrical turns from Drake (“I love your sushi rolls/ Hotter then wasabi”), Tyga and Lil’ Kim sequel/ token female member Nicki Minaj (her squeaky voice may be edge-of-annoying, but damn if it doesn’t sound good hosting lines like “Maybe it’s time to put this pussy on your sideburns”) as well as the usually reliable Lloyd hiccuping “Call me Mr. Flintstone/ I can make your bed rock girl” in that weightless, “sixth member of New Edition circa ‘Candy Girl’” tone of his.

Hear the cut below, followed by “A.D.I.D.A.S”, a Soulja Boy-esque mixtape entry from Georgia rapper Travis Porter that was the original holder of “Bedrock”‘s contagious beat.

DL: “Bedrock” (alt)

DL: “A.D.I.D.A.S.” (alt)

Just as we had finally started to come around to the seemingly bizarro reality of Pearl Jam being the cats behind this past summer’s irresistibly catchy rocker “The Fixer” (and don’t act like you didn’t have a hard time pairing the band with the feel-good single either), the grunge godfathers go and throw us another mind-jumbling curveball by including an actual LOVE BALLAD on their newest release, Backspacer. And by love ballad, we don’t mean a depressing romantic lament that would have fit in line with everything we’ve come to expect from PJ after all these years; no, with the beautifully folksy “Just Breathe”, they’ve created something that could perfectly soundtrack the walk down the aisle of your wedding!!!

Supported by a lightly orchestrated, country-tinged frame of tender acoustic guitar flickerings and cinematic strings (yes, strings!!) that prettily nail a rustic-like serenity, Eddie Vedder’s hardened growl is leavened with vulnerability as he pauses for a moment of self-reflection at the mid-life point. Realizing how fortunate he is to be able to “count on both hands the ones I love” when others have to settle for one or none at all, he’s moved to pull his lover to the side to announce his appreciation for her presence in his life.

How amazing it is to hear this mucho masculine-sounding man’s man get in touch with his sensitive side, his apologizing for any previous lack of clarity concerning his feelings for her (“Did I say that I need you?/ Did I say that I want you?/ Oh, if I didn’t I’m a fool, you see/ No one knows this more than me/ And I come clean, ah…”), touching pleas for her to “Stay with me…” and lump-in-throat-evoking final couplet of “Hold me ’til I die/ Meet me on the other side” all enough to mist up anyone’s eyes.

Find out about Backspacer‘s purchasing info via the band’s website.

“Just Breathe”:

“The Fixer”:

While best known for their wildly inventive exercises in hard rock, metal, prog and pop-rock sounds (as well as a seemingly glue-stuck “like Foo Fighters” tag) that have slowly helped push them further and further into the UK mainstream view, Scottish alt-rockers Biffy Clyro have also proved over the years to be reliable in delivering some really fascinating cover songs.

From Rihanna’s “Umbrella” to Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” to Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” and The Killers’ “When You Were Young”, Clyro’s re-imaginings haven’t always bettered the originals, but in their (sometimes polarizing) attempts to recast these familiar nuggets, the results were never un-interesting either. So when the news dropped that the Biffy boys were gonna hit the Live Lounge studios, we were excited beyond imagination to hear what cover song they would try out next. When we found out it was going to be the slinky Ciara/ Justin Timberlake duet “Love Sex Magic” though, that excitement was multiplied times ten. Their last venture into American R&B (the aforementioned “Umbrella”) managed to be a winner…but what in the hell were they gonna do with this under-performing FutureSex/ LoveSounds leftover? Answer: Fill our hearts with glee!!

Rather than give it an extreme “rawk” makeover as they had sometimes handled their covers in the past, Biffy (thankfully) opt to go a more straightforward route this time, reinterpreting the original’s funk groove via some surprisingly groove-able singular guitar picking, and providing vocal performances that, while definitely awkward in that square-ish “non-soulful European white boys” kind of way, pull out some charmingly goofball, falsetto-aided male harmonies.

If you dug the Klaxons doing “No Diggity” or Hot Chip taking on Snoop or giving us their best R. Kelly imitation, you’ll likely admire this.

DL: “Love Sex Magic (‘Live Lounge’ Ciara Cover)” (alt)

In it’s original context, Wale‘s Tribe Called Quest “Award Tour”-referencing “World Tour” manages to be a better-than-average banger, with producers Cool & Dre spinning a triumphant, modern blaxploitation beat that’s every bit as energetic as Wale’s excited rhymes about the ups and downs of being an on-the-come-up rap star. A perfect choice for a single, everything about it bristles with a “you WILL like me” infectious hunger similar to Kanye West’s early output, and having Jazmine Sullivan around doing the soul-diva hook-chick thing makes for a nice cherry on top (even if she is a bit under-utilized here).

But we would be lying if we didn’t admit to digging this slickly polished Urban Noize remix a little more. Their decision to once again thaw out The Whispers’ “And The Best Goes On” as a backing sample choice is a brilliant move, the song’s feel-good ’80′s R&B-funk a nice compliment to the globe-trotting lifestyle Wale is going on about (And don’t worry, you’re not alone if you’re moved to dorkily chant “Welcome To Miami” at least once when listening to it).

Pick up the MP3 below, as well as Urban Noize’s remix to the R. Kelly/ Keri Hilson duet, “Number One”.

Wale’s debut Attention: Deficit is now set for a November 3rd release.

DL: “World Tour (Urban Noize Remix)” (alt)

DL: “Number One (Urban Noize Remix)” (alt)

Mariah’s twelfth album, the recently leaked Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, may house much of the twinkly keyboards, echoed syllable hooks and silly lyrical turns that have lingered in her previous work with dominant Angel songwriting/ production team Chris “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The-Dream” Nash (not to mention, the stuff they’ve crafted for themselves and others), but having those quirks on hand don’t at all prevent this collection from ranking as one of her most maturest albums to date.

Having little interest in the sample-based, cookie-cutter R&B-pop thrills of her past, Angel looms heavy with a mostly mid-tempo tracklisting that more often than not finds her dwelling in the depression of post-break-up heartache or selling a sassy kiss-off to a no-good boyfriend. Even the small number of relatively upbeat, “happy” numbers carry a denser musical tone beneath them, causing one to think that Mariah spent some time dipping back into her own catalogue, re-realized what a gem 1998′s under-appreciated Bone Thugs N Harmony collabo/ single “Breakdown” was, and then opted to record an entire album based around the track’s nocturnal-soul vibe.

If we had to pick one as an immediate favorite it would have to be mid-album cut “Ribbon”, a molasses-flowing bump & grinder that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Dream or R. Kelly album. It’s one of the few instances on the disc in which she’s celebrating love, capturing her completely lost in the charms of her lover and on the verge of a near-breakdown when she’s forced to be separated from his touch for the smallest bit of time (“It’s been about twenty good minutes since I kissed you/ Come back boo/ I miss you/ Wish I had twenty million hours to caress you/ And undress you/ To be continued…”).

It’s a puppy love sentiment we’ve heard her wax on plenty times over in the past, but here, when supported by a boudoir-ready groove and a chopped-and-screwed-styled hook that awesomely co-signs her ecstasy with demonic chants of being like a “ribbon with a bow on it”, sounding a bit more grown-up when giddy in love goes a long way.

Hear it below (you didn’t think we would have THE MAN catch us giving out a Mariah MP3 now, did you?), followed by a clip of Miss Carey-Cannon (looking all “Vision of Love”-ly) performing her surprisingly moving cover of Foreigner’s “I Want To Know What Love Is” on Oprah.

Memoirs drops September 29th.

“Ribbon”:

“I Want To Know What Love Is (Oprah Performance)”:

Arriving mere months before the planned-for-early-2010 premiere of The Strokes’ long-awaited fourth studio effort, “11th Dimension”, the first taste of Julian Casablancas‘ October-set solo debut Phrazes For The Young, is possibly one of the happiest-sounding things to have ever met our ears, satisfying our long-held curiosity for what a JC project would be like.

In the perky alternate universe of “Dimension”, Casablancas’ backing Strokes are replaced with a bunch of eye-lined, asymmetrical-hairdo-ed android musician-bots with the seemingly central goal of crowding the singer’s familiar lackadaisical croon with a gleeful meshing of as many ’80′s electronic pop sensibilities (a neon-lit carnival of various synth/ keyboard melodies, those wiggly guitar lines, the drum machine’s relentlessly tinny pummel underneath…) as possible in one arrangement.

That the song is nearly overwhelmed with too many great half-ideas, both in it’s ever-evolving production and the occasionally awesome Casablancas lyrical couplet (“I just nod/ I never been so good at shaking hands”) only makes it more exciting to indulge in on repeated visits, birthing a new “favorite” moment with every successive listen.

It’s an unexpectedly exciting jump-off for a solo career we always kinda wished for, but never thought we would actually receive (at least, this soon), supplying us with enough of a Strokes-y feel to keep us quenched until the new group album drops, while being “different” enough to assure us that we won’t be all Stroked-out when that fourth album release date does reach fruition. Perhaps most importantly, it provides continued solid proof that the next time the band want to go forever in between albums, we’ll no doubt be kept entertained between all the members’ respectively pleasing side-gigs (with Phrazes possibly being the one that ends up besting them all, that is, if “11th Dimension” turns out to be the album’s tone-setter and not the exception).

Pre-order Phrazes For The Young here.

“11th Dimension”:

To say the world needs another vintage R&B mimic would be like admitting that VH1 needs another ludicrous reality-TV dating show, but Mayer Hawthorne, the porn-ily monikered alter-ego of Michigan-born hip hop DJ Andrew “Haircut” Cohen, definitely deserves to take up space in your iPod library, if only so you could freak out your friends and parents with the endlessly wowing re-imagining of ’60′s and ’70′s-era R&B/ soul that takes place on his debut project, A Strange Arrangement.

Bearing a spot-on handling of the falsetto croon, groovy soul-bop, honey-coated soul balladry, and simplistic love letter poetics of yesteryear (all of which Hawthorne impressively played, wrote and mixed together by himself), Arrangement is so soaked in the vibe of Motown, Stax, Curtom and so many other labels of that era that on several occasions you’re nearly convinced that these songs were actually constructed and performed by the likes of Curtis Mayfield, The Temptations, Holland-Dozier-Holland or The Platters.

Standing out as one of the best offerings here is the album-closing “Green Eyed Love”. Whereas most of Arrangement settles on dishing out well-executed throwback confections without much of a nod to the present, “Love”, a goofy paean to the “sticky icky” (“My love, my green eyed love/ We’ll watch the clouds from above/ Come on, lift me up…”), takes Hawthorne’s retro-fixated template and gives it a fresh modern twist thanks to it’s stimulating electric guitar solo and it’s main groove: a slowly creeping, oom-pah funk bounce that comes across like a looser spin on one of Eminem’s cartoon-ish productions.

Below, check out the videos for singles “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” and “Maybe So, Maybe No”, plus a live performance of “Green Eyed Love” fronted by a rendition of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” we’d love to hear more of:

DL: “Green Eyed Love” (alt)