mixtape maestro (2.0)

Robyn knows out to deliver a strong electro-pop ballad (As proof, just check previous entries/ massively acclaimed career highlights “Be Mine!” and “With Every Heartbeat”, or her latest excellent take on heartache-on-the-dancefloor emotional devastation in current single “Dancing On My Own”), so having the Swedish pop tart helm an 8-bit-stylized makeover of Alicia Keys’ ’09 tearjerker epic “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart” seems like it would be a near-magical aural experience.

Unfortunately, we’re left wishing that we would of had the chance to hear her version first, because despite Robyn pulling off a likable enough vocal performance (even her giggle-assisted flubs come off charming), it’s kinda difficult fully getting into this Live Lounge-birthed rendition when its chintzy, DIY-pop instrumentation can’t quite compete with the high-stakes ’80′s R&B dramatics masterfully brought forth in the original (arguably one of Keys’ Top 5 best ever creations).

Catch it, and her beautiful Live Lounge performance of “Dancing On My Own”, below.

Stream Robyn’s new album, Body Talk Pt. 1, here.

DL: “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (‘Live Lounge’ Alicia Keys Cover)” (alt)

DL: “Dancing On My Own (‘Live Lounge’ Performance)” (alt)

Even if the Alicia Keys/ Beyonce duet “Put It In A Love Song” wasn’t the greatest thing the two R&B divas had ever attached their name to, the upbeat track still managed to emerge a highlight of Alicia’s most recent set, The Element of Freedom, if only because it expressed that there was more to the piano-playing songstress these days than Grammy-baiting adult-soul balladry.

That’s not to say we don’t appreciate Miss Keys’ classy song-craft output (it’s nice to know that not everyone in contemporary R&B feels the need to be Auto-Tune’d-out and electro-enhanced), we just wish that she would inject a lil’ more “fun” into her sound more often (she is only twenty-nine after all, and has the rest of her life to produce mature slow jams).

Updating Blondie’s dance classic “Rapture” with flickers of Latin, funk and Sex & The City theme song (it was created for the forthcoming big screen sequel‘s soundtrack) doesn’t really scream all that youthful (it being a thirty-year-old cut and all) or register as necessary, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction as far as Alicia being more lively goes (especially in it’s revised rap moments).

The soundtrack, which also boasts a Jennifer Hudson/ Leona Lewis duet and Liza Minnelli covering “Single Ladies” (!?!), drops May 25th.

DL: “Rapture (Blondie Cover)” (alt)

BONUS DL: “You Don’t Know My Name (Reggae Remix)” (alt)

To have Wu Tang MVP’s Ghostface, Method Man and Raekwon all together on one track, rocking their usually winning thug-in-love swagger atop a shimmering ’70′s soul loop, made “Our Dreams”, an early preview of the trio’s highly anticipated joint offering Wu-Massacre, an immediate win; and if we had to point out the track’s true star, hands down it would have to be “hook guest” Michael Jackson (the song samples his 1975 solo hit “We’re Almost There”), melting our hearts all over again with the awe-inspiring ways of his then-16-year-old pipes.

So why, after noting all the praise-worthy elements the original has, do we consider a remix version replacing MJ with Alicia Keys the better grab? Simple: A better production polish.

The one thing keeping us from completely loving the original was it’s mixtape-level beat-crafting: More specifically, the awkward chorus-to-verse transitioning. Whether this was done on purpose to retain a certain street edge or was an early rough draft misstep ultimately left alone doesn’t matter, because the jarring cuts completely erupt the song’s flow.

Thankfully, the “Ant Acid Mix” rights this distraction, mashing M/G/R’s verses with Alicia Keys’ cover of “Almost There” (a bonus offering from last year’s The Element of Freedom) with far smoother (and therefore aurally satisfying) results.

Hear the original here, grab the “Ant Acid Mix” and the full Alicia cover below.

Wu-Massacre drops March 30th.

DL: “Our Dreams (Ant Acid Mix)” (alt)

DL: Alicia Keys “Almost There (Michael Jackson Cover)” (alt)

Jack Splash has quietly made a name for himself over the past few years in his roles as singer, rapper, songwriter and producer.

Besides drawing raving acclaim for his contributions to Plantlife, a wildly entertaining, three-albums-deep funk outfit based out of L.A., he’s also hooked up some of the brightest talents in modern-day R&B (Alicia Keys, R. Kelly, John Legend, Raheem DeVaughn, Solange, Estelle, Jennifer Hudson, Jazmine Sullivan) with these amazingly lush sounds and classic-tinged romantic scripts steeped in the always-rewarding luster of yesteryear soul (credits include throwback-seasoned singles like Keys’ “Teenage Love Affair”, Legend’s “P.D.A.” and Solange’s “T.O.N.Y.”).

This year has the potential to be Jack’s true breakout year though, thanks to the premiere of his much-delayed solo debut, Technology And Love Might Save It All. But just in case you’re still not yet completely sold on why it should be a necessity for you to circle the May release date of the project (or, hell, are still scratching your head trying to figure out who dude is), we’ve gathered three previously unleashed cuts for your listening pleasure below. Promises you’ll be an instant fan after hearing them:

“I Could Have Loved You” featuring Missy Elliott & Jazmine Sullivan

-leaked to high praise last summer, this infectious four-on-the-floor delight finds the ladies and Splash in the midst of a flirtatious stand-off. “I could have loved you,” they tease in a buttery smoove R&B hook, but because they’re both already attached, they can only offer a naughty twirl on the dancefloor. With their mates nowhere in sight though, Jack isn’t fully convinced they’re telling the truth, inquiring in his best Prince voice, “If you gotta man at home/ Why you got them high heels on?”.

DL: “I Could Have Loved You” (alt)

“Ringtone” featuring R. Kelly & T-Pain

-here, Splash is once again on the prowl (“Baby I just wanna get with you/ In a most familiar way/ I don’t wanna cause a spectacle/ I just had to stop and say…”) and being flanked by a supporting cast of A-listers (T-Pain drops a rap verse, an Auto-Tuned Kellz provides the chorus); but the track’s most noteworthy element is it’s oddly meshed groove, a surprisingly effective combination of synth-R&B quirk and acoustic guitar sunniness

DL: “Ringtone” (alt)

“.38 Special” featuring Cee-Lo

-Splash’s latest leakage, from the forthcoming mixtape King of The Beats (due this week), re-teams him with The Heart Attack partner Cee-Lo, for an exquisite dishing of needly guitar funk, golden age mic braggadocio (“I ain’t talkin’ bout a gun/ My .38 special, I spit from my tongue…”) and the kind of soul-stirring Gnarls Barkley-ish hooks Cee handles so well.

DL: “.38 Special” (alt)

Sample some of Splash’s other creations via the widget below; pick up his last mixtape, Heir To The Throne, here.

Alicia Keys‘ last single “Doesn’t Mean Anything” delivered all the Grammy-baiting things we’ve come to expect from the singer in terms of poised showmanship and inspirational pop majesty, but it was also kinda boring (and a bit too similar to her last album’s lead single “No One” in it’s plodding piano foundation), so it’s nice to see her quickly moving on with the release of a follow-up jam that at least doesn’t immediately come across as your Typical Alicia Keys Ballad.

Heavily shadowed in this ominous ’80′s R&B slow jam haze that employs some of Bonnie Tyler’s old lightning sound effects and, at times, threatens to swallow the singer whole into it’s dense black hole sway, “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart” stands as one of Alicia’s most musically enthralling cuts to date. At it’s core, a grand lyric about the post-break-up blues (“Have you ever tried sleeping with a broken heart,” she asks, before quickly adding the devastating “Well you could try sleeping in my bed”) and the self-help strengthening one must go through to break free of it’s debilitating shackles (“Tonight, I’m gonna find a way to make it without you”).

The song’s most appreciated touch? Alicia taking a much-appreciated break from all that top-of-her-lungs belting she’s relied too heavily on on recent material, and opting to bring most of “Try”‘s tear-stained narrative to life in a whispery, smoky vocal that sounds like she’s been up all night trying to gather the inner-courage needed to finally move on past the shattered romance.

Catch the video below, followed by TWO remixes of the tune, one with Brooklyn rapper Maino (“Hi Hater”) solidly tackling the heartbreaker role (“Pushing for commitment/ I’m running from commitment/ Scared to open up/ And you wonder why I’m distant…”) and another featuring…um, Mase (off his new mixtape, I Do The Impossible).

Alicia’s The Element of Freedom arrives December 11th.

DL: “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (Maino Remix)” (alt)

DL: “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (Mase Remix)” (alt)

Fresh from penning Whitney Houston’s surprisingly irresistable “don’t call it a comeback” entry “Million Dollar Bill” and co-celebrating the Big Apple on Jay-Z’s anthemic Blueprint 3 highlight “Empire State of Mind”, Alicia Keys steers the focus back to her own solo career with the newly leaked ballad “Doesn’t Mean Anything”, the first taste of her as-yet-untitled upcoming fourth album and one that’ll surely garner her some more award gold come 2011 Grammy night.

Built on a steady drum/ piano pounce that initially hints of a “No One” re-do before evoking more of a Fray/ OneRepublic adult-pop feel, “Doesn’t Mean Anything” presents Keys growing even more comfortable in her position as one of today’s most reliable timeless pop creators, delivering a moving “true love > material things” lyric that pierces the soul in all the right ways and an utterly gorgeous musical arrangement and poised diva vocal performance that both slowly swell upward until they seem to break through the clouds above.

Some may balk at the track’s decidedly non-urban stamp (and to be honest, we might not be fully on-board with this project, if we start to get the gist that the rest of the album will follow this somewhat VH1-ish formula), but it’s hard to easily deny the level of class and universally-appealing popcraft on display here.

Consider her “can’t do any wrong” streak extended for at least another year with this one.

With early leakings “I Look To You” and “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”, two lackluster adult-soul/ pop inspira-ballads that made Whitney Houston sound like she had never left the early ’90′s, it was beginning to look like the diva’s much-anticipated sixth studio effort I Look To You was going to be a major yawner.

What was going on? Had the multiple Grammy-winner forgotten all about the hip urban zest of 1998′s My Love Is Your Love and how, via the beat-making talents of Rodney Jerkins, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliott, that project had largely succeeded in pumping new life (and interest from the kids) into her career?

Thankfully someone on her team had the smarts to hire on lovebirds Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, cause the production/ songwriting duo may have just helped saved the album from an embarrasing quick chart fade-out with their winning contribution “Million Dollar Bill”.

Undoubtedly Houston’s best offering in years, “Bill” instantly latches the ear with it’s (very un-Swizz-like) retro-tinged groove: an infectious, baked-in-sunshine nod to the feel-good sounds of ’70/ ’80′s-era R&B that damn near dares you to lace up those old roller-skates that’s been collecting dust in your closet for decades and cautiously give them a whirl around the block. That inviting groove lays the perfect foundation for the track’s future female anthem lyric, a beaming “love life post-divorce” script that begs the lady population to “say ‘oh’” and “put one hand in the air” if they’ve managed to come across a knight in shining armor that “makes you feel like a million dollar bill”.

Both fresh-sounding and age-appropriate, “Million Dollar Bill” plants Houston right where she needs to be in terms of achieving a noteworthy comeback. Hell, it’s so good that all the recent (thought not quite un-true) gab about Houston’s voice not being as strong as it once was won’t even cross the mind when immersed within it’s pleasant vibe.

Let’s just hope that when I Look To You arrives at the tail-end of this month, it will house more tracks of this refreshing ilk rather than the tired balladry goop that we were first presented with.

Though it took a minute to fully swallow the seemingly bizarro reality of Degrassi: The Next Generation‘s “Jimmy Brooks” being heaped with praise as hip hop’s next great thing, after a couple months living with (and soon, obsessing over) Drake‘s mixtape So Far Gone, a 16-track collection of heart-poured, twenty-something introspection set to an amazingly versatile soundtrack that owes as much to slick Southern rap swagger and 808‘s moody digi-soul-pop as it does Hype Machine‘s popular ranking charts (cameos include blogger faves Lil’ Wayne, Lykke Li, Santigold and Peter Bjorn and John), let’s just say the Drake hype bandwagon needed to make room for one more.

This latest helping of Drake-mania sees popular So Far Gone cut “Best I Ever Had” getting a Ted Smooth twist, and while it’s beat-jacking of the naughty Akinyele classic “Put In Your Mouth” never quite fits in comfortably behind Drake’s “shawty” Valentine letter, the remix isn’t a complete throwaway, due in part to a tabloid-baiting guest appearance from Swizz Beatz.

“Wake up in the morning and my baby cooked me breakfast/ Ass naked, nothing on but a necklace,” rhymes Beatz. What’s so spectacular about that, you might ask? Fast forward a bit to when he unleashes this key line: “She gave me a party at the Guggenheim”. That’s right, he’s speaking on current boo Alicia Keys, who earned plenty of front page gossip rag coverage last year from this event (reportedly, it was the place where Alicia first publicly “out”-ed her romantic relationship with the then-still-married Swizz, all while his wife Mashonda was still under the impression that her and her hubby were going to work things out).

DL: “Best I Ever Had (Remix)” (alt)

Remember back when Amerie’s “1 Thing” was EVERYBODY’S favorite joint and how the teaming of that clattering drum loop, stabbing horn funk and Amerie’s piercing belt seemed to signal this exciting new turn for R&B. Well, while most producers/ remixers opted on trying to one-up it’s manic sound for the dancefloor, one cat, Siik, took the opposite route, transforming “1 Thing” into this buttery smooth concoction that seemed to just melt out the speakers, coming thisclose to bettering the original (pick it up here).

One of Siik’s more recent mash-up triumphs is this re-working of Kanye West’s ’07 party-starter “Good Life”. Like the Amerie joint, Silk aligns “Good Life” with another chilled-out groove (in this case, the instrumental from The Temprees’“Girl I Love You”, also referenced on Alicia Keys “Teenage Love Affair”) and the results are equally satisfactory. The summer season might still be a long ways off, but this is one that definitely should be saved for that next BBQ cookout.

DL: “Good Life (Siik Remix)” (alt)

Below, snatch up Siik’s remix of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”:

“Single Ladies (Siik Remix)” (alt)

A scan over the ’09 Grammy nominations list brought upon the usual shock-and-awe reactions (MIA actually made it into Record of The Year!?!…Past Grammy fave Alicia Keys was NOT nodded in the Best R&B Album category!?!…), but none was as WTH!! as seeing old school rap heavyweight Heavy D sitting alongside Elephant Man, Sly & Robbie and Shaggy in the Best Reggae Album field.

Heavy D released a new album!?! And it was a REGGAE release? And it was good enough to earn some Grammy attention?

Turns out Heavy did (very quietly, it seems) drop his eighth studio effort recently, and that project, entitled Vibes, saw the “Now That We Found Love” rapper-turned-actor turning his full attention to the sultry sway of the island. What the bloodclot?!?

Below, catch the video to first single “Long Distance Girlfriend”, a surprisingly not-all-that-bad entry that finds him crooning (!!!) after his “faraway bay-bay” upon a quite addictive Jamaican jaunt (and it seems he’s not really all that “Heavy” anymore).

Hmmm…wonder how long it’s gonna be before Rihanna is called on for the remix.