mixtape maestro (2.0)

If somehow you’ve never managed to come across the eccentric soul-funk-rock dynamo that is Janelle Monae, boy do we feel sorry for you that your life is so lacking.

A super-heroine born out of the wedded universes of Stankonia, Broadway and whatever the hell alternate dimensions Grace Jones, Nona Hendryx and George Clinton and his P-Funk crew came from, Monae rocked music lovers in desperate need of something truly new to their core a few years back with her debut EP Metropolis Suite I of IV: The Chase, an awe-inspiring mini-set based around fanciful sci-fi concepts and genre-blurring production schemes.

This year marks Monae’s much-anticipated return, she’s set to drop sophomore collection The ArchAndroid in May, and she’s kicking off this brand new era with the unquestionably excellent “Tightrope”, a Big Boi collaboration basically encouraging listeners to follow her lead by doing themselves and doing themselves well with nary a thought given to the opinionated gab of others while pumping out their sweatiest jig in line with the track’s tightly wound, JB-inspired gaiety.

“I tip on alligators/ And little rattle-snakers/ But I’m another flavor/ Something like a terminator/ Ain’t no equivocating,” she breathlessly spews in a vocal performance that’s just as wildly infectious as “Tightrope”’s rapid-paced mix of tumbling drums, funked out bass, Spanish guitar and sultry horn blasts. And while we would’ve gladly appreciated Andre 3000 gracing the cut with his presence (maybe for the remix?), we can’t easily dismiss his Outkast partner Big Boi’s slick, threat-soaked contribution: “See why you don’t want no friction like the back of a matchbook/ Daddy Fatsacks will fold you in your MacBook…”.

Add this single (available for purchase through Monae’s website) and the May-set release of The ArchAndroid as two more reasons why 2010 is shaping up to be a great year for music.

“Tightrope”:

Below, snatch up the cut that made us first fall in love with Monae: “Lettin’ Go”, a breezy tribute to Off The Hook-era MJ from 2005’s Got Purp? Vol. 2 compilation, that somehow makes getting fired from your job sound just as fun as winning the Lottery.

DL: “Lettin’ Go” (alt)

Uncategorized alt-soul, big boi, funk, janelle monae, southern rap

A year after topping the Pop and R&B single charts with “Oh Shelia” (a tune so heavily smothered in The Purple One’s “Minneapolis sound”, that, to this day, many people still mistake it for being an actual Prince ditty), six-piece Flint, Michigan outfit Ready For The World managed to hit the top of the R&B lists a second time with the release of “Love You Down”, a sophomore album slow-groover about freaking up some cougar (“It never really mattered that much to me/ That you were just too damn old for me…”) that likely set the mood for plenty of prom nights in the mid-80’s.

Over twenty years later, it’s hard to deny how cheesy it all sounds now, partly because of it’s cheap-ish production quality, but mostly due to the fact of how laughable frontman Mevin Riley’s lead vocal is. Full of nasally whines, orgasmic moan-hiccups and teeth sucking noises, listening to him now makes one wonder if he could even make it five minutes into the evening without completely exploding all over himself, let alone the “all night” sex-capades he was endlessly promising.

None of that “kids pretending to be grown-up stuff” can be felt on Me’Shell Ndegéocello’s spell-binding rendition of the song, though.

Found on her latest album Devil’s Halo, Ndegéocello slightly flips the P.O.V. (it’s still directed towards a female, but here, she’s the older woman courting a younger girl), and that mature perspective can be felt all throughout her cover’s every erotic pulse, from the crashing cymbals and throbbing basslines to the languid synth squelches and Me’Shell’s hushed, “only for my lovers’ ears” vocal performance.

Hell, it’s near-two minute instrumental outro of steamy industrial soul/ rock sludge noise alone should inspire some serious boot-knocking.

“Love You Down (Me’Shell Ndegeocello)”:

Uncategorized 80's, alt-soul, cover song, grown folks R&B, me'shell ndegeocello, ready for the world, sex jam

Radiating a neon glow even before one’s pupils is set on it’s vibrantly-colored video clip, Idle Warship’s “Bedroom Lites”, a highlight from their new mixtape Party Robot and the first single from their forthcoming debut album, sees the undie-supergroup aligning themselves with modern music’s over-obsession with everything ’80’s as they utilize a boxy, synth-lit electro strut to support a tale of two friends lusting after eachother in the late-night.

Res and Graph Nobel breathlessly purr their way across the tense erotic throb of “Bedroom”’s Eurthymics/ Paisley Park-ian soundscape, convincing in their shared role of a woman on the verge of implosion as she anticipates the rings of a booty call (“The lion’s outside of the cage/ And, oh boy, I need petting, dear”; “My head is on a pillow/ And it’s getting lonely in my habitat”); Meanwhile, on the other side of town, an equally horny Talib is torn over whether or not he should even phone (“I don’t want my interest to be taken for a sex fetish”).

Will the hook-up ever happen? Despite all the heated panting on display throughout, it sounds like it won’t; but that’s okay, the chorus’ semi-somber resignation of “Turn off the bedroom lights/ I guess I’ll be alone tonight” nodding towards an “it’s probably all for the better” resolution while simultaneously indicating that some “solo” fun will have to be had as a substitute.

Grab the rest of Party Robot here.

DL: “Bedroom Lites” (alt)

Uncategorized 80's, alt-soul, graph nobel, idle warship, res, talib kweli

When Sade’s sixth studio album Soldier of Love finally makes it way to release in the early weeks of next year, it’s arrival will mark ten looooong years since the release of the band’s last studio effort.

Now, we’ve come to expect long hiatuses between projects when it comes to this crew (if you recall eight years flew by before they followed up the “No Ordinary Love”-housed Love Deluxe with 2000’s Lovers Rock), but AN ENTIRE DECADE!?!…that just ain’t right.

Thankfully, Sade have opted on teasing their new release a couple of months early with today’s premiere of it’s first single/ title track, a slow-burning concoction about getting through heartbreak (“I’ve lost the use of my heart/ But I’m still alive”, Sade Adu opens, her dead-eyed tone still as piercingly chilled as we last remembered) that’s sparked by militaristic drum rolls, jagged electric guitar stabs, rousing background vox support and a “wild wild West” line that’ll surely draw smirks from those who perceive it as a shout-out to Kool Moe Dee.

Though it features a couple modern-ish production elements, longtime fans needn’t worry: “Soldier of Love” doesn’t try to re-write the cool Sade sound too dramatically, managing to perfectly fit side-by-side with the rest of the band’s much-adored nocturnal-soul catalogue.

Look for Soldier of Love to arrive February 8th, 2010.

Soldier Of Love

Sade  | MySpace Music Videos

Uncategorized alt-soul, grown folks R&B, sade, soldier of love, UK soul

Denmark-born newcomer Nabiha makes a strong first impression with her debut single “Deep Sleep”, a spunky ditty about (no kidding!) trying, and failing, to get some good rest.

“BLAM!/ Who’s knocking on my door?/ The pounding is so raw/ It’s hurting my head,” she growls, her vocal packing such a soulful wallop, you fear for what unfortunate fate awaits the person waiting on the other side of the door if she so chooses to answer the rap.

Yeah, the lightweight topic makes for a curious choice for one’s premiere to the world, but A) it’s something we can all relate to, and B) it beats the bazillionth slant on over-tired “matters of the heart” themes (something we’ll surely get plenty of doses of once the album arrives). Plus, it’s damn near impossible to resist the sugary contagiousness captured in the song’s Gnarls Barkley-gone-bubblegum production bop, especially when it’s being topped by punchy pipes such as hers (and not the needle-thin peep of some waif-sized teenybopper, the type of artist tracks like these usually support).

Uncategorized alt-soul, bubblegum, denmark, nabiha

A lengthy touring spell. Handful of one-off concert events. The release of a couple bootlegs. A comic book. A short story. Throat surgery. A brand new blog.

In the year-and-a-half since dropping his 2008 solo debut Falling Off The Lavender Bridge, UK-born dance-punk-turned-Americana-esque-indie singer/songwriter Lightspeed Champion seems to have done everything but bless the public with a proper follow-up to that near-brilliant collection. Apparently this set is already completed and awaiting the proper pieces to fall in place for it to get an official release date (Industry politics *sigh*), but never the lazy one (as figured by all his aforementioned activities), the man born Dev Hynes has already delved deep into his next next project, a psychedelic rock & funk-based side gig going under the moniker Blood Orange that he’s been teasing for a while now via posted demo tracks.

The latest, and best, cut heard so far from this forthcoming era is “S’Cooled”, a circuitous hypnotizer built on heavy bass chugs, persistent hi-hat hits and flittering guitar, that feels like it was inspired after one of LC’s darkest days (“Losing all my friends for sure/ We were left inside this hole…”, he emotes in his best Prince pout) and has definitely got us anxious for not only it’s final polish, but what else Blood Orange have cooked up.

Keep checking BO’s MySpace and Lightspeed Champion’s (quite fascinating) blog for future postings of this increasingly intriguing project.

DL: “S’Cooled” (alt)

Uncategorized alt-soul, alternative, indie rock, lightspeed champion, singer-songwriter, UK

Already dubbed by the press/ blog world as the “UK Santigold”, South Africa-born/ UK-raised newcomer MPHO makes quite the introductory statement on her debut single “Box N Locks”, some of which is because it’s main musical hook revolves around a catchy sample of Martha & The Muffins’ 1980 new wave-punk classic “Echo Beach”, but mostly because she’s already on the usually second or third album topic of yearning to break free from the pigeonholing of others.

Kicking things off with the admittably charming semi-sneer “Feisty little brown girl/ Raised in Brixton town girl/ Supposed to be some ghetto chick/ Making all this urban music”, MPHO spends the rest of the track dishing out these half-hearted apologies for being so left-field and un-”box”-able (“Can’t help myself/ It’s just the girl in me”).

On one hand you’ll want to instantly dismiss her assertions with eye roll-accompanied mutterings of “Why should I care?” and “Who are you again?” and want to cry out “Blasphemy!!!!” for her bold sampling choices, but “Box N Locks” carries such an undeniable breeziness and sturdy enough grasping of pop hook-craft magic in it’s three minute frame, it’s a bit hard to completely loathe it’s existence (Give it a few listens, and, promises, you’ll too come around).

One thing we do know: It’s important that MPHO understand that after unleashing something as attention-grabbing as this, she better have a whole slew of killer tunes to back it up with once her album Pop Art officially drops later this year. Something tells us though, that that won’t be a problem at all.

Catch the video below followed by a clip of her covering Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”, then snatch up Armand Van Helden’s eardrum-battering remix afterwards.

DL: “Box N Locks (Armand Van Helden Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized 80's, alt-soul, armand van helden, cover song, dance remix, kate bush, martha & the muffins, mpho, UK, uk pop

It’s nice to see that even when they’re not blanketed in the comfort zone of their Marty McFly-era hip hop sound, those BMX and Fruity Pebbles-lovin’ Cool Kids can still manage to exude…well, top-notch coolness.

Here, Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish seamlessly immerse themselves in the 16-bit electro-funk boogie of Kenna’s year-old “Loose Wires”, surrounding the singer’s spooky dancefloor seduction with their own cheapskate macking (“Only got a little money in my bank account/ So I ask homegirl she could take me out”) and old-school “exaggerated yawn to get your arm over her shoulders” date tricks.

DL: “Loose Wires” (alt)

Uncategorized alt-soul, cool kids, kenna, remix

Growing funk/ soul sensation Kevin Michael brings attention back stateside for one of music’s most exciting new talents. The 23 year old singer-songwriter embodies the kind of early Prince/ Sly Stone sound we’ve craved since D’Angelo, Maxwell and Cody ChesnuTT all went into seclusion and is sure to make big waves in the future if his amazing debut single, “We All Want The Same Thing” is any indication of what this cat can come up with.

A backwoodsy, front porch groove establishes the setting early on for this subdued demand for change. Unifying the different social sects he inhabits in an effort for some sort of trans-racial revolution (“All my gangsta friends/ All my skater friends/…Jesus freaks and thugs/ We all want the same thing”), Michael’s delicate phrasings (think El DeBarge with an Afro pick and handful of incense) and the track’s lean, paced arrangement is a soothing antithesis to the intimidating force message-oriented artists usually employ. His choice not to delve into too many details (he casually mentions his disappointment in politicians) keeps everything light and preferable to the production, but you don’t get the sense that he’s incapable of fleshing out his opinion, just careful not to let his words get in the way of the music.

Lupe Fiasco, this generation’s Tribe Called Quest/ De La Soul all rolled into one, compliments Michael well, helping embed a certain contemporary hip hip sensibility to prove that Kevin doesn’t only exist in some retro plane.

It’s one of those irresistible debut records that instantly categorizes an artist, perfectly encapsulating their entire artistic scope, as it currently stands, into an informing four minute introduction. With real R&B beginning to make a comeback in 2007, the mysterious Kevin Michael stands as the ideal man to help lead off the new soul era.

Download: “We All Want The Same Thing” (Amazon)

Uncategorized alt-soul, conscious rap, funk, kevin michael, lupe fiasco, prince

We’ve been teased with a new Lauryn Hill project for so long that it’s more likely the long-in-the-waiting Guns & Roses album Chinese Democracy would beat it to stores. Slowly, though, Hill has begun to creep back into the spotlight, announcing some upcoming concert dates and collaborating with the likes of John Legend and Joss Stone. But while John Legend’s “So High (Cloud 9 Remix)” reminded us why Hill was so loved in the first place, her throwaway cameo on Joss Stone’s “Music” signalled that it if she was to come back, it could possibly be more in the form of the angry and confused MTV Unplugged 2.0 Hill, than the majestic hip hop goddess we wholeheartedly embraced from Miseducation.

So touched by the new animated film “Surf’s Up” that she felt the need to hit the studio and record something for it, “Lose Myself”, Lauryn’s first solo offering in a minute, marks an interesting comeback for the troubled rapper/ singer/ songwriter/ producer. Opening with a splash of space age synthesizers before a rushed, melodic folk/ reggae rhythm comes to light, “Lose Myself” initially sounds like something Andre 3000 could’ve come up with after smoking some exotic ganja and tapping into an adoration for Bob Marley. Tragically, Hill is unable to find her footing in the song’s awkward tempo and off-kilter frenzy and on first listen, the entire event could be summed up as a sad mess.

With a little more focus and a better mixing, though, “Lose Myself” could’ve been a grand return. Hill’s now-familiar, suffered alto feels honest and heartfelt as she speaks on a dark period she needed to endure to become the better person she is today (“I peerlessly had to face the danger/ So I could come back and love you whole instead”). Though it’s ultimately a self-love-first declaration, it’s hard not to ignore that it simultaneously ranks as a love letter to her fans. The disastrous results determine that she still hasn’t worked out all her kinks, but Hill’s inspiring new outlook shows promise as she personally thanks those who have waited patiently for her to emerge from whatever prison she was in: “And so it goes that I never meant to hurt you/ Couldn’t stay but I never meant to desert you/…And though it may have taken years I can finally/ Tell you that you were always on my mind.”

As a whole, “Lose Myself”’s inability to settle in a single direction is too apparent to dismiss. It almost feels like an old Lauryn Hill song given an unflattering remix from some amateur, bedroom DJ. Beneath all the chaos, though, faint signs that the Hill we know and love is back instills a glimmer of hope that a new LP should be arriving sooner rather than later. Let’s pray that the Miseducation 2.0 we’ve been feening for so bad returns this massively needed artist to the glorious throne she used to hold so well.

Download: “Lose Myself” (Amazon)

Uncategorized alt-soul, andre 3000, john legend, joss stone, lauryn hill, reggae