mixtape maestro (2.0)

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)

Uncategorized 80's, alicia keys, maino, mase, mixtape, R&B, remix, the element of freedom

“Why?”

That’s the question that probably crossed plenty of folks’ minds when news got out that former Bad Boy prince Mase was staging yet another comeback to the rap game.

Yeah, his last attempt turned out fairly well, given how awesomely hokey 2004’s “Welcome Back” ended up being (leading to Gold sales for it’s parent album). But even then, Mase felt oddly out of time; and that strange alignment with G-Unit he took on soon after…? No words could ever explain away that head scratcher.

Nevertheless, here we are five years later, and the mumble-mouthed emcee/ sometimes-preacher has got that itch again, and alongside the desperate bid to grab hold of today’s kids’ attention by attaching himself to Drake’s “Best I Ever Had”, he’s simultaneously dropped a new solo track with “Thinkin’ About You”. The surprising kicker? That the latter cut is actually not all that bad.

Don’t get us wrong, “Thinkin’ About You” isn’t this extraordinary game-changer, and if you hated Mase before, the song will do little to change your opinion. But for those who couldn’t get enough of the materialistic hip-pop candy he reigned the charts with in his late ’90’s heyday, “Thinkin’” lands as a sturdy enough bridge to that long-gone era with a few tweakings to give it a somewhat modern (at least by mid-00’s urban standards) appeal.

From it’s featherweight, “snap & B” backing track (swiped from T-Rex’s “Kiss Her and Hold Her”), to it’s introductory “Teenage Love” reference (“Don’t-Don’t-Don’t hurt me again”), to it’s pleasant-to-the-ear, anonymous female-sung hook, “Thinkin’ About You” emerges as a decent lil’ charmer with the potential to bring Mase back into at least some mild radio rotation.

It doesn’t completely sell us of the idea of his return being a necessary move, but it accomplishes enough to stir up a slight intrigue to what else the rapper has in store for us in the coming months, and, more importantly, if a reunion with one-time comrade Puff will somehow be tied into things.

DL: “Thinkin’ About You” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, mase