August 29th, 2009 | No Comments »
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If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It (Part 1)
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Do What You Wanna
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Uhuru
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Album: Another Voyage (1969)
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Ramsey Lewis is a bad-ass keys player and you’ve probably never heard of him. With 80 albums and three Grammy Awards to his credit, that’s a crying shame. Don’t feel guilty, though; he’s still touring, and you’ll be blown away by all the progressive music he’s given to the world.
I’m proud to say I have a bunch of Ramsey’s records. I’m trying to remember where I picked up this Crate Diggin’ gem, Another Voyage. I’m pretty sure it was the first Ramsey Lewis record I owned and that it was recommended to me by Cool Chris at San Francisco’s legendary Groove Merchant record store. Living around the block from one of the world’s foremost vinyl palaces wasn’t easy on my wallet. But I have no regrets.
Though the LP is credited to “The Ramsey Lewis Trio,” the other two cats deserve their props. Rhythm sections came and went, but at the time of Another Voyage, Ramsey was playing with some serious talent. Cleveland Eaton remains one of the jazz world’s most revered double bassists and was a member of The Ramsey Lewis Trio from 1966-1974. Maurice White joined Ramsey as his percussionist in 1966; Another Voyage was Maurice’s last album with Ramsey before he created a little outfit called Earth, Wind and Fire.
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Published in Crate Diggin', Music |
July 3rd, 2009 | No Comments »
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I Want You Back (Z-Trip Remix)
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Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (Original Demo)
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I Can’t Help It (Tangoterje Remix)
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Rock With You (House Remix)
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They Don’t Care About Us (DJ Lt. Dan Remix)
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Don’t get me wrong. I had only a grain-of-sand sized belief that Michael Jackson would ever be relevant to my life again, at least from a musical perspective. Certainly, the tabloid drama that was his life continues to enthrall, but it never overshadowed the breathtaking catalog of recordings that he drove into creation.
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Published in Music, R.I.P. |
May 12th, 2009 | No Comments »
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Playa Playa
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Devil’s Pie
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One Mo’Gin
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Untitled (How Does It Feel)
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Album: Voodoo (2000)
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Where did you go, D’Angelo? The gossip says you had/have a drug problem, your MySpace blog chalks it up to you being “a deliberate guy,” and the pictures are disheartening, check the before and after:
After the monumental achievement that was 2000′s Voodoo, we’ve heard next to nothing from you. I hazily remember you getting arrested a few years ago with some weed and powder, but musically it’s been pretty sparse: choruses on unmemorable hip hop throwaways, one stellar track ("Water Get No Enemy" from a 2002 Fela tribute album), and a handful of other crap that was a waste of your blessings.
I’ll stop ranting atcha, D, but I gotta admit — it feels good to vent.
Despite my bitterness, I still haven’t soured on Voodoo. Others may have dropped more hits, but there are only a handful who put out a long-player that was coherent and listenable from start to finish.
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Published in LP Classics, Music |
April 16th, 2009 | No Comments »
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Nostalgia 77 (w/Alice Russell)
Seven Nation Army
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Tender Forever
My Love
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B.Cause (w/The Whitefield Brothers & The Dazz Band)
Let It Whip
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I’m gonna switch things up on Musical Cousins. Usually, I do a modernish song that contains a sample from a slightly less modern song. Not this time. The tracks offered up in this post are all cover versions that sound as if they were released before the original. Allow me to demonstrate.
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Published in Music, Musical Cousins |
March 15th, 2009 | No Comments »
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MF DOOM
Rhymes Like Dimes (Edit)
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Album: Operation: Doomsday (1999)
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Quincy Jones (w/James Ingram)
One Hundred Ways
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Album: The Dude (1981)
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MF DOOM may be my favorite rapper at this point in time. He is one of the best rhymers in the game, and the combination of his cryptic lyrics and hoarse voice makes him stand out from other MCs.
Formerly known as Zev Love X, MF DOOM first came on the scene as part of 90s underground hip hop group KMD, until the group came to an untimely end after his partner Subroc died tragically in a car accident.
Many years after KMD fell off my radar, I started hearing tracks from MF DOOM with no clue that he was Zev Love X reborn. Me being an obsessive sort, I started looking into this talented rapper/producer only to be confused by all the different names he recorded under. Was he MF DOOM? Viktor Vaughn? King Geedorah? It didn’t really matter, all incarnations were dope. (And big up to Wikipedia for helping me sort through all of MF DOOM‘s personas.)
One of the recordings I picked up was, Live From Planet X, a ferocious live set from 2005 that included a selection I hadn’t heard yet, “Rhymes Like Dimes.” As usual, MF DOOM’s rhymes and phrasing were amazing (e.g. “Classical slapstick, rappers need chapstick”), but what really got me pumped were the snaky keys. Where did I hear them before?
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Published in Music, Musical Cousins |
