In case you missed part one in our breakdown of the Legendary Roots Crew’s discography, never fear. Just click here . Now, let’s move on! The Tipping Point (2004) Drew: Having exhausted almost all avenues of restless experimentation with Phrenology, The Roots stepped back in a major way with The Tipping Point, a record far more interested in bobbing heads than in expanding their genre. Having officially reached the point where I experienced every new Roots release in real time with Phrenology, I recall The Tipping Point vividly, […]
Posts tagged "John Legend"
Spin Cycle: Lil’ Wayne’s “Tha Carter IV”
Rapper Lil’ Wayne once said, via an album title, I Am Not A Human Being. Listening to his new album, Tha Carter IV, it’s not difficult to see where Wayne was coming from – it’s not difficult to envision the rapper being dropped from a UFO into someone’s Hollywood backyard on a quiet, chilly night. The objective? To ruin hip-hop by turning it into an exaggerated version of its worst stereotypes, to behave in a deliberately bizarre fashion to court […]
This Is No Ordinary Love: Sade & John Legend Live in Boston
When you consider the fact that Sade tours about as often as Halley’s Comet appears, the fact that I waited until the 11th hour to pick up a ticket to their latest tour seems kind of…well, foolish. After all, the venerable British band has retained their popularity for over a quarter-century now. That has to be due to something, right? Add in support from John Legend, one of the most consistent artists of the past decade in any genre, and […]
Spin Cycle: Big Sean’s “Finally Famous”
Seven years after The College Dropout, the specter of Kanye West’s opus looms large over the rap landscape. He’s put out better albums in the intervening years – arguably, his stunning sophomore set Late Registration – but Dropout was the game-changer. Never has Kanye’s notorious inward focus been quite as breezy and flippant, nor his boasts as tempered with something like genuine humility; and if Late Registration is a big-budget, melodramatic epic, Dropout was the winning indie comedy from a […]
John Legend Tackles Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”
How dope would a John Legend/Adele duet be? Until that happens (and considering they share a label, I’d imagine that will come to fruition sooner of later), check out this nugget that just arrived via John’s Soundcloud page. An acapella version of the British songstress’s current “Rolling in the Deep” that’s positively spine-tingling. Pure dopeness. John Legend – Rolling in the Deep (Adele Cover) by johnlegend
Popblerd!’s 2011 Grammy Preview: Rap
Another year, another time to kvetch over the Grammy Award nominations, right? It may be music’s biggest night, but it’s hard to find a Grammy Awards that’s not fraught with controversy and/or boring as hell. The nomination process always results in head scratching decisions, and this year’s are no different. Katy Perry nominated for Album of the Year? Weird. Lady GaGa’s “Bad Romance” scratched off of the Record of the Year nominees? Uber-weird. No Lil Wayne nominations? Big Boi passed […]
Another Billboard Nail-Biter: Chart Stalker! 9/30/10
In the red corner, an upstart country band who won the 2009 Grammy for Best New Artist. Representing for the peeps who like a little bit of Jack Johnson with their Kenny Chesney, we have…the Zac Brown Band! In the blue corner, a group of funk/rock pros whose lead singer has finely chiseled cheekbones and unbelievably sculpted hair! The Grammy winner for Best New Artist of 2004…Maroon 5!! It was a close race for the top of the Billboard charts […]
New Release Report 9/21/10: Wanna Get Your Hands All Over Maroon 5?
I’m scared of the new Maroon 5 album, “Hands All Over” ( purchase on Amazon mp3 ). The first single, “Misery”, seemed like the height of laziness to me. If you stuck “This Love” and “Makes Me Wonder” in a blender, the result would be “Misery”, and despite the critical arrows that seem to get slung Adam Levine and co.’s way, they’re definitely better than that. However, no less an authority on music than Popdose’s Grand Poobah Jeff Giles Y’all has deemed M5’s third studio effort, “Hands All Over”, […]
John Legend & The Roots Ask You To “Wake Up!” To the Sound of True Soul
I generally hate covers albums. As much as I love John Legend and The Roots individually, there was a little part of me that thought their album-length collaboration, “Wake Up!” was going to be a humongous bust. My heart sang even further when the album was previewed by their version of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ “Wake Up Everybody”. Covering anything on which Teddy Pendergrass originally sung is generally a crime in and of itself, but adding Melanie Fiona […]