With each subsequent release, the liquid-voiced Rahsaan Patterson edges closer to the outskirts of r&b. Originally lumped in with that group of singers that formed the “neo-soul” movement in the late ’90s and early ’00s, Patterson cut his teeth on accessible (albeit very accomplished) soul throwbacks; his output this millennium isn’t overly abstract or gratingly experimental – far from it – but his willingness to expand outward and expound on his unique sensibilities have granted him immeasurable artistic success. Wines […]
Posts tagged "Spin Cycle"
Superfiction is Super Good! (Cold are back!)
I don’t know why I got so excited for Cold’s Superfiction as I pretty much wrote the band off after A Different Kind of Pain. 13 Ways… and Year of the Spider were more evolutions than departures from the Cold sound but I always felt they should’ve named their 4th album A Different Kind of Cold because that’s what it was. I did like frontman Scooter Ward’s Killer and The Star release in 2009 and maybe that’s what got me excited again. […]
Spin Cycle: Blondie’s “Panic of Girls”
As a culture, we tend to dismiss the aging rocker, and often unfairly: it seems like we dismiss bands that have been around for twenty, even thirty years or more as passe. Somewhere along the line, a few musicians in the twilight of their career started seriously phoning it in, and as a result, once a band reaches its sell-by date, we tune out. Sometimes we’re right – you could argue that the Stones’ last acceptable album dropped in ’97, […]
Spin Cycle: “Fly From Here” by Yes
It’s true, I’m a prog rock fan. I love the sound of a mellotron in the morning and love to hear talk of synthesizer filters and 12 string guitars. I’m bound to listen to anything combining the words rock, jazz, fusion, symphonic, epic, concept or progressive in any combination or order. That being said I know that I’m an odd fan of the genre. Most followers can’t get enough of Yes and Rush. They form the base of everything progressive […]
Spin Cycle: Matt Nathanson’s “Modern Love”
You’ve got to give John Mayer props if for nothing else than re-opening the door for sensitive yet somewhat witty dudes with guitars who play appealing/hooky pop/rock. One guy who’s benefited from the Guitar Dude Renaissance (which has actually been happening for a decade now…geez, time flies) is singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson. Having recorded since the mid Nineties, Nathanson got his break big with the song “Come On Get Higher”, featured on his 2007 album Some Mad Hope. A few key […]
Spin Cycle Plus: Beyonce’s “4”
Beyonce’s 4 has been quite the subject of discussion over at Popblerd HQ. With so many opinions about the pop star’s work and the controversy surrounding the album (after several songs from the album underperformed and the entire set leaked about a month before release, it was rumored that Beyonce’s record company asked her to go back into the studio and retool the album. These rumors have been categorically denied all around), it was only right that we gave you […]
Spin Cycle: “Marc Broussard”
When I posted about Marc Broussard’s “Lucky” a couple of months back, I noted my frustration with the Louisiana-born singer/songwriter seeming to jump from genre to genre. His eclecticism seemed less like the joyful abandon associated with an artist like Prince, and more like calculated inroads into as many markets as possible as directed by his record company. The man’s multi-talented, but just because you CAN perform everything doesn’t mean you should. After being wowed by a sufficient portion of his […]
Spin Cycle: “Rave On Buddy Holly”
Rave On Buddy Holly is a behemoth and overwhelming success of a tribute album. If this was the accompanying soundtrack to a major biopic, it would be a best seller already. Almost every song is a raging success—holy shit Cee-Lo, did you just invent another crazy [good] style of singing?? And the cuts that don’t completely hit the mark are still damn good—Patti Smith’s “Words of Love” is a solid song but lacks the energy most every other track possesses, […]
Spin Cycle: Jordan Knight’s “Unfinished”
I desperately want to be a champion for Jordan Knight. A lot of folks think “Hangin’ Tough” at the mention of his name and conjure up memories of the era when you couldn’t escape Jordan’s metal-filled mug on coffee cups, posters, notebooks, etc. But the fact remains that the guy has talent. Hell, YOU try to sing “I’ll Be Lovin’ You (Forever)”. The guy’s got vocal skills and good taste in influences- The Stylistics’ Russell Thompkins Jr. and Luther Vandross […]
Spin Cycle: Eddie Vedder’s “Ukulele Songs”
Every once in awhile artists need a change and go off and do something completely different. Bruce Springsteen put out a record of Scotch-Irish sounding Pete Seeger songs. The Black Keys teamed up with a bunch of hip hop artists to produce the oddly cool Blakroc . Some of these are more successful than others and some are just weird (anyone remember when Tom Waits and Kool Keith were on a record together?). Luckily, Eddie Vedder’s latest obsession is the ukulele. Vedder’s new solo album titled, appropriately enough, Ukulele Songs is his […]
Spin Cycle: Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”
My judgment occasionally gets clouded by hype. Only in most cases, the hype has an effect opposite to it’s intention. Instead of drawing me more toward something, hearing endless amounts of PR spin causes me to approach the item (whether it’s a CD, a book, a TV show or a movie) with significantly more skepticism. That’s been my issue with Lady Gaga almost since the moment she danced into stardom. It took me almost a year to give Gaga a […]