A couple weeks back, I explained how much I loved Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ 1976 classic “Wake Up Everybody”, and I treated you to the new remake by John Legend & the Roots featuring Melanie Fiona and Common (whew, that was a mouthful). Well, guess what folks? There’s a video now. Siting and watching the video (and listening to the song) has me filled with conflicting emotions. First is that I’m really looking forward to Legend & The […]
Posts tagged "The Roots"
New Release Report 8/10/10: YAWN?
Why am I even bothering to write one of these up this week? Ain’t jack dookie in record stores this week. I often wonder why the folks that schedule release dates don’t spread the wealth a little more. Weeks will go by with minimal new release action, then there’ll be a day when 5 or 6 albums that I want come out. Seems like it’s either feast or famine. Oh, that guy Mike Posner (whoever the hell he is) has […]
John Legend & the Roots Revisit a Classic: “Wake Up Everybody”
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ “Wake Up Everybody” was one of those albums that grabbed my attention as a kid. Of course, kids are mesmerized by the look of something before they’re attracted to the sound of something, and that stern-looking statue on the album cover certainly caught my eye. Once I actually pulled out the album and listened to it on my Fisher-Price record player, I was mesmerized by the title track. A plea to make the world […]
The Roots Continue to Show How to “Get Over” in the Hip-Hop Game
To say that The Roots have been hip-hop’s most consistently dope act is to do them a disservice. Fact is, the Philly crew has been one of the most consistently dope acts in music PERIOD over the past decade and a half. Despite making slight adjustments to their sound over the years in order to compete in the marketplace, the group’s never made a move that was desperate or ill-advised. Until (unless?) OutKast and the Beastie Boys come back, The […]
The Roots “Dear God 2.0” Video: Food for (Black) Thought
I’ve only given it one complete listen so far, but I can already tell you that “How I Got Over” continues The Roots’ nearly two decade-long streak of dopeness. Black Thought, as always, is on his “A” game, and a lengthy list of Roots associates and special collaborators combine to make the Philly band’s latest effort a must-listen affair. Quiet as kept, The Roots have also made some of the more interesting videos of any artist or band for the […]
New Release Report 6/21/10: Shady Monday
Is it me, or has almost every single Eminem album wound up being released early? Breaking from the tradition of having new music come out on Tuesday (I wonder why that started), “Recovery”, along with a healthy bunch of other new albums, arrives a day early. Most people who have gotten the chance to sample Em’s latest say that it’s a return to form. It’s certainly Eminem’s most contemporary sounding albums, with production from the likes of Just Blaze and […]
Preview The Roots’ “How I Got Over” Now!!
My brother from another mother, GG over at SonicClash hipped me to a very cool preview for The Roots’ upcoming “How I Got Over” album, which FINALLY comes out on Monday (yes, I said Monday). You can check out the first 90 seconds of each track on the album. There’s no doubt in my mind that Black Thought, ?uestlove and the rest of the band (which includes Tuba Gooding Jr., the best name in the music business) will come with the […]
Blerd Radio Episode 5: Hot & Bothered
You can listen to or download Episode 5 here . Hot? Because it was nice and toasty inside the office when I recorded this episode, and turning on the air conditioning would have resulted in a background noise even more annoying than listening to this hour-long monologue. Bothered? Maybe not so much. I was a little annoyed, but the show turned out to be less obnoxious or rude than I intended for it to be. Some things and people just aren’t […]
"Dear God": Thanks for Allowing The Roots to Put Out a New Record
Straight up. I love The Roots. Even if I didn’t think ?uestlove might be my Blerd brother from another mother, I’d still dig the band. Hell, they make Jimmy Fallon tolerable, and that is a tall, tall order. Previewing the June release of “How I Got Over”, the Philly band’s 9th studio album, check out “Dear God 2.0”, a slight re-imagining of a track originally written and performed by indie rock supergroup Monsters of Folk that was released last fall […]
Blerd Radio Episode 3: The Disappearance of LeBron James
Blerd Radio Episode 3: The Disappearance of LeBron James . For some reason, WordPress will not led me embed the Blogtalkradio code into my posts. This pisses me off. A lot of you reading are way more computer savvy than I am (quiet as kept…I’m kinda dumb), so if you could lend a blerd a hand and help me figure this out, that would be groovy. Anyway, after a three week absence, I have returned with Blerd Radio Episode 3. My guests for this episode are my buddies +LB […]
Liquid Liquid Lives on Late Night!!
I was on Twitter at some point last week and remembered ?uestlove of The Roots posting something that sounded like he was trying to say Liquid Liquid was gonna be on the Jimmy Fallon show. I was sort of half paying attention, and just kinda put it aside. “Couldn’t be,” I thought. “They must have broken up years ago”. Lo and behold, I’m surfing the internets and there’s Liquid Liquid performing “Cavern” on Jimmy Fallon’s late night talk fest with […]