For my money, Meshell Ndegeocello is (in Kanye West voice) THE MOST SLEPT-ON ARTIST OF ALL TIME!! Seriously, I’ve been a huge fan since reading an article about her in “Black Beat” magazine (remember that?) and seeing her video for “Dred Loc” on Video Music Box (shit, remember that?) I have a special place in my heart for her 1993 debut, Plantation Lullabies. However, all of her albums since have been at least very good, and Bitter and Cookie: The […]
Posts tagged "The Singles Bar"
The Singles Bar: Robin Thicke’s “I’m An Animal” and Mary J. Blige’s “25/8”
Don’t you hate it when artists you once loved seem to lose their way? I don’t know if Robin Thicke has gotten all the way to that point with me yet, but I must admit that a good chunk of the appreciation I had for him during the Beautiful World and Evolution days has dissipated. Could be a little jealousy because the rest of the record-buying audience has caught up. Could be the fact that his last album, Sex Therapy, […]
The Singles Bar: “These are Conditions” by Pajama Club
As you know, no one is a bigger fan of Neil Finn than I am (some of my savvier Popdose peeps will get that reference.) I’ve followed him through twists and turns and side projects for a quarter century, and have very rarely left even slightly disappointed. The New Zealand-born singer/songwriter’s most recent project is called Pajama Club-you may remember we posted a piece on their first single “From a Friend to a Friend” a few weeks back. Pajama Club’s self-titled debut album arrives in about six weeks […]
The Singles Bar: Anthony Hamilton’s “Scandalous”
He’s one of the best soul singers to emerge in the past decade, and he’s coming off of one of this summer’s most delightful songs-his “So in Love” duet with tourmate Jill Scott (sidebar-damn, those tickets are ‘spensive!!) What can Anthony Hamilton do for an encore? How about hitting us with a slightly more risque summer jam courtesy of his new single, “Scandalous”. With sly lyrics, a groove that’ll make you shuffle your shoulders in your seat (at least that’s […]
The Singles Bar: “Everybody” by Miguel Migs feat. Evelyn “Champagne” King
I’ll admit to not paying too much attention to the modern dance music scene, but there’s still a handful of names I recognize. One of them is Miguel Migs. The San Francisco native has remixed records for just about everyone. Running the gamut from Britney Spears to Lionel Richie, Migs is a giant in his genre. For his upcoming album, Migs has recruited an eclectic group of artists ranging from reggae legends Half Pint & Capleton to neo-soul pioneer Meshell […]
The Singles Bar: YACHT’s “Utopia”
YACHT began as a solo project by Portland’s Jona Bechtolt. After three releases, Claire Evans joined Bechtolt to cement YACHT’s electronic indie pop confections on 2009’s See Mystery Lights. Following the college radio success of that album, YACHT are now back with a brand-spankin’ new full length on DFA, Shangri-La. While the overall album doesn’t gel as cohesively as it’s predecessor, Shangri-La covers enough ground to keep it interesting, and contains a number of tracks that beg your booty to […]
The Singles Bar: Kanye West & Jay-Z’s “Otis”
Now THIS is more like it. The release date for Kanye West & Jay-Z’s Watch the Throne (August 1) is official. Similar to this song. “Otis” is 3 1/2 minutes of solid shit-talking by some of the best shit talkers in hip-hop history. It doesn’t scream “pop hit” but it definitely has that raw, head-nod groove to it. Jay’s in his pocket here and Kanye (knowing full well he can’t try to outflow Jiggaman) quotes Audio Two and drops a […]
The Singles Bar: blink-182’s “Up All Night”
How long has it been since blink-182 disbanded? 5 years? 6 years? A decade? It certainly feels like a long-ass time. And for the past two years or so, it seems as though they’ve been touring with no record…until now. Finally-Tom, Mark And Travis are back with a new little ditty entitled “Up All Night”. The song is the first release from their upcoming album Neighborhoods, which is due at the end of September. It’s pretty much what you’d expect […]
The Singles Bar: Nikka Costa’s “Nylons in a Rip”
Nikka Costa’s always been hit-or-miss for me. She arrived on the American scene a decade ago with Everybody’s Got Their Something, an album I still bump to this day. However, two subsequent albums just haven’t hit their sweet spot. Actually, her second album, Can’tneverdidnothin’ provoked such a negative reaction out of me and my circle of music-lovin’ friends that my buddy P. Dizzle wrote a scathing passage in response to a review I wrote that was entitled “Nikka Ain’t My […]
The Singles Bar: “On My Own” by Consequence feat. Kid Cudi
Despite never really breaking through to the mainstream, Consequence has been a major player in hip-hop’s underground since surfacing on A Tribe Called Quest’s Beats, Rhymes & Life back in 1996. More recently, he’s gained notoriety as a satellite member of the Kanye West/G.O.O.D Music camp, appearing on several of ‘Ye’s albums. His energetic, youthful rhyme style hasn’t changed much over the years, but he goes for a slightly more subdued sound with the new track “On My Own”. Cons […]
The Singles Bar: J. Cole’s “Work Out”
Rapper J. Cole didn’t really appear on my radar until I heard the excellent Friday Night Lights mixtape at the tail end of last year. It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about a rapper, and the endless delay for his official debut album has been a bit frustrating, to say the least. So it’s with great pleasure that I announce something y’all all probably know already (because I am late). Cole’s full-length debut album, Cole World: The […]
The Singles Bar: Patrick Stump & Lupe Fiasco Celebrate Chicago with “This City”
There’s a period of anticipation that’s understandable for an album, and then there’s a point you get to where it’s like “HOLY SHIT! WILL YOU JUST RELEASE THE FUCKING ALBUM ALREADY?!??!” I think Patrick Stump’s Soul Punk is starting to inch towards the latter. However, there is a beacon of light!! The internets recently unleashed “This City”, which might be the first official single from Stump’s long-awaited solo debut. The electro-pop flavor that Stump’s recent solo work has is still […]