In my initial review of Jamie Lidell’s latest record, I mentioned “Big Love” by name as a standout. Highly danceable, funky, unapologetically lifts its main beat from “The Pleasure Principle,” the song is an absolute standout on an already solid record. It’s an obvious choice for a single, but Lidell’s videos are never obvious visual counterparts (though they’re generally entertaining). “Big Love” focuses on neighborhood kids (actually the Q-Kidz dance team) flocking to the local rec center, which eventually turns into a near-disco-experience. […]
Posts tagged "funk"
Shuggie Otis, Inspiration Information + Wings Of Love: Album Review
A gifted, prodigiously talented soul/funk recluse, Shuggie Otis’s music certainly deserves to be canonized; all the accepted pieces of pop-culture folklore are there, from the Rolling Stones sideman offer to the eventual artistic blackout, and so it stands to reason that when Otis’s music finally reaches the masses, it will be transcendent. Which, as it turns out, is a bit of a foolish way to think; there’s no easier way to shatter transcendence than to expect it. In 2013, we’ve […]
Mayer Hawthorne’s “Designer Drug”: The Singles Bar Review
Following an extensive tour in support of his excellent 2011 LP How Do You Do, Mayer Hawthorne has just unleashed his latest single. Similar to the stylistic leap between his first two albums, “Designer Drug” shows Hawthorne staying within his idiom of blue eyed soul, yet inching into new territory. It’s a solid strategy for maintaining your fanbase while not becoming artistically stagnant. This time around, Hawthorne has taken a left onto the dancefloor, serving up an irresistibly catchy tune […]
Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience: Spin Cycle
OK, so how good is “The 20/20 Experience?” I mean, really?
Spin Cycle: Jamie Lidell, Jamie Lidell
Jamie Lidell is back!! Check out our review of his new album, out today!
Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler! Mardi Gras 2013
Happy Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras to you all! I am not a New Orleans native, but like millions of others, I’ve fallen in love with the allure of the Crescent City’s rich history and culture. I’ve never been to Mardi Gras, but from what I gather it’s much more of a tourist affair than a local one (at least in the French Quarter). Even so, Mardi Gras gives us an opportunity to openly and proudly celebrate one of America’s […]
Spin Cycle: Betty Wright & The Roots’ “Betty Wright: The Movie”
Ms. Betty Wright and the legendary Roots crew have joined forces for a soul triumph. Check out our review.
Spin Cycle: The Original 7ven’s “Condensate”
“I never had as much fun as I had with the original seven… and it ain’t over yet,” Morris Day says wistfully on the spoken intro to his old band’s comeback record, Condensate. Morris Day and The Time – here renamed The Original 7ven because, well, mentor Prince’s copyright-related peccadilloes have gotten the better of him in recent years – may not have released an album together in 21 years, but you wouldn’t know that from listening to Condensate. Not only […]
The Viewfinder: The Original 7ven’s “#Trendin'”
I know what you’re saying. Didn’t you guys just post the audio of the new song by The Band Formerly Known as The Time just a couple of days ago? We sure did. However, we had no idea that the video clip was gonna arrive just a few days later. Lo and behold, Morris and co. have dropped the visuals on it while the irons for the audio are still hot. I wasn’t so sure I dug “#Trendin’” at first, […]
