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Hip-Hop & R&B Music
- New Reviews
5 Discs = Classic | 4.0-4.5 Discs = Impressive |
3.0-3.5 Discs = Noteworthy
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4.0 out of 5 discs |
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Jill Scott
The Real Thing: Words &
Sounds Vol. 3
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The
world is filled with a plethora of musical talent. Some
music is geared towards the masses, others only connect with
a small community. R&B is one of those genres where it tends
to be pragmatic with melodic stories of love, heartache, and
anything in between. Jill Scott does keep to that formula on
some songs, but she totally breaks all the rules and does
her own thing for others on her new album The Real Thing:
Words And Sounds Vol. 3. On "Hate On Me," she goes off
on all the haters but acknowledges them for helping to keep
her focused on being the dynamic vocalist that her fans have
loved from day one. Jill returns to her spoken word roots
for "Epiphany" while "Insomnia" splits between spoken word
and actual singing. "How It Make You Feel" speculates on how
a certain someone would feel without her around. Her
interludes are so good that they deserve to be full length
cuts. She hits up the local juke joint for the interlude
"Celibacy Blues" and gets downright freaky on the interlude
"Crown Royal." Her sultry side is further exposed on the
highly-suggestive "All I" as well as the equally enthralling
"Come See Me." She gives her long-time fans some songs with
a more familiar sound as well, including the follow-up
single "My Love," the simple yet sensual "Only You," and the
feel-good cut "Whenever You're Around." Jill Scott has
reached a point in her career where everything she does will
be appreciated by someone. Luckily for her, the unique and
uncompromising efforts on The Real Thing: Words And
Sounds Vol. 3 should be enjoyed by many. |
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4.0 out of 5 discs |
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The street
appeal for Keyshia Cole is not by accident. Growing up in
less than flattering surroundings, the Bay Area bombshell
has seen darker days. But fortunately for her, she was
blessed with a talent that the world now recognizes.
Comparisons to Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, and other urban
contemporary singers were hastily made when her first album
The Way It Is came out. But Keyshia Cole steps out of
the shadows for Just Like You, a collection that
convincingly transitions from one song to the next.
Surprisingly, the only true slow ballads are the
soul-stirring "I Remember" and the simmering groove "Work It
Out." The album is mostly mid-tempo tracks, a move that is
definitely ideal for radio and video exposure. The clear
album standouts has to be "Shoulda Let You Go" with its
infectious melody and the powerful "Falling Out" where
Keyshia begs her lover to work on their relationship before
it's too late. "Heaven Sent" talks about believing in a love
that really isn't reciprocated by the other person even
though you believe you're the right person for them. Keyshia
digs even further down into her soul for "Got To Get My
Heart Back." "Was It Worth It" sounds a bit personal with
its pointed questions at a former lover flipping the script
on their relationship. An unlikely pairing with R&B crooner
Anthony Hamilton proves to be a nice collabo for "Losing
You," a song where someone is concerned about not being able
to hold on to the one they love. The faster cuts include the
lead single "Let It Go" with Missy and Lil Kim, the
inclusion of "Last Night" with Diddy (previously on Diddy's
Press Play album) and "Didn't I Tell You" featuring
fellow West Coast native Too Short. Just Like You is
a well-rounded album that flows nicely and is filled with
great songwriting and stellar production. Keyshia Cole
definitely dodged a second round knockout, asserting her
reign as the standout street songstress. |
Keyshia Cole
Just Like Me
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4.5 out of 5 discs |
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Jagged Edge
Baby Makin' Project
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Jagged
Edge has been through many ups and downs throughout their 10
year career. After a slow start with their debut album A
Jagged Era, the crew proved their worth with J. E.
Heartbreak. Then the R&B quartet released the mildly
successful Jagged Little Thrill in 2001, relying more
on the club sound rather than the slow jam crowd that helped
them get to where they are. Having switched gears so late in
their career, the follow-up album Hard would live up
to its name when it came to winning over new fans. Having
little luck with 2006's self-titled album, the group was
starting to mirror the fateful journey of R&B counterparts
Boyz II Men who struggle to win back their earlier fans.
Luckily for Jagged Edge, they have remained on the road and
have been more consistent with their albums. And their new
album Baby Makin' Project is not only filled with
songs that are truly heartfelt and reminiscent of their
earlier jams, the album is a bona fide contender for being
their best album to date (or at least the best album next to
J.E. Heartbreak). The lead single "Put A Little Umph In
It" with Ashanti is a knockout jam that will certainly have
all their once faithful fans to come scampering back. "Whole
Town's Laughing" speaks on making a mistake that causes you
to mess up a good thing with a woman and regretting it after
the fact. "Me That's Who" talks about being there for that
special someone in their time of need. "Get This" is a
self-explanatory ballad that ventures away from their
signature sound. The commanding "I'll Be Damned" reverts
back to a more familiar sound, along with the somewhat
mid-tempo groove "Can't Get Right." The other standout has
to be "Way To Say I Love You" for it's pure potential of
being a huge dedication song for all those late-night radio
shows. "Sunrise" describes an all-night rendezvous that
lasts until the break of dawn. "Round and Round" talks about
the countless time that has passed in a long-standing
relationship and the need to finally settle down. And even
though the synthesized sound of closing song "Turn U On"
lacks any appeal and doesn't really flow with the rest of
the album, the mission of creating a short-but-sweet
collection like Baby Makin' Project was certainly
accomplished. |
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4.5 out of 5 discs |
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Kanye West
Graduation
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You can talk
about Kanye West all day and all night, but the steady
progression of this rising superstar in the music industry
is unmatched to anyone, including 50 Cent, Nas, or Jay-Z.
This is by no means a bash at other artists, but Kanye does
exude a certain confidence that you don't see coming from
music artists these days. And his new found swagger is not
unfounded by any means. After the surprise hit debut
College Dropout and the subsequent stellar follow-up
Late Registration, Kanye West had his work cut out for
him. He knew that he had survived the worst, and it was all
uphill from that point on. After coasting past any
possibility of a sophomore jinx, Kanye West now had the
green light to experiment even more on his new album
Graduation. He started off slow though with the lead-off
smash "Can't Tell Me Nothing." But his second single
"Stronger" was so far out of left field, even Andre 3000
probably had to do a double take he first time he heard it.
Using a Daft Punk sample as the backbeat (I'm convinced that
I'm one of the few Blacks walking the face of this earth who
even recognized the group's signature sound), "Stronger" was
the litmus test to see how far his crossover appeal could go
(it apparently goes farther than most knew as West would
nearly sell platinum his first week of sales). His next
single was the no-brainer hit "Good Life" with T-Pain, a
song that perfectly samples "P.Y.T" by pop icon Michael
Jackson. Other knockout tracks include the hilarious "Drunk
And Hot Girls" with Mos Def, his personal reflection on the
mellowed out jam "Everything I Am," the free-flowing style
of "Homecoming" with Coldplay's Chris Martin, and his salute
to Jay-Z with "Big Brother." Kanye's only misstep on the
entire project has to be the awkward song "Barry Bonds"
featuring Lil' Wayne. Graduation proves to be the
best album by Kanye West to date. And with three hit albums
under his belt, he'll surely pass any future examinations
with flying colors. |
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3 out of 5 discs |
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50 Cent is no
longer hungry. He's got millions of dollars from record
sales, sold-out tours, product endorsements, and a number of
other entrepreneurial ventures. But the hunger that he has
really lost is his music. The energy that was prevalent
during his mixtape years as well as the release of his
full-length debut Get Rich Or Die Tryin' is no longer
present. You could see it starting to diminish with The
Massacre, an album that sold well on the onset (over a
million sold the first week of release), but later fizzled
as people started getting wind of the sub par effort from
the emcee. Now, with the release of Curtis, 50 Cent
hits a brick wall when it comes to creativity. The album
features a slew of top-level artists such as Mary J. Blige
("All Of Me"), Robin Thicke ("Follow My Lead"), Justin
Timberlake ("Ayo Technology"), Eminem ("Peep Show"), Akon
("I Still Kill"), and Nicole Scherzinger ("Fire"). But
outside of "I Still Kill," the others lack that special
touch that previous hits had that made them either club
bangers, top radio hits, or street anthems. "I Get Money" is
the standout track on this project with its subtle homage to
the old school and 50's affirmation that he is the King of
New York. "Straight To The Bank" is simply over the top with
Tony Yayo doing a fake laugh on the hook and 50 offering
lackluster verses for the song. And "Amusement Park" is
practically a remix of The Massacre's "Candy Shop."
50 Cent just seems to be all over the place on this album,
resorting to the same Hip-Pop he mocked Ja Rule for using on
his songs. Even the street cuts "My Gun," "Fully Loaded
Clip," and "Man Down" sound less powerful in their delivery
in comparison to his earlier work. 50 Cent struggles to find
a distinct sound for Curtis, instead resorting to a
hodgepodge of mediocre melodies that no one can force
themselves to like. Now we'll have to see if 50 Cent can
recover from two tanked albums and a rap career that's
starting to mimic that of his adversaries. |
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4.0 out of 5 discs |
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Twista
Adrenaline Rush 2007
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A lot
of fans of Twista these days are not the same people who
were around when Twista broke onto the mainstream scene with
the original Adrenaline Rush 10 years ago (few people
acknowledge or even remember his real beginnings as the
hyper, high-speed Tung Twista and his 1991 Zoo Records debut
Runnin' Off At Da Mouth). Adrenaline Rush 2007
parallels the original album with Twista's hardcore approach
for a majority of the songs on the album. The hard-hitting
"Charged" and the equally street savvy "I Ain't That Nigga"
sets the pace, with the screwed sound of both "Wrist Stay
Rocky" and "The Come Up" following suit. Twista pairs up
with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (minus the hyperactive Bizzy Bone
unfortunately) for the dream collaboration "Ain't No Hoes."
Cee-Lo and Jazze Pha help out for the jam "Say Say," Lil
Wayne shines on "Whip Game Proper," and the Speedknot
Mobstaz represent alongside Twista for "No Pistols." But
Twista's new allegiance with the pop charts isn't ignored on
the album entirely. R Kelly shows up for the smoothed out
cut "Love Rehab," Pharrell digs up an eccentric dance beat
for the obvious pop song "Give It Up," and T-Pain does
double duty by singing and rapping on the hook for the
lightning quick "Creep Fast." There are a few cuts on this
album that could have been left on the cutting room floor,
like the oddly produced cuts "Seven Day Hustle" and "Pimp
Like Me" with the latter incorporating some sort of booty
house mix towards the end. Even though it may not be the
most ideal album to release during such a pivotal point in
Twista's career, Adrenaline Rush 2007 is an album
that long-time fans can appreciate nonetheless. |
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