F*CK YOUR BLOGSPOT.

Funkadelic - Uncle Jam Wants You!

2008-09-19T13:32:00.004-04:00

Released in 1979, Uncle Jam is often seen as a more "militant" sequel to One Nation Under a Groove(1978). Consider the Huey P. Newton-esque portrait of George on the cover a fair warning of the album's "call to arms" intention. Attempting to rescue dance music from disco, Uncle Jam birthed the last Billboard hit for our beloved funk army - "(Not Just) Knee Deep." Perhaps not their strongest work, I think this album has some shining moments from the crew, with the help of ex-Spinners lead vocalist Philippe Wynne.

TRACKLISTING:

1. "Freak of the Week"
2. "(Not Just) Knee Deep"
3. "Uncle Jam"
4. "Field Maneuvers"
5. "Holly Wants to Go to California"
6. "Foot Soldiers (Star Spangled Funky)"

FIGHT FOR FUNK!

One Day As A Lion (Zach De La Rocha is back!!!)

2008-07-16T12:02:00.005-04:00

The band writes “One Day As A Lion is both a warning delivered and a promise kept.”

Listen to first track here: http://www.myspace.com/onedayasalion (Wild International)

EP drops July 22 on ANTI records.

Zach De La Rocha (Rage Against the Machine) on keys and vocals and Jon Theodore (The Mars Volta) on drums.

Produced by Mario C. (Beastie Boys producer during the Check Your Head days)

Named after the black and white grafitti photograph taken by Chicano photographer George Rodriguez in 1970 with a caption reading "it's better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb."

Lord Sitar - Lord Sitar

2008-06-27T12:19:00.004-04:00

Big Jim Sullivan a.k.a. Lord Sitar a.k.a. James George Thompkins was a British Pop Musician and U.K. Session Guitarist and eventually would be regarded as a Guitar Hero. He was friends with Elvis. He toured with Tom Jones. And he put out a sitar album or two. Last I heard he was touring with the Big Jim Sullivan Band. Seems appropriate. Anyway, when he was doing the sitar thing, he learned from one of the greats - Vilayat Khan. In the fashion of the times, the Lord Sitar album (1968) is a compilation of popular songs of that era done with a sitar. Not terribly original, but fun nonetheless.

TRACKLISTING:

1. If I Were a Rich Man
2. Emerald City
3. Tomorrow's People
4. Daydream Believer
5. Like Nobody Else
6. I Am the Walrus
7. In a Dream
8. Eleanor Rigby
9. I Can See for Miles
10. Blue Jay Way
11. Black Is Black

SITAR HERO

History in the Making: Obama Clenches Nomination

2008-06-04T11:01:00.001-04:00

In case you missed the speech last night....

Wale - Mixtape About Nothing

2008-06-04T10:19:00.004-04:00

I have to admit, I never heard of Wale (pronounced wah-lay) until his guest appearance on the recent Roots album "Rising Down" (he's that cat that said "good rappers ain't eatin they olsen twinnin'"). But, my ignorance aside, this D.C. area rapper has been on the come-up for the last 3 years, known for crossing over Hip-hop with Go-Go music. Inspired by the TV Show "Seinfeld," this mixtape was mixed by Nick Catchdubs and sponsored by the streetwear company 10 Deep. Give it a peep. This very well could be that fresh shit you've been thirsting for.

TRACKLISTING:

1. “The Opening Title Sequence” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
2. “The Roots Song Wale Is On” f. Chrisette Michele (produced by ?uestlove & James Poyser)
3. “The Feature Heavy Song” f. Bun B, Pusha T and Tre from UCB (produced by Best Kept Secret)
4. “The Freestyle (Roc Boys)”
5. “The Perfect Plan” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
6. “The Kramer” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
7. “The Crazy” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
8. “The Vacation From Ourselves” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
9. “The Remake of A Remake (All I Need)” f. Tawiah (produced by Mark Ronson)
10. “The Grown Up” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
11. “The Manipulation” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
12. “The Artistic Integrity” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
13. “The Star”
14. “The Skit (Untz Untz)”
15. “The Cliche Lil Wayne Feature (It’s The Remix baby!)” (produced by Osinachi)
16. “The Bmore Club Slam” (produced by Scottie B)
17. “The Chicago Falcon Remix” f. The Budos Band (produced by Mark Ronson & Eli Escobar)
18. “The Hype” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
19. “The End Credits” (produced by Best Kept Secret)

DOWNLOAD HERE

New shit from Immortal Technique, Ill Bill & J-Live soon!

2008-05-23T12:41:00.005-04:00

Over the next couple of weeks there will be some highly anticipated underground Hip Hop coming out. This year has been pretty good to us so far. That new Roots album (Rising Down) is hot. The Gnarles Barkley album (Odd Couple) was no disappointment either. And with Nas (The N - formerly N*gger) and Common (Invincible Summer) about to release new albums soon, 2008 is looking pretty nice. On the underground tip, the game ain't been slackin' neither. Kidz in the Hall (The In Crowd) and 7L and Esoteric (Esoteric vs. Japan: Pterodactyl takes Tokyo) set it off proper. I suggest you go out and support your struggling independent artists and cop them joints early.

The next four weeks or so include some underground shit I've personally been anticipating for a long minute.

First off is J-Live who has a an album entitled Then What Happened? dropping May 27, 2008. J-Live has made this album available to listen to on his myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/jlive. I never been disappointed by any of his releases and it's been a good 3 years since The Hear After, so I'm definitely gonna cop. The album includes guest spots and production from the likes of Jazzy Jeff, DJ Spinna, Posdenous of De La Soul, Chali 2na and DJ Nu-Mark of Jurassic 5, Evil Dee of Da Beatminerz, Nicolay, Marco Polo, Probe DMS, Yallzee, Locsmif, Kenny Keys, Cap D and Usef Dinero. Yeah. Behemoth.

Second, Non-Phixion alum and La Cocka Nostra co-founder, Ill Bill is set to release his second full album since his 2004 album What's Wrong with Bill? on June 17, 2008.
It will be called The Hour of Reprisal and will feature B-Real of Cypress Hill, Darryl Jenifer, Everlast and Slaine of La Coka Nostra, H.R., HERO, Howard Jones of Killswitch Engage, Jedi Mind Tricks, Max Cavalera of Soulfly, Mike Shinoda of Fort Minor and Linkin Park, Ill Bill's brother Necro, Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan, Tech N9ne and Immortal Technique. Sounds like it's gonna be a dark and aggressive album. There are some snippets and videos from his studio while recording the album on his myspace page as well: http://www.myspace.com/illbill

Lastly, Immortal Technique has a new mixtape called The 3rd World. My understanding is that this is NOT to be confused with his ever-being-pushed-back Middle Passage album NOR his follow up to the Revolutionary series, appropriately titled Revolutionary Vol. 3. 3rd World is being released on June 24, 2008 and has DJ Green Lantern at the helm. Here is a a taste:

So be sure and support these cats. PAY for the music. They ain't ballin'. They're busting their ass and scraping by to put out quality music outside of the industry.

Ananda Shankar - Ananda Shankar

2008-05-20T15:33:00.006-04:00

Nephew of renowned, classical sitarist Ravi Shankar, Ananda Shankar was known for melding the classic sitar sound with popular western music. After spending some time in Los Angeles with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Ananda released this debut album which quickly became a classic, featuring sitar covers of Rolling Stone's hit, Jumpin Jack Flash and The Door's Light My Fire. My personal favorite though is Metamorphosis. Enjoy.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Jumpin' Jack Flash (Album Version) 3:37
2. Snow Flower (Album Version) 2:49
3. Light My Fire (Album Version) 3:32
4. Mamata (Affection) (Album Version) 3:09
5. Metamorphosis (Album Version) 6:50
6. Sagar (The Ocean) (Album Version)13:16
7. Dance Indra (Album Version) 3:53
8. Raghupati (Album Version) 3:28

Vishnu.

Bored at work.

2008-05-15T16:00:00.006-04:00

The Heavy - Great Vengence and Furious Fire

2008-05-01T16:17:00.007-04:00

Big ups to my good friend, Super-Producer Chris Renne, for putting me up on this group. He has his own blog and I have added it to my link list over there on the right hand side of my page (It's called "I'm So Chrispy"). See it? Cool.

Combining the classic sounds of soul, funk, blues and rock with the savvy of Hip-hop sampling and modern production techniques, this little band from the U.K. gives us something monster that you can't help but absolutely love. Big epic drums. A wailing wall-of-sound guitar hook. Funked out horns. Cinematic samples. Bass that crushes you like an insect. And vocals that seem to channel Curtis Mayfield. Sounds like something amazing, right? It is.

Just listen. Trust me.

TRACKLISTING:

01. That Kind Of Man
02. Colleen
03. Set Me Free
04. You Don't Know
05. Girl
06. Doing Fine
07. In The Morning
08. Bruk Pocket Lament
09. Dignity
10. Who Needs The Sunshine?

HOW MUCH CAN YOU LIFT?

The Roots: Rising Down in stores April 29, 2008!

2008-03-10T11:29:00.006-05:00

If you didn't know, The Roots have a new album coming out April 29, 2008. Drummer and Producer, ?uestlove says that this new joint is his "favorite baby" thus far. Guest contributions include Mos Def, Styles P, Talib Kweli, Wale, Common, Chrisette Michelle, Saigon and more. Founding Roots member Malik B is appearing on two songs, P.O.R.N., who was introduced to many of us on the hook of Game Theory's "In The Music," has 3 guest spots, and Truck North will appear on the album as well, spitting a "chilling" accapella, from what I hear. Here are two videos to give us a taste of what's to come and apparently you can cop their first single "Birthday Girl" featuring the dude from Fallout Boy on iTunes already.

Gnarls Barkley: Odd Couple info & 2 New Tracks!

2008-03-05T10:45:00.005-05:00

We have two new songs from the upcoming sophomore release entitled Odd Couple, from the Danger Mouse/Cee-Lo collaboration - Gnarles Barkley. The first one comes in the form of a studio produced video featuring a cameo from Justin Timberlake, and the second comes via Roots maestro, ?uestlove, who was given the pleasure of premiering the song via homemade youtube-style lip-sync video. Be sure you pick up the album on April 8th!

TRACKLISTING:

1. Blind Mary
2. She Knows
3. No Time Soon
4. Whatever
5. Who’s Gonna Save My Soul
6. Run
7. Would Be Killer
8. Open Book
9. Going On
10. Charity Case
11. Surprise
12. A Little Better
13. Neighbors

Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer

2007-12-26T00:41:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, Party People. This Grammy nominated album is the first solo endeavor in 25 years from former The Band drummer, Levon Helm. After a battle with throat cancer, Levon gets back to his roots and puts out a fantastic folk album with touches of both country and roots music. Helm plays drums, guitar and mandolin on the CD, accompanied by Larry Campbell on guitars and fiddle, and the voices of his daughter Amy Helm and Teresa Williams.

TRACKLISTING:
1. False Hearted Lover Blues (Traditional) 3:29
2. Poor Old Dirt Farmer (Tracy Schwarz) 3:52
3. The Mountain (Steve Earle) 3:35
4. Little Birds (Traditional) 4:41
5. The Girl Left Behind (Traditional) 3:35
6. Calvary (Byron Isaacs) 4:53
7. Anna Lee (Laurelyn Dossett) 3:42
8. Got Me a Woman (Paul Kennerley) 3:11
9. A Train Robbery (Paul Kennerley) 5:28
10. Single Girl, Married Girl (A. P. Carter) 3:18
11. Blind Child (Traditional) 3:26
12. Feelin’ Good (J. B. Lenoir) 3:31
13. Wide River To Cross (Buddy & Julie Miller) 4:52

Folk as Fuck.

Casey Reid - Cephalclog

2007-12-20T12:23:00.000-05:00

What can I say about young local St. Louis artist Casey Reid that a nice video can't say for me? Bluesy. Raw. Tom Waits-inspired Rock.

TRACKLISTING:
1 A Dead Finger's Lame
2 Black Kisses
3 Insruments Of Peace
4 Oh, Sweet Beacon
5 Paranoia
6 Let Us Sing
7 I See The Ends
8 Rock City
9 Fleeting Of Foot, Bloodying The Plane
10 Into The Woods
11 Speaking In Tongues
12 Underbelly Limbo
13 White

Blue in the face.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Dap Dippin' with...

2007-12-17T13:16:00.000-05:00

What can I say about this band except, "Get up on this." In a nutshell, you've probably heard the musicians on this record since they are on many of the Amy Winehouse singles that hit big. But that really isn't what makes this band great and *this* project has less pop flavor and more gritty soul and funk. Formed by Gabriel Roth AKA Bosco Mann while recording fake soul and funk re-issues quite devilishly and successfully, i might add (much to the chagrin of duped vinyl collectors). When recording under their previous name, The Soul Providers, Roth happened upon Sharon Jones, who came to do back-up's on a track. The rest is history. This is the first of 3 great albums. Enjoy.

TRACKLISTING:

1. introduction
2. Got A Thing On My Mind
3. What Have You Done For Me Lately?
4. The Dap Dip
5. Give Me A Chance
6. Got To Be The Way It Is
7. Make It Good To Me
8. Ain't It Hard
9. Pick It Up, Lay It In The Cut
10. Casella Walk

DAPS TO GOOD MUSIC!

Uncle Tupelo - Still Feel Gone

2007-11-02T11:12:00.000-05:00

Before there was Wilco. Before there was Son Volt. And probably before there was a modern movement of alternative roots-music highly influenced by rockabilly and country. Before there was a genre called alt.country or no depression, there was Uncle Tupelo. Just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri, in Belleville, Illinois a band made a name for themselves in the 90's. After several independently released albums the band finally made it to the big show. A record deal. After a two legged tour, however, the band split. It's two singers perhaps destined to go their own ways. One forming Wilco. The other, Son Volt. And the rest is history. Well this is the album that started it all. A classic in my opinion.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Gun
2. Looking For A Way Out
3. Fall Down Easy
4. Nothing
5. Still Be Around
6. Watch Me Fall
7. Punch Drunk
8. Postcard
9. D. Boon
10. True To Life
11. Cold Shoulder
12. Discarded
13. If That's Alright
14. Sauget Wind (Bonus Track)
15. I Wanna Destroy You (Bonus Track)
16. Watch Me Fall (Demo) (Bonus Track)
17. Looking For A Way Out (Demo) (Bonus Track)
18. If That's Alright (Demo) (Bonus Track)

Heartland Music

Galactic - From the Corner to the Block

2007-10-24T15:42:00.001-04:00

New Orleans funk legends Galactic, decided to tangle the feat of doing a Hip-Hop album and SUCCEEDED! Rather than having one rapper take on the duty of vocals they decided to use of a series of guest rappers, including Chali 2na (Jurassic 5), Gift of Gab (Blackalicious) and Juvenille as well as DJ Z-Trip on probably my favorite track. And i forgot to mention there is an auspicious appearance from Ladybug Mecca from Digible Planets as well. Anyway, the album is a win and Galactic's cosmic funky sound is maintained. But that is to be expected since most hip hop music is funk based anyway.

01. I Got It (What You Need?) with Lyrics Born
02. ...And I’m Out with Mr. Lif
03. The Corner with Gift of Gab
04. Second and Dryades with Big Chief Monk Boudreaux
05. Think Back with Chali 2na
06. Bounce Baby with DJ Z-Trip
07. Hustle Up with Boots Riley
08. Sidewalk Stepper
09. From the Corner to the Block with Juvenile & Soul Rebels Brass Band
10. Squarebiz with Ladybug Mecca and Nino Moschella
11. Tuff Love with Trombone Shorty
12. No Way with Lateef the Truthspeaker
13. Fanfare
14. Find My Home with Vursatyl and Ohmega Watts

Totally Cosmic, Dude

Hyenas in the Desert - Die Laughing

2007-10-24T15:21:00.000-04:00

An often forgotten and overlooked Hip Hop album from the late nineties. So much good stuff was coming out at the time, I can't be mad at people who completely missed this album. We could have really used the level of sharing we have now then, because it was really rough to keep up at the time. Anyway this lost gem come from Chuck D's label Slam Jams and can be compared to the sounds of Mobb Deep or Jedi Mind Tricks. Enjoy!

1. Elephant Graveyard
2. Can You Feel It
3. Wild Dogs
4. The Longest Night (Jouranl #1)
5. Concubinez
6. Why Me
7. Fresh Meat
8. Hyenas In The Desert
9. Other Side Of Midnight

Just for shiggles.

Don't Call it a Comeback!!!! (My Triumphant Return)

2007-10-24T15:08:00.000-04:00

Sorry folks.
It's been a busy last few months and I haven't been around these parts in a couple fortnights.
Well I think I will be back in the swing of things again and as a sign of good faith I have two albums I want to share with you right away.

Stay tuned.

Corey Glover - Hymns

2007-07-11T12:40:00.000-04:00

Daps to Ray for putting me onto this universally overlooked gem. Although I am not exactly sure how i missed it, since I am one of the biggest Living Colour fans I know. In fact, the first concert I ever attended was Living Colour with Urban Dance Squad way back when most of you kids were still rockin' out in sandboxes and trading pogs and pokemon cards and what not.

Ok, I may be exaggerating a bit.

Nonetheless, I have to say that the solo album, Hymns, from Living Colour frontman Corey Glover is a must-have for any lover of soulful rock music. Who knew Corey could hit such high notes? And it goes without saying that this effort is leaps and bounds ahead of the last offering from Living Colour. Enough pontification though, let's get down to the nitty.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Hymn #1017
2. Do You First, Then Do Myself
3. April Rain
4. Little Girl
5. Hot Buttered Soul
6. Things Are Getting In The Way
7. Sidewalk Angel
8. One
9. Sermon
10. Lowball Express
11. Only Time Will Tell
12. Silence

GOT SOUL?

Los Músicos de José - Los Músicos de José

2007-06-29T11:30:00.000-04:00

What would my blogspot be without my boy Alan? Shout out to him for putting me onto yet another band who makes wonderful music in a language I don't speak. I can tell you it's some upbeat, spicey, latin funk from Mexico. I can tell you it's their self-titled debut album, I can tell you the shit is pure hotness. It's like carne asada for your earholes. With guacomole and sour cream. And a tall ice-cold glass of horchata.

Ok, now I'm just hungry.

TRACKLISTING:

01. El Clavo
02. Crucero
03. Nebulosa
04. Amaneceres
05. Tu Prima Chariguaya
06. Pedro
07. La Conversion
08. Los Iguanos
09. La Nota Po
10. Shostafunk
11. La Ceiba
12. Quiero Destruir A Rosita Fresita

TENGO HAMBRE

Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass - Passages

2007-06-22T12:52:00.000-04:00

This week will end my run of sitar music for the time being. I think. I mean, who can get enough of it? But I'll try and mix it up a bit next week. This superb album is a collaboration between American Composer, Philip Glass and our favorite sitarist, Ravi Shankar. Classical West meats Classical East. Nuff said. Enjoy!

TRACKLISTING:

1. Offering
2. Sadhanipa
3. Channels And Winds
4. Ragas In Minor Scale
5. Meetings Along The Edge
6. Prashanti

SITAR HERO!

Anoushka Shankar - Anourag

2007-06-15T10:06:00.000-04:00

I've been completely overwhelmed by the Jayo. Which is part of the reason I'm a little late this round. It's gonna be alright though. It's Friday. The weekend is almost here. And I've got some more soothing sitar music to put us all in the right.

Anoushka Shankar is the beautiful and talented daughter of Ravi Shankar. I chose her 2000 sophmore release, Anourag, not only because I really like it, but also because her father, Ravi, makes an auspicious guest appearance on the last track. Hearing these two sitar masters play together is great. Enjoy. I hope it prepares you for a fantastic weekend!

TRACKLIST:

1. Shuddha Sarang
2. Puriya Dhanashri
3. Hamsadhwani Tabla Duet
4. Yaman Kalyan
5. Swarna Jayanti
6. Pancham Se Gara

BEAUTIFUL

Vilayat Khan - Inspiration India: Duets for Sitar, Surbahar, Sheh

2007-06-07T12:37:00.000-04:00

I decided that you all needed more Indian music in your life. Another legendary Sitar player is Vilayat Khan. He recorded his first 78 RPM disc at the age of 8, and gave his last concert in 2004 at the age of 75. The media liked to play up a rivalry between Khan and Ravi Shankar, but in actuality there was never much to it. Over the years he turned down several prestigious awards from his homeland, claiming that the committees were not musically educated enough to bestow such accolades.

Ok, enough posturing like I'm some sort of expert on the subject. Y'all got access to google just as much as I do. Enjoy the music.

Tracklisting:

1. Raga Miyan Ki Malhar
2. Tabla Solo in Tintaal
3. Raga Miyan Ki Todi
4. Thumri in Raga Piloo
5. Chaiti Dhun
6. Thumri in Raga Bhairavi

VIBE OUT!

Ravi Shankar - The Sounds of India

2007-06-01T09:23:00.000-04:00

Legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin has compared Ravi Shankar to Mozart and George Harrison has called him the Godfather of World Music. Shankar has brought the sounds of classical Indian music to the masses for almost half a century. I really can't say
what hasn't already been said about the man - he's a genius. Plain and simple.

TRACKLISTING:

1. An Introduction to Indian Music
2. Dâdrâ
3. Maru Bihag
4. Bhimpalasi
5. Sindhi-Bhairavi

COOL OUT.

Meiko Kaji - Zenkyokushu

2007-05-24T14:22:00.000-04:00

If you are a fan of Asian Cinema, particularly within the genres of Action and Ultra-Violence, then you might recognize Meiko Kaji from Lady Snowblood. In addition to being an actress, Kaji is also a famous singer, often appearing in many of the soundtracks of her own films as well as Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies. I have no idea what she is saying, as I don't speak a speck of Japanese, but her music and voice is beautiful and interesting nonetheless. Shout out to Alan, once again, for putting me onto this.

TRACKLISTING (I think):

01 Urami Bushi
02 Onna No Jyumon
03 Shura No Hana
04 Yadokari
05 Jeans Blues
06 Ingabana
07 Gincho Wataridori
08 Onna Negai Uta
09 Batsuni Dottekoto Naishi
10 Shuki No Uta
11 Akana Gum
12 Nokori Bi
13 Meinichi
14 Umihozuki
15 Hune Ni Yurarete
16 Wakarebanashi Nanka
17 Ame No Yoru No Anata Wa
18 Minami Kaze
19 Banka
20 Meiko No Yume Wa Yora Hiraku

BLOODY BEAUTIFUL