R&B | Audio Absinthe

Spoon – Monkey Feelings
This is a semi-unreleased song ( I say semi because it was put on a companion CD/Single to was a limited release.) The song was released at the same time as the Gimmie Fiction album and has that same sound but is better then most any of the songs on the album in my opinion. Spoon always comes with the hits and this song is no exception.

Daniel Merriweather ft Wale – Change
Daniel Merriweather is a Mark Ronson produced artist along with Wale. Ronson has been doing a lot of work with these two individually and Merriweather appeared on Wale’s Mixtape About Nothing (which is excellent if you haven’t heard it.) The song has Ronson written all over it with the horns and big band sound. Wale comes in with a brief yet solid verse near the end. If you haven’t heard of Wale check him out for sure, I have both his mixtapes if interested. He’s the best rapper out there right now in my opinion that hasn’t blown up huge. Check it out…

rave1l_468x313

More Covers, Remixes, and Mash Ups

I know I’ve already posted a bunch of different covers, remixes, and mash ups but… doesn’t everybody love them? I think when people hear a song they recognize combined with something they haven’t heard before- something new and unfamiliar- it makes the experience more memorable and sometimes even more enjoyable. Here are some more covers, remixes, and mash ups for you to enjoy…

Remixes
Radiohead - Reckoner (James Merriweather Remix)
Franz Ferdinand -Ulysses (Beyond The Wizards Sleeve Remix)
Jamiroquai - Canned Heat (Calvin Harris Remix)
Beck - Where It’s At (Lloyd Price Express Remix)
Marvin Gaye - Let’s Get It On (Beatnik and K-Salaam remix)
Zero 7 - Somersault (Dangermouse / MF Doom remix) Click here to play in Hype Machine

Covers
Dan Black - Hypnotize (Notorious BIG)
Adele - Black & Gold (Sam Sparro)
Katy Perry - Black and Gold
Klaxons - No Diggity (Blackstreet /Dr. Dre)
Glasvegas - Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime (The Korgis) Click here to play in Hype Machine

Mash Ups
Soulwax - No Diggity (Blackstreet / Grandmaster Flash / Latyrx)
The Arbiters - Sure Side of Fame (David Bowie / Lou Reed / Notorious BIG / Tupac)
Notorious BIG / Michael Jackson - Billy Jean Click here to play in Hype Machine

Chuck’s Corner (1/28/09)

Silk Degrees

Album Review

By Charles K

Boz Skaggs’ 1976 break through album, Silk Degrees is universally acknowledged to be one of the greatest R&B crossover albums in the rock genre. At the time of the album’s release, most rock fans had previously known Boz as simply a great sideman guitarist for the 1960’s version of the Steve Miller Band (pre-Miller becoming a fixture on Top 40 CHR radio). Boz left the Miller band to pursue a solo career, stepping up to the mike and becoming a lead vocalist extraordinaire for the next decade.

By the mid-70s he had released a handful of highly praised solo albums that were pretty much straight ahead R&B efforts heavily dosed with a heavy blues influence. Silk Degrees was a radical departure. The trip began when Boz headed down to LA from San Francisco to record with great session musicians including the then relatively obscure David Paich, Jeff Porcaro, and David Hungate. The future Toto rhythm section were among many first class players who contributed to what would soon be hailed as a landmark opus. The rhythm track is incredibly well executed by the stellar trio: with Paich on keyboards, David on bass, and Jeff laying down a soulful and at times blistering foundation on the drums. Porcaro was, at the time, the only and last touring drummer with Steely Dan in the early and mid seventies.

At the ripe old age of 21, he had become the West Coast session drummer par excellence with an incredible range drawing on a variety of rock, jazz, blues, R&B and Caribbean influences. David Hungate plucks so funky and finds a groove that works so well with the sublime melodies giving the base lines a downright poetic sensibility. Most significant is the singular contribution of David Paich who co wrote 6 of the 10 tracks. Paich (his dad Marty played and arranged for Sinatra and everyone else who was anyone on the L.A. recording scene from the 50’s thru the 80s) really flexes his songwriting muscles on this album, a precursor of so many more timeless classics that were yet to come from one of the great pop songsmiths of the last quarter of the 20^th century. No question: if you’re a huge Toto fan like me Silk Degrees is the precursor to their unmistakable sound that come soon thereafter. In fact I would suggest that it was the success of Silk Degrees that paved the way for Toto to get their own deal. And why not! Truly this was an earth-shaking release…smooth but funky…cool but powerful. Boz as talented a pop-R&B cross over vocalist as you are going to find couldn’t have done it without David Paich who brings a sublime nuance to this or any project into which his unmatched talent is insinuated. Silk Degrees is fresh energetic and sophisticated with touch of silky (pardon the pun) style. Let’s not forget that Joe Wissert was the perfect producer to make such a record possible. Wissert was responsible for shaping such other noteworthy bands as Earth, Wind and Fire. He was well grounded in the blues, a quality shared with Boz Skaggs. Silk Degrees is one of those few albums in respect of which I have no favorite song. The overall quality of the project speaks for itself: opening up with the rhythmic “What Can I Say?” a killer up tempo, stomp your feet and clap your hands jam. Boz’ “too cool for school” sweet vocals really carry strong throughout and “Harbor Lights” still gives me chills every time I hear it. Every song from start to finish is the definition of recorded perfection and the listener will enjoy this timeless classic for a long time. So now let this silken effort transport you back to a time when blue eyed soul was given a big time dance beat and CHR, smooth rock, R&B and album oriented radio all converged in a single matchless effort….Ladies & Gentlemen: indulge yourself, I bring you: SILK DEGREES!

Weekly Dose (1/25/09)

First song is “Any Fun” by Coconut Records which, aside from being a great song, would seem to beg this question- why do so many movie stars want to be rock stars and so many rock stars want to be movie stars? In Jason Schwartzman’s case, it really could have gone either way. Schwartzman started his music and acting careers at almost the same time- Phantom Planet’s debut album was released around the same time as when the film Rushmore was released. He quit the band to pursue acting only to find himself back in the music scene in 2007 with the release of his solo project, Coconut Records’ debut album, Nighttiming. Now, in 2009, “Any Fun” is the most popular song off the sophomore album Davy, released this last week. With Phantom Planet we saw Schwartzman as the drummer (which he sings about in “Drummer”) but, to me, Coconut Records is a little more enjoyable. There’s something I like about songs and albums which have all or most of the elements written and produced by one person. I think it just impresses me more… Although, I do feel like listening to the Beatles everytime I listen to Davy.

Coconut Records – Any Fun

l_5ae604180a55f5f7e8e408590e0d0934

Here’s a clip from the movie Slackers where Schwartzman is singing in the film’s last scene. I loved this movie.

Second song is the kind of song that isn’t usually my style. But there’s something so Curtis Mayfield-y about the way Raheem DeVaughn sings on “Bulletproof featuring Ludacris“ that I am kind of into the track. Plus, with the horns, it’s sounds like it should be the theme for some “b” film starring Jim Brown as an old school gangster trying to get out of the business and clean up his neighborhood. You know I love the cinematic tracks. DeVaughn does sound a lot like he’s trying to sing like Curtis Mayfield on the track and, whether it’s coincidental or not, on his myspace page he’s got a track with The Game where Curtis Mayfield’s “Right On For The Darkness” is sampled for the beat.

Raheem DeVaughn – Bulletproof featuring Ludacris

raheem-devaughn-jv02 -

Third song is “My Girls” (video below) from the new album Merriweather Post Pavilion from Animal Collective. To be honest, the first couple of times I heard the song (and I listened more than once because so many people I know are really into this track) I thought the track was pretty anticlimactic and boring- underwhelming. It’s grown on me a little since I first heard it, but I’m clearly not as into it as everyone else. The song just builds and builds and finally when the payoff comes it’s kind of a let down because of how long it took to get there… Supposedly the album is great so I gotta check that out. Either way, sweet album cover. Follow the links at the bottom of this post to download Jan 20 and 21, 2009 live shows in mp3 format.

Animal Collective – My Girls

Merriweather Post Pavilion

Here are two blogs that give you access to download mp3’s of two full, live shows -Live at Manhattan Center Ballroom (1/20/09) and Bowery Ballroom (1/21/09)

Audio Absinthe

Favorites from 2009 (so far)

So many more- Covers, Remixes, and Mash Ups

Blips N Beats (3/30/09)

More Covers, Remixes, and Mash Ups

Chuck’s Corner (1/28/09)

Weekly Dose (1/25/09)

Audio Absinthe

The Bar

Menu

Backroom Supply

Bartender

Follow on:

Latest Posts

Posts by:

Friends