Category Archives: Music

CD Review, Entertainment, Music

CD Review: The Adventures of Bobby Ray [2010]

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Rapper: B.o.B – Bobby Ray
Release: 4/2010
Label: Atlantic

1. “Don’t Let Me Fall” – B+
2. “Nothin’ On You” – B+
3. “Past My Shades” – C
4. “Airplanes” – D+
5. “Bet I” – C-
6. “Ghost in the Machine” – B
7. “The Kids” – A-
8. “Magic” – A-
9. “Fame” – A-
10. “Lovelier Than You” – B
11. “5th Dimension” – B-
12. “Airplanes Part 2” – B

Comments: “Don’t Let Me Fall” starts off slow, but improves as the song drags on. The chorus is cool. If you’ve listened to any modern hip-hop or pop station, I’m sure you’ve heard “Nothin’ On You.” It’s a “summer song” to me, despite its debut in November 2009. It’s finely organized with an enjoyable background lullaby, even if the chorus is a bit sub-par. “Past My Shades”…come on! Steer clear from “alternative rock” Bobby Ray. It’s not your thing. “The Kids” is a hip-hop sample of “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance” by Vampire Weekend. I dig. “Always in detention for the lack of attention/ you can call it deficit” tells me we got a bad kid up in here. “Magic” is repetitive and frankly fun (not the chorus), but it’s more like “Rivers Cuomo time,” showing Bobby Ray taking cue from Black Eyed Peas’ style. The second verse of “Fame” flows so well. It may be the best verse on this album. I mean, of course, lyrically it’s infantile and just plain dumb, but realistic to some degree. “Everyone can’t be O to the B” … right? “Airplanes Part 2” has me convinced that it’s an improvement over “Part 1.” What if Eminem wasn’t famous? Don’t we all wonder? Or maybe that thought has never crossed anyone’s mind until this song came about. When Bobby Ray raps before Eminem, the song loses cred. I mean, how does Bobby Ray know fame? He’s a relative unknown even in the hip-hop world. “He’s gonna have a hard time explaining to Haley and Lainey these foodstamps and this WIC shit ’cause he never risked shit. He hoped and he wished it, but it didn’t fall in lap,” raps Eminem on his verse. Highlight of the song. “Lovelier” has Bobby Ray on acoustic guitar and he proves to be all right in that regard.

Grade: B- (82)

Art, Entertainment, humor, Music, pictures

Question of the Week…

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Is it wrong to endorse an artists’ work, even if they led or lead truly horrible lives? For example, some point to the gifted filmmaker, Roman Polanski. Polanski has won academy awards for his work, but he wasn’t in attendence. Why? Decades ago he fleed the U.S. after drugging and raping a thirteen year old girl. Yes, this is quite sickening, but if he makes a film that is a masterpiece itself, should it not be treated like other great works of art? Picture this, you run an independent record label and you enjoy documenting the best damn music to please your ears. Suddenly you hear the greatest record of all times and it’s none other than…. Charlies Manson. So, now you sign Charlie (if you could) and release his material. Is there anything wrong with this hypothetical situation? What if it was Hitler, Mao, or some of the other massive murderers from history? Would it be immoral to endorse their work? Where do you draw the line? Is there a line? Let’s hear some thoughts…

Chris

Music, Random, rant

Ripping Deusner

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Regarding Stephen Deusner’s review of Mark Sultan’s $:

Nice scarf, btw.

“He’s been fashioning harsh psych, rangey country, dreamy doo-wop, 50s juvie punk, and anarchic noise into strange, catchy, jubilant, occasionally jokey pop songs.“—> Good job of throwing in adjectives before every genre. Make no mistake about that. Your description really provides us an adequate look at Mark Sultan’s discography. Not.

“Sultan also resumed his role as BBQ Show for another album (and a coloring book!) with friend and longtime cohort King Khan.” –> You had me, Stephen. You really did. From your meaty words to start, I thought you may have actually listened to Sultan before. But “BBQ Show”? You can’t make a rookie mistake like that. Not at this stage in your professional career.

“Whatever banner he’s flying, however, the sound remains the same, and his latest effort– which isn’t titled so much as branded with a dollar sign– snaps and crackles with a familiar, flailing energy, as if any of these songs might fall apart at any moment.” –> The sound remains the same? This offering from Sultan is more musically diverse than most of what he’s put out in the past. You want the songs to fall apart. You are rooting against Sultan to start with. You want them to fall apart so you can listen to more Broken Social Scene.

“Ten of Hearts” may be one of his best doo-wop retreads, cutting through a lot of the revivalism to express something sincere and bittersweet, but there’s no reason for it to be five minutes long.” –> Why is there no reason for it to five minutes long? You make no attempt to explain why. And it’s not until the end of your review that you actually mention songs off of this record. Thanks for pointing out only what’s wrong with the album.

CD Review, Entertainment, Music

CD Review: Brothers [2010]

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Band: The Black Keys
Release: 5/2010
Label: Nonesuch (Warner)

1. “Everlasting Light” – B-
2. “Next Girl” – B-
3. “Tighten Up” – B+
4. “Howlin’ For You” – B+
5. “She’s Long Gone” – B-
6. “Black Mud” – B-
7. “The Only One” – B
8. “Too Afraid to Love You” – C
9. “Ten Cent Pistol” – B-
10. “Sinister Kid” – B-
11. “The Go Getter” – B-
12. “I’m Not the One” – C+
13. “Unknown Brother” – C
14. “Never Give You Up” – C+
15. “These Days” – B

Comments: “Everlasting Light” is a bit like a spoiled Spoon offering, included in the deal: a consistent drum beat and a steady guitar. It’s about as forgettable as it is good. “Next Girl” is a great title for Justin Bieber’s next release and he can damn well have it. It’s not like Black Keys do a real solid job with it anyway. “Tighten Up” offers more variation than the first two and with good measure. Hardly do I run into a band/album that is this generically good. It’s like getting handed a plate of food. You eat mostly everything on the plate and remark that you like it, but you don’t go out of your way to inquire about what it is that you just ate. Black Keys get some kind of job done. Maybe it’s an obligation to get something done (I doubt it), but I’d get a little bored writing material for this album. By “Too Afraid” I just have had enough! Enough of these games, Black Keys! I’m not asking you to be Black Lips, but fuck, guys. Is the blues-rock genre really this limiting? OR IS IT NONESUCH RECORDS STICKING A PITCHFORK UP YOUR ASS, FORCING YOU TO BE THIS BLAND? COLD WAR KIDS ARE BETTER THAN YOU. There, I said it. Even your damn guitar solos are clean and without flavor. Okay, this is probably a good album for a straight listen. You get your dose of Black Keys and then you go to sleep or listen to Kings of Leon. Okay, good. You never listen to Black Keys until their next album drops in 2012. Then you do the same thing. Okay, good.

Grade: B- (81)