Crisp N' Fresh: Quadron Slips On In With Another (Surprising) Video

Oh, Quadron, how I love thee and you minimalist frigid soul and your wildly out of the box videos. They continue to surprise and entertain me with their latest visual for current single, "Slippin'", the Motown savvy track off of their stellar 2009 debut. In the video, directed by Walter Robot, we see the duo get happy with cascading confetti at an acting audition and then frolic through flowers and Brady Bunch finger snap their way through the track. They continue to laugh and dance, having hot fun in the summer time, till things go awry, and well, don't say I didn't warn you once you reach the 3:20 mark. Frankly, I wouldn't have Quadron any other way but this, so get your weird on.

First Impressions: Conya Doss Is Back, And She's Got Questions

See the things I miss when I dip n' dive out of the music loop...Conya Doss is back. I haven't talked about Miss Doss since 2008, when I gave great praise about her album, Still...which is one of my favorites from the neo-soul market. Now I get to talk about her again, so yay!

Ms. Doss is releasing her 5th disc, Blu Transition, this year...as if my 2010 wall of music couldn't get any better. First single to be dropped is "What We Gon' Do?" and it is a max-n-relax hand clapper that Doss just plows through vocally. Even if the song subject is about coming at a bumpy crossroads with a relationship, the results are smooth n' soulful cruising. Props to Soul Bounce for the heads up.

What We Gon' Do

Remember The Time: Nona Needs Love...And Looks For In All The Wrong Places

Reason #3458 why I love YouTube: At three in the morning you always find something worthwhile to post. How completely unaware I was that Nona Hendryx had a video for one of my favorite cuts off of her 1985 album, The Heat, a roadhouse blues number called, "I Need Love" that has Nona slaying on the vocals. I was in knowledge that there was a video for the semi-hit, "If Looks Could Kill (D.O.A)", but never for this one, it was all kinds of surprising and fun discovering this. Like finding out that I did have a good corner left of Marble Slab ice cream left in the pint

No doubt people got itchy over this video considering the themes and the cast of characters present, hence why it probably got overlooked and not promoted. Whatever the technicality, it makes for a entertaining view. In a bizarre way, I see some elements of what Madonna did in the "Justify My Love" video. Maybe it's the way that Nona (who's hairstyle I have in my 80's dreams) walks down hallways, peers and goes into various rooms, with cross dressers and a overall seedy hotel appeal...or maybe I'm just seeing things. Great, great track by Nona, that's needs a second look.

Song Stuck In My Head: The Sweetness Factor Of Bruno Mars' Debut Single

 "Just The Way You Are" - Bruno Mars (2010)

Tardy to the party (are we still saying that?) on Bruno Mars' official debut single, "Just The Way You Are", but I had to devote a post to it because well, it's good. Real good. And it's sticking with me at the moment. While it's tricky to release a mid-tempo as a lead-off single, Mars must be confident with his recent chart topping hits collaborations with B.o.B, Cee-Lo, and Travie McCoy, that he can get by with a cool down as his first release. I ain't mad. And oh, is this song so so so sweet. It's sort of warming my little pessimistic heart at the moment with Mars' gliding through vocal duties and how the track reaches back to a time where guys in shiny pants professed their love to a girl, not caring who she was, or what she did, as long as you loved them...well, that was back in the 90's and early 2000's with boy bands galore, but you catch my drift. A great little piano pop number from a cat who's gearing up for some big things later on.

Crisp N' Fresh: Shiny, Happy, Sunny People Emerge In Estelle's World

To get the obvious out of the room, Estelle's latest single, "Fall In Love" sounds just like "American Boy". While I usually don't praise unimaginative recycling of ideas, but in this case, I happen to like the song...possibly because "Freak" was so bad that this practically Scope Minty Freshes out that bad taste. And the video isn't half bad, because it's summery, shiny and features a very very very fine looking Jesse Williams as Estelle's love interest. Yeah, it is going into a chick flick moment where boy-meets-girl-boy-and-girl-try-to-act-like-nothing-is-going-on-with-friends-but-they-can't-fight-this-feeling-anymore-so-they-should-fall-in-love...but shouldn't falling in love be like that, with background music, montages and all? Oh, and John Legend pops up too, you know, because you can't have a happy and shiny video without him surging up the endorphins factor. Summer lovin' does happen so fast.

First Impressions: Hangin' With Robyn

While Body Talk: Part One was a little disappointing (save for "Dancing On My Own"), I still have high hopes for the second act, and Robyn is wasting no time as Body Talk: Part Two will be hitting stores this September (the 5th to be exact). Currently the first single from the upcoming EP is already blazing through the blogosphere, with a video in tow. "Hang With Me" may seem familiar as it was featured on Part One as an acoustic track, now it's gotten a shock to its heart by transforming into a fizzy dance number.

Do I like? Oh, yes, I do. It's not as epic as "Dancing On My Own", but it doesn't let up on the surge of pop sugar that it embodies and it is infectious enough to stick to the brain...pop quota accomplished. Peep after the cut for the official music video to "Hang With Me" and to get a listen to it, if you haven't gotten around to it, like I.

First Impressions: I'll Take Whatever Lauryn Hill I Can Get

Lauryn Hill is coming out of hiding, like I...or is she really? I was sent this impeccable little number called, "Repercussions", that is being touted on the interwebs as nothing but a demo at the moment. The origin of this demo is a mystery that Nancy Drew nor Scooby and his crew couldn't solve, but nonetheless, I'll take whatever 'newness' Ms. Hill puts out in hopes that maybe, just maybe, we'll get that follow-up to Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It has been over ten years after all and I'm freaking over being patient. "Repercussions" clocks in less than three minutes and it's a dreamy neo-soul glide, very smooth and relaxing. It sounds like a step back into the 90's,  and then again it sounds like the soul sound of now. Maybe we'll get some clarification on what Hill plans to do (or not do) with this song when she takes the stage at Rock the Bells come this August? Maybe we've been teased again? It's whatever really. I'll take what I can get for right now. It's new to me, and it's Lauryn Hill and it's pretty good. Soak in this for right now.

Repercussions

Audio Vision: Yeah, So What About That Milk & Honey Project, Goapele?

Yeah, Goapele, what is the freakin' deal with your 3rd album? We've been in the waiting room and getting shifty stares from strangers since you dropped the luscious single, "Milk & Honey" back in August 2009, without even saying when or where the initial album is going to appear. Yeah, I'm a little impatient...but at least you're making up for it with appearing in this special video giving us a heads up that the project is still underway and what type of sound of approach your taking with it. Not to mention sweetening the pot with the added bonus of sharing two new tracks, the Drumma Boy produced "Right Here" and Bobby Ozuna produced  "Tears on My Pillow" from a live performance, to give us a feel of what Milk & Honey is to entail. Yep, this is the good stuff and we can't wait to hear more.

Cover Smother: La Roux Are Sidetracked

I haven't seen this. Which means, I got a little excited thinking "La Roux has a new album out, YAY!!!!", but then I read and saw that Sidetracked is a collection of old school and new school gems, with La Roux doing The Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb" (which is rather good) and then I calmed down. And to think I saw the tracklistning and thought La Roux was doing a covers album with dusting off some Joyce Sims and Tears for Fears. Still, admire this cover art, it's very 80's avant garde, simple, and once again your focus is on Elly Jackson's coif.

First Impressions: Waking Up With John Legend and The Roots

Yep, I'm still here. Just been swimming in Jell-O-esque brain cells due to catching summer feelings. It happens to me around mid-July...just as a future warning. What I probably needed was a wake up call and well, some favorites of mine have given me that. 

Some time back I mentioned that John Legend was going to be latching up with The Roots for a special project and well, the fruits of labor has finally bobbed to the surface, cover art and all.

The collaborative effort has been touting around the remake of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes 1975 classic, "Wake Up Everybody" for some time on the live circuit, and now we have the polished studio version, with Melanie Fiona and Common adding their talents to the mix. It is as charming as the original, with Legend and Fiona trading off vocals beautifully. Seriously, they should have been doing duets so many moons ago. While its not truly all shaken up and rearranged to sound somewhat different, and Common's entry is a bit unnecessary, it sticks to the tried and true format of the original and that is fine by me. Here is where keeping things simple and classic works in a remake.

And if you want to check out the original by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes for a refresher of what a soul classic is all about, then take a peek after the cut for that and the tracklisting to Wake Up!

Wake Up Everybody (ft. Melanie Fiona and Common)

Late Hall Pass: Ellie Goulding

In a real idiotic move, I haven't been keeping tabs on Ellie Goulding, a British newcomer that would easily fit into my music criteria based on a number of strengths. She has a whimsical pop quality that I easily attach myself too in order to calm my little rump down, and she has lots of synths in her music...and I have a love affair for synths, the bigger sounding the better. Akin to Paloma Faith and Natasha Bendingfield, Goulding sort of fits into what I like about pop from overseas more so than in my own homeland. It's done with less force. Not that it's baby powder soft, it's just that it's not overly in your face, with not a gimmick image in tow.

While Lady GaGa is good (in small doses), Ellie Goulding is someone that is the sugar that helps the bitter medicine of American pop go down, especially once you hear her song, "Starry Eyed", which is truly a pop song that does what it's supposed to do.Yet, you just can't stop at "Starry Eyed" as Goulding, with the help of producer Starsmith, is the pop vocalist that has intricately woven pop songs, where each time you listen, you hear something different...nothing is really cut and dry to a steady pop formula, it jumps around. The real surprise is Ellie's chirpy voice, as it eerily sounds like Bjork. Well, Bjork if she drank Tang and ate those sugary yellow loafs called Twinkies a lot. 

Crisp N' Fresh: La La La...It's Nice To See Oceana Again

Remember Oceana? C'mon you remember! She had a great little album called, Love Supply, that I discussed about a year ago? Well, to wave the smelling salts to refresh those brain cells, Oceana recently released Love Supply stateside, so us Americans can finally get with the program and she has released a brand new video for single, "LaLa" to accompany her return. Oceana first came to conscious with her singles, "Cry Cry" and "Pussycat on a Leash"  and still she keeps on keeping with the cutesy vaudeville-esque visual for "LaLa". I'm truly digging on Oceana's outfits as she jazz hands and dances around, as I am a sucker for some tulle and colored pumps.

Call me picky, but I'm a tad disappointed that she's releasing the more by the books cuts as singles (personally "LaLa" sounds a bit like Solange's "I Decided") in favor of more musically adventurous ones from Love Supply, like the ballad "U Need A Hug" and my favorite the big band funk of "All Genetic". But oh, wells. Still maybe with the right push, Love Supply will get more single releases, because Oceana is worth taking a listen to. So if you haven't already, get on the stick and press play and also check out the live version of "LaLa" as well here.

Recycle It!: Squaring Off On 'Mean Sleep'

So which is better, the original or the remake? You probably said 'the original, duh', right? I mean, I liked 1987's Can't Buy Me Love over 2003's Love Don't Cost A Thing....the original is always better. Well, to an extent. Though Cree Summer did  "Mean Sleep" first before Van Hunt, I like to think of Hunt's version as a sequel...the second chapter, the cherry additive in Coke, a spin-off if you will. "Mean Sleep" isn't wholeheartedly well known for the fact that it was never officially released as a single and remains an album track on two records that few people probably even know about. But man, is it a great song.

Cover Smother: Marina & the Diamonds Make Single Covers Worth A Second Glance

Reiteration from a post on my Tumblr, but I have to give two snaps in "Z" formation and a late hall pass to Marina and the Diamonds for some impressive single covers from her Family Jewels debut project. Single covers are usually cascaded aside at times (who buys physical singles anymore?), but in some ways, the single covers tend to look even better than the album covers. Marina disclosed once on her Twitter some eons ago that she got the idea for all her cover arts from old Interview magazines and pop art such as Lichtenstein and Warhol. Since I love a good scribbly font and some splashes of color, these are right up my alley. The rest after the cut.

First Impressions: Kimberley Nichole Satisfies My Ballad Craving; Has 'Reloaded' Her Journey

In a strange occurrence the other day, I was hungry for a modern day ballad. But since ballads are a dime a dozen these days, with anyone who attempts to do it either a) screams, b) doesn't have the vocal chops, and sounds like a cat in heat, or c) begs. Hence why I'm so picky about my ballad intake. Thank goodness for Kimberley Nichole, who has restored my faith in the well-executed ballad with her latest "Crash & Burn".

I have been delaying hardcore on telling people about Kimberley Nichole, so I decided to do it today since I've had a pleasant reminder pop up in my inbox that Kimberley is re-releasing her hotness debut, Yellow Brick Journey, an album that I was introduced to by fellow blog compadre, Soul UK, and stupidly forgot to add to my 2009 wrap-up list....and stupidly forgot to tell you about. Well, Kimberley has my undivided attention again with "Crash and Burn", which is that ballad I've been hungry for. It has a real easy going feel to it, with Nichole carrying her vocals gallantly and assuredly. What I like the best is that she doesn't "over sing" which is what some singers like to do on a ballad...just glaringly and sharply sing till the cats hold their paws on their ears. On here a little bit of Nichole's vocals goes a long way.

And since it's Tuesday, and nobody really likes Tuesdays, listen to another track, called "A Rage In Harlem", from the YBJ Reloaded project. You'll be glad you did. 

Crash & Burn

A Rage In Harlem

Crisp N' Fresh: Sara Bareilles Says, "Take A Picture It Will Last Longer"

Day by day, Sara Bareilles' "King of Anything" grows on me. True, it's not the song that I would want from her, but considering that she's probably going to have a rough time trying to break out of everyone's thought that she can only be as good as "Love Song", it's welcomed. In fact, like Maroon 5's "Misery" it's immensely growing on me as being a perfect splash into summer waters. The music video is one in the same, it's a little quirky, artsy, coffee house impresario, and matches to the overall feel of the song. Sara is seen in various Polaroid and photo film captures as she of course sings to narcissistic idiot who is rattling around in her brain. It's the perfect little video that is kicking starting the Kaleidoscope Heart project (which pops in stores September 7th) off right.

First Impressions: Aphrodite Rising; Kylie Minogue Makes An Album Strictly For Her Fans

To me, Kylie Minogue always seems to make an album that is like a hand-written thank you note to her fans. As cheese ball as that reads, it's true. She seems more sincere in her delivery than her pop peers and she tends to not over indulge in her own endeavors or follow some trends to stay relevant. Thus, every time you listen to an album of hers you feel that sense of being thought of as a listener, not abused. 

Kylie probably never had a bully in life, and that's how she seems on every one of her records, just as sweet as pie, positive, with a dash of a minx attitude and sultriness...and it's all her, nothing fake about it. That kind of attitude rubs off on you, which is why Aphrodite, the Aussie pop queen's 12th installment, does what it's supposed to do, it warmly invites you to be happy and enjoy the environment of what quality pop music is, and there is nothing wrong with that. This whole album is like drinking warm milk with a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie (the ones with the gooey center, no doubt) it just settles you down into comfort, no matter how much the synths pulsate or the percussion claps along and it is satisfying.

With the help of producers Stuart Price, Calvin Harris and some Scissor Sisters, Minogue crafts an album that is in need of consumption, as everybody surely needs a daily dose of a pop vitamin. A track-by-track diagnostic of all the delicacies (and middle eight ecstasies) you'll hear on Kylie's newest recapped after the cut.

Crisp N' Fresh: Janelle Monae + B.o.B + Lupe Fiasco = One Tippin' Collaboration

I'll be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of remixes. Save for a few that drizzle my collection, I just don't seek them out. Sometimes I feel that remixes clutter up a perfectly good song with this rapper or that interloping sample. Even the strength of favorites, B.o.B and Lupe Fiasco couldn't sway me into hearing them guest spot on a revamped version of Janelle Monae's "Tightrope", considering how much I adore to high heaven the original with Big Boi. Well, that was until today.

With new guest stars, "Tightrope" is upgraded from the funk shuffle into and a gritty sparse rock beat that bringing the flows of Lupe and B.o.B to focus, not to mention Janelle herself spits out a few sharp bars of her own. The stark black n' white video captures the slickness of the trio's craft and style, and I must say that here's where a remix really works to an advantage. It's very 90's throwback in a way, the time where I remembered a remix being something to talk about and witness. So bringing some of that mindset back is welcomed. I hate sounding like a broken record, but Janelle Monae continues being the bad mama jama, slaying folks left and right with her talent...her talent just screams in your face and you can't ignore that.