Revenge Of The Killer Slits- The SlitsAfro punky reggae party.
Not technically an album, this EP contains only 3 songs but what songs! You may hate punk, you may hate even rock,
you may hate anything to do with reggae and you may
hate raucous, scratchy types of singing but put all these together, add African beats, and you've got yourself something impossible to hate.
Neo soul.
Pearl
Early 20th-century blues.
Proper blues: racy words, despair, woman's strength, slow sleeping-pills tunes, raucous voice, and music that, to a 21st-century ear, tends to sound the same from track to track. Still a very interesting overview of Smith's work; good to discover one of the most famous lady blues. "I need a little sugar in my bowl" and "Gimme a pigfoot and a bottle of beer" are some of the best tracks and these two titles alone tell you a lot about the blues...
Sahra-Cheb
Khaled
Raï avec une touche de reggae.
What a
surprise! I may be incult but I only purchased this one for the sake of ‘Aïcha’
which was a hit when I was a kid. And guess what? Hardly ever listen to it
anymore. I stay stuck on ‘Sahra’, ‘Oran Marseille (Oran mix)’, ‘Lillah’, ‘Ouelli
El Darek’, ‘Detni Essekra’, ‘Walou Walou’, ‘Ki Kounti’, ‘Hey Ouedi’ and ‘Sratli’.
You get my gist…Keep an open ear to the sounds and you discover associations of beats you didn’t
even know existed. The album is a proper magnet, almost a pearl save for 4
songs; I was so busy going “huh!” that I actually found myself singing along in
Arabic. Ha!
Auteur-compositeur-interprète.
One of the best francophone albums of the 90s, it's of a definite romantic style. The songwriting is its most noteworthy aspect, truly poetic, truly of quality; nothing quickly jotted down here, it's seriously thought-through, sounds natural. If it's not my favourite album ever, I love it because it's doing its thing without ever compromising. A deeply personal work, unlike anything out there. Those first notes of the memorable and acclaimed "La corrida" infuse a mood that will linger on way after you've finished the 10 songs. Pearl
Glamorously decadent glam rock with
strong pop and some electro influences.
Perhaps not always uniformly good, this album
still contains some of the best dancing beats that
pop rock had to offer in these last years.
Shake You Down- Gregory Abbott
80s soul.
One of my favourite albums when I was little, probably because it's so peaceful and reassuring. Even when addressing the subject of break-ups, Abbott's arrangements sound merry. What makes it even better is that, aside from being an accomplished musician with the voice of a eunuch (but beautiful and manly!), he wrote and produced everything, a rare thing in soul. "Rhyme and reason;" "Magic" and "I got the feelin'" are the album's most original pieces.
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below- OutKast
Hip hop.
This review is for Speakerboxxx only. To me, that's the best of the two albums. While truly original in its associations of vocals and beats, its originality never becomes its weakness. Big Boi clearly knew where to use generous contributions to heighten good old hip hop and where to curb that originality to let the ear actually appreciate the music.
Musically, the result is an interesting work. As a whole it works because Big Boi is there to ensure an often researched lyrical work and stylish vocal interventions that recall the hollers of funk and the melodious togetherness of old r'n'b. At the very least, it'll get you to shake your head in rhythm.
"The rooster," "Unhappy," "The way you move" and "Last call" are the most noticeable tracks, with "The rooster" standing out as a pure lyrical effort. As for "Bowtie", it's got to be one of the best hip-hop songs ever! Only weakness: the interludes, typical annoyances of hip-hop and rap albums.
Staying Power- Barry White
90s r'n'b soul.
Pearl
Chicago blues! I spell M-A-N, man! Pure BLISS!
One of the most important aspects of excellent music is its capacity to move you: internally or literally. And blues always had the tendency to whisper naughty or sad lyrics till your ear got bored...or horny, depending on your tendencies... None of that, here! The guitar changes it all; there isn't the whisper you'll find in lady blues, there's only rhythm. This album will make you wish you were a musician to jump in and enjoy their fun. Recall that iconic status legends of music had back in the 20th century, when we were all a little in awe ? Listen to this and you'll wish it was back... I mean, what makes a legend of a musician? That capacity to turn the simplest chord into greatness_ they got it. That capacity to let others do too_ they certainly got it. That capacity to grow from the creativity around and shine together_ they've joined forces! And, I don't know, the result just makes me happy! Pearl
P.S. Interesting to note that the lyrics to "Who do you love?" (1956):
I walk 47 miles of barbed wire,
I use a cobra-snake for a necktie,
I got a brand new house on the roadside,
Made from rattlesnake hide,
I got a brand new chimney made on top,
Made out of a human skull,
from lyricsmode: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/b/bo_diddley/who_do_you_love.html
are retaken in Johnny Otis's song "Two time slim", a little more than a decade later, I believe:
You know, when I go home
I have to walk 44 miles of barbed wire
When I go out
I wear a cobra snake for a necktie
My house is high on a cliff and it hangs over the edge
And it’s made out of human skulls
I have to walk 44 miles of barbed wire
When I go out
I wear a cobra snake for a necktie
My house is high on a cliff and it hangs over the edge
And it’s made out of human skulls
Read more at http://www.lyrics.com/two-time-slim-lyrics-johnny-otis.html#Q6eUQYsQvDtDuCZW.99
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