Elements Of Love: Ballads- Earth, Wind & Fire70s-80s r'n'b soul.
Who says Earth, Wind & Fire says a musical experiment of 30 instruments delivering a perfectly synchronised melody! But in this compilation, most ballads contain enough soulful inspiration to balance that extreme professionalism.
While every song is musically perfect, a few of them are not imaginative enough to stand among the best. Thank God, the other tracks are enough to make this album a true jewel: "Open our eyes," "Keep your head," "Love's holiday" and "After the love" are mwouah! but "Can't hide love," "I'll write a song," "Side by side" and obviously, the superbly wonderful "Reason" in a live version to die for, are unmissable classics. Pearl
Elephunk- The Black Eyed PeasA hip-hoppish r'n'b.
Catchy rhythms and creativity meet perfectly, here. From "Hands up" to "Third eye" flows a series of original and varied styles that keep on surprising you without ever falling into an over-experimentation whose only point would be to difference itself from the rest, nor the other commercial extreme of only trying what is sure to work. Pearl
Embrya- Maxwell
Smooth r'n'b type of soul. Ambiance music.
A theme album, all about romantic sensuality.
Perfect if you need some background
music when you're in private company,
bored on your own, or feeling moody
and nostalgic.
Exodus (the definitive remasters edition)- Bob Marley & The WailersReggae.
Some of their best are on this: "Jamming," "Exodus," "Three little birds," "One love," "So much things to say" and "Punky reggae party."
"Turn your lights down low," "Natural mystic," "Waiting in vain" and the "Heathen" vary between good enough and almost great with "Guiltiness" being the only weak link in the chain. Pearl
Faith- George Michael
Pretty non-classifiable. Feels like poppish neo soul.
Pearl
Franz Ferdinand- Franz Ferdinand
Proper indie rock.
Good if you like indie rock.
And if you don't, it's still worth
trying with "Tell her tonight",
"Cheating", and "Michael"...
Rock.
This is the kind of album that finds you singing along to most songs without remembering their name or even noticing it. But once you listen carefully, you realize how good some of them are. Now, "Coming down again" is a beautiful, though unremarkable, ballad and "Silver train" offers not much more than a good old fuzzy rock. In "Can you hear the music", the raw, disharmonious and annoying vocals and what sounds like Native American or traditional Asian instruments (perhaps a pan flute...?) construct a voodoo-ish, very melancholic, almost powerful, Old South atmosphere. And, as usual with the Stones, even the worst songs are pure musical pieces. Nothing's wrong with "100 years ago" and "Winter" except they pale in comparison with the proper good "Dancing with mr. d.;" the bluesy and much underrated "Hide your love;" the catchy "Doo doo doo doo doo," the easy "Star star" and, obviously, "Angie." On the whole and without much effort, it ends up a pretty melancholic work of uneven quality. Still, after several listenings, "Angie" will become one of the least interesting songs, which proves that Goat Head Soup should have been a pearl ; some of its parts just shine brighter than others.
60s soul, the essence of music.
All right, you cannot not love this album; it's kitsch, it's sweet, may even give you a few headaches if you turn up the music, but it's soul: singers can sing, sounds are catchy... It should belong to every family's traditions, using wooden spoons as mikes and thinking of a time that just sounds better, but wasn't so. The best: "Hold me oh my darling;" "Your precious love;" "Ain't no mountain high enough" (one of the most well-known and best American songs, ever); "The onion song;" "If this world were mine"...
And just so you know it's not just me:
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