you’ll probably start hearing more about her soon

back to black is amy winehouse’s formal introduction to the u.s. her video for “you know i’m no good” is already getting play on mtv hits, mtv jams and vh1 soul. the album doesn’t have as much character as frank, her debut, but it still showcases what a fantastic voice she has. after back to black is released stateside (march 13), most who hear it will probably be impressed with what a refreshing change winehouse is bringing to the current singer/songwriter landscape.

her soulful delivery is raw and unapologetically blue--the complete opposite of norah jones’ polite whispers, and light years more sincere than joss stone’s contrived vocals.

there’s not much difference in winehouse (23) and stone’s (19) ages, but there’s a huge difference in their voices. stone gives the impression that she grew up listening to and imitating soul singers. winehouse listened to soul music, too, but she also listened to jazz singers with equal diligence which is evident in her ability to interpret and not imitate. that ability is particularly evident on her version of “moody’s mood for love” on frank.

it’s exciting to watch winehouse’s growth. back to black is not a disappointment, it’s a surprise. she didn’t make a frank part two. she made a more mature and concise album this time around, with more ready-to-go singles which makes it prime for american accessibility. frank is more experimental--a tight ball of jazz, lounge and hip hop stuck on a lint-ball covered soul blanket.

slow drip

when was the last time you heard a female mc's voice sampled on a rap song? exactly. one song comes to mind, "rump shaker" by wreckx-n-effect. that's mc lyte's voice on the "booties start shakin' and movin' all around" part, but that was 15 years ago!

well, we can thank snoop for using ladybug mecca's voice on his latest song, "candy," and she's actually in the video, lip-synching to her own lyric ("you want 'em, i got 'em, drippin' like water"). that's ladybug mecca from digable planets. digable planets--the fugees' predecessors who were like some bebop hip-hop flying saucer from outer space. "rebirth of slick (cool like dat)" was their biggest hit, but the sample snoop uses is from "9th wonder (blackitolism)" which was on their blowout comb album, released in 1994. they were never heard from again as a group after contributing to 1995's inner city blues: the music of marvin gaye, a tribute album also featuring lisa stansfield, stevie wonder, neneh cherry and nona gaye. digable planets contributed, "marvin, you're the man" on which ladybug raps in portuguese!

they parted ways soon after, with a grammy in tow. butterfly (who gave one of the most memorable acceptance speeches in grammy history) had a son with coko from swv and appeared on camp lo's uptown saturday night album. doodlebug changed his name to cee knowledge and ladybug released trip the light fantastic in 2005. she has a song on it called "you never get over it" about her parents' deaths.

digable planets have since reunited, somewhat, doing an occasional show here and there. no official word on if a new album is in the works. in the meantime, we can see ladybug in the "candy" video, and her own for "you never get over it."

m.i.a. is b.i.a.!

m.i.a. is a one-woman public enemy, but with far more complex beats and apropos lyrics for a post millennium world in her arsenal. her first album, arular, was all i listened to for about a month straight when it was released in 2005. can't wait for her new one. take a listen to the first single, "bird flu" aptly titled, as she says, "because this beat gon' kill everyone!"

after that, who even remembers billy joel singing the national anthem?

it's moments like prince's super bowl half time performance that make me thankful to be alive.