song of the day: "sooner or later"

Sooner or Later - N.E.R.D

come to chaka's house

this is the best chaka khan album you've never heard. it came out ten years ago while she was signed to prince's npg label. i had always been hesitant to buy come 2 my house because i think prince has problems producing other artists. however, my real issue may be with the way he produced his proteges, e.g. vanity, apollonia and their respective "6" groups. it may not have been on purpose, but he made those groups novelty acts in lingerie. neither vanity nor apollonia were good singers and they were not self-contained musicians like wendy & lisa, the time or sheila e., all of whom have maintained their own longevity without prince being in the picture.

then, two songs from come 2 my house were played on prince's now defunct npg music club site. they were the title track and "this crazy life of mine." those songs blew me away. the lyrics for both are sexy, vulnerable and deeply personal. they are also very mature and extra-special because a post-i'm every woman/i feel for you ms. khan wrote them.

it's obvious on come 2 my house, prince stuffed his ego in his back pocket and let ms. khan woman the ship. someone unfamiliar with prince's work and sound could listen to this album and not have a clue he had anything to do with it and that's a wonderful thing for someone like ms. khan. she is self-contained and my listening to her music has absolutely nothing to do with who produces her.

Come 2 My House - Chaka Khan

welcome back, lady tigra!

ok, i can thank a vh1 marathon of "100 greatest hip hop songs" for letting me know where lady tigra is!

l'trimm was my favorite rap group during my middle school days. i can even name more than one of their songs (other than "cars that go boom"). i've said that they influenced people like gwen stefani, and now lady tigra has new music out! i am super geeked, because i love when originators re-emerge and remind us all of their innovation. on the vh1 countdown, lady tigra said bunny d, the other half of l'trimm (seen on the left in the first pic), is a wife and mother of 4.

in the meantime, check out lady tigra's myspace page! she even has a song on there that's in french. it's doper than anything i've heard from yelle. there's also a great blaxploitation-era video she's done that's featured on the page. there's even an mc lyte collaboration!!!! the top of my head's about to pop off.

a good metaphor is hard to find in r&b these days...

but raheem devaughn displays it flawlessly in two songs on his latest album, love behind the melody.

Love Drug - Raheem DeVaughn

and he has another song called "customer" that's also a phenomenal exercise in metaphor. he's consistent, too--makes it last throughout the entire song.

introducing...livvi franc

i like her just for using "bees knees" in a lyric!

song of the day: "fried neckbones and some homefries"

introducing...jon cleary

check him out here

mix mania!

i love to make mix cd's, not just for myself but for other people too. i've stopped putting the song lists on the actual cd, so i can just grab one and go on my way out the door. it's a fun way to surprise myself as they play in the car or when i listen to one while i'm exercising.

it's also fun to introduce my loved ones (or people i like) to new music or get them all nostalgic for songs they enjoyed years ago but maybe forgot about.

i think i'm on mix #25 or #26 now. i even have two #6's.

this is something i've done since i was really young...with cassettes! i'd make them on the stereos my parents gave me, then play them during road trips .

i know some of your favorite internet radio stations make great playlists for you, but don't be afraid to come up with your own. use other folks' playlists as inspiration...don't get lazy, music lovers!

song of the day: "allentown"

this song gives me chills...can't stop listening to it! i'm serious.

robyn & santigold

these women have produced two of my favorite albums for this year so far. you've probably heard santigold's "creator" in those bud light lime commercials. her music is also featured in new commercials for converse and the ford flex. recently, i heard robyn's "with every heartbeat" in h&m which makes sense since there's a whole swedish connection there.

thank you, herbie hancock!

"edith and the kingpin" is one of my favorite joni mitchell songs. on herbie hancock's grammy award-winning river: the joni letters, he gives tina turner the honor of singing it.

i first heard his arrangement on a jazz radio station i sometimes listen to during my short ride home from work. i immediately recognized the song--but the voice? i sat in my car as the song neared its end thinking, i should know who that is.... there was no way i could get out of the car without hearing the dj announce the singer. then i thought, "what if they don't say anything?" my heart beat fast with anticipation as a voice said "from river: the joni letters, that was 'edith and the kingpin' by herbie hancock featuring--" COME ON ALREADY! "tina turner." ehr?

tina turner? the closest i'd ever heard her voice sound that remotely understated was on "private dancer"--my favorite song by her. ok, maybe "river deep mountain high" too. it was so nice to hear that tone again. herbie hancock deserved a grammy for that feat alone. it was genius execution on her part and a genius arrangement on his. that song is proof that two brilliant, innovative and influential musicians whose careers have survived for decades in an unstable recording industry, can still find ways to reinvent themselves. the fact that tina turner and herbie hancock did that together is so beautifully explosive.



here's the original:

song of the day: "harvest for the world"

first came neneh, then came m.i.a.

name the album covers

it's the pleasure principle of the thing

janet jackson's still trying to recover from you-know-what and i totally admire her for it.

she's not the best singer, but you cannot deny her performance skill. it influenced an entire generation of the performers you see on TRL, 106 & Park and in the tabloids. while most of them pay respect to madonna or michael jackson, their styles reek of ms. jackson's head-microphone sweat.

her new single "feedback" is getting strong buzz, but i'll be annoyed if people start using "comeback" in reviews of her album when it's released next month.

janet never left.

after the you-know-what of 2004, she delivered the incredible dance album, damita jo and after that, 20 y.o. which had the thumper, "so excited" (unfortunately the lead single was that weak collaboration she did with nelly). both albums proved janet's still looking for ways to innovate. she's such a hard worker and you have to recognize her perseverance.

parts of "feedback" are like a pep talk she's giving herself after a rough day: "flyer than a pelican find another chick better than--i don't see her." that confidence is contagious. after i see janet's videos, i usually puff up my chest and try to reenact the choreography i've just witnessed.

lemon crush

my latest crush has disappointed me.

as katherine willows told warrick brown on csi after his surprise marriage: part of the joy in having a fantasy is that there's a possibility it will come true. it sucks when they are involved in a serious relationship, get married or have babies. then you know your chances are null.

i will not reveal my former crush's name, but man...i'm hurting right now. what i've read about him today may be a rumor. but i don't think it is. what disappoints me is that i thought he was waiting for his match and i identified with that, but now i realize he may have settled. not settled down but settled for good enough. if that's the case, then i'm sorry he surrendered like that.

i could just wrack it up to him being a flaky musician, but i don't want to do that. it's not fair to make such generalizations, especially when i've never met the man.

actually, it's my fault. i keep thrusting these superhuman powers upon mere mortals. no, i keep thrusting the standards i have for myself on others. that's not fair, either.

this latest let down won't keep me from supporting his band or buying their albums in the future. i still think he's an outstanding musician. hey, i'm still a prince fan after all!