I don’t know if you’ve ever lost a friend to suicide. I’ve lost several; off the top of my head I can count four in the last seven years. And in at least one of those cases, I feel as though there’s something I could’ve done to save them, or something that I did do… Read More “How To Save A Life” by The Fray (2005)
So; as I write this, I am closing in on one full month homebound due to the quarantine. This is the longest I’ve been stuck in one place since…well, since ever. It’s a weird feeling, to state the obvious. What makes it weirder is that I live alone. No roommate. No family members. No significant… Read More “Home Life” by John Mayer (2003)
A lot of CDs got dropped on my desk in 2004. Once I remember distinctly is Carencro, the major-label debut from singer/songwriter/guitarist Marc Broussard. I looked at the album cover, saw a not-unattractive dude that kinda resembled Josh Hartnett in Varsity Blues, and thought that he might be a John Mayer knockoff. While there were… Read More “Home” by Marc Broussard (2004)
The first time I heard “Hey Ya!” was in a hotel ballroom/auditorium in late summer 2003. The occasion was the then Sony-BMG’s unveiling of their fourth quarter heavy hitters. “Hey Ya!” sounded so unbelievably left from anything OutKast (or, for that matter, any hip-hop act) had ever done. It was catchy, sure. I liked it.… Read More “Hey Ya!” by OutKast (2003)
There are lots of “mom dedication” songs in the annals of Black pop music. They didn’t start with hip-hop, either. The Intruders’ “I’ll Always Love My Mama”, The Spinners’ “Sadie”, even Jermaine Jackson’s utterly banal “Oh, Mother” all predated rap music’s popularization of open-hearted paeans to mama. One of the most, if not the most,… Read More “Hey Mama” by Kanye West (2005)
One major way that hip-hop is different from all other types of music is that a single verse can turn a track from good to “holy shit”. Case in point: Ghostface Killah’s absolutely bonkers verse on De La Soul’s 2004 album cut “He Comes”. Trugoy and Pos are great rappers; by 2004 they’d come a… Read More “He Comes” by De La Soul feat. Ghostface Killah (2004)
Let’s get this out of the way: yes, Ryan Adams is a fucking creep. I have no intention of going to any of his shows in the future or buying any of his albums. However, let’s also face this fact-plenty of creepy folks make great art. My enjoyment of someone’s music is an endorsement of… Read More “Harder Now That It’s Over” by Ryan Adams (2001)
You might get the idea that Musiq Soulchild (sometimes known as plain ol’ Musiq) is a bit pretentious, what with the stage name and the way his song titles combine words, but his gift as a singer/songwriter actually is the way that he can explain complicated emotional situations in a way that’s relatable to everyone.… Read More “Halfcrazy” by Musiq (2002)
I guess if you’ve been reading this consistently, you’ve figured out that I have a thing for Duncan Sheik’s music. “Half Life” is the third song from Mr. Sheik featured in this list, and unless you’re a diehard fan of his, it’s unlikely that you even know three songs from the guy period. I’ll run… Read More “Half-Life” by Duncan Sheik (2002)
“Grindin’” is hard as shit. It has proverbial ice running through its proverbial veins. It’s an interesting marriage of two pieces I can find problematic individually. I can’t say I’m crazy about hip-hop (or any music) that leans too hard into drug dealing. I think there’s a fine line between street reporting/storytelling and glorification, and… Read More “Grindin'” by Clipse (2002)
Five Star Jamz 