When discussing the great hip-hop producers of all time, certain names come up repeatedly; Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, Pete Rock. All are deserving of the respect sent their way. There are others, though, who are just as talented and influential, but don’t get as many props. One of those producers is Muggs, best known as… Read More “How I Could Just Kill A Man” by Cypress Hill (1991)
Lisa Fischer is best known as a background singer. She initially gained prominence working for Luther Vandross, and she was a highlight of his live performances and even his videos, obtaining a featured role in 1987’s “Stop to Love” clip. Her work with Luther caught the attention of Mick Jagger, and she was an integral… Read More “How Can I Ease The Pain” by Lisa Fischer (1991)
Phil Collins was a very busy man during the ‘80s. Not only did he record four solo albums, but he equaled that productivity as ⅓ of Genesis, and this is to say nothing of his work as a sideman, producer and member of Brand X. Quite simply, the guy was everywhere. So it shouldn’t have… Read More “Hold On My Heart” by Genesis (1991)
By the beginning of 1991, Prince found himself more estranged from contemporary youth culture than he’d been at any point in his career. “Gett Off” (and the Diamonds and Pearls album it appeared on) was a deliberate attempt to re-engage the center of pop culture, which had shifted quite a bit in just the previous… Read More “Gett Off” by Prince & The New Power Generation (1991)
Over the years, so many of the best dance songs have been made by either queer men or leather-lunged big-boned Black women. CeCe Peniston was the latter. She wasn’t just a powerful voice, though. Unlike most dance divas (who are generally hired to front a song written by a male producer), CeCe wrote the lyrics… Read More “Finally” by CeCe Peniston (1991)
A few stray thoughts about this song… *I bought albums on cassette almost exclusively until the mid ‘90s. And until I started working retail in 1993, I wasn’t able to afford cassettes (at least at the rate I consumed music) so I was a certified bootleg patron. Back in the day, there used to be African… Read More “Diamonds & Pearls” by Prince & The New Power Generation (1991)
“Dangerous” is the final track on the Michael Jackson album of the same name, and it ends the proceedings with a bang. It says a lot to the quality of Dangerous that you’re not like “holy fuck, is this album over yet?” by the end. Because it’s damn near 80 minutes long. In my piece… Read More “Dangerous” by Michael Jackson (1991)
Before he became a walking talking meme, Rick Astley had a string of pop hits in the late ‘80s. They were all produced by the hit factory known as Stock/Aitken/Waterman (sounds like a law firm) and all had a peppy, synth-dappled, proto-house/post-Colonel Abrams dance sound. After two albums, Astley wisely decided to jump ship and break… Read More “Cry For Help” by Rick Astley (1991)
Was “Cream” the last song with a straight-up blues structure to hit the top of the pop charts? It’s certainly one of the most bluesy songs Prince was involved in up to that point. Mr. Nelson stated that he wrote “Cream” while standing in front of a mirror, and with that in mind, it’s pretty hard to… Read More “Cream” by Prince and the New Power Generation (1991)
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” did not knock me off my ass the way it did millions of other folks that were in my general age range during the winter of 1991-1992. I was a junior in high school and my musical tastes generally ran (and still run) softer. “Teen Spirit” was “crazy white boy heavy metal… Read More “Come As You Are” by Nirvana (1991)
Five Star Jamz 