Oh Marsha.... When Will The Album Drop???

New track from Miss Marsha ft. The Game. No sign of any Dr. Dre production as far as i can tell but if you know any different lemme know. Standard Isley's Sample thats been used n abused before but i still found myself nodding my head though. Knowing Dre's track record there's no guarantee that this'll make the album. Knowing Dre's track record there's no guarantee that there will actually be an album. This'll do for now i suppose.

Marsha Ambrosius - What's Goin' On ft. The Game

Reeeeeeeeeemiiiiiiiiiiiix!!!

Aaron Jerome, The Dynamics, Afronaut, Mr. Scruff & others remix an already Superb Album. Some great mixes too.

Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators - Keep Reachin' Up: Remixed

I only included Disc 1 from this since all the remixes are on that 1. Ticklah, Kenny Dope, Cool Calm Pete & Hank Shocklee are among the guest list on here. Once again its well worth the d/l.

Daptone records Remixed

Does Anyone Actually Use Algebra After They've Finished School?

OK, i'm not afraid to admit that there are times (that are few & far between in my case) that everyone needs a little bubblegum R n B in their lives. Be it in a club & you wanna see the ladies shaking what their mother gave 'em or your in 1 of those moods where only a bit of croon inspired radio balladry will put you on the road to recovery. But as (among others) Eric, Raheem, John, Robin, Jill, Erykah, Angie, Amy & now Algebra will testify, putting some real heart & soul in your music is always the best way to go. I've been picking up my fair share of tidbits from this songstress for a long time & there has been a buzz among people in the now for quite a while. But after various ups & downs & a shortening of her recording name (she removed the Blessett) Purpose is about to hit the shelves. Boy does it hit! The 1st 4 tracks alone will put to bed any doubters (hard as they are to find) fears about the ladies prowess. At This Time sets things off with a lovely soulful ballad with a simple guitar & violins for company. Halfway will get those necks snapping with it's super crisp snare and vibrating bass accompanied by a smooth flute loop & horns. Then the slick drums, spacey violins & understated piano of Run & Hide continues with the neck snapping theme. Things then get a little more uptempo with U Do It For Me, which reminds me of Talib's Waiting For The DJ. The Quality of the production doesn't let up an inch. Soul purists will love Algebras voice & demeanor while those of us that lean more towards the Hip Hop side of things will have most of Purpose on repeat for quite a while. It is just such a richly crafted & consistantly superb album & the use of strings on a bulk of the songs is refreshing. Al floats effortlessly through every track & while i can easily get tired of listening to some the newer releases, i've been bumping this from start to finish without hesitation. My personal favs on this one have to be Simple Complication, which talks about the complexities of becoming a young parent. And the lingering keyboard & Ill drums of I Think I Love U . But What Happened comes in a close 3rd (i'm a sucker for live instrumentation). OK so some of the subject matter is nothing new (love, life, etc), but who cares if it's explored this well. Easliy My R n B album of the year so far. An absolute must have.

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Algebra - Purpose Selection

And a lil something extra: Algebra - The Herb Powers Masters

Seeeeeeerrrrrrrrgiooooooooooooo!!!

I liked Sergio's Timeless album. Great beats & a stellar cguest list made for a nice sunny sunday afternoon wind down. The good news is Encanto is even better than Timeless. Actually I think it's much better than Timeless. The main reason for this is that the latin influence has a lot more say throughout the album. From start to finish the latin rhythms bubble whether it's the funky background vocals or the infectious drums. The lack of a Hip Hop track is also a plus in my view as this helps the overall flow of the album. Sergio has also gathered a worldwide guest list featuring Zap Mama (Belgium), Dreams Come True (Japan) & Juanes (Columbia), as well as Will I am, Natalie Cole & Fergie. A superbly funky, masterfully executed album. peep the selection.

Sergio Mendes - Encanto Selection

And I Thought Walter & Jack Were Odd

When St. Elsewhere dropped i was always sure that Dangermouse would provide a varied & unusual backdrop. But while Cee-Lo's talent was never in doubt & his hook duties have always been on point, i was sceptical as to whether he could carry an album all the way through with his singning voice. Oh how misplaced my scepticism was as the man hit it out da park (as you people across the way would put it). So the obvious questions now arise: Would dangermouse carry on where he left off & deliver more quality beats? Will Cee-Lo deliver more of the same vocal greatness? Or on the flipside, will the dreaded sophomore jinx hit 'em square in the nether regions? As soon as the jazzy drums, organ & electro bass line of Charity Case hit my Sennheisers, i knew all was well. The 1st thing that is apparent with The Odd Couple is that this is a more cohesive album than the last 1, whereas St. Elsewhere was more of a collection of great songs. Dangermouse never fails to draw on an ultrawide pallette of influences on his beats with each track bringing something different to the table. From the Mark Ronsonesque (sorry for the obvious comparison) Bossa/Nu Funk of Going on (my personal pick for next single) to the laid back Trip Hoppy vibe of Would Be Killer to the Brit Pop sound of Blind Mary, its just superb from start to finish. My Peronal favs (since i couldn't decide between the 2) are Neighbor, which sees a superbly layered mellow Hop Hop beats allied with a 60's era backing vocal vibe. And She Knows, with it's jungle noises, eerie flute and sparse funky claps. Even the 'worst' track on the album, The Chaotic (on puirpose) Open Book, will grow on the open minded with repeated plays. Once again, i only seem to review stuff that i like & i love this album. An inspired project from an inspired duo.

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Gnarls Barkley - Surprise

Gnarls Barkley - Would Be Killer

Gnarls Barkley - Charity Case

The Katalytic Are Converted

A (K)Catalyst is defined as 'a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected' or 'something that causes activity between two or more persons or forces without itself being affected'. These definitions are determined by the use of either the chemical or Interpersonal use of the word. Having listened to album produced by the Katalyst i'm referring to in this review, i believe a musical combination of both is the outcome. To be able to jump from Nu Jazz to Hip Hop to Reggae to Nu School Breaks to & back again is a feat in itself. But to do it with such consistancy in quality & depth of arrangements is just downright showing off. I listened to this album from start to finish a few times(& some people may think i'm going over the top when i say this) & i still cannot find anything wrong with the whole damn thing. Every genre this guy turns his ridiculously talented hand to turns to gold. From the straight head nod of the intro, to the uptempo throwback feel of Step Up, to the anthemic bass & horns of He Is Society & the Supernatural featured Non Stop, This is as close to faultless as i've heard in a long time. A few posts ago i sung Quantics praises as the best in his field (if he has one). I'm now changing that to arguably & this guy is the argument. What is it with these Aussies & the depth of talent over there. My fave on this one though has to be \killing Ya Self ft. J-Live. The guitar/keyboard loops on this track are just downright scary. This is a must have album. It's out on 15th April. Go buy it. Peep the taster.

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Katalyst - How About Us feat. Steve Spacek

Tickle Me Fancy Bredrin

Working with DJ Spinna for any length of time can only enhance your musical credentials as far as i'm concerned. I first saw Ticklah's name while reading the tracklist of a french compilation album, on which he & Spinna had remixed a Les Nubiens track. That was great stuff & so is this. What i had no idea about, however, was Ticklah's association (& love for) Reggae & Dub. I was expecting some kind of jazz infused, piano laced Hip Hop. But the surprise soon turned to great satisfaction when i heard the quality of the music coming through my headphones. Bar 1 or 2 latin flavoured joints, each track is a testament to the superb Dub sound of yesteryear. When i was younger & still living in a 3 bedroom flat in west London, my uncles room was an epicentre of all things Dub & the rich b-lines & sharp snares i heard then are used with controlled abandon on this album. Plus with Mikey General, Vinia Mojica & Rob Symeonn along for the ride, there's all the more reason for the good people to check this one out.

Ticklah - Ticklah vs. Axelrod Selection