Top Artists - Week Ending 2007-10-07
G&D, Herbie Hancock, Sharon Jones, etc.by j. brotherlove
Despite a noticeable change in my music chart this week, I am largely disappointed by much of the music in my Top Artists for the week. The unpleasant reactions are after the jump.
G&D Deliver a Uni Versa Message
I could write paragraphs about Georgia Anne Muldrow but my buddy somnambulance already did that in his last.fm journal Georgia Anne Muldrow for President:
Your debut EP, Worthnothings, is straight FIRE. FI-YER. Larva, you slap these gutter ass beats together with all sorts of whipped silky soulful vocal toppings. You ever watch Project Runway? It reminds me of that one dress Andrae made that was inspired by the dirty gutter water. Stunning. You "made it work." Nothingness reminds me of Chaka Khan in outer space. Lo Mein, while showcasing no harps, reminds me in spirit of that one album Dorothy Ashby did based on the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Intimate, spiritual. You flipped it, though, into some lush chamber soul for the future-funk set.
I agree with everything somnambulance wrote about Muldrow; I jokingly call her hip hop’s Nicolette. Much of Georgia’s solo work creates miniature hip hop soundscapes.
As Madlib’s vocal muse, Dudley Perkins is another left-of-center artist (copping the popular rap/sing style). When I heard the two oddities were joining forces as G&D on The Message Uni Versa, I was a bit excited.
As you can tell from the cover art, they’re on an existential, power-to-the-people trip. However, this is one those instances where the talented sum of parts don’t equal a brilliant whole.
Out of the 20 tracks—a third of them spoken snippets—only four are over three minutes long; and they’re not the best of the bunch. The overall result is a lot of vibing and musicus interruptus. Rather than a collection of memorable "songs", The Message Uni Versa comes across as a wandering vanity project.
Yet, I’ve been listening to the album all week so maybe the formula works better than I’d like to admit. Besides, the Georgia we love shines so bright on "MGD (feat. M.E.D.)", "Stronger" and "GodUnit" I’m able to skip around.
Hancock Loves Mitchell
When I praised Joni Mitchell’s Shine last week I also mentioned Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters. I’m not a follower of Hancock’s work so I have to approach River from the viewpoint of a Mitchell fan.
Mitchell’s songbook has been covered extensively by a diverse group of artists (Chaka Khan even covers Mitchell’s "Ladies Man" on her latest CD Funk This—which I’m unhappy with). And out of all the treatments I’ve heard, River leaves me unmoved. Hancock’s mostly instrumental jazz interpretations are solid (obviously) but they don’t add any nuances to Joni’s work in my opinion. The songs with featured vocals fair better with the standout being "Edith and the Kingpin" featuring Tina Turner.
Rediscovered
Remember The Sundays? I just ripped a couple of their discs so I’ve been spinning them a lot.
I’m a big fan of John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane. So it’s only fitting that I vibe with great-nephew Steven Ellison (as Flying Lotus). His experimental jazz/hip hop is good for chill/background music.
I found Kathy Diamond by accident on emusic. In general, the genre of muted, house/dance vibes is pretty crowded. But live, spaced-out instrumentation combined with Diamond’s crisp vocals make Miss Diamond To You another favorite for late night design sessions.
The Rest of the New
Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings return with a new disc of their classic soul/funk 100 Days, 100 Nights. I actually prefer their Naturally disc better because it’s more upbeat.
On the other hand, DJ Vadim’s new disc The Soundcatcher is good late night stuff. But as much as I want to, I don’t like Songs of Mass Destruction by returning diva Annie Lennox. Sorry.
Thank you, this is great, I’m checking out Ms. Muldrow.
I haven’t listened to 100 Days enough to decide. I love Naturally so it’s gonna be a real challenge.
The Sundays first is what I listened to the day I brought my daughter home.
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