Remember how some kids stopped being
so cute when they realized that many people thought they were
so cute? It’s like them being cute became pretentious.
“Hey, look at me! I’m a cute kid!” Well, this album
feels like
Common just discovered that he’s a sex symbol and now, he’s milking his
new found symbolism for all it’s worth…at least on the first 3 out of 4 tracks…
Especially [track 4] Sugar 4 Sex. There are only two producers on this project and
Kanye West isn’t one of them.
The Neptunes and
Mr. DJ are the beatsmith tandem on this one. Kanye does make a
vocal cameo on the hook for
[track 2] Punch Drunk Love.
While listening to this album, I didn’t hear what the over all point was. Whereas some albums have some sort of theme running all through them, this one sounds more like he had 10 songs done and the album due date was swiftly approaching. Many of Common’s punch-lines leave much to be desired.
Exhibit A: “…see them rappers, they be ducking /when Comm be bucking / in the kitchen –cking on the sink, got my mama a mink…” ~ Common on [track 5].
Exhibit B: “Some call me Comm / some call me the bread / you can call me daddy I’m a put you to bed / An appetite for seduction and it gotta be fed / your sexual eruption got you hitting your head on the board &…” ~ Common on [track 2]… any objections?
This album does have a few really nice cuts on it. And even some of the more explicit songs got good beats and you can dance to them. If you’re a Common fan, you’re probably use to him being more politically aware than you’ll find he is on this project. Overall I’d give Universal Mind Control 5 out of 7 Head-Nods. Below you’ll find a list of the tracks I think have the “rewind factor”.
I’m Thed Weller and I approve this review.
[track 1] The Intro Universal Mind Control is
Africa Bambata-ish.
[track 3] Make My Day is a fun song with Cee-Lo Green singing the hook. Sounds a little “Andre 3000-ish” as far as the music is concerned.
[track 4] Sex 4 Sugar is so off-the-wall & seemingly out of character for Common, you might just like it…I did…a little.
[track 6] Gladiator Hard beats and Hard rhymes…are you not entertained? Favorite line from this one,
“My words is the sword / My skill is the shield / My life is a style I stay dressed to kill…skinny George Foreman / all in your grill / my rhyme style is blind / it’s all in the feel…your guys got you gassed / my flow’s a hybrid…” ~ Common
[track 8] Inhale This one is classic Common. Tight beat with a flow that’s saying something.
*Head Nod Scale
1=Don’t waste your time like I did mine.
2=Waste your time like I did mine but I dare you to disagree.
3=Well, there was the single.
4=If it were a hand in spades there’s “two and a possible”.
5=It’s a “good” album. Meaning at least 3 or 4 solid songs.
6=Really Good Project. Has the “Rewind Factor” more than once.
7=The number of completion. Great Album. Instant Classic.
What do you do when your first two albums (Aijuswanaseing, Juslisen) go Platinum and your next two (Soulstar, LuvanMusiq) only go gold? If you’re Musiq Soulchild you keep it moving and create a new album on Atlantic Records, Onmyradio. This is actually an appropriate title for the album because he knows that it’s the radio listener that will purchase (hopefully not from the CD man) his album and grant him the Platinum status that he’s chasing. To achieve this goal, he leads the charge with Radio. This is the essential club track most albums have nowadays. Although it may bring affright to the most loyal Musiq fan, conjuring thoughts of Musiq growing locks, sporting a pimp chalice and renaming himself Lil or Young Musiq; it’s not a bad club track. Radio was quickly followed by Ifuleave which sounds eerily alot like Teachme. Teachme was the single from Luvanmusiq that reached #2 on the US charts. If Teachme was one of his most successful radio singles, then Ifuleave is a radio single on steroids. It’s like Kool-Aid. Hey, everyone already likes water (Teachme), so let’s add sugar, flavoring and dye (Mary J. Blige) Voila, radio gold (hopefully Platinum)!
There are few standout tracks on the album but more songs that seem formulaic. Specifically, Deserveumore and Loveofmylife, which leave me wondering if I’ve heard them before on previous Musiq albums. Others, such as Iwannabe and Moneyright, make me believe he’s trying too hard. The effort is appreciated but the songs are lackluster versions of reggae and current rap/dance/soul hybrids (read: Green Light). Others left me scratching my head… Until; it’s actually not a bad song but the vocals in the background are distracting and ultimately aggravating. It reminds me of drawing before Photoshop was released. You’ll have a good picture and you keep adding to it and then suddenly, YOU’VE DONE TOO MUCH. Those haunting vocals in the background are TOO MUCH. Can we get a version sans irritating background vocals Musiq? Come on man, It’s me Rahdu…(lol).
I feel Musiq excels when he remains in his comfort zone. The songs that are a return to his hip hop & soul sensibilities are where Onmyradio shines. Musiq, if you didn’t know, honed his chops beatboxing for MCs and singing on the streets of Philadelphia while practically homeless. Special and Sobeautiful are epitomes of these sensibilities and are my favorites for opposing reasons. I’ll begin with Sobeautiful. He stays true to form and creates the best song on the album. Sobeautiful contains all the elements that we look forward to from Musiq. He sings this one in a range higher than he usually does, but to great effect. I had this one on repeat. Secondly, Special; this is where he gambles and wins with the most progressive (for Musiq) track on the album. Quirky production and great harmonies pervade and commands the immediate headnod that’s a prerequisite for great music. Back Again is one of the few songs that are truly reminiscent of his debut project, containing a hip hop backbeat, sparse keys and passionate vocals. It’s a great opening track, as it immediately grabs the attention and gets you in the mood for Onmyradio.
Overall I give this album 5 out of 7 headnods. Musiq delivers but you can tell that he’s struggling to find his place in today’s musical landscape. He does just enough to entertain current fans while largely trying to recruit new ones. Unfortunately, the chasm is deep and wide and if he continues to try to play both sides against the middle his career may end up inside of it.
*Head Nod Scale
1=Don’t waste your time like I did mine.
2=Waste your time like I did mine but I dare you to disagree.
3=Well, there was the single.
4=If it were a hand in spades there’s “two and a possible”.
5=It’s a “good” album. Meaning at least 3 or 4 solid songs.
6=Really Good Project. Has the “Rewind Factor” more than once.
7=The number of completion. Great Album. Instant Classic.
Enter
Jesse Boykins III,
YOUR NEW FAVORITE SINGER! Does this sound bold? If so, let me expound: Jesse Boykins is a stellar singer/songwriter, graduate of New School University, and proponent of the post Neo Soul era (think Sa-Ra and PPP) with a great voice, talent for writing and an ear for making terrific music. I give The Beauty Created 7 out of 7 Head Nods!
Approximately 9 months and 11 days after dropping his spectactular debut EP, Dopamine, Jesse Boykins III and crew return to create Beauty. Beauty (n) - the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit. Wielding style and substance, The Beauty Created can only be described as Boykins’ “Hip Hop Bossa Electro Soul Opus,” but even that does this album no justice. The parts of The Beauty Created are equally as astounding as it’s sum. The songwriting, shrouded in allegory and symbolism, covers a wide range of subjects with women being the topic, but not the focus of the song, allowing the listener to appreciate the surface of a song or immerse themselves in its depths. Sonically, you can hear influences from Jobim to the Isleys, Marvin to Sa-Ra and beyond. However, Boykins doesn’t merely recreate their sound, he adds his own flavor to it, dazzling the ear with a gumbo of sound without sounding like an experimental novice. (Check Shine which begins with electro hip hop soul then takes you staight to Jamaica and back again.)
Overall, The Beauty Created, remains in a lane all it’s own. Trendsetters in the music industry, nowadays, are slim to none. Jesse Boykins III is definitely carving his own lane and I hope we see his influence on his peers and their ilk. Experimental without being ostentatious (given his musical background) or too “out there”, The Beauty Created is worth your patronage on Amazon.com and iTunes. With his first full length, Jesse Boykins III has created an album that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit, or more simply Beauty…and that’s not just the new car smell talking (lol).
Peep DJ Rahdu’s interview with Jesse Boykins III on The Diamond Soul XXXperience
here.
*Head Nod Scale
1=Don’t waste your time like I did mine.
2=Waste your time like I did mine but I dare you to disagree.
3=Well, there was the single.
4=If it were a hand in spades there’s “two and a possible”.
5=It’s a “good” album. Meaning at least 3 or 4 solid songs.
6=Really Good Project. Has the “Rewind Factor” more than once.
7=The number of completion. Great Album. Instant Classic.
Remember when you had a tape (yeah, I said tape on purpose) or an album that you really liked and wondered why the club/radio never seemed to play all your “favorites” from it? Or, how there were certain rap songs you thought you weren’t going to like because of the intro music but when the MC started spitting, you ended up loving the song? If you don’t have any fond musical memories of hip hop like these, you’re probably not considered by “most” to be a real fan of the art from back-in-the-day. But, there’s no need to fear, Q-Tip is here!
Enter The Renaissance. Many rappers from back-in-the-day that try to stage a musical comeback suffer from what I refer to as the Schwarzenegger Effect. In almost every movie he’s been in, there has to be some sort of explanation about his accent and/or build. That’s because he’s not a great actor. He was extremely popular though. Film makers felt that in order for audiences to “accept” him in a role, they needed to explain his thick accent and freakish size/build. Many rappers from back-in-the-day didn’t ever really have the best lyrical ability compared to the lyrical geniuses we’ve come to love…they were, however, very popular. The Renaissance proves that Q-Tip doesn’t suffer from S.E. at all!
From Johnny Is Dead to the bonus track Good Thang you’ll be constantly reminded that Q-Tip can rap…for real. This album is an overall winner. It’s not a throw-back album (i.e. it doesn’t sound dated or from the 90’s). It’s a refreshinglook at what new hip hop can still sound like. The music/production of this project is solid. The beats aren’t the feature or the star of this project but are there to accompany the rhymes. I give The Renaissance 6 out of 7 Head Nods*! And now for the specifics…
Johnny Is Dead [track 1] ~ This is the 1st track on the project. And, like a good intro should, it’s gives you some idea how Q-Tip can ride a track with his distinctive style. And, if you listen to the words, he’s actually saying something. “Sometimes I phase out when I look at the screen / when I think about my chance for me to intervene and it’s up to me to bring back the hope put feeling in the music that you can quote / not saying that I hate it cause yeah, I kinda dig it, but what good is a ear, if a Q-Tip isn’t in it?” ~ Q-Tip
Won’t Trade [track 2] ~ On this one, Q-Tip uses sports talk to explain what can and does go on in a relationship. Word play, nuance, metaphor, double entendre, etc., etc., etc.. This one has what I like to call “the rewind factor”. Once you catch what he’s talking about, you’ll listen over and over to make sure you’re not missing anything.
You [track 5]~ This one is more of a “slow jam”. Not going to spoil it for you but listen to the words…it’s deep.
We Fight/We Love_Feat. Raphael Saadiq [track 6] ~ All I’m going to say on this one is…”Classic.”
ManWomanBoogie_Feat. Amanda Diva [track 7] ~ This is a poem put to a swing. Once again, gotta listen to the words on this one to really get the vibe.
Move [track 8]~ Yeah, like I said…Q-Tip can rap. Love the “flow” better than the song though.
Dance On Glass [track 9] ~ The 1st 16 bars are A cappella…a real live “naked 16″…Keep hooking!
Life Is Better_Feat. Norah Jones [track 10]~ Okay, this one reminded me of the part of Kool Moe Dee’s Wild, Wild West that goes…“I’m talking about Nazareth, B.O., Tony and Milton, Mike Mike Sluggo and Mike Chillion, D.O.B., Reggie B, and Sidney, Dana B, Derrick B, Sean B, and don’t forget, Big Hank, Don Ice and Sire Rock, God bless Peter Wax, Chuck Chuck, and Po Rock, El Dorado George…” …which is a good thing.
Believe_Feat. D’Angelo [track 11] ~ It’s like a hip hop “I believe I Can Fly” [The feel and the message of the song, not the sound.]
*Head Nod Scale
1=Don’t waste your time like I did mine.
2=Waste your time like I did mine but I dare you to disagree.
3=Well, there was the single.
4=If it were a hand in spades there’s “two and a possible”.
5=It’s a “good” album. Meaning at least 3 or 4 solid songs.
6=Really Good Project. Has the “Rewind Factor” more than once.
7=The number of completion. Great Album. Instant Classic.
