The Sound Villains

What’s the big deal, right? I’m not saying I’m sold on them like my friend Dr. Funkenberry, but after watching the 2008 American Music Awards performance of “Tonight”, I do have a better understanding of their appeal. It’s good quality stuff for the kids. They write most of their own music. They play their own instruments, and they sing their own vocals live on stage. Oh, and they’re good performers! 

Let me stress it again, though… it’s for the kids! 

How can you watch this performance and not smile a little? They look a bit young and inexperienced, but for what it is, they kill it. Best of all, they build the song to a crescendo, one of the most important elements in getting folks emotionally attached to your performances. You might not agree, but I see why they are so popular amongst the younger crowd:

Here’s a free MP3 download of the new Jay-Z/Jada mixtape by Hevehitta and DJ Unexpected. It’s good if you’re a fan of these two artists and the songs:

01. The Roc Stars
02. Jadakiss Feat. Seau - Y.O To North Click
03. Jay Z - Get My Shit Off (Unreleased - Produced By Timbaland)
04. Jadakiss Feat. Hot Ones - All That Counts
05. Jay Z - Hova Song (Unreleased Version - Extra Verse)
06. Jadakiss - Who Runs This
07. Jay Z Feat. Da Ranjahz - Bullet Proof (Unreleased)
08. Jadakiss - Straight Fire (3 Verses)
09. Jay Z Feat. Da Ranjahz - Event Horizon (Unreleased)
10. Jadakiss Feat. Busta Rhymes & Sauce Money - Get That Paper Remix
11. Jay Z Feat. Gotti, Fordy & Neila - 20 Bag Shorty (Rare)
12. Jadakiss Feat. Snoop Dogg, Pusha T & The Alchemist - Lose Your Life (Produced By Alchemist)
13. Jay Z - Get Money Remix Freestyle (Rare Radio Freestyle)
14. Jadakiss - Welcome To The R.O.C (Produced by Buckwild)
15. Jay Z - In My Life Time (Original Version)
16. Jadakiss - Jada’s Got A Gun (Original Version)
17. Jay Z - Heart Of The City (Sunday Bloody Sunday Remix) (Live In Dublin)
18. Jadakiss - Don’t Start Nothing
19. Jay Z - Hey Papi (Original Version - Extra Verse)
20. Jadakiss Feat. Dr. Dre & Bilal - Fastlane (Alternate Version - Includes Dr. Dre Rap Verse)
21. Jay Z Feat. Shai - I Don’t Wanna Be Alone (Marley Marl Remix)
22. Jadakiss Feat. Big Punisher, Maze, Musalinni, Angie Martinez, Capone & Noreaga - Oh No Remix
23. Jay Z - H.O.V.A (Super Hero Music)

Download it here

Here’s a free MP3 download of the new Jay-Z/Santogold song from the upcoming Notorious movie soundtrack. Jay is in top form on this song. Definitely worth checking out!

Download it here

Chicago is on a roll, and Chi-Town’s second most famous emcee, Common, adds to that hot streak with his new album, Universal Mind Control. Originally titled Invincible Summer before it was pushed back from a June release date to the current December one, the album is a departure from his previous two efforts, which were mostly produced by Kanye West, with a warm, soulful feel. Based in electro hip-hop, with music by The Neptunes (seven songs) and Mr. DJ (the remaining three), Common’s latest is more of a cross-genre, club record, and happily, Universal Mind Control is also a thoroughly enjoyable album that succeeds on all levels.

Without it being polarizing (see Electric Circus), Common and Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes have created an old school hip-hop sound reminiscent of 80’s electro that works surprisingly well for the rapper. And while the beats are good, the songs sound best when Common is rapping. At times, such as on the album-titled opener, you’re almost compelled to start poppin’ and lockin’ when Common starts sounding like Afrika Bambaataa. All of the songs feel light, breezy and fun, such as “Punch Drunk Love”, which features Kanye West on the hook, and “What a World”, in which Common seems to channel the Sugar Hill Gang for his verses.

The songs on Universal Mind Control are made to appeal to all listeners of pop music. This is a new, bouncy Common, so if you’ve found him to be a bit of a snooze in the past, you’ll want to give these new cuts a whirl. With “Sex 4 Sugar”, a break-beat laced track with keyboards and a cheesy-but-likable chorus, and “Gladiator”, a superbly executed fight anthem in which Common name-checks Kimbo Slice and shouts, “are you not entertained?”, the songs seem to get even better in their final closing minutes. Unfortunately, he’s never quite able to reach a true crescendo, which has always been Common’s short-coming, but this time it seems as though the production is to blame, as The Neptunes fail to build on Common’s excitement deeper into the tracks.

However, that seems to be the album’s only major problem. There are some weaker tracks, and the ones produced by Mr. DJ (Outkast’s original DJ, and producer of their ATLiens album), albeit decent, do seem to be a bit out of place. They provide a nice break from the Neptune’s sound, but end up feeling like slow jams on a fast album.

Universal Mind Control is good, clean fun. Common wanted unique sounding ‘club bangers’, and he’s got them. Expect to hear nothing that sounds like “Go” or “The Corner”. Instead, look for retro, danceable hip-hop beats, with a genuine rapper who, eight albums later, still sounds more amped and interesting to listen to than most emcees today. If that sounds about right to you, this album is worth getting on CD.

COMPLETE RATINGS: (on a scale of 55-100)

01. Universal Mind Control —>84
02. Punch Drunk Love (ft Kanye West) —>80
03. Make My Day (ft Cee-Lo Green) —>85
04. Sex 4 Sugar —>85
05. Announcement (ft Pharrell Williams) —>88
06. Gladiator —>91
07. Changes (ft Muhsinah) —>75
08. Inhale —>84
09. What a World —>84
10. Everywhere (ft Martina Topley Bird) —>80

ALBUM RATING (average of all songs): 84 / B

If you haven’t seen Quantum of Solace yet, you might want to wait until it’s out on DVD. It’s the latest James Bond flick, the second one starring Daniel Craig as 007, but it’s a far cry from the glory of Casino Royale, the near perfect reboot of the Bond franchise, from a few years ago. As a follow up, we’re given Solace, a loud, vengeful, violent, and surprisingly boring film.

When you think of James Bond, certain keywords usually come to mind: sophisticated, cool, ladies-man, technological savvy, and modern style, amongst others. Sadly, none of those elements can be found in Quantum of Solace - not with any real conviction, anyway.

The film starts exactly where the last one left off, with Bond out to avenge the death of his love. In the process of going ‘rogue’ and killing off the bad guys, he uncovers an international water stealing ring, led by a small group of powerful billionaires. Unfortunately, there’s really not much more to the plot. The movie is one extremely violent shootout after another. There are car chases, boat chases, and chases on foot. Bond is angry and out for revenge. But while it’s possible to make great films with this scenario, Quantum of Solace is a failure. It comes off as a quickly written script (Paul Haggis says he wrote it in two hours), thrown together for maximum bang, as if it were put together by people who figured that a lot of glitzy action is all they needed to make money. Needless to say, Quantum of Solace is both written and directed by different people than the far superior Casino Royale.

It’s possible the studio wanted to make a darker, different Bond this time around. If so, it was a careless thought, because Casino Royale did a fine job of updating the series, while keeping important elements in tact, the way Warner Bros did with Batman Begins. Royale worked, and that formula should not have been so drastically changed.  Solace puts no emphasis on the most famous character traits of James Bond - the gadgets, the charm, and the ladies - all of which leave a big void in the enjoyment of watching the film. Even the romance seems like an afterthought: Bond doesn’t get the girl this time, he beds the assistant (although it’s never shown) with just a few lines of crass dialogue. I guess that’s supposed to be the charm.

As only a wise man from Las Vegas could phrase it, Quantum of Solace is expertly produced garbage. There are good points about the film, including the cinematography by Roberto Schaefer, which is outstanding, and Daniel Craig continues to shine as James Bond. But if you want better action and better thrills in this same vain, do yourself a favor and rent the Jason Bourne trilogy - those are exciting and intelligent thrillers, unlike Quantum of Solace.

There’s a new season of American Idol just around the bend. It premieres on FOX January 13, 2009, and it will be the highest rated show of the entire 2008-2009 TV season. It’s a world-wide cultural phenomenon. You can find some version of this show in nearly every country that produces TV programs, and while there are plenty of folks who love it, there are also a groups of people who detest it. The show has many short-comings and consistently resorts to gimmicks and hype, but the fact remains that American Idol is one the best, most influential shows on television.

The show is a pure, live talent competition. You can tune in every week to see a group of amateurs - singers of various ages, looks, and ethnicities - compete against each other by singing a song (accompanied by the excellent ‘Idol House Band’) on live TV. Afterwards, a panel of three judges gives their feedback before viewers choose the contestants they liked best by phoning in their votes. The lowest vote-getter is eliminated. And on it goes, until there is one person left: the winner. That’s classic entertainment which sets American Idol apart from most other reality shows, and throws it into a realm akin to that of a sport such as tennis or boxing, where individuals battle in a blend of learned skills and raw talent. How can you not love that?

Unfortunately, the answer comes too quickly, because surrounding the beauty of that raw, gladiator-style idea, FOX dilutes American Idol with a ridiculous amount of pomp and circumstance. The new season will debut in January, but it won’t be until mid-March that the show gets down to the top 12 live stage performances. Do we really need that many weeks of crap-tastic auditions? It’s funny for one or two episodes, but it would be much smarter if FOX would spin all of that ‘pre-performance’ stuff off into a separate show, and run it side-by-side with the actual singing competition. There’s also the ‘cheese factor’ of the actual broadcast itself, which includes many pre-recorded segments and way too much product placement. When certain portions are pre-taped but made to look live, it sucks away a significant portion of the credibility of calling it a ‘live competition’ (NY Times Article Link). The producers of the show should treat this (and the vast number of advertising sponsors) with enough prudence to keep it all in check, as the show’s biggest problems are also it’s biggest threats to ‘jumping the shark’. 

So far, American Idol has not shown any signs of slowing. The Nielsen ratings (Wikipedia Link) continue to be the highest since shows like The Cosby Show, Cheers, and Seinfeld were on the air. A quick glance at Billboard album sales (USA Today Link) post-season proves the show’s career-launching effects are currently stronger than ever. The show continues to churn out solid talent with the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry, and David Cook, and solid fans, young and old, who range from the passive, to the slightly more rabid:

American Idol can be a fun show to watch and follow, most enjoyable after the initial blitz of gimmicks (aka “auditions”). It is entertainment, no different than Lost, Desperate Housewives, or Survivor. It’s got some of the best elements TV has to offer. It can also test the limits of how much bad TV you can take, and many people will simply refuse to sift through the scattered garbage to find the gold that’s there. But if you can - especially if you love music - you should watch it: sporadically when it first starts, religiously when it gets down to the top 12. I will be.

Dear Amtrak:

When you “single-track” trains in and out of Penn Station in New York City, this is what it looks like in the lobby:

That’s a photo I took at Penn Station today (Nov 26th, 2008) at about 7:30pm. According to the news agencies at this hour, you were experiencing a “signal problem”, so you shut down one of the tracks.

I’m not sure if there are really only two tracks in and out of Penn on the NY/NJ side, but I do know for a fact that you control the rails there, and your actions affect NJ Transit and it’s commuters since you both share the same route. (I’m hesitant to call it a “share”, because it always seems like you give your own Amtrak trains priority over NJ Transit. Like today, when Amtrak trains were flying past delayed NJ Transit trains sitting idle in Secaucus.) I know that unforeseen problems like this can occur, but issues like “signal problems”, “open bridges”, and “stalled trains” seem to happen quite often - at least once a month.

However, the problem that caused today’s train backups and the people pile-up in the lobby (photographed by my iPhone above) happened on day when: 1. A massive, coordinated terrorist attack hit Mumbai (NY Times Article Link) and 2. The FBI warned us about a possible terrorist attack on the New York City subway system (NY Times Article Link).

I don’t know about you, but it strikes me as a bit lame and careless, not to mention unprepared, that there are an unnecessary amount of people gathered in the lobby of Penn Station at rush hour. People who are not from NY might think it always looks this way, but we know that it’s only when there is a problem with the train schedule, right? So on a day like today, people should be flowing through the terminal like they normally do. Sure, there were extra police walking around, but their job would have been a lot easier if it wasn’t so crowded, I think.

Perhaps it’s a lack of money that’s preventing you from fixing these types of reoccurring problems. Perhaps I’m just being naive since I don’t have inside knowledge of your operation. I don’t know. But I do know that it’s ridiculous to see this many people standing around 34th street in Manhattan on the same day that the FBI, NYC, India, and the World is told to be extra vigilant. 

Here’s to 2009, and hoping that you can find a solution to end these kind of nightmares for New Yorkers… and make our City a safer place.

Along with my good colleagues at Audible.com, I helped produce a new series of audiobooks about music, called “Audible 33 1/3″.

If you have no idea what audiobooks are, they’re basically ‘books on tape’. A narrator (usually a professional actor or the author) records a reading of the entire book, which is then sold on CD in stores or digitally (MP3) via Audible.com, Amazon.com, or on iTunes. It can be fiction, non-fiction, best-sellers, or classics. Personally, I like to listen to the New York Times every morning on my commutes. Think of the word ’storytelling’ in the literal sense - the art of telling a story - or sitting around the campfire (a reference made by Stephen King in his Entertainment Weekly article, Hail to the Spoken Word).

You can download a FREE copy about the story behind Nirvana’s recording of “In Utero”. The intro and outro music was done by producer Architekt 9, who also produced Sumeet’s last single “Higher”. Just following this link to the Rolling Stone article or use the direct link below:

External Links:
- Rolling Stone Article about Audible 33 1/3
- Direct Link to Free Download of “In Utero”

Anthony Hamilton is one of the most authentic, humble, talented, soulful singers alive. His new single “Cool” features David Banner… and it’s pretty cool!

I had the pleasure of going out on tour with him a few years ago during his “Silk & Sandpaper Tour”. If you get a chance to see Anthony live, please do so! He’s an amazing performer. You’ll leave the show floored. It’s worth every penny.

He’s on a new tour right now (”The Playin’ It Cool Tour”) promoting his upcoming album due out on Dec 16th . Check out this snippet of Anthony’s encore in Buffalo, NY last week. (There’s a short intro by the man himself.)

Angie Martinez is the popular afternoon host on Hot 97 in New York City. This week, she launched her syndicated television talk show. I haven’t seen it, but this is a clip of her interview with Jay-Z. It’s short and interesting, although it covers no new ground - Jay talks about his achievements, how he writes his songs, and how he continues to deny his wedding to Beyonce: