There is a lot of really good music recorded on analogue recording equipment. Out of England, I can recommend James Hunter (sings like Sam Cooke) and Richard Hawley ("Coles Corner"). In the US, I can highly recommend Birdmonster (who records in the studio where REM made their first two records), Eli "Paperboy" Reed and Raphael Saadiq. For rap, I highly recommend the Roots, De La Soul, Arrested Development and the Beastie Boys (especially the "In sound from way out").
When will rap music be less mainstream?
First time I heard MC Hammer’s song many years ago, I like the rhythm and thought it is quite unique. After that, all kinds of rap music pop up. I never thought rap music would be mainstream for such a long time in US. If you look at the music award ceremonies, you will find it being flooded with rap music. Sometimes I am not even sure rap can be considered as song because you don’t sing but speak. Now you start to hear rap music in some other languages like Chinese, Japanese and Korean that don’t sound good in rap format. It would be interesting to hear rap music in Italian.
Time will tell if a song is good or not. A song is good if somebody want to play it for their loved ones on the radio 20 years later. I can’t imagine someone will play a rap for their beloved one 20 years later. Just curious if any A’gon member keep any rap collection?
Besides rap, I also have a feeling that the music industry in general is getting cheesy now. American Idol show gets huge attention while lots of singers perform at the bar or hotel can easily sing better than the idols. The show also asked Barbara Streisand if she watched the show and who was her favorite idol. What do you expect her to answer? People said Justin Timberlake is very talented singer/songwriter. I know him because I saw lots of headshot of him on commercials and magazines, but can you name any popular/well known song from him?
Time will tell if a song is good or not. A song is good if somebody want to play it for their loved ones on the radio 20 years later. I can’t imagine someone will play a rap for their beloved one 20 years later. Just curious if any A’gon member keep any rap collection?
Besides rap, I also have a feeling that the music industry in general is getting cheesy now. American Idol show gets huge attention while lots of singers perform at the bar or hotel can easily sing better than the idols. The show also asked Barbara Streisand if she watched the show and who was her favorite idol. What do you expect her to answer? People said Justin Timberlake is very talented singer/songwriter. I know him because I saw lots of headshot of him on commercials and magazines, but can you name any popular/well known song from him?
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For Soul/Blues/Folk fans, one of my all time favorite artists (and albums) of the last ~15 years is Ted Hawkins' "The Next Hundred Years". His voice and musical style is a cross between Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, although his songwriting has tinges of Woody Guthrie and Blind Willy Johnson with a touch of Bob Dylan. The entire disc is incredible, but especially check out the songs "Strange Conversation", "Big Things", "Biloxi", "Green-eyed Girl", and especially his A capella cover of John Fogerty's "Long as I Can See the Light". Ted had recording contracts which spanned almost 30 years, but vagrancy, drugs, jail, and alcohol always seemed to undermine his career just as it was about to take off. Over that time, his style changed with the time, incorporating, Blues, Folk, Soul and finally fusing them into something wholly his own. In 1994, he was re-discovered and signed to Geffen Records by producer/A&R rep Tony Berg who backed Ted's beautifully sparse tunes with minimalist musical accompaniment. The cd received widespread critical acclaim and national attention. Rolling Stone Magazine said in it's review: Over five previous records – only two of which are available domestically – Hawkins' reputation with musicians, critics and European audiences has grown, while popular acclaim in his native country remains elusive. Hopefully,The Next Hundred Years, Hawkins' major-label debut, will begin to change that. Years is a passionate collection of gospel, soul, country and blues songs about mortality, perseverance and transcendence that are given credence by the artist's own experiences as an ex-convict and street singer.He toured Europe and North America to ecstatic fan praise and said "that he had finally reached an age where he was glad to be able to sing indoors, out of the weather, and for an appreciative crowd". Sadly, he died of a stroke on New Years day 1 year after making his one hit album. I had the honor to meet and hang out with him little in that short period while working at Geffen. He was one of nicest, most real, people I'd ever met. He left an indelible mark on everyone he came into contact with. After his death, many of his early recordings from the mid-60's and 70's were compiled and released. Check out "The Ted Hawkins Story: Suffer No More" for when his style was similar to early James Brown, Otis Redding, and Sam Cooke circa 1966. |
Hey Bongo. I am off to Brazil toaday for a week. I usually have to get to the airport a lot earlier than others. My jewelry keeps setting the buzzers off. By the time I take off all my necklaces and eight rings I am already cutting it close to catch my flight, and don't even get me started with the baseball hat and bandana. They are always giving me a hard time for having all those batteries in my boom box too. Then there is the mandatory airline official who has always has something negative to say when I start breakdancing in the departure lounge. I called Hertz in Rio and not one of the cars in their fleet come with 26 inch rims - can you believe that! Anyway, the honeys on Copacabana beach will make it all worthwhile. Oh, and don't worry, I won't forget to pick you up all that budget bling you asked me for. Catch you later. |
Thomas, you are killing me! DeDe says you need 20's on your ride, not 26's - DeDe's ride(1:40-2:35 into the video) |
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