Summer lovin'

9 Years is a long time in the music industry, Many an artist churn out new music year on year so the brightness of that spotlight doesn't diminish. Now if your somebody like say, Missy Elliott, then the quality of music doesn't suffer. But for most of the artists who take that route the results are usually patchy. Or there are those that take a long hiatus to do whatever else it is that they need to do. Be that travelling, raising a family, teaching, whatever the calling this is something thatusually makes the next album (if there is one) an insightful one. The drawback though -in such a fickle industry- is that a whole new generation of music lovers have to be won over. Relevance these days can be extremely fleeting. Maxwell has taken such a hiatus (although i don't know what said hiatus enatiled) and thus returns to get the old groove back as well as show us some new ones with BLACKsummers'night. This is the Maxwell that we all (well maybe not all) know & love and there are some real moments of genius to be found (Stoptheworld, Loveyou & Fistfuloftears being chief among them). I also do love an album with a sessions vibe about it and that comes through in abundance here. Yet I just can't shake the feeling that there is something bigger & better to come. Maybe it's the 9 tracks (one of them an instrumental) that precipitates that train of thought. That said, it is still far superior to most of what this year has regurgitated and the mans vocals will get you half way there all by themselves (if you know what I mean). That alone has gotta be worth the purchase.

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Buy BLACKsummers'night

stacking shelves

Words by M. L. Rook

‘Around 1995, I was playing bass in a Dutch P-Funk outfit called Groovin' Pict. It would be an understatement to say that I could write a book about the many adventures of this group and its various formations, but that is a different story altogether. Back then, one of our rival bands had a new female singer called Moon Baker, who was both gorgeous and incredibly talented, and after hearing and seeing her in action, we all knew that we had to get her to join our ranks. To our delight, we were eventually able to persuade her to come sing with us, and Moon and I ended up playing music together in different configurations of the group until around the year 2000.
Fast forward to 2004. Moon called me up one day and told me she was at long last going to start working on her solo debut, and she wanted me to be the album's main producer. Over the course of two years, we worked on and off on writing, arranging and recording her album, titled "ABC Of Romance". It was released in 2007 by Supertracks Records, and knowing that, the term 'Off The Shelf' should not be taken literally in this particular context. However, I think that the release was limited to The Netherlands, Germany and Japan, so I don't think you'll mind if I drop one of my favourite songs that we did together, "Stay". If you like this track, you can find the full Moon Baker album "ABC Of Romance" on iTunes, Amazon and CD Universe.
Not only is she a phenomenal singer, but Moon is an amazingly humble, down-to-earth and sweet person. In my opinion, she hasn't yet gotten the full recognition that she deserves. I'll continue to do whatever I can do on my end to change that. If you dig the music, make sure that you spread the word! As always, thank you for listening’.

Moon Baker – Stay

Moon Baker – ABC Of Romance Nicolay Remix feat Kay

6 albums i Can’t wait for

It looks like the next couple of months are gonna be big for quality releases. Tru Thoughts are once again churning out one bout of supreme niceness after another & they show no sign of letting up. It is to them that my most anticipated release belongs. You all must have read my gushings about this lady’s most alluring of voices. If those Nostalgia 77 chaps match or better the 1st album…wow!!! A few people were a little disappointed with Kylie Auldists 1st outing. I for one was very impressed & am looking forward to seeing where she’s gone with the new one. Quantic should need no intro as everything he puts out is genius. Recloose is a member of the Sonar Kollectiv, the same ‘gathering’ that Jazzanova belong to. yes I am a big basement Jaxx fan. If anyone knows how to get a dance floor bouncing it is those guys. And then theres Maxwell. He, along with D’Angelo were the kings of the Neo Soul movement of the mid 90’s to the dawn of the millenium. His has got to be arguably thee most anticipate release of the year. With all the mediocre R&B thats getting all the attention lately, it’s nice to see what is sure to be a quality release being hotly tipped. I just hope that it lives up to expectations.

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No need for Concern

This is a lady who knows when she's onto a good thing. Vitamin D & Jake One provided the quality backdrop the first time round & they provide an even more polished soundscape the second time. While Choklate herself has added an air of assurance in her vocal delivery. It's easy to hear the Neo Soul base that oozes from this album, but it's the gritty sound that accompanies it that helps set this (and her self titled debut release) apart from artists of a similar ilk. My roots are based in Hip Hop so anything that gives any kind of ode to uthat is gonna get an extra mark in my book. The mid & Uptempo head nods that make up the bulk of whats on offer here that, coupled with Choklate's -sultry enough to carry the soul side of things- vocal style, mean that all both sides of the fence are played superbly. Yet there is also the thought in the vocals to go along with the music. Tracks like the PC questions of Pretty, the inward ponderings of No Answer, & the 2 timing no no's of One'A Y'all. These days conventional R&B simply doesn't explore anything other than meeting men & cheating men & quite frankly it's getting rather monotonous. There needs to be some variety in what these people are about. I'm proof that we, the listeners will not be bamboozled if you let us know that you have levels & Choklate shows that you, the artists are allowed to let us see them.

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Choklate - Honey's Runnin'

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Waiting for the album Brittany

2 Way Street

I was considering taking the bandwagon route. I was considering focusing on Mark Ronsons beats. I was considering focusing on the fact that he follows the same formula. That his Hip Hop/Funk/Bossa style is getting rather repetitive. That he needs to expand his reportoire when compared to other beatsmiths in the same league. But I happened to be listening to this very album while those considerations were being thought through. Thankfully common sense prevailed. Because no matter how much the man may stick to the same formula, the fact remains that his beats are of a superior quality to most & catchy as hell. Daniel himself is someone that obviously has some weighty views on life & explores those views here. The more sombre cuts are almost self relfective and suggest that a lot of emotion went into a fair few of these songs. Vocally DM falls into the Mary J catagory when he really takes it there. That raw quality that sounds a little out of tune, yet fits both the mood & whats going on around him (Cigarettes, Giving Everything Away For Free) nicdely. Major props go to the fact that L&W isn't cluttered with lazy guest spots. DM is allowed to shine (Apart from Water & A Flame where Adele wins hands down). His vocals & the music are a perfct fit & in both cases & will get even better with future releases. So, Mark does it again. And the moral of the story then people... If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

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Daniel Merriweather - Water & A Flame feat. Adele

Daniel Merriweather - You Know What Love Is (Bonus Track)

Damn right we got talent