….from cmac, your quasi music critic.

So ya’ll know how much I love music.  I consider it my drug of choice.  I saw the dope man the other day and got some new stuff.  I wanted to spread the word and allow others to share in the joy.  If you want to get high with me, then stop at your local drug house record store of choice for these selections. 

This is classic Tony Rich… smooth and mellow.  The first track, “Part The Waves,” gets it all started and it continues with, “Jordan,” “Sugar Hill” and “Sweet Addiction.”  The tempo is consistent and it flows wonderfully.  As a friend of mine said, “I think somebody told Rich that, ‘Hey, you know you sound best when you sound like Babyface… and he ain’t singing no more.  So why not? ‘ You can jam this in the car on an evening ride or just chill on it with a glass of your favorite wine.

This is something totally different than what you used from one of the creators of the group Tony Toni Tone.  This guy goes totally retro Motown on us with songs that sound like they could be in the movie Cooley High.  He even kept the songs to around three minutes to fit the era that inspired them.  Still he has enough insight to bring along Joss Stone, Stevie Wonder and Jay-Z.   With this CD you get nostalgia and four part harmony that you can’t help but to enjoy.

OMG – this is FEARLESS.  This 21 year old is from Philly, and is a prodigy of Missy Elliott.  This has to go to my list of coldest and most innovative debuts.  Ok, first of all she has this raspy voice that reminds you of Lauryn Hill at times… especially on, “Need You Bad.”  When I first heard that jam on the radio I almost got pissed cause I felt she was biting too hard.  But when you travel through the CD she shows her own flavor in full form and it shines through.  I have never heard anything like this before.  Look, her first cut is called, “Bust Your Windows.”  As a guy I’m like, “What the…?”  But the song is so tight and you understand why she had to do it.  After that she gets on down and explores a plethora of subject matters with, “Lions, Tigers and Bears,” a very thoughtful piece on love and fear.  “Call Me Guilty,” deals with a woman’s last ditch solution to solve the problem of an abusive man that would make Mary J. Blige bow down!  “One Night Stand,” – funny about how a woman who prefers the fast life but runs across the wrong right brother and gets caught up, “making pancakes in the morning.”  This CD is sooooo refreshing!  Full of originality and style.  It’s a must have for your collection!

From the surprise category – yes the same Wayne Brady your thinking of.  The, “Do I have to smack a bitch?” Wayne Brady from the Dave Chappelle Show.  You see like Jamie Foxx this comedian has the jones for music too.  And if you are familiar with Brady’s ability to imitate other voices, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he did this project.  Wayne Brady did Vegas for a while.  Apparently the record executives heard him incorporate his singing into the show.  They asked him to do it the way he had on stage without changing anything.  This is the result – an old skool soulful throw back sound that is mature and ready for immediate play on your CD player.  Brady has chops!  To go along with it he has great production value and my favorite word again… originality.  He definitely rocks his own style and took this work seriously.  It clearly shows.  This shit music is pimp!

And then there is this….

WHACK ASS ALBUM OF THE SEASON…..

I was listening to Joe’s, “New Man.”  I had to look at the CD again and make sure it wasn’t Neo or Chris Brown instead.  I don’t know what happened other than perhaps they are trying to draw a new and younger audience.  The funny thing is that the best parts of the CD of the last 5 snippets of music that is supposed to be released in Feburary 2009.  All five of those sounds hot!  I don’t know about the new man, but please Joe, bring back the old man!  On the upside at least the brother got resistered to vote yesterday thanks to Tom Joyner. 

Looking forward to that Robin Thicke scheduled to be released on September 30th….