I swear, this is the last time I’m going to talk about Kanye West’s new album Late Registration — at least this week. I already posted two tracks — you want any more, go out and buy the damn album already.
Of note is the song “Roses,” a track about Kanye’s sick grandmother and another [...]
Final registration
CliffsNotes for movies.
From higgins, our NYC-based correspondent…
Let’s face it, there are some movies you should see in the theater — not because of the special effects or the amazing cinematography, but because you can’t fast-forward. You’ve got no choice but to sit through it. The flick isn’t bad enough to walk out, but damn, it drags and [...]
Color me gone
We started with the beginning. Now we see how Kanye West’s Late Registration ends — not with a bang, but a steady groove. “Gone” begins with a sample from “It’s Too Late,” from The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads. The piano loop starts, the drum kicks in. I presume co-producer [...]
“Nothing’s ever promised tomorrow, today…”
If you’re a long-time hip-hop head, then you probably bear a grudge against thugs. Back in the Eighties, hip-hop was pretty broad in its scope, encompassing everything from Ice-T and Public Enemy to The Fat Boys and Biz Markie. Then, the one-two punch of NWA and Dr. Dre’s The Chronic ushered in the [...]
“I love the sound of breaking glass…”
I was so busy this week, I never got a chance to report on The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which I saw last weekend. It’s hilarious and you should definitely see it. Okay, that’s not a particularly insightful comment, but there you go.
One of its strengths is the script by Judd Apatow and Steve Carell, which [...]
“Jungle red!”
Last night, The Women (1939) was on Turner Classic Movies, so I watched it again for the ‘leventy-millionth time. I had forgotten that Virginia Weidler played the daughter; she’s the best thing about The Philadelphia Story, which came out the next year. Plus, I realized for the first time how hot Paulette Goddard [...]
All Eyes on Kanye
I just got a copy of Kanye West’s new album Late Registration (Thanks Amorn!) and I will spend the weekend listening to it and let you know what I think. Album drops next Tuesday.
Can you feel me now?
When Britney Spears came out with “Toxic” in 2003, I kind of ignored it. It was a pleasant enough song, but that ridiculous video (which made Alias look like John le Carré) put me off. But I’ve been listening to several remixes that have caused me to reconsider the tune.
Little Rock, AK rapper [...]
Bass… How low can you go?
Following up on yesterday’s entry, here are two approaches to utilizing a muscular bass sound.
Christian McBride is one of the most noted acoustic jazz bassists today. I suppose his sound can be compared to Oscar Pettiford or Ray Brown.
McBride is friendly with members of the hip-hop group The Roots, having attended Philadelphia’s High School [...]
Talkin’ all that jazz…
Over the years, there’s been this uneasy tension between jazz and rhythmic forms of popular music. When jazz went through its depression in the Seventies, I believe that there was a longing to capture the audience back that the rock world had stolen away. In the Eighties, Public Enemy’s Media Assassin Harry Allen [...]