New Music: The Revivalists

The Revivalists - City of Sound

I just recently stumbled upon this Big Band New Orleans group which incorporates many different styles into a very very tight recording on City of Sound. Technically apt, rhythmic, and soulful, all things expected coming out of a music city like New Orleans, I was amazed by their breadth. The first impression I had was that they would be a horns and guitars funk/soul band, but that really is a weak description of all the different kinds of sounds this band incorporates into their album City of Sound. With soaring vocals, electronic affects, distorted guitars and drums they go well into rock and alternative, while keeping instrumentation (like an electric steel guitar and some horns) that lend themselves well to other genres. Great, distinctive vocals and loud intensity brings this album together and keeps it from seeming like a collection of odds and ends. Instead what we get is a band that is having fun, singing and shouting at the top of their vocals, and expressing a wide range of emotions while using separate musical voices. Absolutely recommend a whole listen, but here are some of my favorite tracks.

Upright

Pretty Photograph

Navigate Below

Criminal

Up In the Air

Album Review: How I Got Over

How I Got Over - The Roots

This album is spectacular. It has a full live sound from an accomplished and talented band, of the most underrated MC's in the game (Black Thought), multiple appearances from John Legend, catchy choruses, and a high level of consistency and professionalism throughout the whole album. This isn't a thoughtless rampage of fat techno house beats with lyrics about getting money cars and women, its a spacious real musical sound with thoughtful sincere lyrics. I'm ready to call this the album of 2010. It can be playful, dark, soulful, but always always entertaining. I'm going to list my favorite songs, and its going to be the whole "A" side of the album. Turn the volume up, and play them through some big good box speakers. Buy the album, youtube cannot do it justice.

Walk Alone

Dear God 2.0

Radio Daze

Now or Never

How I Got Over

And that's only the A side.

New Release: Elzhi - The Elmatic

Elzhi - The Elmatic

This album has gotten a lot of press recently and it is absolutely deserved. If there's one thing i hate it's jumping on a bandwagon and just bumping up what other people have said without any original thought. That being said, believe what you hear, this is special.

The Elmatic, is not just a tribute, it's an update, a reworking, and a cover. It takes every track off of the Illmatic, a classic album for any genre, and rerecords them with a live band, and Elzhi rapping over them in a similar style, rhythm, or beat pattern to the original. No one is here to say that Elzhi is a better rapper than nas, or that this album is better than the original, but this album is great in its own way! Performing these songs with a live band gives it a much fresher feel, and Elzhi does a wonderful job emulating Nas while still telling his own story and leaving his own mark on the aalbum.

Halftime, one of my absolute favorites off the original, gets a spectacular rendition by Elzhi and his backing band, but also represents the two albums well. It sounds different in the best way possible. I just love both of them so much. Nas rapping, it's better, and more memorable ("You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer//That's like Malcolm X, catchin the Jungle Fever"), but I LOVE Elzhi's smooth quick agile delivery. See and compare for yourself. The Original. The Update.

I don't think I even mentioned the best part. It's Free. All of it. It's not a pay as much as you want, its just free. I'm trying to find someway to buy it, because I want to support Elzhi now, but so far as i can tell this is free mp3 download only.

If you didn't click on any of the download links here it is.