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Diggin' in the Crates, Month of Mary

If You 'Don't Love' Mary 'This Way,' Who Will?

The first week into the Month of Mary, you all have been hopefully dazzled with sounds from Mary J. Blige's classic My Life. But as any fan of Mary knows, there are a plethora of bonus cuts that somehow find...

ill Mami  |  11/07/2009 at 2:00 PM  |  Leave a Comment  |  Permalink

Diggin' in the Crates, Quiet Bounce

Quiet Bounce: I'm Almost Gone

This may not seem like the song you want to hear as the workweek ends and your weekend begins, but those are the breaks. Plus, how upset can you really be with a song that features two vocal powerhouses? Though...

ill Mami  |  11/06/2009 at 8:00 PM  |  Comments (6)  |  Permalink

Bounce-Worthy

Bounce-Worthy: Andy Allo

When I hear a song for the first time and can't wait for it to end just so that I can listen to it again, that's when I know that I've happened upon a hit. That is precisely how I...

Butta  |  11/06/2009 at 4:00 PM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15: 'You Gotta Believe'

It's no secret that My Life was: (1) an open love letter from Mary J. Blige to K-Ci Hailey; and (2) a cornucopia of '90s R&B drenched in soul instrumentals from the '60s and '70s. Unlike the majority of the...

Fave  |  11/06/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Leave a Comment  |  Permalink

Quiet Bounce

Quiet Bounce: I'll Always Come Back To You

Full disclosure: "Voyage To Atlantis" is my favorite Isley Brothers song. Ever. There's so much win in this track from their 1977 release Go For Your Guns. It's the wail of Ernie's guitar, punctuating the song like musical exclamation points....

Butta  |  11/05/2009 at 8:00 PM  |  Comments (12)  |  Permalink

First Spin

Raekwon & Blakroc Implore You To Stay Off The Flowers. We Don't Buy It.

Blakroc, for those unfamiliar, is the Hip Hop-Rock project consisting of The Black Keys and various artists, namely the ever-fuzzy Jim Jones. Their latest track available for public consumption pits Raekwon as the grumpy old man daring you young whippersnappers...

ill Mami  |  11/05/2009 at 1:00 PM  |  Comments (3)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15: 'My Life'

"Life can be only what you make it / When you're feeling down, you should never fake it" So begins the haunting title track from the My Life album, arguably one of the most beloved songs Mary J. Blige has...

huny  |  11/05/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (7)  |  Permalink

Diggin' in the Crates, Quiet Bounce

Quiet Bounce: 'Hey Now,' Carl Thomas Did More Than 'Wish'

Ten years ago, Carl Thomas enhanced the Bad Boy Entertainment franchise with the #1 R&B hit single, "I Wish" from his debut LP, Emotional. I invite you to dig further into this album and discover a soulful gem yearning to...

Fave  |  11/04/2009 at 8:00 PM  |  Comments (3)  |  Permalink

Bounce-Worthy

Bounce-Worthy: Lydia Rene

Most young, aspiring singers struggle with finding the right producers, songs, band members, etc. to help build their unique sound. When I discovered the music of Lydia Rene, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this singer/songwriter/musician pens her own...

Fave  |  11/04/2009 at 4:00 PM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15: 'I'm The Only Woman'

"I'm The Only Woman" was such a perfect fit hot young thangs such as myself who loved it when we first heard it. My Life was full of pleading masterfully disguised as strength and catharsis and this track was no...

ill Mami  |  11/04/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (8)  |  Permalink

Quiet Bounce

Quiet Bounce: I Feel Like I'm In Love

Poll any Rahsaan Patterson fan about their favorite Rah song, and you're sure to get a wide range of responses. That's how deep his discography is. How many great songs he has. However, if you ask those same fans which...

Harlem  |  11/03/2009 at 8:00 PM  |  Comments (5)  |  Permalink

First Spin

Jay Electronica & Ta'Raach Are 'Czars' Of This 'Love' Ish

"Heavens To Murgatroid!" is how Jay Electronica begins his newest single with SA-RA Creative Partners' Ta'Raach. And when I say new--Jay Electronica fans take note--I mean new, as in not an old song that we're only first hearing now but...

ill Mami  |  11/03/2009 at 6:00 PM  |  Leave a Comment  |  Permalink

Releases, Soul Cynic

Dear Hidden Beach: Please Stop.

Hidden Beach, I am really starting to loathe you. Granted you put us all onto Jilly from Philly but then you released that farce that was Al B Sure!'s--can't forget the exclamation point!--last album and now you have decided to...

ill Mami  |  11/03/2009 at 5:00 PM  |  Comments (11)  |  Permalink

Bounce-Worthy

Bounce-Worthy: Mamas Gun

You ever stumble on something by accident and wind up uncovering a beautiful surprise? Trust me when I say that that is exactly how I felt upon coming across the group Mamas Gun. Yes, their name--a hat-tip to Erykah Badu's...

Butta  |  11/03/2009 at 4:00 PM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink

Free Music, Reviews

'Just Visiting Too' With Zo! & Friends

Between teaching music to inner-city youth in DC and touring as part of Foreign Exchange, Zo! has been working diligently in the lab on his own projects. While putting the finishing touches on his Sunstorm LP (scheduled to drop Summer...

Fave  |  11/03/2009 at 2:00 PM  |  Comments (6)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15: 'You Bring Me Joy'

"I don't know what I would do / Do without you / In my life, boy..." Barry White's "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me," laid the foundation, but "You Bring Me Joy" was the house that Mary...

Butta  |  11/03/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (8)  |  Permalink

First Spin

Get Your Drink And Fly Gypsy Got Your '2 Step'

The organic nature of good music can be so hot that its steam blurs our vision and dissolves our preconceived labels of race, culture and other social boundaries. This is what you experience when immersed in the sound of Washington,...

Fave  |  11/03/2009 at 11:00 AM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink

Quiet Bounce

Quiet Bounce: You Can Have Whatever You Want

With brazen lyrics like "I could be your easy, anytime, clothing-optional girl," J*DaVeY's "No More" has enough anticipatory energy to ignite even the most latent of desires. Slithery, titillating and effortlessly sultry, Miss Jack Davey sings of leaving footprints on...

Ro  |  11/02/2009 at 8:00 PM  |  Comments (4)  |  Permalink

Bounce-Worthy

Bounce-Worthy: Izzi Dunn

I am not afraid to admit it. I am completely enamored by "Tits and Ass." My affinity for this magnificent combination is irrevocable and one of the most tender forms of unconventional love my heart can muster. Now before you...

Fave  |  11/02/2009 at 4:00 PM  |  Comments (4)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15: 'Mary Jane (All Night Long)'

"Ooooo, baby / Not tonight / I don't want to fuss and fight / I just want to make it right..." And with those lyrics, it was on. The first track on My Life, "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" set...

Harlem  |  11/02/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (10)  |  Permalink