Blogcritics Author: Stone

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Bolt and Grouper Sued by Universal Music Group: Is YouTube Next?

Stone — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 08:36:20 EDT

This week, the Universal Music Group sued two video sharing sites, Bolt.com and Grouper for copyright violations, claiming that the sites allowed users to view and upload pirated versions of music videos and other content from its artists. Universal, who's roster includes such notable acts as Mary J. Blige and U2, stresses that these sites can face up to $150,000 per copyright infraction, which could add up to millions of dollars in damages.Universal released a statement Tuesday regarding the reasons for their lawsuit. "Grouper and Bolt... cannot reasonably expect to build their business on the backs of our content and the hard work of our artists and songwriters without permission and without compensating the content creators," a spokesperson told Reuters.Though the affected sites have not made any statements to the press, Bolt.com posted a message on their website today:We have been notified today that Universal Music has filed a lawsuit against Bolt because our members upload videos which may contain their musicians' copyrighted videos. We understand the love you have for your favorite musical artists, but Bolt respects the rights of copyright owners such as Universal Music and their artists, and we ask that you please do so as well by not uploading their videos to Bolt. You can still watch your favorite music videos by visiting your favorite bands websites. Bear with us - we hope to sort this out soon! Bolt and Grouper are small players in a growing Internet video sharing market. The market leader YouTube, a virtual unknown a year ago, was recently acquired by Google for 1.5 billion dollars in cash and stock. Other players have jumped into the viral video market as well. The social networking site MySpace provides platforms for users to share videos joining Google, AOL, Yahoo, and MSN who offer similar services. Though a majority of videos on the web are merely short movies or clips sent among friends, and do not contain copyrighted content, YouTube has rapidly become a destination for music fans to watch and share videos from their favorite artists. It is common now for some music videos to get more spins on the Internet than on MTV. The Chicago pop-rock outfit OK Go posted an independent music video on YouTube which garnered over 2 million views. The popularity of the video garnered the band a spot on the MTV Video Music Awards as well as increased album sales. In addition to watching videos on their sites, most video sharing sites allow users to post movies on their blogs, MySpace accounts, or web pages.However, in a shrinking music market (album sales are down about 6% from last year), the major music players see music videos as a source of revenue rather than a source of promotion. Universal and Warner Music started selling music videos on iTunes for $1.99 and Sony Music has developed their own fledgling video sharing service. Music corporations are also opening up new revenue streams by streaming music videos to cell phones and PDA's.So far, YouTube has escaped any major copyright lawsuits. The company had battled in the past with content providers such as NBC over copyrighted video, but the site has been more proactive than others by removing video that it deems to be in copyright violation and securing content deals with major media partners. However, Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons told UK newspaper The Guardian this week that his company is looking at filing copyright complaints against the site.So where does this leave the average consumer? With more and more companies striking deals with YouTube and MySpace, consumers will expect to see these sites take on a greater corporate influence. MySpace has already run promotions with Burger King and parent company 20th Century Fox, and YouTube has declared that it will increase its partnership deals with content providers. However, the newest task for these sites is figuring out how to please the corporate world while not scaring off their user base, which will prove to be the greatest indicator of their longevity.

Stone is the head writer The Couch Sessions, the place for underground and alternative urban music. In addition to his writing duties, he also hosts The Couch Sessions Podcast and spends his days as a computer programmer and freelance web designer.

TV Review: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Stone — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 12:21:56 EDT

A few years ago, network television reached a low point. Cable had overtaken America's television preference for the first time. Many of the top watched shows, such as Friends and Frasier, were ending their runs. The Internet, video games, and DVDs started to take a further slice out of America's TV viewing habits.Then something happened. ABC, which was the lowest rated network at the time, took a chance with two new dramas. Lost and Desperate Housewives represented something new and daring for network television at the time. Lost played like a feature film and instantly became a critical and crowd favorite. Desperate Housewives, with its sometimes dark and racy content, showed America that network television could be as provocative and innovative as their cable brethren. Around this time however, NBC, the undisputed ratings champ for most of the 90’s, was falling in the ratings. The network knew that it had to get on the bandwagon soon. After taking risks with such shows as My Name Is Earl, and The Office with modest returns, NBC is now trying to beef up its dramas. The network knows it can't live on Law And Order spin-offs for long, and it, too, wanted a critical and hopefully Emmy-winning drama to add to its collection.In comes Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. This Aaron Sorkin-produced show tries from the beginning to be unlike any other network series. The TV show plays more like a movie, drawing heavily on film noir of the 40’s and 50’s. NBC also went for big name talent for this show. West Wing star Bradley Witford joins Matthew Perry, D.L. Hughley, Amanda Peet, and the underrated Stephen Weber for the comedy. NBC has so much faith in this show that they are previewing it almost a month before its scheduled premiere.Within the first 15 minutes of Studio 60, the writers bash Saturday Night Live, Fear Factor, the FCC, and NBC parent company, General Electric in an opening montage that's almost too much like Howard Beale's rant in the Academy Award winning movie Network. The disagreement centers around a sketch that blasts the Christian right, which was pulled moments before airing because the network was scared it would be too offensive. Since it is live television, the control room operator (played by Timothy Busfield) has the right to pull the plug, but doesn’t, much to the chagrin of the network censor. Across town, Jordan McDeere (Amanda Peet) is being held as the new director of the fictional NBS Network, on which Studio 60 airs. Instead of going the network line, however, Jordan rehires Matt Albie (Matthew Perry) and Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford), two disgraced former writers that have had drug problems, to beef up the quality of Studio 60's programming. Albie, in turn, says the same sketch was one of the reasons that he left Studio 60 originally. The pilot ends with Albie and Tripp being introduced as the new heads of the show.The actual Studio 60 show is essentially a blatant ripoff of Saturday Night Live, if you didn't know that already. Studio 60 and SNL are both live-sketch variety shows, the difference being that one takes place on Friday Night in LA, and the other takes place....well, you know. Rumor has it that Lorne Michaels was so incensed at the similarities that he insisted NBC greenlight his Tina Fey comedy, 30 Rock, giving the network two shows that take place behind fictional sketch comedy shows that film in front of live studio audiences on Friday nights. Get that?I wanted to add Studio 60 to my "must watch" list for the Fall Season. The show would've joined the ranks of such shows as Lost, The Wire, and 24. However, after watching the Studio 60 premiere, I felt empty and confused. The season premiere wasn't bad, but I wasn't blown away. It almost seems like they wrote and shot the episode to be more epic then it really is and wanted the Network-esque intro to be on the lips of every office worker at the water cooler the next morning. NBC wants the show to win an Emmy out of the box, but that high-minded thinking produced a somewhat empty script and characters you can really care less about.The only saving grace so far is Matthew Perry. I never thought much of him on Friends, but the dude has surprisingly good acting skills and comedic timing. Amanda Peet plays a TV executive who tries not to be a bitch like most women in power are portrayed on TV. D.L.Hughley's role hasn't really materialized yet, so now he's just the black guy until they find something for him to do. Same goes for Timothy Busfield, minus the black guy thing of course.Only time will tell if NBC has a hit on its hands. I'm not going to give up on Studio 60 yet, but the next few episodes will have to do a lot of convincing to win me over.

Review: Natalie Walker - Urban Angel

Stone — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 16:07:40 EDT

A great album paints a picture. Just like a movie, it transports you to a world. Whether that world is the slums of the Bronx, the backstreets of Manchester, the favelas of Rio, or even the cul de sacs of suburban America, a true artist lets you into their soul and their surroundings.When I got the chance to review the latest CD by Daughter Darling frontwoman Natalie Walker, I was put into a bind. I didn’t much care for Walker’s previous effort; however there is something about her latest solo CD, Urban Angel that was distinctly different from the muddled “Adult Contemporary” landscape.As a trip-hop unit, Daughter Darling fell short of reaching the masters like Portishead and Massive Attack. However, with Urban Angel, Walker and producer Stuhr (Mya, Bebel Gilberto) strip out many of the electronic elements for simple and organic uses of strings, guitar, and some light synth sounds. In fact, it really doesn’t feel like a trip-hop album to me at all. Unlike the genre, Urban Angel seems warm and inviting and dare I say accessible to a mainstream audience. Contrast this to, let’s say Beth Gibbons (one of my favorite singers) of Portishead, and you see the distinct difference.Also, unlike Ms. Gibbons, whose lyrics and imagery want to shut you out of her world, Natalie’s lyrics invite you into hers. Tracks like “No One Else,” and “Quicksand” standout as real winners. Instead of a world of glossed over teen pop, Walker songs about heartbreak and loneliness are honest and refreshing. At 23, it seems like she’s older than her years. But nobody’s perfect. Her rendition of Counting Crow’s “Colorblind” falls way below the mark. In fact, it seems out of place on the disc.If you’re looking for something different this summer, Urban Angel is definitely a good look. It’s chill, relaxing, but remains to be poignant and downright sexy.Urban Angel drops on August 22nd on Dorado Records. Until then, her EP, No One Else is out on iTunes.

Microsoft Will Distribute IE7 Through Windows Update

Stone — Tue, 1 Aug 2006 12:29:17 EDT

Microsoft quietly announced last week that it will distribute its new Internet Explorer 7 browser (known mainly as IE7) through Windows Update as a “high priority update.” The Windows Update service is found on most Windows XP operating systems, and in most cases will automatically download critical software bug fixes, patches, and secretary updates. Although its rare that the company would release a major software enhancement in this fashion, Microsoft justifies its actions by stating that there are many “advanced security” features on its upcoming release, making a security fix rather than a browser upgrade.However, distributing IE through Windows most certainly gives the Redmond, Washington based company a leg up against its competitors, most notably Firefox and Opera. The IE browser has steadily been losing market share since Firefox was released, and the Internet Explorer 7 (which hasn’t seen a major upgrade in the past 6 years) mimics the Firefox browser, adding tabbed browsing and RSS integration.Is the software giant back to its old tricks? Let’s not forget that Windows integration with IE was the central focus of the US Justice Department’s anti-trust case against Microsoft in 1998. Although the company in the end got a slap on the wrist, there are lingering fears that the software giant could use its dominance of the desktop to distribute its products. Also, pushing an automatic update shortly after a browser is released also raises the fear of placing untested and potentially bug-ridden software on your computer.The blogosphere seems to be split on the decision. Security Wonk calls it a “a huge win for web security,” while Rusty of Radical Georgia Moderate writes, “It’s the uncountable number of internal corporate apps that rely on IE6 and don’t run in any other browser that will be broken by a forced IE7 upgrade.” Even with these caveats, the company is pushing ahead with its IE distribution plans. Microsoft is offering an IE Download Blocker to Enterprise Managers to halt automatic downloads over corporate networks. The company also states that IE team is working with Enterprise Managers to bring corporate applications up to date. However, the issue may still persist for many business and home users, who won’t have this software or the expertise readily available to them, leaving many consumers in the dark. Microsoft plans to distribute the final release of IE7 in the fourth quarter of this year. More information on this release can be found at the Microsoft web site.

CD Review: Nomadic - Back to the Beat

Stone — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:45:50 EDT

New York based producer Nomadic has worked with some high profile artists, but for his latest CD entitled Back to the Beat, he re-imagines classic 80s tracks by such artists as Run DMC, MC Lyte, Eric B and Rakim, Public Enemy, and the Beastie Boys. Nomadic states he is not trying to recreate these classic tracks. The album is more of a tribute to the artists that defined and established a genre.For someone who is about to turn 26 years old, I can appreciate this remix project. One problem: when most of these songs came out, I was still running around in my PJ's listening to Sesame Street tapes. So in order make this review complete, I had to seek a higher authority.Here's where the "oldheads" come in. Oldhead is a slang term referring to the older people in the community, and they are highly respected in hip-hop circles. Oldheads are the ones who've heard it all and seen it all. Sure, they couldn't work an iPod to save their life, but they still have their cassette tape collection in pristine condition. Sure, older people can be snobbish about their music sometimes, but you have to understand the connection they have to the first generation of hip hop artists. Most remember the first time they heard Grandmaster Flash, LL Cool J, or Run DMC. And at that point, in the early to mid eighties, hip-hop was a burgeoning genre that the mainstream considered a fad. These individuals made up a generation which created the hip-hop movement. The venue for this listening party was family barbecue. Since I was the only one there under the age of 30, it was the perfect setting to see how they would react. I put the CD in the boom box and from the first track, the oldheads were hooked. In between the shouts of "this takes me baaaaaack!" and "I remember when..", there was a vast appreciation for what DJ Nomadic was able to do. He took old school hip-hop tracks and dropped some chilled out beats in the background, in some instances creating a completely different feel to the track. Crowd favorites were "The Message," originally performed by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5, "Public Enemy Number 1" by Public Enemy, and "My Adidas," by none other than RUN DMC. Remixed tracks from Whodini and Audio Two also received favorable reactions. With so much nostalgia, Back to the Beat received the "oldhead" seal of approval. That's more than I could say for the D4L song that was on the radio before I put in the CD.Unfortunately, hip-hop remix albums are a dime a dozen, and Back to the Beat doesn't particularly stand out among the masses. Don't get me wrong, it's a great album and one of my favorite albums of 2006, but there is nothing breathtaking and revolutionary about it, so I can't say if it will have long lasting appeal.Still, at $7 MSRP (including shipping), it's an affordable addition to your music collection. You can purchase the CD from NomadicTrackz.com.

CD Review: Sergio Mendes - Timeless

Stone — Thu, 1 Jun 2006 12:42:35 EDT

Chances are you haven't heard of Sergio Mendes. It's okay; unless you're older and into Brazilian jazz, the name wouldn't be familiar to you. However, he was a driving force in Brazil's jazz and bossa nova scene in the '60s and '70s. Mendes, along with his band Brasil '66, enjoyed much success back in the day, topping the Billboard chart in 1968 and even performing for two US presidents. However, it's 2006, not 1968, and Mendes is barely a household name among the MTV generation. Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am is making it his personal mission to change that.It's not an easy task, however. Many Americans just aren't hip to other cultures when it comes to music. Even though you might have heard his hit record "Mas Que Nada" in the first Austin Powers film, Sergio Mendes could probably walk right past you in the local Wal-Mart and you wouldn't even notice.That's where the Black Eyed Peas producer and star comes in. In order to ease skepticism, Will brought in a host of current American talent: Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Justin Timberlake, and Q-tip headline the extensive list of performers.The CD starts out with the recognizable "Mas Que Nada", featuring the Black Eyed Peas. Will's seamless production makes the track seem more like a Black Eyed Peas song (complete with Fergie's "La La La La" trademark) than a Mendes creation. This may be good or bad depending on which side of the BEP tree that you fall on. However, I dig the track, mainly because I'm enjoy the original source material.From that point on, the disc continues to impress. Erykah Badu comes out of hiding to add her silky voice to an otherwise so-so track entitled "That Heat." Stevie Wonder reunites with Mendes and amazes on "Berimbau / Consola��o," making the song sound like it was a lost track from Songs in the Key of Life. R&B songsters Jill Scott and India.Arie provide their vocals to "Loose Ends" and "Timeless" respectively.Those songs are fine in their own right. For the money, however, "Loose Ends" epitomizes exactly what this album is trying to create. It successfully unites modern R&B vocals with that classic jazzy bossa nova back end, giving the listener a taste of the old and the new. "Samba Da Ben��o (Samba Of The Blessing)," one of the few tracks that is performed completely in Portuguese, fuses Brazilian rapper Marcelo D2's rhymes and Mendes' amazing jazz piano skills, making it one of the hottest hip-hop tracks out right now.The album, however, isn't without its misses. John Legend struggles to keep up with the band on "Please Baby Don't." The singer, who had much success with his solo album Get Lifted tries to add his gospel-influenced singing style to the track, but unfortunately falls flat. I couldn't bring myself to enjoy the will.i.am/Q-tip collaboration, "The Frog" either, mainly because the beat was too harsh and clashed with the laid back nature of the disc. I was initially turned off from getting this CD after hearing that particular song on college radio.The verdict: will.i.am's solid production and his inclusion of some of the best artists in hip-hop make this album worth owning. The old school bossa nova fans who remember Mendes from his Brasil 66 days may scoff at the hip-hop direction of the album. However, the intention of this project is to turn new, younger, audiences on to the Brazillian mastermind. And in the end, the Black Eyed Peas star has fulfilled his mission.

Interview: Saul Williams

Stone — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 16:17:22 EDT

Saul Williams is the voice of rebellion. He's been the star of the stage, the screen, and the creator of two critically acclaimed albums. He has no fear, taking on hip-hop, the Black community, the White community, and America itself. Recently, Saul toured with the heavy metal group and he released his third book, The Dead Emcee Scrolls.So I was reading your bio and it was saying that your mom was rushed from a James Brown concert to give birth to you... What is that all about?I don't know, I was in the belly (laughs).Well... on the 27th of February, 1972, when the concert was getting good, my mom had to get rushed from the hospital. I started kicking her like crazy. So you were are revolutionary in the beginning?First of all, I don't think of myself as a revolutionary. I think of myself as ME. My parents were activists. My dad was active on several fronts and at rallies. He was beside Dr. King and Jesse Jackson. My mom brought the Black History Month celebration to our school district as well. We had guests at the house like Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan. I grew up interacting with these cats. They were my heroes growing up.Were they also the inspiration for your poetry?Not at all. All that shit was cool to me but I didn't give a fuck. I started out as an MC, not a poet. I was inspired by Run DMC, but when KRS One dropped I was inspired... When I was 13, I was rappin' about cars, girls, sneakers, and even fuckin' grills. I got jumped in 8th grade and they took my Gucci pouch, my jewelry, my nameplate, my fake Gucci watch. That's one of the reasons I don't bling today. I don't bling, I blame. My dad would ask me to write rhymes for these community events he would be putting on. And I was like "Hell yeah!" I would say some rhymes about "Say No To Drugs" or something like that, and then I realized that I could be political and rock the house at the same time.Is that how you got started as a musician?I was a breakdancer. I was always a dancer and that has the music side of me got known. But most of the stuff you dance to was mindless. But if you throw some Public Enemy on there, we would start dancing harder. I would dance harder when it had a message to it. You talk about the state of hip-hop in Telegram. There has been so many discussions on the state of the genre lately, especially North vs. South. But what do YOU think about where hip-hop is right now? There are some groups like Outkast that never let me down. The is tons of shit that's out right now that shouldn't be popular. Like the Puffy/Mase shit. I was like...."What the fuck?" When I was in NYC I heard that all the time. And the backpackers didn't help me either. I need progressive beats AND progressive themes. If some MC would spit progressive lyrics over progressive beats, I would be like...DAMN! But its just not there.Is that why did you decide to give your albums. Amethyst Rock Star, and the self-titled Saul Williams, a rock edge rather than a "traditional" hip-hop sound? Fuck tradition. My music is actually more traditional hip-hop than most stuff out there. What established hip-hop in the mainstream was RUN-DMC and the Beastie Boys and it was defined with guitars. So it was in my blood.Plus... I said, "Why Not?" Why would I place unnecessary boundaries on myself?Many of your lyrics seemed geared for a mostly Black audience, but many of your supporting tours are with rock acts like Nine Inch Nails and The Mars Volta. Do those fans get your message at these concerts? Did you have any doubts playing with NIN?People aren't stupid. My stuff isn't limited to Black People. White people listen to my music. They get that, and I hope that Black people get it too. The concerts have been great. Trent [Reznor] said that we got the best crowd response from any opening act that's ever toured with Nine Inch Nails. That's merchandise sales too. In fact, he's producing my next album.I was just gonna ask about that. When is the new album coming out?We don't know. We have to brainstorm and knock some things around. So I don't know yet. So let's talk a little about the Dead Emcee Scrolls. Its your third book and it was published by MTV Books. We all know that MTV is the bastion of pop culture, for better or for worse, so how do you feel about that? It's something I'm very proud of. I've been a part of that family so to speak. MTV is the only place where I could concept a project from start to finish and they would be like... "Ok. Great." No questions asked or anything. That's the ONLY place in corporate America where that has happened to me. I can't say that for my first album. That didn't come out the way that I wanted it to. I can't even say that for Slam. Slam didn't come out the way I wanted it to either.So why do you think that Corporate America doesn't get what you're trying to do?Not everyone who sits behind a desk is a visionary. I look at pop culture and find out ways to infiltrate it. They think that the stuff that sells is to imitate what is already out there. They don't understand their audience. Look at Outkast and "Hey Ya!" If you told anyone outside that they would like this song, they would say "Hell NO!" I love that song. Everybody loved that song, but corporate America couldn't get it at first.Basically, people have been given a lot of shit that fills them up, but never nourishes them.So you've been doing the music thing, as well as poetry and film. Which one do you like best? I really love to perform, but writing for me is healing. It strengthens my resolve. Overall though, performance is my forte. In all of these methods the goal is to reach a part where you lose yourself. Where you're so in the moment that you don't even remember your name. The moment when you're having passionate sex with your girl, where it's more than you just "throwin' it down"... it's that sex where you have a connection, ya know? When you get lost in the moment. That's what performance is for me.What do you think about the term Afropunk? I know that's the term that people use for when they see a black dude in rock music, but is that the term that you use to describe yourself? People with an open mind is always a positive thing. Always. Labels help us identify things. I'm not mad at the Afropunk thing. I consider myself a part of it. I heard the term Afropunk at a party in Paris years before I saw the movie and I thought it was a joke at first. Someone was wearing that on a t-shirt man and I'm like, "okay, that's cool." I'm all for it.So we have a standard question that we ask everyone. What are the top 10 songs that you're rockin' on your iPod, CD Player, 8 Track player, etc? I'm diggin that She Wants Revenge album. I got that TV on the Radio joint. King, by T.I. I got Tennessee Slim is Da Bomb. The Joi album....how is that?It's cool. I bought the new Cat Power, The Greatest but I haven't listened to it yet.Oh, and I got the new Van Hunt.Well thank you for taking the time out to interview with us today.It's been a pleasure man, peace.The Dead Emcee Scrolls is in bookstores now.

The Couch Sessions Podcast: Sharon Jones

Stone — Thu, 6 Apr 2006 17:57:48 EDT

We've been admiring Sharon Jones for a while now. And go figure, the lady seems to be one of the hardest working women in showbiz these days. Born in the same hometown as the funk legend James Brown (Augusta, GA), Ms. Jones has been touring the country coast to coast with her own brand of soul revival music.Respect where respect is due. Jones and her band was even sampled by Kanye West for the Rhymefest track, "Brand New." But unfortunately, you won't hear Sharon Jones' original track on commercial radio, nor will you see her on MTV. Even so, the band has amassed a large following based on word of mouth and their energetic live shows.We caught up with Ms. Jones in Washington, DC, a day after she brought down the house at the Black Cat. MP3 Download: The Couch Sessions Podcast - Sharon Jones More Info: Sharon Jones and the Dapkings (Daptone Records) Sharon Jones Review at PitchforkSubscribe to the Couch Sessions Podcast:Add to iTunes Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via Odeo

CD Review: Van Hunt - On the Jungle Floor

Stone — Wed, 5 Apr 2006 16:34:28 EDT

The first time I saw Van Hunt was when he performed on Soul Train. His slow, soothing ballads stood out amidst the booty shaking and gyrations of the Soul Train dancers that were featured before and after his performance.For many, this was the first time we would hear of Van Hunt, although he's been behind the scenes for nearly a decade, writing and producing for such neo-soul artists as Joi, Raphael Saadiq, and Dionne Farris. With his self-titled debut CD, he came out as a strong neo-soul force and made a name for himself.However, all things must change and evolve and that is exactly what Van Hunt is doing. After the annoying intro, the disc starts out with "If I Take You Home," which alerts the listener the "new" Van Hunt is a strange and exciting departure from the old one. What's new? More upbeat grooves, more rock and roll, and more in your face funk. Personally, I didn't like it when I first listened to the album but it grew on me after repeated listens.The "new" Van Hunt channels Lenny Kravitz, Prince, and even the Beatles without overtly trying to copy them. The last Van Hunt album was Chill Out With Your Girl, with such songs as "Seconds of Pleasure," and "Down Here in Hell (With You)." The new Van Hunt just wants to party. When the dude screams, "Get on up and dance," on the track, "Ride, Ride, Ride," you know that he's not taking himself seriously. Nevertheless, there are a few exceptions to his party rule. "Daredevil," which is my favorite track of the album, and "The Night Is Young," slow things down and show a bridge between this current album and his former one.The verdict? Give this CD more than one listen. On the Jungle Floor might shock some listeners who were expecting a more laid back sound, but it will grow on you after time. Van Hunt has created one of the best albums of the year, in my opinion, and he surprisingly dis not have to imitate anyone or any trend to make that happen.

The Couch Sessions Podcast: J*Davey

Stone — Thu, 2 Feb 2006 07:55:30 EST

Subscribe to the Couch Sessions Podcast: MP3 Download: The Couch Sessions Podcast - J*Davey Sometime around April of last year, I was going through my hard drive and came across a track entitled "Mister Mister." Needless to say, that track blew me away, and after some internet searching, I figured out that the track was the work of a then little known duo out of California called J*Davey.Since then, the group has been gaining major buzz on message boards, blogs, and community websites such as MySpace. They have gotten mentions from Questlove of The Roots, airplay on BBC radio, and a photo spread in The Fader magazine. And as of this writing, the duo still isn't signed to a record label.Why the buzz? In an era of R&B that thrives on formulaic lyrics, beats, and vocals, this group stands out. They aren't just another J Records clone. On their current EP, the group combines their many influences, ranging from 80s new wave (Missing Persons, David Bowie), to funk (Prince, Funkadelic), to alternative (Radiohead). The result is a mix of soul and electroclash that is refreshing, however, the duo refuses to adhere to any one label.We caught up with J*Davey while they were in Washington, DC, ahead of their 9:30 club performance. In this podcast, duo talks to us about their first meeting at a high school prom, their influences, and music industry labels.Websites J*Davey, Baby J*Davey (MySpace) Loud Minority Music