Neo-soul is a genre that doesn't get nearly as much respect as it deserves and one of its innovators, Erykah Badu, is back with her fifth studio album, New Amerykah Part II: Return Of The Ankh. Coming on the heels of 2008's very well received New Amerykah Part I: 4th World War, Part II finds a host of guests including ?uestlove, Lil' Wayne, and Bilal and featuring production by J Dilla, ?uestlove, and Madlib (among others) on another set of tight grooves. We saw her do "Window Seat" on Fallon a few weeks ago and... well, DAMN.
I get that not everyone's excited for a new Barenaked Ladies record. It's not 1998 anymore but, as a longtime fan, it's going to be interesting to see how BNL fares on their first record following the departure of founding member/co-lead vocalist Steven Page. Getting caught with hookers and blow in a hotel room is never a good career move -- unless you're a Dallas Cowboy in the '90s. Ed Robertson takes over lead vocals on the majority of All In Good Time's tracks, which could be a good thing as his songs were some of BNL's strongest on past records.
As arguably the three most talented MCs in the Wu-Tang Clan (and don't give me ODB -- he's basically a jester and his flow wasn't THAT good), the trio of Meth, Rae, and Ghost putting out a record is the next best thing to a proper Wu-Tang album. And here it is.
Other Releases:
Frank Black/ Nonstoperotik
Dum Dum Girls/ I Will Be
Turin Brakes/ Outbursts
Dignan Porch/ Tendrils
DVDs
Remember when Guy Ritchie was a promising filmmaker? The one-two punch of Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch to open his directorial career hinted at a possible British Tarantino future. Then, he married Madonna and it all went to shit. The stink bombs Swept Away and Revolver followed and it looked like Ritchie was over. Thankfully, he was able to extricate himself from Madge's clutches via divorce and released the flawed but fun RockNRolla and followed that with this week's top release, a modernized retelling of the classic Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey, Jr. (on an incredible winning streak of his own) in the titular iconic role. Lesson to be learned? Madonna's lady parts are talented directors' kryptonite. True story.
Carey Mulligan is film's new It Girl and was nominated for an Oscar for this. Also... I've got nothin' else. It's a shitty week for DVD releases.
I like to think that I'm fairly liberal with what I'll let my four-year-old watch. I don't think that covering kids' eyes to what goes on in the world is necessarily always the best thing to do and that, as a parent, your job is to explain things to your children in a calm and rational manner so that they understand as best as they can. That being said, Alvin & The Chimpmunks: The Squeakquel is more offensive to me than any R-rated movie could possibly be and I can't, in good conscience as a father, subject my child to this abomination. Can't and won't do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment