ModestGeniusXL

The Year in Music

Well I may not have gotten to see as many movies this year as I would have liked, but that certainly wasn't the case when it came to hearing new music.  That's never the case when it comes to me.  Especially when I have to do as much driving as I do.  The music is just one more thing to prevent me from nodding off.  And thanks to the addition of Sirius XM in the ride this year, I was exposed to lots of new cuts I probably would not have heard otherwise.

The one thing that was missing this year was that I didn't do periodic entries on each of these throughout the course of the year to give you a blurb on why I liked them.  Sorry.  Was too busy to get that detailed.  Still too busy to do that here also.  But once again, you can just click on the song itself and be magically transported to the YouTube video of the song.  I warn you...not all of them are the "official" video so view at your own risk.  But at least you can hear the sounds that have been permanently ingrained in my head during the course of this year...

1.  Locked out of Heaven - Bruno Mars

2.  Next Breath - Tank

3.  Somebody That I Used to Know - Goyte f/ Kimbra

4.  Words - Anthony David f/ India Arie

5.  Believe in Me - R. Kelly

6.  Mean - "Glee" cast

7.  Everybody Talks - Neon Trees

8.  Still Here - Brian Culbertson f/ Vivian Green

9.  Another Round (rmx) - Fat Joe f/ Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, Fabolous, Kirko Bangz & Fabolous

10.  Right by My Side - Nikki Minaj f/ Chris Brown

11.  I Want You - Luke James

12.  Refill (rmx) - Elle Verner f/ Kirko Bangs & T-Pain

13.  Enough of No Love - Keyshia Cole

14.  It Would Be You - Johnny Gill

15.  Right Here - Justin Beinber f/ Drake

 

The Year in Music

Is it possible to have quite an interesting year in music while at the same time having a very predictable one?  I guess that would be the epitome of the diversity in my taste of music.  No other way to explain why I was feeling so many songs with Ike Jr. in them then have a song about zombies in the same countdown. You can thank good ol' Turntable for that.  Most of these cuts I probably would have never heard of it wasn't for that site.

So once again I spared you all the trouble of doing a little blurb about each song.  You could always click on the archive titled "The Soundtrack of My Life" to the right and find the original entry for each and every one of these.  Not feeling that ambitious?  Well you can just click on the song itself and be magically transported to the YouTube video of the song.  I warn you...not all of them are the "official" video so view at your own risk.  But at least you could hear the sounds that have been permanently ingrained in my heard during the course of this year...

Celebration (rmx) - Tank f/ Chris Brown & Trey Lorenz

 Rolling in the Deep - "Glee" Cast

Yes - Musiq Soulchild

 Make Me Proud - Drake f/ Nikki Minaj

Stay - Tyrese

 Far Away (rmx) - Marsha Ambrosious f/ Busta Rhymes

I Can't Make You Love Me - Tank

Love on Top - Beyonce

Another Round - Fat Joe f/ Chris Brown

Ni**as in Paris - Jay-Z & Kanye West

Aston Martin Music - Rick Ross f/ Drake & Chrisette Michele

Hold My Hand - Committed

Marvin's Room - Drake

Re: Brains - Jonathan Coulton

We All Try - Frank Ocean

 

 

 

 

Things to Be Grateful For

Must Be the Music

Well I had a little bit of free time so thought I'd give this weekly entry a triumphant return.  Mainly because there are some really great tunes I've been bumping lately that I had to share with all of you.  Don't get used to this though. I can't promise I'll keep this weekly entry up either.  Therefore, seeing this one today is something to be thankful for in and of itself...

RE:  Your Brains - Jonathan Coulton
This would have been perfect if it were around Halloween.  That's when I first heard it.  The song is flat out awesome as it's sung the perspective of a zombie.  I don't even care if Halloween is past already. I will STILL bump this one on the regular.  I also love how the YouTube video that coincides with it is a variety of clips from World of Warcraft.  Just a little sidenotes for all you fellow WoW geeks out there.

Lotion - Greenskeepers
As long as we're on the kick (if you can really considers two consecutive selections a "kick") of the strange, might as well parade this one out there.  Again, another artist I've never heard of in my life. Happened to catch this one also on Turntable as I was in the 80s room.  Not even sure if it's really an 80s song, but it plays off the 80s classic "Silence of the Lambs".  Not suitable for work, but definitely worth listening to if nothing else than for the sheer entertainment value.

Hold My Hand - Committed
I can't believe I forgot to mention these cats before now.  Their debut cd dropped around a month ago and it's straight fire.  They were one of the groups that won one of the seasons of "The Sing-Off" so you're getting a cd where the entire thing is acappella.  I don't know how you can listen to this and not be amazed at their talent.  Easily a modern day Take 6 which is just what the music industry needs these days.

Commander (Urban remix) - Kelly Rowland
For a while there I was afraid that she would have one good cut off her new cd.  That would have been a shame because I think I've mentioned before that she was always my favorite part of Destiny's Child.  It's good to see her doing her own thing putting out quality music.  True, she'll sill always be in Bey's shadow, but as long as she makes music like this then she can stand on her own.

Love on Top - Beyonce
Speaking of the queenpin herself...I couldn't very well leave her out of the conversation.  This song was a HUGE improvement from that horrible "Girls Rule the World" or whatever it was called.  That one alone almost made me stay away from her cd.  And I'm still not understanding what made her go with all male back-up dancers in the video for this one when she's been on this all-female band kick lately.  Regardless, I am totally diggin' the ols Jackson 5ive vibe this one has to it. 

Closet Freak - Cee-lo Green
I may have been a little late on this one.  The first time I ended up hearing it was on that new Sprite commercial featuring Cee-Lo.  Is it on his last cd and I somehow missed it?  It wouldn't be the first time it's happened since I tend to listen to cds only once.  Whatever the case may be, this latest cut by him was worth giving a few more listens.

Ni**as in Paris - Jay-Z and Kanye West
I had to save this cut for last just because of the name alone.  Typical of both Jigga and Yeezy, the name of the song has nothing at all to do with the song at all.  They could have really named this anything else.  But then it wouldn't have caught your attention, now would it?  The production here is increible.  Also just what you would expect from a Kanye song.  This joint sounds UNBELIEVABLE in a good sound system.  Plus, it features the most arbitrary Will Ferrell sample that is just icing on an already pretty darn good cake.

 

 

Things to Be Grateful For

Must Be the Music

I probably failed to mention this but the Zune conked out on me a while back.  Therefore, I've had no MP3 player for a minute.  I guess I could use my iPhone but iTunes isn't the most user-friendly when trying to load songs.  That's why I have resorted to going back to good old-fashioned mix cds when I travel.  Never anything fancy.  I just burn some songs that I'm currently feeling and hit the road.  Here's a few that have made the cut for my recent cd burns...

Stay - Tyrese
Just when you think dude is going to be making movies for good and saying goodbye to his music career (the same place where he got his start, I might add), he comes back on the scene.  Let's face it...he's not the best singer out there, but he's got that raspy voice sound that always sells.  It also doesn't hurt that he manages to always find some top notch production.  The best part about the song from a video standpoint is dude actually stays fully clothed the entire time!

Refuge (When It's Cold Outside) - John Legend
Yes, I know that this is song may be a little old.  I mean it is from his 2004 cd "Get Lifted".  But great music tends to be timeless though.  Plus, I somehow managed to keep leaving this off my favorite playlists.  Not anymore.  The catchy melody and Legend's trademark piano make this one to stay in rotation from this point forward. 

Is It - Cee-Lo Green
Did you know that Cee-Lo had a mixtape cd out before the most recently released "Lady Killer" that is now blowing up?  Me neither.  Wait..do you even know what a mixtape cd is?  It's when an artist puts out a collection of songs that aren't on any cd they plan on releasing in stores just so they can stay hot to their fans and hopefully gain new ones.  The mixtape cds rarely get big publicity which is why I'm now hearing this  one.  Are you noticing a theme with me getting hip to music that's been out for a minute?

Play - Goapale
I really don't know how to explain her style.  The best way to put it is she neo-soul.  Much in the same fashion as a Marsha Ambrosious, Jill Scott or a Musiq Soulchild.  Only she hasn't had the same amount of success as any of them.  That may have worked out in her favor though.  Sometimes those artists that fly under the radar make the best music because they don't have the pressure to meet certain records sales figures from their label.  Whatever the case Goapale's neo-soul sound is golden on this latest joint as well.

We All Try - Frank Ocean
As long as we're on the theme of artists with unreleased cuts, might as well hit up this next cat.  The song that most R&B fans are familiar with from him is "Novacane".  Personally I don't know what everyone sees in it. I can't stand it.  So much so that I had no desire to hear any of his other music.  Then I started hearing other songs from him on Turntable.fm.  The few I did come across were MUCH better.  This being one of them.  Judging by their selection of "Novacane" as his first single, apparently his management and/or record label doesn't know  good music when they hear it.

I'm on One - DJ Khaled featuring Drake
I could really care less that all Khaled does is get on a track and scream his name over and over.  So what if he's more or less just a producer?  We had the same thing happening in the 90s when Diddy made that whole role famous.  As long as the production is tight and the flow is on point then it doesn't matter.  Well Khaled made it hard to go wrong by featuring Drake on his joint.  I would venture to say that if Khaled put out a cd I woul definitely check it out.  Then again, he probably already has a mixtape cd out as well and I just don't know about it.  You can see I'm the wrong person to ask if that indeed is the case. 

 

Things to Be Grateful For

myTunes

Yes - Musiq Soulchild
   I meant to get this on the last list I did the last time I talked about my latest favorites.  Since it was an oversight on my part I made sure to get it on this time.  This cat has been consistent with steadily making great music ever since he first hit the scene back in 2000.  Although every cd isn't full of classics like his first one was there's always at least a couple of hits that are slammin'.  He's done it again with this one.  If you're still sleepin' on this brotha then shame on you.

Celebration (rmx) - Tank featuring Chris Brown and Trey Songz
It wasn't that long ago that I featured the original version as the latest cut I was feeling.  Well anyone that knows anything about R&B music knows that when a song gets hot it's only a matter of time before the remix drops.  And most of the time the remix is even hotter than the original.  Here's another case in point.  Both versions are currently in heavy rotation with me.

Sure Thing - Miguel
So when I heard this the other day I immediately went to Zune to see if he had a full cd out.  Sure did.  And it had been out since 2010?  I went to download it only to find out that it was already in my collection.  Yes indeed I really need to get more current on what I do and don't have.  Thing is when I tried listening to more of Miguel's cd I found that I wasn't quite diggin' the whole thing.  This is probably the best song on there. 

Marvin's Room - Drake
I was about to be hot for a second because I thought this song was off his last cd and I somehow missed it.  Apparently he has a new cd getting ready to drop and this one's from it.  Some folks may consider Drake too  mainstream but I really dig his flow.  It is very rare that you have an artist come around who has a tight lyrical flow but also sounds decent when they sing too.  Besides Lauryn Hill (the pre-crazy days) can you think of one?  Go ahead..I'll wait...

Marvin's Room - Jojo
No it's not a typo. It really is the same song with a different artist.  Believe me, I'm just as surprised myself that I actually like a Jojo song.  Especially one where she did a remake of a song that has only been out for a few months at the most.  But she really sounds good on this version.  Sure, it probably helps that the original was already off tha chain.  Nevertheless, her own little touch on it really makes this one stick with you.

Things to Be Grateful For

Good sounds

Yep...it's that time again.  Time  to let you all know who and what is bending my ear as of late.  If I ever get around to listening to one of the nearly dozen cds I've downloaded recently I could probably find more that I'm diggin.  For now you'll have to make do with these...

How to Love - Lil Wayne
Let's just get this out of the way now.  I guess that lil cockroach isn't so bad when he wants to put his mind to it.  His production has never been an issue with me.  It was his flow.  Well either I wasn't paying close enough attention or he improved dramatically.  Now he's the latest rapper trying to sing with this current release.  Of course he's no Luther Vandross, but it's actually a very decent song.  Not to mention it actually has a nice little message to it.  Go on head, Baby Predator

My Last - Big Sean featuring Chris Brown
Still no clue who this Big Sean cat is.  I sure like the melody to this one though.  The chorus is one of those catchy hooks that stays in your head no matter how hard you try to move on to another song.  Also no matter how much you try to remember that it is Chris Brown singing it.  Thing is the chorus and the track is what really makes the song.  They probably could have left Big Sean out altogether and it would have been just as good.  Probably better

Motivation (rmx) - Kelly Rowland f/ Busta Rhymes, Trey Songz & Fabolous
If I were doing these in order of favorite first then this one would have been first.  Look at that line-up!  It's a recipe for succes and it doesn't disappoint.  This is the precise reason why I will periodically do a search for remix version of a current song.  I never know if one exists but when it does, chances are very good that it's even better than the original.  Another case in point.

She Ain't Your (rmx) - Chris Brown f/ SWV
Speaking of both remixes and Chris Brown....again.  The thing about this song is we are now far enough removed from the greatness of "Thriller" that there are plenty of folks from this generation that don't realize Chris sampled Mike and not SWV.  The first thing that comes to my mind everytime I hear it is Mike's "Human Nature".  However, I do like the fact that he brought in SWV for the remix.  It's still a good way to pay homage to one of the more decent R&B girl groups from the 90s

  Best Night of My Life - Jamie Foxx
I love that Jamie continues to make good music even though he has established himself as an actor.  Technically an Academy Award winning actor, but it doesn't look like he's going to turn in anymore performance like "Ray" again anytime soon.  That's okay becuase he still has the vocal ability and the musical skills to make good songs

Celebration - Tank featuring Drake
It's hard for me to listen to anymore Tank songs and not think of his role in "Preacher's Kid".  But the thing is even though he played a jerk in that movie, even his songs in there sounded pretty tight.  It's no coincidence that this song also comes on the heels of the Foxx cut mention.  It turns out that Foxx got training on his current style from Tank's tutelage.  That's one heck of a mentor to have

Oh the BET Randomness

I was just sitting there thinking the other day that I haven't done a truly random post in quite a while.  I had been a little preoccupied with having my pictures be the random entries.  Then along comes the BET Awards and it's the perfect opportunity to revive the random ramblings...

Whatever happened to the other Simmons' kid who was working on a rap career when "Run's House" was on the air?  Maybe he should have put Diggy in his group 

I'm going to need BET Chairman and CEO Debra Lee to get a better fashion consultant.  She makes far too much money to be dressing like she grabbed an outfit on her way out the door

Having Mary J. Blige open up the show was an EXCELLENT move.  I like how she is always the epitome of class while also showing just a hint to remind of where she came from back in the day when we all know she was hood

Speaking of class...Anita Baker!  Still got the chops after all this time.  She could never put out another cd again and her classics would still be timeless

I don't think there's little I hate more than seeing perpetrators stepping.  Don't care how old they are

I used to have the biggest crush on Anita Baker back in the day.  But then again, who didn't?

Remember that era when Arsenio Hall was smoking hot and his best friend Eddie Murphy had stalled?  Yeah...Kelly Rowland and Beyonce are slowly entering that phase now

Of course, we all know how that ended up for Arsenio so Kelly may want to make sure she saves her money

It's still nice to see Kelly blowing up like she is.  She was always my favorite thing about Destiny's Child

So Willow and Jaden Smith win the new YoungStars Award and they just happen to be sitting in the front row with their parents Will and Jada?  What a coincidence!

Am I the only one that found that whole exchange between Nikki Minaj and Justin Beiber not funny at all but also a little unsettling?

You want to know what REALLY makes you feel old?  When you're 10-year-old son is watching the same show, sees Jada Pinkett-Smith and says "Who's that?" but of course he knows Jaden and Willow

Kevin Hart as the host was the PERFECT choice.  It was the first time in quite a while that I've seen an Awards show opening monologue be on point.  MTV may want to get his manager's number

Kevin brought up a good point...seriously...where IS Craig Mack??

"The Real Husbands of Hollywood" is one reality show that I would DEFINITELY watch!  Those skits were hands down the best thing about the entire Awards show

No they didn't roll out the real Five Heartbeats complete with the real After 7 singing the song "Nights Like This".  That was straight up EPIC! 

Now if they would have found a way to incorporate Flash into that appearance, I would have been through

Alexander O'Neal...I'm sure you knew about this performance well in advance.  A little more practice sure wouldn't have killed you

I always said that Chris Brown was just one hit song/cd away from resurrecting his career and his domination of the BET Awards this year proved that.  Which is why I'm still convinced Ike would have salvaged his career if he just had better production

Speaking of Chris...you do realize what it means that he and Rihanna were nominated in the same category and he won, right?  Yep...he beat her again

I wonder what the over/under was for how long it would take before Trey Songz would get nekkid during his performance

Speaking of getting nekkid...I'm beginning to actually like some of Rick Ross's music, but dude....don't EVER unbutton your shirt again in public

EVER

That's all fine and good that Steve Harvey won the Humanitarian Award thingy, but all I keep thinking about is the stories of how much of a jerk he is in real life

I wish the "Teach Me How to Dougie" crew to do a "Chicken Noodle Soup" tribute

Patti's tribute was LONG overdue.  Having said that and as much as I like Cee-Lo...really??  That's the best line-up you could get for a Patti LaBelle tribute??  But I guess we should have expected as much after the Prince tribute last year

I will never ever ever ever understand how any woman in her right mind could EVER be attracted to Lil Wayne

EVER

The sad thing about that is there was this cat at ISU who Lil Wayne reminds me of.  Come to think of it...I haven't seen him in years and you never see the two of them in the same room together.  Hmmm...

Is Wiz Khalifa like 7-feet tall??  Either he's much taller than he appears on tv or Kevin Hart is even shorter than he appears.  I'm guessing it's probably a little of both

The poor little fan girl who announced the Chris Brown award had it right the first place but they made her look stupid.  Apparently the same people that hired the censors must have been the ones trying to help her

Next year, BET should look into getting censors that actually know the songs and performers.  That way they will know when the "bad" words are coming up and can actually put the censor in the right spot

All in all, this year's show was probably one of their best ones they've had in quite a while.  The entertaining moments finally outnumbered the "WTH?!" moments which is doing good for BET.  There's hope yet that the network may not be a total lost cause.  But I will still only watch it when there is absolutely nothing else on.

'Nuff said.

 

 

Things to Be Grateful For

Sounds in My Head

Apparently not a bad year for music.  We're not even halfway thru 2011 and I done already lost track of how many of these entries I have done that are showcasing the music that I'm currently feeling.  Well chalk up another one...

Rolling in the Deep - "Glee" Cast
The Adele version was already good enough.  Even though they're slowly starting to play it out on radio.  However, as much as I like Adele, the "Glee" version just SHREDS hers.  That's thanks largely in part to Jesse St. James who sings the male lead of the duet.  His raspy contribution sounds like it was born to sing this song.  Like it was written for him.  Sorry Adele, but this "Glee" version is infinitely better because of him.

The Lazy Song - Bruno Mars
Yes, radio is wearing this one out too.  But there's just something about Bruno Mars' sound.  No matter how many times I heard his music it just never seems to get old.  I done lost track of how many times I done heard "Grenade" now yet everytime it comes on I'm grooving to it and singing right along.  This is the latest song to have that effect.  And to think he's doing all of this off just one debut cd

6 Foot Sevn Foot - Lil Wayne        
There was a time that I NEVER thought I would be highlighting a Lil Wayne song where it's just him instead of him being featured on one.  I didn't want to admit that he had any lyrical prowess even though he's had tight production for the longest.  Well I couldn't front anymore.  When he applies himself he can really come with it with some lyrical flow.  This one was a classic example.  And it certainly helps that he's using a sample from a Harry Belafonte song.  I wonder how many people even know that's where it came from?

Motivation - Kelly Rowland f/ Lil Wayne
This is more like it.  Weezy's in a featuring role instead of the star of the song.  I know Beyonce has to be secretly (or maybe not even too secretly) HOT that her song sucks so bad while her former group-mate released this single around the same time that is just pure fire.  Kelly was always been my favorite part of Destiny's Child anyway.  She always seemed more down-to-earth and everyday-girl than Beyonce.  And she could actually sing unlike Michelle who apparently was brought in for her looks.  So to hear Kelly drop a single like that was quite satisfying

Best Love Song - T-Pain f/ Chris Brown
Why does CB's name keep popping up out here?  Like he wasn't notorious for being a woman-beater?  Even though that may be the case, it doesn't change the fact that he's apparently hooked up with some great producers lately.   Although this latest offering isn't really his song, he does his darnedest to put his imprint on it.  Of course we're not going to forgive him for his past transgressions.  Even if it seems like Rihanna has.  But if he keeps making songs like this then it will sure help lessen the blow of what an idiot he was when he was younger

Gone and Never Coming Back - Melanie Fiona
I thought for a minute there that this one was on that cd Mel put out in late 2009 and that I somehow missed it.  Nope.  It's just a new single on her upcoming sophomore cd.  It sounds like she's put a lot of work into staying consistent with the power and passion in which she delivers her music.  That means I will defintely be getting her follow-up cd as well.  I just hope she doesn't get that same bug Jazmine Sullivan got with her soph cd where she thinks she'll give up on the biz just because mainstream can't appreciate her talent.

 

 

Thursday Throwback

Love Makes Things Happen - Pebbles featuring Babyface

They just don't make music like this anymore.  As trite as that sounds it's definitely true.  But part of that reason is because of the cat that is "featured" here.  Remember when Babyface's thumbprint was all over the love ballad scene of the 90s?  I swear he must have been responsible for about 95% of the love songs that came out during that time.  Sure, many of them sounded alike, but they were all hot too.

Anyway, when this video first came out I felt a certain way toward it.  I actually did for a long time.  I had never really listened to the words of the song until I watched the video.  Once I watched it I had the firm belief that they were misusing the word "love" altogether.  It seemed more to me like "Lust Makes Things Happen".  I mean folks were leaving each other left and right at the drop of a dime.

But then I watched it again recently and I got a different interpretation entirely.  Or at least partially.

If you look at this video in the context of the time that it's playing it does seem like lust.  All this is happening within the timeframe of 6 minutes.  However, who's to say how much time actually transpired between all these events?  These folks could be having these encounters over the course of years.  Although you would have to them assume that they haven't changed the way they look in years.  Let's just assume for the lack of argument that they didn't.

So with time not being an issue then everything that transpires doesn't see THAT bad.  I mean relatively speaking of course.  Afterall, it happens all the time.  Folks will meet and find out that they have much more in common than they ever imagined.  Maybe they were meant to be together despite whatever situation they are currently in.  You just never know.  Love really can be funny like that sometimes.

But the most telling thing about the video is the very end with the dude who started it all.  He went thru al that just to see that he never should have left ol' girl in the first place.  Love is like that too.  Sometimes you have to go thru some things to appreciate what you had all along.  But how much you want to bet if they stuck with the story that he ended up leaving her again anyway.  I'm just saying...maybe they weren't meant to be together afterall?  I'm just sayin'...

 

 

 

Thursday Throwback

Something in Common - Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston

I was contemplating whether I should have went for something more conventional for the Throwback entry.  Especially something that wasn't a video because you all know how I feel about doing those.  I've been trying to shy away from them since the VeeJays on The Book have been going crazy lately.  But I couldn't get this song out my head for some reason.  Therefore, I figured it was just a good a throwback as any.  Mainly because it was always underrated anyway.

See, I was like many others who was wondering what in the world happened to get those two together.  Whitney just seemed way too wholesome to be with a cat like Bobby Brown.  Keep in mind that we didn't know then what we know now.  We all just thought they were too night and day to make a good couple.  I'll be doggone if they didn't last for quite a while though.  In the meantime, they made this song to remind folks of why they got together in the first place.

I never understood why this cut didn't get more airplay.  Whitney was still making hits at the time and Bobby was having moderate success so it's not like either one of them were musically irrelevant.  "Something in Common" even had nice production, good lyrics and a catchy hook.  Not to mention that they actually sounded good together on it.  The studio really should have given this one more push.  Who knows...maybe if they would have then the two of them could have avoided that descent that came shortly after.  Okay...that probably would have still happened anyway, but this is still a great song...