It’s unfortunate The Wreckers disbanded in 2008, since their sole studio albumStand Still, Look Pretty was a supremely underrated gem. In comparison to most contemporary country albums that typically feel stale and superfluous, Stand Still, Look Pretty is a revelation. More than the songwriting and production duties from John Shanks and John Leventhal, it’s the lush tapestry of wistful tones and pensive moods that make the album so unforgettable and remarkable. On the light-hearted Crazy People, Branch and Harp lament on all the wrong men they’ve met, which include bank robbers and killers, among others. It’s an irresistible old-school country throwback that closes one of the best country records of the past decade.
After two marginally successful albums, at least compared to the diamond certified Confessions, auto-tuned #1 smashes, and an unfortunate collaboration with Justin Bieber, it’s a relief to have Usher back to doing the type of music he does best: the slow-burn, baby-making R&B jam. Produced by Diplo, Climax is a remarkable fusion of sparse R&B beats and moody electronic beeps. Usher’s vocals are in impeccable form here, his falsetto rising and falling in perfect step with the cascading wall of synths.
You say it’s better if we love each other separately, I just need you one more time
Track of the Day: Everybody Here Wants You by Jeff Buckley
The evening before Jeff Buckley was scheduled to record the follow-up to his debut album Grace, he went on a solitary swim in the Mississippi River. By that morning, his body was found washed up on the shore. It was ultimately ruled as an accidental drowning, a terribly poetic end to a life that never lived up to its full potential.
In Everybody Here Wants You, taken from his posthumously released Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk, Buckley channels Prince to create a sexy, bedroom romp. The slinky drum snares and guitar licks help set the mood, but it’s Buckley’s vocals that transport the record to transcendent heights.
I’ll be waiting right here just to show you, how our love will blow it all away
Beyonce’s 3rd LP I Am…Sasha Fierce was initially touted as a concept album, a look into two facets of her persona as an artist. I Am… was filled with slow-tempo R&B tracks, while Sasha Fierce, being her onstage alter-ego, was a blend of hip-hop and dance songs. In retrospect, the entire concept was incredibly disappointing and deficient. In exchange for a cohesive and focused effort, the record seemed gimmicky, with the overall experience marred by fillers and songs that would’ve fit on either disc.
Hello, from the Sasha Fierce disc, isn’t the most well-written song in the collection. The fact that it’s loaded with cliches and Hallmark-card sentiments is largely irrelevant though. Beyonce lays down enough vocal fireworks here to power a small nation, and it’s sublime.
You don’t have to try so hard for me to love you, boy without you my life just ain’t the same
Given his musical talents and rockstar looks, Jamie Scott was bound to find himself in the limelight sooner or later. After fronting the short-lived ‘Jamie Scott and The Town’ and a series of stunted solo efforts, Scott has now teamed up with producer extraordinaire TommyD to form Graffiti6. Their debut album Colors is a sonic mélange of pop, rock, folk, soul & R&B that was tirelessly fresh yet criminally ignored in the UK. A reworked version of Free is now currently the lead single for their US debut release this 2012. Emphatic, soulful, and driven by Scott’s pitch perfect falsetto, Free is a pop smash just waiting blow up on the charts.
But I can’t live without you, love you, and it’s hard to breath when you’re not near
As Mayer Howthorne’s major label debut, How Do You Do is a tribute to 1960’s R&B and soul, yet it’s seeped in contemporary sensibilities. Musically, The Walk is textbook Motown, replete with horn flourishes and a grooving drum line. Lyrically though, there’s just no way The Walk could’ve been written in any other decade apart from the present. Witty, biting, and loads of wicked fun, this is the ultimate kiss-off song.
Well your looks had me putty in your hand now, but I took just as much as I can stand now
Track of the Day: Things We Used To Do by BlackGirl
Caught up in the girl group explosion in the early nineties with TLC, En Vogue, and Xscape, BlackGirl was a mere forgotten casualty. Attempting to stand out from the rest by sporting matching cropped hairstyles, the best this trio could muster were four consecutive Top 40 hits before finally disbanding in 1996. Things We Used To Do was never released as a single, but it’s one of many highlights from their album Treat U Right. With some breezy, laidback guitar licks to complement their sleek vocal harmonies, this is essential R&B that merits repeated listens, in any decade.
No question, Frank Ocean is the black sheep of the OFWGKTA collective. Juxtaposed to Odd Future’s prevalent themes of drugs, sex and violence, Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia,Ultra mixtape seems almost timid and coy. Relying mainly on his understated vocal chops, he sings utterly personal songs of love and heartbreak, and he’s all the better for it. Who knew a song as strangely titled as Swim Good could carry such poignant depth? He’s carrying a trunk full of broken hearts as he drives off a cliff, and we’re all along for the ride.
For the uninitiated, I Need A Dollar sounds like something straight from the 1960s. From the skittering bass line, jazzy horn flourishes, and buoyant piano lilts, Aloe Blacc clearly draws heavy inspiration from an era dominated by legends such as Donny Hathaway, Bill Withers and Curtis Mayfield. Working as a business consultant before getting subsequently laid off, Aloe Blacc imbues I Need A Dollar with a sense of disillusionment that’s contemporary and relevant, yet ultimately hopeful.
Well I don’t know if I’m walking on solid ground, cause everything around me is crumbling down, and all I want is for someone to help me
So what exactly happened to City High? They may not have exactly set the world on fire back in 2001, but they seemed well on their way in fashioning themselves as the next incarnation of the Fugees. Armed with a more streamlined sound, Caramel was the second single from their self-titled debut. In spite of some lead vocals from Claudette Ortiz that are as thin as paper and a backing tracking seemingly programmed wholly via Garage Band, the record is a catchy, understated affair that’s further livened up by some choice verses from Eve.
Though I ain’t a virgin that don’t mean I’m having sex with ya
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