MJB's Stronger with Each Tear

Honestly, when I heard the title, “Stronger with Every Tear,” I thought that we’d all been condemned to another album weigh down with moaning and wailing. I was hesitant, but it’s MJB so I had to at least listen. 5 of the 12 are worth buying as singles. If you bought each of those 5 at $1.99 you would’ve paid $9.95, so it’s more cost-effective to just buy the album (the only math lesson I’ll ever try to give). Here’s the rundown…

Tonight: The throwback hip hop beat is hot. It’ll make you nod, if you can ignore the rest of the instrumental. The composition, as a whole, takes my mind to an underground vampire club, like the one in Blade. It’s like one of the slower cuts that I’d expect to hear there. Try sleeping peacefully, after coupling that image with her singing, “Wait until tonight.” Can you say, “Scary.” Skip it!

The One: Mediocre. Skip it.

Said and Done: I wish Ryan Leslie had recorded it, instead of Mary. Skip it.

Good Love: I agonizingly listened to the first 3 tracks of this album and was ready to give up on it, until this began to play. I’m really digging the horns, piano, and bass combo, even with that little video game sound mixed in there. It’s hard to go wrong with an upbeat tempo and lyrics about love for Mary. Shout out to Tip, too.

I Feel Good: If this is how she sounds when she feels good, I hate to hear what she feels like when she’s down. Skip it.

I Am: The song is okay, but nothing spectacular.

Each Tear: The encouraging lyrical content mixed with strings and a smooth stepper’s groove that’ll remind you of instrumental from Maze and Frankie Beverly’s “Silky Soul” set it off for me.

I Love U (Yes I Du): No comment. Skip it!

We Got Hood Love: With Johntá Austin and B. Cox collaborating on the production, I would expect nothing less than possibly the best song on the album. Mary and Trey Songz sound good together, too. Furthermore, the content is some real talk. Real love isn’t always that fluffy crap that you read about. It involves one or more occasionally acting an ass, but every always finding their way back to the middle and common ground… if that’s a Hood Love, then that’s the right kind to strive for.

Kitchen: It sounds like an Elton John song, in the beginning, but don’t skip it because it’s hilarious. I’ve heard of a lot of advice exchanged between different women, but never have a heard of the dangers of letting “another woman cook in your kitchen.” Should I not let another man cut my grass? I’ll have to marinate on that for a few…lol. I’m just playing Mary. Basically, she’s saying don’t have another woman staying at your place and around your man, ladies. Does that mean that she thinks that all men lack self-control? That’s something to really think about.

In the Morning: This song has all the good stuff in it. The track rides the piano and bass, like a ‘Lac doing 70 and the injections of brass take the song to another level. What really amazes me is that women are still questioning about how their men will feel in the morning. If all of the questions sounded like this, I wouldn’t mind listening.

Color: This is a hard song. It has the rhythm of day laborers dragging themselves home at the end of a long day. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen Spike Lee’s X, but there’s a scene when Malcolm was traveling to the Audubon for his final speech and “Change is Gonna’ Come” is playing. To some it may sounds sad but I think it’s the sound of relief and freedom. I put this on repeat and just drove down Memorial Drive for a little while. I wouldn’t mind if “Color” is playing in the background during my final scene.

Sex Therapy: The Ultimate Home Remedy for Every Ailment

Real Sex—an ongoing HBO documentary – just did a show about sex and it’s relation to hard times. It spoke on what we already knew. When times get hard, such as in times of war or economic downturn, people turn to the ultimate home remedy, which is sex. That’s what this album is all about, hence the more than appropriate title, “Sex Therapy.”

Robin Thicke’s latest isn’t an album that you’ll be able to listen to all the way through painlessly, but there are few standouts and they are as follows…

The first track, “Mrs. Sexy” has an old school flavor, with that high hat, snare, and bass drum combo that reminds you of better days in music. The light organ and the horns give it more soul. My favorite element is the strings. Soulfulness is a heavy thing that can easily weigh any song down, but the strings keep the tune step-able. Unfortunately, the lyrics didn’t do too much for me, they’re reminiscent of Thicke’s early writing, but the musical composition is Al Green-esque.

“Sex Therapy,” the title track, had me waiting on this CD for weeks. The music is light, which allows you to pay more attention to the lyrics. Polow Da Don did the thing! I’m also digging the lyrical content. While most artists are talking about taking advantage of and dominating their partners, Thicke sings about allowing his to manipulate the situation and take the therapy on her own terms – as hard or as soft as she wants to.

“Just Right” stumbles out of the block, but let it develop before you skip it. The hook lays nicely over an accompaniment that’s sprinkled with Latin flavor, and gives the music that same step-able feel that you get from “Mrs. Sexy. It’s like a slower salsa joint.

Shout out to Teddy Riley! He still has it. Teddy has producer credits for “It’s in the Morning,” which is the best song on the album. Who doesn’t like that early morning booty? If you said “no,” give it another shot. Let the track ride one morning and allow Thicke and Snoop to set the mood, and give your partner that good morning nudge. Make it quick though or put the song on repeat, because it’s only 3 minutes.

Now, just because these are the only songs that I've mentioned doesn’t mean that all of the others are bad. These are just the cream of the crop.I know times are hard. You may be out of work, or underemployed. There may be other things that are stressing you out. Just buy this album, make a playlist with the above songs and remember the words of Bleek Gilliam (Denzel’s character in Spike Lee’s Mo Betta’ Blues), “Mo’ Betta’ makes it mo’ betta’.

Shout out to City of God!!

There is a silver lining to every cloud. The past few weeks have been plagued by the releases of bad or mediocre albums. Rihanna’s “Rated-R” and Chris Brown’s “Graffiti” are included in the list. I have always been a fan of both of them, but both of these two recent releases aren’t worth paying full price for. Rihanna got me, because I purchased her album before listening to it. “Fool me once…” I won’t be the fool again, at least not in the same year. So I listened to snippets of Chris Breezy’s CD before buying it, and good thing.
The silver lining to these debacles is that the saved money allowed me to venture off into some other music. I’ve already done a blogspot on Jaiden…hit his site and cop the mixtape. It’s great music for free!

This week, one of my people turned me onto this group named City of God.

City of God is hot. It's clear why Ryan Leslie, Pleasure P, and other artists would want to work with them. I can’t quite pin the band into a category but they have a sound that’s similar to Blackeyed Peas. Some of the sounds that City of God offers also remind me of one of my favorite artists, PJ Morton (if you don’t know, ask somebody).

The band has released albums that are available in iTunes. I’ve listened to them, but haven’t purchased them all yet. I have their new single, “HMG: High Maintenance Girl,” on a mix and I’m really feeling it. A whole album of similarly fashioned tunes would be tasty. City of God, can we work that out? The single, “HMG,” is not available for purchase yet, but it can be downloaded for free at the following link: http://www.zshare.net/audio/678584760384cfd8/

City of God is an eclectic bunch, which probably contributes to the eclectic sound. Check out the following links for more info on the group:
http://www.cityofgodmusic.com/
http://www.twitter.com/CityofGodBand

This Is What Real Music Is All About...Cats like Jaiden

Imagine if Take 6 sang background vocals with J Moss singing lead on the Five Satins' “In the Still of the Night.” I've found something close to that, if not better. I think that I have been turned on to a song that is the perfect combination of a lover’s complaint with a vocal arrangement that will make toes of any fan of vocalism curl. It’s in a song entitled “B4 We Even Kiss,” and it’s the product of a brother named Jaiden

I don’t know where he’s from but the only images that I’ve seen of him have included him donning NY hats, so he’s either a native or a fan. Speaking of fans, I’m sold instantly on his product. Someone put his mix CD, “The Cure Suite I,” into my hand and the first song that I heard was the aforementioned “B4 We Even Kiss.”

The mixtape is online and free. Visit http://unitedmusicro.com/v_jaiden-the-cure-suite-i-5399__3/ and download it. You won’t be disappointed.

Jay-Z needs to thank you, Jaiden. Until I heard your version of "Party Life," I was through with Jay-Z. However, your rendition sent me on a hunt for Jay's "American Gangster" album.

R. Kelly's "Untitled"

R. Kelly has maintained a questionable lifestyle since he's been in the limelight, but he's also produced some awesome music. From his own albums to songs for Marques Houston and Trey Songz, R. Kelly has been consistently contributing great music to the industry. The tradition is continued with recent album, “Untitled,” which was released, today. Because of who he is, I’ve gone through the new album and reviewed each track. I’m satisfied with my purchase. About half of the songs could be skipped. I know that that’s a lot, but the remaining songs make the album worth having.

Crazy Night – Is this weird song that sounds like the inter-genre offspring of Ron Browz’s “Pop Champagne” and “Oh What a Night,” the 1963 hit song by Four Seasons. It’s like eating ice cream and drinking a Coca-cola for a meal, just a bit unsettling to the stomach. The inclusion of R. City’s reggae flavor eases the weird feeling though. I guess we could call him the Pepto Bismol of this track. R. City salvages a little bit of the song, but I still say, “Skip it.”

Exit – Offers the piano-based writing that we are accustomed to hearing from Kel, every now and then. It has those limited but hard-hitting cords similar to an abbreviated bar from the composition of Tupac’s “I Ain’t Mad At Ya.” The empty spaces in the song are filled with a keyboard’s version of a string section, and it’s all sewn together by the rhythm of soft high hats and the rim of a snare. It’ll make you bob your head.

Echo – This is a sexy song. It’s not overridden with music. The song begins with Kel singing about skipping out on your daily routine for “sex in the morning, sex all day,” over nothing but the sound of strings, a heartbeat-like tom-tom drum, and the nicely-spaced ringing from one of those bells that you find on counters of mom and pop businesses. The hook introduces my favorite component of the instrumental, the sound of what appears to be an acoustic bass, upright bass, or the heaviest strings of a very large harp, which work nicely with his singing about his anxious anticipation of an all-day encounter and his yodeling (literally!). The song continues in like fashion until the vamp, when a rich harmony kicks in. The song is worth listening to, and is almost on that “12-play” level, but not quite.

Banging on the Headboard – I’m personally tired of hearing about artists singing about headboards. Have sex on the couch or something, so that we can sing about something else. However, if I had to choose a song about banging headboards, it would be this one. This is the R. Kelly that I like to hear. All that built-up sexual energy oozes all over claps, bells, and some warped instrument that sounds like someone playing a saw. I can also appreciate the aesthetic repetition in the “banging, banging, banging, banging the headboard” chorus.

Go Low – All I have to say is “Go Low.” This is the hottest track on the CD. It’ll make you want to get it. The song is so smooth that you’ll hear but not be slowed by the occasional crazy references to things like “biscuits,” and how he equates the experience to everything from basketball to a buffet.

Whole Lotta Kisses – Sounds like it was written for Kelly’s debut album “Born into the 90s.” It’s okay, but after its time in my opinion. It’s okay to skip it.

Like I Do – No comment…just skip it and act like it’s not even there.

Number One – It seems like this was released so far in advanced of the album that everyone should be familiar with this R. Kelly – Keri Hilson collaboration. It was hot when I first heard it but, thanks to V-103 and other Atlanta radio stations, now I’m so tired of hearing it. It does still make me bounce, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it.

I Love the DJ – Kel, where did you get this track? Off of an old Madonna album? That’s what it sounds like. If you have a more eclectic taste that finds techno palatable or you still enjoy dusting off your old Madonna albums, you may dig this. As for me, I don’t like it at all, except for the detour from the accompaniment for the “slow it down” part of the song. Skip it.

Supaman High – The little part where he says “I’m superman high, duh duh duuuh,” like trumpets are announcing his arrival into the realm of highness, is funny, but the combination of the strange music and OJ’s yelping like a Chihuahua earns this song a “skip it” rating.

Be My #2 – I love it! It’s like the return of Jamiroquai with the upbeat bass line and the brass. I think the message is silly though. Imagine a candlelit room and a man getting down on a knee and asking you to be his #2. I’m still digging this though. I believe the skaters will be feeling this too.

Text Me – Boring…skip it!

Religious – Boring…skip it!

Elsewhere – Boring skip it!

Pregnant – WTH…The music is nice. It starts beautifully but then Kel goes and taints it with these ridiculous lyrics. I’m not even going to give any words from the verse, but the chorus says, “I’m trying to get you pregnant,” with “knock you up” being chanted in the background. Skip it.

Ultimately, I think that Kel's CD is worth the buy, but listen for yourself and let me know what you think.