Category: R and B

Ten Songs from 2015 that you should be listening to: #1 The Internet’s For The World

theinternetband-640x360[1]I keep saying that I want to make a list of the best intro verses in Hip-hop and R&B; verses that grab you from the jump1. Whenever I get to that list, Syd tha Kyd’s first bars on ‘For the World” will definitely be on it: “Cigarettes and sex on your breath, I guess/It’s cool, I’m the same, the way we kiss.” Syd, Matt Martians, and the rest of the band don’t waste time getting into the groove of this song – there’s no wasted intros or spoken verse.

Ego Death is The Internet’s most complete album yet. On this LP, The Internet is now a full band, giving the album a full and complete sound. The new additions don’t take away from the quirkiness of their first releases, instead, it makes most of the tracks feel structured and fully thought out. Syd’s also gone another level as a writer and singer. She’s still as transparent and intimate, but has more confidence in her vocal abilities.

I love just about every track on this album (it’s my favorite album of 2015); the James Fauntleroy-assisted “For The World” barely beats out “Gabby” as my favorite track. I’m still not sure what “For The World” is about: it’s part love song, part Natural Born Killers, part protest song, and all groove (and a great groove at that).

The Internet’s For The World (featuring James Fauntleroy)

Ten Songs from 2015 that you should be listening to: #3 Grip and #4 Grip (Interlude) from Creed

CRD205_000084.tifFull disclosure – as of this writing, I have not seen Creed. But, my brother has. In fact, as soon as he saw it, he bought the soundtrack AND the score – for these two tracks specifically.

I don’t know where in the movie these songs show up. I don’t know why they are called “Grip”. I don’t even know if Creed aka Johnny Storm aka Wallace wins his fight. All I know is that I can power through an extra two or three reps when these songs pop up in my workout playlist.

Both versions were written by Ludwig Göransson. The R&B version, with vocals by Tessa Thompson1, starts out with a great lyric (“I might give a little / But you can take it all / I might try to run / But just to make you follow“) over a driving beat. Göransson’s euro-smooth-soul-pop-electronic sound is perfect here (and is great for Tessa’s voice). The track almost sounds like something from Zero 7’s Simple Things.

The second track, taken from the Creed Original Motion Picture Score, keeps the driving beat, but replaces Tessa’s lyrics with a humming and synthesizer take on the lyrics.

Tessa Thompson – Grip

Ludwig Göransson – Grip (Interlude)

Ten Songs from 2015 that you should be listening to: #7 Teedra Moses’ All I Ever Wanted

NEW YORK - MAY 10: Recording artist Teedra Moses poses for photos at Teedra Moses and Keke Wyatt's Showcase at Room Service May 10, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Ray Tamarra/Getty Images)Teedra Moses dropped a classic “hood-life” LP – Complex Simplicity – in 2004 and disappeared (outside of the occasional mix-tape or guest appearance).1 11 years later, she’s back with her second official release: Cognac & Conversation. Teedra is still down, but has evolved: check her lyrics to 2004’s “You’ll Never Find”

Oh cat daddy…

Tell me what you know about, tell me what you know about.
(You and me together)
Loving, so sweet, no beef, just us two
Tell me what you know about, tell me what you know about
(Love through any weather)
Fuss, fight, put you out, take you back cuz baby it’s a
(Ghetto love affair, Ghetto love affair, Ghetto love affair)

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Ten Songs from 2015 that you should be listening to: #8 Jazmine Sullivan’s Mascara

Jazmine-Sullivan-Mascara-Promo[1]As Kanye once said: “I ain’t sayin’ she’s a gold-digger, but she ain’t messin’ with no….”

Well, Jazmine Sullivan does call them gold diggers, in the excellent “Mascara”. Her opening lyrics let you know exactly what’s she’s singing about (in the first person, no less)1:

Yeah my hair and my — fake, but so what?
I get my rent paid with it and my —- get me trips
To places I can’t pronounce right
He said he’d keep it coming if I keep my body tight

Simply put: its a great song with great production from Key Wane. And yeah, it’s about a “kept” woman, but really I think its about all of us – the paranoia or worry we have about our looks.

Most people think I’m shallow
‘Cause I’m always dressed like I’m going out to the club
But I gotta keep up cause it’s new chicks poppin’ up everyday
And they want the same thang

Jazmine Sullivan – Mascara

Ten Songs from 2015 that you should be listening to: #9 Jill Scott’s Prepared

music2-1-57b0cc5098090001[1]I’m a sucker for artists that write and record from the heart; maybe that’s why I have every studio album that “Jilly from Philly” has released. I find her honesty refreshing: everything’s not always ok, sometimes things are good, sometimes bad… and everyone likes grits.

Her 2015 release, Woman, is another peek into her life; however, it feels like the drama has subsided since 2011’s Light of the Sun1. When I first listened to the album, I heard a theme of cleaning up the messes we make along the way. That speaks to me; maybe it’s what I love “Prepared”.
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