otis redding: monterey pop festival.

dl: OTIS REDDING - Monterey Pop Festival, June 17, 1967
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One of my favorite songs of all time is Otis Redding's version of "Respect" performed at the Monterey Pop Festival. I don't know how I didn't notice this earlier, but Funky16Corners did an MP3 rip of Redding's entire set. This isn't something you want to miss. Click the link above, and download away!

alan wilkis: milk and cookies.

dl: ALAN WILKIS - Milk And Cookies (YSI)
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Alan Wilkis is an independent musician from Brooklyn, and he recently released his first solo album Babies Dream Big. Combining '70s and '80s soul, soft rock, and electronic music, Wilkis creates jam after jam. A popular track on the album called "Milk And Cookies" was partially inspired by Tears For Fears, but that wasn't all! Wilkis confided in me about some of the lyrical content in the song...

"Lyrically, (this is kinda funny / can't believe I'm admitting this) some inspiration came from New Kids on the Block... that's right... NKOTB! A friend had emailed me the song, 'Tonight,' probably more as a joke than anything, but I wound up listening to it a bunch of times. There's all these funny Beatles references in there (seriously) - they rip off some of the string parts from 'Eleanor Rigby' and a bunch of other things too...totally weird and awesome...

"Anyway, I was listening to it and noticed that they must have said the word "girl" about 15,000 times over the course of the song. Like so incredibly excessive that I started thinking what if they were in on it/were consciously trying to be ridiculous/clever under the guise of total pop stardom, and did their fans even notice at the time? So basically, I was thinking about that quite a bit when I came up with the verses for the song..."

On top of genre-fucking, this song is a total mind-fuck in the best way possible. The synth that comes in around 0:15 is so reminiscent of Reading Rainbow, and then it turns into this totally rad '80s arena rock Beck-esque tune. There's this totally-Nintendo breakdown at 2:25, and around 3:33 another breakdown reminiscent of fist-pumping and Prince. Genius.

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- BUY IT - SPACE IT - HYPE IT -

passion pit: better things.

d/l: PASSION PIT - Better Days (YSI)

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I'm not going to lie. I've spent most of the remaining days of 2007 listening to nothing but Mary J. Blige. I mean, let's be real...2007 totally sucked. So I needed a strong black woman to bring me into the new year, eh?

When I was able to pull myself away from MJB, I was bumping the crap out of "Better Days". My friend Xue sent it my way for Christmas, and it may be my theme for 2008. My New Year's resolutions haven't collapsed entirely (yet), so such optimistic lyrics as "Baby don't be unhappy, Baby don't be sad. Better things are coming, I swear there's truth in that" really resonate with me in a total 9th grade gospel choir kind of way. Plus this is a totally hot dance-party jam. Kudos to Michael Angelakos.

I also can't get over how awesome this bio is:

"So like, get it out of your mind that this is yet another avant-retro scumbag project, some kind of 21st-century revival of that 80's electropop revival from the late 90's.

No, no, that's not it at all.

It's more like...well, remember when Peter Gabriel and Scritti Politti crashed your Christmas party sophomore year and did a set of Prince covers on your little cousin's toy piano? Do you remember how pure, how beautiful everything looked outside that night, the snowflakes caught in floodlight against the black of the sky? And that girl--what was her name--how gorgeous she looked in that weird white sweatshirt with all that fake sparkly stuff in her hair? It was NOW, right now, and there wasn't anything else but now.

Yeah, that's it. But that's not all of it."

New Year's resolutions for blogging: Stop using the word "awesome" to describe things. Stop copying and pasting, pretending it is content. Stop trying to pretend that a doodle of Mark Ruffalo with an eyepatch + a kitten with sunglasses has anything to do with this song. Stop forgetting to remind listeners that there are two other songs available for download on the space.

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bonus track: PASSION PIT - Sleepy Head (YSI)
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- buy it - space it -

fantasia: broke.

FANTASIA's lack of popularity among hipsters baffles me.

Did I just say that? Yes. I did. Am I suggesting that hipsters should embrace a winner of American Idol, a show which by nature turns out cookie-cutter pop stars? Yes, I mean, they were all over Kelly Clarkson's vagina when she released "Since U Been Gone". So what's wrong with Fantasia? Is it because she's black? Do hipsters hate black people?

No.* I've been to many a basement party in which skinny white kids pump their fists and flail their bodies around to Amerie's "One Thing", Beyonce's "Crazy in Love", and Kanye West's "Gold Digger". I think this is evidence that hipsters totally love black people. But why not Fantasia? Is it because she was illiterate? What if you found out that Amerie was illiterate? Would you take her off your pod? Also, what does reading have to do with singing? What's love got to do with it? These are the questions that have been plaguing me through many a sleepless night.

When I ask these questions, I'm completely dismissing Fantasia's 2004 album Free Yourself as a point of attraction for hipsters. There's an ounce of hope that some could appreciate "Baby Mama" for ironic purposes, but this album includes a bit too many sentimental ballads and the upbeat numbers rate zero for hipster-appeal.

But seriously. How have all the people who posted Amerie's "Gotta Work" or "Take Control" completely ignored the fist-pumping, critically-adored, soulful tunes "Uneligible" and "Bore Me (Yawn)"? I suppose most of them ignored the leak of Fantasia, expecting that it wouldn't suit their palates. They were wrong...well, at least about these two songs. If any of you are reading this, get to the nearest iTunes store and download those jams. Even if you don't like them, can you at least admit that they make you respect Fantasia a bit more?

I guess this entire entry stemmed from my love for an unreleased Fantasia song by the name of "Broke". I was listening to it at work one day, noting the similarities to "Gotta Work". Inspirational message? Check. Driving soul vibe? Check. Powerful vocals? Check. Plus, she sounds so cute when she's like, "My headphones ain't workin'!"

Hipsters may not hate black people, but they certainly don't care about them. Otherwise, they'd give Fantasia a second listen and realize what they're missing out on.

dl: FANTASIA - Broke (YSI)
(R&B soul jam)
- buy it - site it - space it - wik it - hype it -

* Well, at least not all of them. I bet you are a hipster. You hate black people, don't you?

cannonball jane: take it to fantastic.

CANNONBALL JANE is totally a teacher, but "Take It To Fantastic" sounds way cooler than any music that my elementary school teachers could have come up with. At least I think so. Maybe my 30-something teacher in second grade dabbled in gangsta rap?

Well, Cannonball Jane is certainly not gangsta or rap, but there's definitely a huge hip-hop tinge to her material. I never would have imagined that such sweet sounds could come out of Bridgeport, CT...mostly because it always looked gross anytime I passed it on the highway. However, Cannonball Jane isn't as gross as I always thought Bridgeport was.

Girl group pop seems to be totally cool these days (see Amy Winehouse, The Pipettes), but I've yet to hear someone who's taken that formula and chose to reinvent it, rather than emulate it. The vocals of Cannonball Jane are girl-group pop, but the beats are so hip-hop that I expect Ghostface to pop in any minute now and drop a verse.

"Take It To Fantastic" will be featured on the October 9th release of Knees Up!, which also includes two remixes of the song-- one by Adrock of The Beastie Boys and another by DJ Downfall.

dl: CANNONBALL JANE - Take It To Fantastic (YSI)
(hip-hop beats/girl-group vocals, awesome)
- site it - space it -

superlover shania d: it's u.

SUPERLOVER SHANIA D's "It's U" is a dash of Kelis, a sprinkle of Sade, and 100% Shania D.*

In fact, this song could pass as an unreleased slow-jam by Kelis. I don't say this to imply that it is unoriginal, given that one of the sole characteristics of Kelis is her originality and the fact that she just doesn't give a fuck about fitting into genres or expectations. In fact, this general attitude seems to propel Shania D forward herself-- "Her influences include Nina Simone, Sade, Bob Marley, Santana, Frida Kahlo, Esthero, Tricky, and Missy Elliott. All artists who did it their way with no apologies."

Similarities to other artists seem to be by mere coincidence. Her song "Brighter Hue" may have a vibe reminiscent of Sly & The Family Stone, but I don't get the impression that she sat down and said to herself, "I am going to write, sing, and produce a song that is reminiscent of Sly & The Family Stone!" There's something so incredibly genuine and likable about her. When asked for more details about her tunes, she states-- "My music is inspired by life, love, and the belief that we as artists have a voice and can use that voice and power to promote love, peace, fun, joy, and good times."

Going back to "It's U"...I don't know if it was intentional or not, but this song is pure bedroom-babymakin' music. It's the type of song that could have you humping your pillow in the absence of your lover. Hypothetically (I swear). "Underwater2U", a purely instrumental track, has a similar effect...as does "Geneva", which (for some reason) reminds me of Me'shell Ndegeocello's "Andromeda and the Milky Way" in a very positive way.

But it's not all just sexy, sultry shit. This girl raps, speaks poetry, and did I mention that she produces all of this herself? Because she does. She's also scoring (scored?) a documentary on the life of John Woo.

Long story short, I totally wish we were friends.

dl: SUPERLOVER SHANIA D - It's U (YSI)
dl: SUPERLOVER SHANIA D - Underwater2U (YSI)
(sexy jams)
- buy it - site it - space it -

* In retrospect, I've realized that this doesn't quite make sense, but I like the way it sounds. Perhaps there are trace elements of Kelis and Sade that weren't quite significant to include? Or I'm stupid.

alice smith: do i.

ALICE SMITH has been rocking my pod for a while. The first time I heard "Do I", I nearly cried. The emotion in Alice's voice is so raw, and it's soulful in the kind of way that isn't trying too hard to be soulful (see Joss Stone).

Though don't call it soul around her. She won't agree.

"I don't think of it as a soul record. When I was in school, I really thought about soul a lot. I was listening a lot to Björk and to the Commodores. I really wanted to know how they felt. And especially with Björk, the music there told me wow, that's really her soul, there. I thought about her a lot, about the sound of her music… Well, it wasn't exactly about the sound, and it wasn't about what other people call 'finding your bounds', or whatever. I thought of her soul; her music made me contemplate her soul. It made me think of Björk, and how she felt. You know what I mean? What she felt like inside. It was never about the genre. So I just came never to think of the idea of soul as being about a category."
Strangely, this makes sense. Few of Smith's songs sound the same, and as she grows in popularity major labels have been trying to sign her. Unfortunately, this process has been incredibly frustrating as they have been asking her to focus her sound to fit into a defined category or genre. "A lot of people at these labels treat audiences like they're stupid. Like, 'You should focus your style or people won't get it.' I don't think that's true. Who only listens to country music? I mean, I'm sure there are people out there, but not the normal ones," she states in an article from Rolling Stone. Well, whether she remains indie or heads to the majors, she'll still have my ears.

If you happen to be in the Philly area, Alice Smith will be playing on May 6th at the Black Lily Film and Music Festival. Be sure to check it out!

d/l: ALICE SMITH- Do I (YSI)
(heartbreaking bluesy soul-rock ballad)
- buy it - site it - space it - hype it - wik it -

BLOGWATCH: Scattermish has a teaser for the new Bjork album, as well as a track from Diplo's protege DJ Blaqstar. Bigstereo shows me how late I am in discovering the amazing Yelle by posting her also amazing video...From Blown Speakers has a few songs up for download.

betty harris: music for feedback.

DOWNLOAD: BETTY HARRIS- Show It
(super-rare recording by a 1960s New Orleans soul goddess)
- buy it - read up -

I wish I owned this suit. Just finished up this cardboard cut last night, though it had been on hold for a while. This image is the unfinished version, because you KNOW I'm too lazy to take a new one.

I'm still in the process of figuring out how to format these posts. I'll keep 'em coming as long as I can.

WHAT IS THIS? WHERE ARE THE REGULAR POSTS?

alice smith vs. corinne bailey rae: soul-ebrity deathmatch.

ALICE SMITH is one of those musical artists that I just couldn't resist blogging about. Like Corinne Bailey Rae, she is one of those rare modern soul songstresses who really shines...except after hearing Alice Smith, I'd throw Ms. Bailey Rae into a trash can in a second.

It's nothing personal. Both ladies write exquisite soul songs, except Smith actually delivers the soul. Where Corinne sugarcoats her songs in a simple, happy acoustic sound, Alice revels in the darkness with her complex arrangements. Alice makes the type of music that...leaves you breathless, wanting more. It's invigorating. It's true, cathartic at times. Compared to Alice, Corinne's tunes are nothing but background music.

However, Corinne is still on top in the end when it comes to sales. While Alice is performing show after show in NYC, Corinne's album is being sold in every Starbucks in the city. She's touring the world, popping up everywhere from iTunes to VH1. She's playing the majors...BUT she's playing it safe. It seems as if Corinne draws too much from her formerly successful influences, while Alice isn't afraid to take risks and go where her heart takes her. And while she may be stuck updating her own myspace page (GASP!), this only increases her genuine appeal. Top that off with a four octave range, and I think we have a winner.

DOWNLOAD: ALICE SMITH- Dream
DOWNLOAD: ALICE SMITH- Fake is the New Real
(mp3s courtesy of soul shower)

BUY For Lovers, Dreamers, & Me <-- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

DOWNLOAD: CORINNE BAILEY RAE- Trouble Sleeping (KRCW session)

BUY Corinne Bailey Rae

BLOGWATCH: Analog Giant has a great remix by Freeform Five of Alice Smith's song "Love Endeavor". Stars are blind has that new JoJo which I know you've been...um...dying to hear?

BLOGGER NOTE: I'll be away until next week with no internet, so hopefully you will be able to survive. Leave me some love!

cee-lo: the closet freaks come out at night.

Cee-Lo Green the soul machine is certainly living up to his name these days. Whether he's singing about contemplating suicide or buying ladies drinks, he brings a full-force whirlwind of soul. And these days, he is turning out soulful sounds like a MACHINE.

You may be among those who are sick of "Crazy" thanks to the constant airplay on radio and video channels, or you may be among those who just realized how fabulous St. Elsewhere is. Either way, you probably want more Cee-Lo than can possibly be delivered. Or can it be?

Currently Cee-Lo is working on three musical projects...Gnarls Barkley with DJ Danger Mouse, The Heart Attack with Jack Splash of Plantlife, and an un-named collaboration with producer Jazze Pha.

If you haven't heard Gnarls Barkley yet than you must live on another planet. The extremely bizarre duo has lucked out, becoming pop music superstars.

WATCH: first draft of "Crazy" video
WATCH: live slow version of "Crazy" (Gnarls Barkley as men in uniform, violins)

DOWNLOAD: GNARLS BARKLEY- Just a Thought
DOWNLOAD: GNARLS BARKLEY vs. THE SHIRELLES- Crazy (Baby It's You)

BUY St. Elsewhere

The Heart Attack is a collaboration that makes sense the minute you actually hear Jack Splash's music. It's blatantly right up Cee-Lo's alley.

DOWNLOAD: THE HEART ATTACK- Right Now
DOWNLOAD: THE HEART ATTACK- Gangsta Boogie

Jazze Pha & Cee-Lo's collabo Happy Hour was originally shelved, but will probably be released after the success of Gnarls Barkley. Honestly, there's no reason it shouldn't have been shelved because it's the least interesting and uninspired of this bunch. But whatevs...the show goes on for Mr. Green.

WATCH: "Happy Hour" video at website

DOWNLOAD: JAZZE PHA & CEE-LO f/ THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS- Disco Chick

On top of that, there are rumors that Cee-Lo will be involved in a Goodie Mobb reunion album. All of that, and we're not even taking into account his solo career. Below you will find a video featuring Cee-Lo and a closing jam that was brought to my attention by Ms. Moondance Gypsyfox.

BONUS VIDEO: Mayday f/ Cee-Lo & DJ Craze- Groundhog Day

DOWNLOAD: CEE-LO- Under the Influence (Follow Me)

BUY Cee-Lo's music