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Rahsaan Patterson’s latest project, Wines & Spirits, is more musically diverse than any of his previous three studio LPs. With W&S, Rah manages to juxtapose his trademark brand of soulful r&b with genres that he is less associated: funk, rock, hip hop, and even flourishes of electronica. And although Rah capably weaves through disparate styles, it is the songs that boast his mastery of buttery “neo-soul” which remain his trump cards.

“Delirium (Comes & Goes)” is one of the more atypical kind of Rahsaan songs found here. A loungey, quasi-house beat, ala Peven Everett, lays…

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Mark Ronson is the man behind Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" - get into it:

1. God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (featuring The Daptone Horns)
2. Oh My God (featuring Lily Allen)
3. Stop Me (featuring Daniel Merriweather)
4. Toxic (featuring Tiggers & ODB)
5. Valerie (featuring Amy Winehouse)
6. Apply Some Pressure (featuring Paul Smith)
7. Inversion
8. Pretty Green (featuring Santo Gold)
9. Just (featuring (Phantom Planet)
10. Amy (featuring Kenna)
11. The Only One I Know (featuring Robbie Williams)
12. Diversion
13. L.S.F.…

Friday, August 10, 2007 @ 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C.

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Amel Larrieux brought her live act to DC Friday night, so of course I had to check it out. I had already seen Amel in concert five times prior to Friday night’s show, so I was eager to experience her one mo’ gin.

The brilliance of Amel the performer was realized early on when she divulged to the audience that her 3-piece band (a bass player, a drummer, and a keyboardist) had only been working with her for the last four days. But she, the band, and her…

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Janelle Monáe

taken from my recent myspace bulletin:

aight y'all - i've NEVER posted a myspace bulletin before now… but miss Monáe is bringing some serious sonic heat…

Her epic album "Metropolis" is being offered to the masses in four separate installments - the first of which (sub-titled "the chase") is available for purchase on August 24, but you can pre-order it for only $5 (+1.75 for s&h) today! Do yourself a favor and get into it!

i rarely recommend artists to folx, but JM's muzik forces me to buck the trendz… hers is muzik that juxtaposes the fonky,…

A brand new track of Brandy’s leaked to the ‘net last week called “Sweet Nothings”. Supposedly, this song was recorded in early 2007 during the sessions for her upcoming, still-untitled album. However, there are many behind-the-scenes rumblings that this track will not be included on that project. How unfortunate.

“Sweet Nothings” is the kind of song that justifies Brandy being called an “artist”, because it avoids many of the current r&b musical clichés. Although the identity of the song’s producer is unclear to me at this point, it is evident that the current go-to knob-turners (i.e., Timbaland, Polow…

Since we're at the halfway point in the year, why not take a look back on some of my faves that were released during 2007:

"Momento" ~ Bebel Gilberto
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Bebel is one of those artists whose musical statements rarely stray from a specific comfort niche. And that's a good thing. Like her previous two albums, "Momento"'s Brazilian jazz is soothingly cohesive. Simple and beautiful.

"I Am" ~ Chrisette Michele
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Responsible for the year's best r&b album, Chrisette Michele came out of nowhere and helped inject flavor back into r&b. She handily alternates between uptempo, go-go-influenced music like "Be…

I Like The Sunrise

Several fellow Amel Larrieux accolytes have expressed to me their disappointment with Ms. L's "Lovely Standards" album. Repeatedly, I remind them that any album of covers has the inherent handicap of taking other folx' songs, infusing it with their own style, and finally - hopefully - making it relatable (and palatable) to their audience. LS is no exception. The beauty of LS is the celebration of the marriage between Larrieux's left-of-center musical flow and her subtly keen sense of vocal arrangement.

Take her cover of Duke Ellington's "I Like The Sunrise", for instance. On LS,…

"Discotech" ~ Young Love, 2007
"Find A New Way" ~ Young Love, 2007
"Flaws & All" ~ Beyonce, 2007
"Green Eyes" ~ D'sound, 2006
"Feel Again" ~ D'sound, 2006
"Sadness" ~ D'sound, 2006
"Sigh" ~ D'sound, 2006
"I Can't Believe I Loved Her" ~ Peven Everett, 2002
"Everyday Girl" ~ Peven Everett, 2003
"Easy Livin'" ~ Peven Everett, 2006
"Don't You" ~ Peven Everett, 2006
"Got To Get Down" ~ Peven Everett, 2006
"Come To Me" ~ JC Chasez, 2004
"Lentil (Live)" ~ Sia, 2007
"I Go To Sleep (Live)" ~ Sia, 2007
"Breathe…

DISCLAIMER:
I am a longtime Janet fan(atic); I've followed her since I was a pup. The following post details my opinion of how Janet's been handling her career lately - it's not a bash of her music in the least. Unfortunately, some folks don't/can't/won't recognize the distinction I'm making here, which forces me to preface this post with this disclaimer.

It's so fucking hard being a Janet Jackson fan in 2007… perhaps I should refer back to my August 2006 post entitled "A Janet Fan Is Not Fairweather", because that is exactly how that post started out (minus the…

"Headlock" ~ Imogen Heap, 2005
"Loose Ends" ~ Imogen Heap, 2005
"Say I" ~ Jazmine Sullivan, 2006
"Midnight & Martinis" ~ Emma Bunton, 2007
"Girlfriend" ~ Avril Lavigne, 2007
"With Love" ~ Hillary Duff, 2007