Lovely Bones

 
Ebony Bones is performing at the Portobello Winter Festival tonight. Here are three reasons why I’m pressed to see her.
 
1- She co-opts bits of black American culture and mixes it into an audio collage of afro-beat and post punk sounds in a really smart and cheeky way. Basically, she had me at her sonic version [...]

Posted: December 20th, 2008  Category: Sounds  Comments: No comments#

Grace Jones does vintage Grace Jones

Thank you to Grace Jones for staging a comeback that remains true to her original fierceness rather than one that attempts to compete with other young acts. Her new album, “Hurricane,” has the same brash (“William’s Blood”), kind of scary (“Corporate Cannibal”), definitely thrilling (the album title track), go-to-hell creativity (“Sunset Sunrise”) as the classics [...]

Posted: November 17th, 2008  Category: Sounds  Comments: No comments#

Three things I really love this week

1) One of the best things about living in London is the music scene. And with that, access to the UK’s iTunes. So my iPod is now loaded up with all of this great music by Britain’s soul divas. My favorite at the moment is Tawiah, who I’ve mentioned on this blog before. My Tawiah [...]

Posted: November 10th, 2008  Category: Sounds  Comments: No comments#

Remembrance: Miriam Makeba

A Miriam Makeba concert in Central Park was one of my first outdoor music experiences in New York. I began to associate Mama Africa with good times under the sun in the city and long nights dancing at Afro-Beat parties. So her death is not only a huge loss for the arts and culture world [...]

Posted: November 10th, 2008  Category: Life, Sounds  Comments: No comments#

An android girl in a digital world

Meet Janelle Monáe
 
By Kenya Hunt

Three reasons why you need to know who Janelle Monáe is: 1) She’s bringing a point of view to the urban music landscape that is entirely clever and new 2) She’s got a unique vocal delivery that puts her in a category with the Alicia’s and Beyoncé’s of the world [...]

Posted: July 18th, 2008  Category: Sounds  Comments: No comments#

On today’s playlist, 4th of July style

“Deeper Waters,” by Recloose featuring Joe Dukie

This song has nothing to do with America, patriotism or the colors red, white and blue. It doesn’t talk about democracy, politics or war. It’s simply a swinging, lazy, summer cookout jam with a beat that’s constant enough to do a slow, two-step to as you stand in line [...]

Posted: July 4th, 2008  Category: Life, Sounds  Comments: 1 comment#

An open letter to all aging music icons

To all of our favorite music icons from years past,

Please take notes from Al Green, whose new album, “Lay It Down,” sounds perfectly 2008 without coming across as if he’s trying to compete with Usher, Chris Brown, or any of the other young bloods singing R&B music these days. Rather than try to keep [...]

Posted: June 20th, 2008  Category: Sounds  Comments: No comments#

On today’s playlist

“Visions of Violet,” by José James (click song title to listen)

Posted: May 24th, 2008  Category: Sounds  Comments: No comments#

Irreplaceable, maybe. Inescapable, definitely.

What to do when you OD on your favorite pop diva.
by Malcolm Venable

And then one day it hit me: I cannot escape Beyoncé.

I can’t recall a respectable Beyoncé lull since before 2001, the year she and those other girls marched into my life with “Survivor,” “Independent Women,” and “Bootylicious.” Likeable, harmless and brainless pop it [...]

Posted: May 15th, 2008  Category: Sounds  Comments: No comments#

SOUNDS: On today’s playlist

“I’m Glad,” by The Black Keys (click song title to listen)

Posted: May 5th, 2008  Category: Sounds  Comments: No comments#