Big Up the Bristol Massive

Meaningless musical labels generally irk me somewhat, and the label "trip-hop" is one which has always irritated me more than most. Beginning in the early 1990's the label purports to summarise the British take on US hip-hop, characterised by down-tempo beats, and including elements of dance and electronica, dub and breakbeats, and associated most heavily with the Mo'Wax stable. Godfathers of trip-hop are generally regarded to be Massive Attack, the Bristol DJ and soundsystem collective whose seminal 1991 album Blue Lines is often seen as the year zero for the genre it spawned. But to reduce the album to such an irksome label is to do it a massive injustice, for Blue Lines is simply one of the greatest albums of all time. It is hip-hop pure and simple, not trip-hop, and hip-hop simply done in an original and fresh way, but with a distinct UK twist.

The most famous track is of course the immense Unfinished Sympathy, but start to finish it is just a great piece of work and influential beyond recognition. Certainly it reaches far beyond other well regarded so-called trip-hoppers such as Portishead, one-time member Tricky, DJ Shadow and Coldcut. It regularly features in the higher reaches of critical lists of the greatest UK albums of all time, and is a must for all music fans, not least of all as a reintroduction point to the sweet-voiced genius of reggae legend Horace Andy and a reminder of how good Tricky might have been had he not succumbed to the more paranoid and dark elements of his musical output.Always a joy to hear, if you don't know it yet, let me tell you, you are sleeping on a classic.

Are You That Somebody

How, you have probably never asked yourself, could the full on sound of US punksoul rockers the Gossip ever bring to mind the sweet RnB stylings of the gone but never forgotten Aaliyah. Well, at a raucous gig I attended last week, said rockers took me on a trip down memory lane with a stripped down version of Aaliyah's classic tune "Are You That Somebody", and served to remind me just what a loss the singer's early death was for the music industry. Of course Aaliyah famously burst onto the urban music scene in 1994 aged just 14 with the massive "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number" album, and so when she died tragically in the summer of 2001, with a string of hit albums, singles and recent movie roles to her name, it was easy to forget that she was only 22 and far from her peak.

A revisit to her back catalogue reminds you of the huge talent lost, and the career collaborations with Timbaland especially provide some of the finest examples of RnB pop around, edgy enough to gain respect from the street, but accessible enough to ride high in the charts. I honestly believe that her influence is still criminally understated, and would urge you to remind yourself of the massiveness of some of her tunes as a matter of urgency. Beginning with "Are You That Somebody" isn't a bad start, even if it does mean digging out that hidden copy of the Dr Doolittle soundtrack to find it.

Blue Eyed Soul

We all love Warren G's Regulate. Of course we do. But have we ever stopped to consider just how genius Warren was in his choice of sample for this song? Taking the melancholy blue-eyed soul of Michael McDonald and his sister, Maureen, as they sing (in a slightly spooky incestuous fashion it has to be said) "I keep forgettin', we're not in love in anymore", would not have been everybody's first choice of sampled breaks. And it is still amazing to me that this has become such a seminal moment in the development of the G-Funk sound. In the original, the twang of the bass guitar preludes the repeated chorus mantra, and the aching melancholia of an affair that has finished, "things will never be the same again". And yet in Regulate, Warren G inverts the yearning sentiment, and replaces it with the mellowest of tales of his own chilled out G-ness. Sometimes, creative genius demands that the purveyor takes some big risks, stakes his reputation on a vision that few others can initially see. But surely Warren G's use of this sample takes the biscuit. "G-Funk, step to this, I dare ya" he boldly challenges as he lays down the G-Funk template, and it is soon very clear that he who dares wins. And it samples Young Guns.
Ridiculous.

Dopest Ethiopian

Sometimes you have to go back to the source to find the essence, the initial inspiration behind the songs you love. Now of course we love the Pharcyde, and as i've said before 'Bizarre Ride' is a constant in any aural top five i'd create. It is next level, and one of the tunes that encapsulates the greatness of the album is of course 'Passin' Me By', a masterpiece of languid production by J-Swift (of more soon on Story To Tell). The incredible keys driving the song are the inspired sample of Quincy Jones' take on the Lovin' Spoonful's 'Summer in the City' from 1973, and therein lies the root of the fruit. For if you take the inevitable step back one stage further in this small tale of musical mystery, you will find the original 1966 recording of the track. And there you will find one of the best slices of semi-psychedelic pop committed to vinyl in the sixties, a portrait of LA in the summertime.

All pointless waffle aside, the Lovin' Spoonful really are a band worth checking out if you like your feel-good 60s pop-rock served with a mellow twist, and all shadowed by the sunny, smooth vocals of John. B.Sebastian. From grey old London it's the closest i get to LA in the sunshine right now, and i'm sticking to it!

Gangster of Love

If you have never come across the pure joy that is the music of Johnny "guitar" Watson then i'm afraid that you've got some catching up to do, but what fun that catching up could prove to be. The man's career has its roots in the Houston Blues scene of the 1950s, but was defined by an unerring knack for the constant reshaping of his musical skills to remain relevant, and interesting, until his untimely death in the midst of a final welcome comeback in 1996, whilst touring Japan. Despite origins as a pianist, it was Watson's incredible 1954 instrumental "Space Guitar" that earned him his first real attention, and features techniques so far ahead of their time it is spooky.

Some stunning upbeat Blues numbers followed, including the inspired "Gangster of Love" in1957 (and again in the early 1960s and late 1970s), as well as a jazz album for Chess Records in 1964, and another reinvention as funk supremo in the 1970s. He was even able to ride the electro train semi-successfully with 1984's long player "Strike on Computers", and a stunning reprise came once more with the grammy nominated 1994 offering "Bow Wow". The constant shedding of musical skins can lead to some duds in the repertoire, but when he hit form, Watson was a musician and performer who could cut it with the very best. And to return to perhaps his most famous hit, the afore-mentioned Gangster of Love, his sense of fun and of funk is encapsulated in the lines describing the gangster character's love ride from state to state: "The sheriff says 'is you Guitar Watson?' In a very deep voice, I say yes sir Brother Sheriff, and that's your wife on the back of my horse!". Brilliant.

Full Clipse

I was listening to Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury, the most recent long-player release from brother act Malice and Pusha-T and, well, it is simply ridiculous how good it is. Just when you thought that The Neptunes had really become too ubiquitous to ever sound creatively fresh again, and that Pharell had disappeared so far up his own posterior that he was seeing his Bapes from the inside, there they go and produce a classic. And what is really astonishing is that the record began being made in 2003, delayed in production and record label wrangling until late 2006. For other albums this might have meant an outdated sound and a stilted creativity, but Clipse have used the delay to ensure that every line and every beat is on point, crafting a dark and menacing masterpiece. It's like Shook Ones Pt1 across a whole album, only better.

Apocalyptic Horses

In preparing to write this blog about just how amazing Pharoahe Monch is I have to admit that I have been side-swiped slightly. Don't fret, there is plenty of time to discuss how incredible Monch is, live and on wax, not to mention the time with Organized Konfusion. But for now, let me explain how I came to be so distracted. In checking a couple of facts about Mr Monch, like why can't I get his solo debut Internal Affairs anywhere anymore (!!), I was intrigued by mention of the HRSMN project, for which he was named as an affiliate. Delving deeper, there on the world wide web I found details of what can only be described as a ridiculous posse project. For those that slept, like my good self, HRSMN is the Horsemen Project, as in the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, featuring no less members than Can-i-bus, Kurupt, Ras Kass and Killah Priest. The group seems organic in its make-up, releasing one long player, 2003's The Horsemen Project, as well as collaboration cuts on each members' solo joints, not to mention numerous affiliate members such as Monch, Kool G Rap, Keith Murray, and Rakim amongst others. Now, I've not knowingly heard any HRSMN tracks, but a quick check on Wikipedia would suggest otherwise, from Horsementality on Can-i-bus'2000 BC album to Inner G from Killah Priest's latest LP The Offering, and numerous others. It feels a bit like discovering the 213, if you know what I mean, and quite frankly I never thought I would be so glad to see the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse galloping towards me!

Omar-vellous

Hit track 11 on the current Twelve Bar Sessions and you will find one of the best slices of sun-drenched soul ever committed to wax. Omar's "There's Nothing Like This" is a bonafide classic of its type. However, people often confuse this doubtless highlight as being a career peak for this British soul icon, when actually it marks the beginning of a rich and varied career, and consistently high quality output, culminating most recently in the excellent long-player "Sing (If You Want It)". Omar has sold out shows across the globe, including 6 US tours, and has influenced, and collaborated with, some stellar musical figures, from super fans Stevie Wonder and Angie Stone, to Erykah Badu, Common and the UK's own hip-hop daddy Rodney P. There remains a misnomer though, that his career has always been doomed for disappointment due to an inability to match this debut release, but that myopia is also a reason why the UK soul scene has remained so stunted, despite a rich cultural base, musical heritage and talent pool to draw from. Yes there have been great UK soul acts, and brilliant recordings, but so-called Music Of Black Origin (or MOBO) remains ghettoised by the indifference the very labels who should serve to promote it. But also by the UK crowd, who lap up this indifference while simultaneously drinking up the hype around the latest US-based bling merchant. A shame, because the scene has really turned out some brilliant artists. And you could do much worse than starting the exploration back at track 11. There really is nothing like this.

Nas is Like

To begin with I should say that I totally recognise the legendary status of Mr Nasir Jones, aka Nasty Nas, aka Nastradamus, aka Nas. Indeed Illmatic, as all heads will testify, is an all-time classic, and surely a firm fixture in any top ten list of all time hip-hop long players. But I have to admit also to some real fallow periods of dedication to the cause. It Wasr Written had some good joints, and subsequent jams had the odd gems, but finding the smooth amongst the rough soon became something of a trickier task, albeit against a backdrop of increasing hero-worship and legend making. Recently though I have been listening again to the recent resurgence encapsulated on Hip-Hop Is Dead and just had to say that there are some truly brilliant offerings in there. It is not a classic by any means, but there are signs that one of the best and most intelligent story-tellers in rap is in a good place creatively, and to me there is hope that this may be a sign of a renaissance for a man who, despite impressive sales, still had a one hit record every ten year average. Check it out again if you haven't looked since the initial repeat plays following release, and see what you think. I don't think you'll be disappointed at a revisit.