Great Music New Natural
"We Are KING"
~KING
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“We Are KING” by KING is easy eclectic listening. The album opens smooth and defined with Right One. You have a good understanding as to want type of music you are about to listening to; which in my book is a huge plus. Throughout the album you hear a lot of airy soft sounds which makes it a through and through album. The song order and transitions are seamless. I review enjoyed all the instrumental work. It is full on technique yet somehow not cluttered. I was so engulfed listening to the music that I had to go back through and focus on the lyrics. While there is nothing revolutionary lyrically the words in most the songs are very dreamy and vivid. Red Eye and Love Song are forward and pull you into a vision that a full of color and beauty. My only wish in this debut is I wanted to hear more of the group’s vocals. Maybe an a capella song or two would have been nice. These ladies are going to go far if the keep their niche and sound intact, but expand their vocals and of course exposure. Great job Ladies!
"Awaken, My Love!"
~ Childish Gambino
So, the winner of the year for odd and efficient goes to Childish Gambino AKA Donald Glover and his album “Awaken, My Love!”. Childish Gambino’s sound is intentionally alternative, almost not natural, but somehow still shines. The obvious Prince influence is all over this album which makes it intriguing. If you are looking for a standard hip hop rap album, this is not the album for you. If you are looking for deep lyrics mixed with trippy 70’s rock, then Awaken, My Love! is perfect. A mix between Lenny Kravitz and Andrae 3000, Childish Gambino’s lyrics are very socially conscious with songs like Riot, and Boogieman hitting all the relevant social tones of 2016. I could listen to it through and through, even opting to do it again, but mainly because I wasn’t sure what I heard. Stand Tall and Redbone were positive hits for me. The album seems to be weird for weird sake. I would have loved to hear some more jazz like instrumentals from him. Like his other albums, this was not produced for the masses, but for those who like creativity and accept the unexplainable. Good job Donald!
na Kendrick’s Scrappy Little Nobody changed tone on non-fiction. While I was clicking out of a different book on Amazon, I accidently selected Kendrick’s new memoir. Let me preference the rest of this mini fandom by acknowledging I am a little bit of a default fan. I have loosely followed Kendrick ever since the Twilight movie days because I thought she did an amazing job in those films. I have since, seen just about all her work and recently moved her to the actresses to watch category in my moviegoer pop culture mind. Okay, back to the book. So, I listened to the preview on Audible of Scrappy Little Nobody, narrated by the author Anna Kendrick (great idea) and I immediately felt her story as something I wanted to hear. She was so honest and transparent that I forgot I was reading about a celebrity. When she said in the first chapter that she wished she could call her book “A tweet, but longer.” I was sold. I downloaded the full book and started listening immediately finishing in just a few days. You can read my full review of Scrappy Little Nobody on my 
Today I went to get some new music and after hard deliberations, I chose #MYNAMEISJOETHOMAS by the ever faithful Joe Thomas and Seat at the Table by the talented and highly unrated Solange Knowles. Please enjoy my thoughts and opinions on each album and then go out and make your own choice. Dig into the music, embrace the creativity, and bring forth a new and refreshing attitude.
decade. He sings deep and from his heart delivering that grown and sexy music. Joe’s newest album titled #MYNAMEISJOETHOMAS is a solid and much needed nod to RnB. From the beginning he encourages the leap into love with “Lean Into It”. My favorite songs, “Wear the Night” and “Lay You Down” are for adults only and remind me of the woman that I am after work, wife and kids. Joe also gives us a little something new as he always does with “Hollow” and “Love Centric”. They have a mild country rock feel that once you focus in; you realize it fits him well. This unfortunately that is not the case with one of the two hip hop songs on the album. “Happy Hour” featuring Gucci Man is overly done and loud; creating an immediate frown on my face. The deep flat key of the chorus helps a little, but Gucci Mane just does not fit on this album. On “I Swear” the lyrics are a little more palatable and the music arrangementis a lot better. Overall the selling factor of Joe’s new album is his ability to tell women what they want to hear all the time from their man. Joe Thomas is singing apologies and providing the make-up playlist. The theme of forgiveness in his lyrics is the strongest quality throughout all his music. On this album, “Tough Guy” and the hit “So I Can Have You Back” show that men do have soft places in their hearts. My vote for the next single goes to “Lay You Down”; just in time for cozy love season and Valentine’s Day. I will be grooving to this album for a while and even when I put it down, I know Joe will be right there to hug me back into his musical heart.
your star fruit and incense for Solange’s new album Seat at the Table. It is filled with strong lyrics and expressive declarations. The hit single “Cranes in the Sky” brings sweetness to an otherwise socially charged album. Songs like “Don’t Touch My Hair” and “F.U.B.U” remind you about self-love and changing our own circumstances. My favorite songs are “Don’t Wait” and “Weary” and hearing Tweet mixed in on the vocals throughout the album was a treat. The biggest miss are the extended interludes. While I can see this type of urban eclectic album deserves some spoken word, I think the interviews and journal like dialogues were a little too much. Overall I love what Solange has put together. She has returned strong and meaningful. I’ll be keeping Seat at the Table in my rotation for a while.