Alicia Keys: Killing Me Softly

“Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song (repeat)
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly, with his song.”

So began a quintessential R&B classic sung by the renowned Roberta Flack – about an intimate moment shared between an artist, a listener and a song that speaks to the soul. “I felt all flushed with fever”, she sings, “embarrassed by the crowd / I felt he found my letters, and read each one out loud.” The lyrics are simple, the idea familiar but the song powerful – EVERYBODY at some point in their life, has been touched by a song that would seem to speak directly to them. Just as “Killing Me Softly” was one of those songs, you’re about to discover one of those albums.

Wiktionary defines ‘magnum opus’ as “A great work of literature or art, a masterpiece. The best, most popular, or most renowned achievement of an author or artist, representing his major life effort.” On December 15th, Alicia Keys releases what can only be described as her most brilliant magnum opus in THE ELEMENT OF FREEDOM – a 14 track set as lyrically and sonically beautiful as the album cover itself. This disc will be a landmark release in the evolution of her career and in her growth as an artist.

“And the day came when the risk it took to remain tightly closed in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom.” So begins the fifth album and fourth studio release from New York’s very own hip hop piano virtuoso Alicia Keys. Instantly familiar and recognizable in its theme and composition but diving deeper and soaring higher than any of her previous works. Equal parts haunting and nostalgic, powerful, triumphant and inspiring; ELEMENT is about that place between love lost and new love. We’ve all been there – where the pain of love lost becomes the echo of love past, and where the dark clouds of love past give way to the dawning of a new day and a new beginning. “… this is THE ELEMENT OF FREEDOM.”

All of the “elements” of love are in this set. From the inexplicable in Love Is Blind to the campy in Put It In A Love Song to the all-consuming in Like The Sea and That’s How Strong My Love Is – a melodic metaphor-driven track reminiscent of the Force MDs’ Tender Love. Like the first single, Doesn’t Mean Anything, much of this album pines for lost love however. In the reggae tinged Love Is My Disease, she confesses “When your gone it feels like my whole world’s gone with you / I thought love would be my cure, but now its my disease / I try to act mature, but I’m a baby when you leave / How can I ever get used to being without you?” I have to be careful though, because the writing is so good and the emotions readily identifiable that I could easily quote the entire album here.

Where this album soars is on INSPIRATION. Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart decides “rather than hold on to a broken dream, I’ll just hold on to LOVE / And I can find a way to make it / Don’t hold on too tight / I’ll make it without you tonight.” “Cause you’re stronger and you’re better and you’re ready for whatever”, declares Wait Till You See My Smile. And the choir-backed How It Feels To Fly (the most powerful track on the album) preaches, “If I can touch the sky / I’d risk the fall just to know how it feels to fly.” Vulnerability in tow, Un-thinkable (I’m Ready) freely admits “I think I deserve it” even though “I give up before we try / Feel the lows before the highs / Clip my wings before we fly away.”

Other standout tracks include the upbeat radio-friendly This Bed, the oddly placed Empire State of Mind (Part II) (an homage to her native New York City), and Distance and Time – a track which reminded me of Phil Collins’ I Wish It Would Rain Down. There isn’t a sour note on this entire set. Although uninspired with its repetitive lyrics, even the Beyonce/Keys Put It In A Love Song manages to hold its own. In a fresh twist, most of these songs are carried on a strong heartbeat of live drums. In combination with the piano playing, this gives the overall project a more live, organic, and intimate feel. THE ELEMENT OF FREEDOM sets a new bar for Alicia Keys with its exceptional writing and musical arrangement.

There’s plenty to love about this album and perhaps thats the fitting message to take away from this project. There’s plenty to love in this world and though one love may end, “rather than hold on to a broken dream, … just hold on to LOVE.”

Mariah Goes Minimalist and Proves Less is More

Alot has been said about the meteoric rise and ubiquitous meltdown of Mariah Carey.  I’m sure we could all sit around and waste an afternoon debating her career  choices both professionally and musically and what did or didn’t go wrong with her career and her wardrobe.  Some (like those two on Oprah) will eat up anything she spits out (including that horrendous performance on that Oprah episode), and some will argue that she stopped singing years ago.

Who could resist her debut with Vision of Love in 1990 and the steady stream of power ballads, pop hits and ear candy that carried her thru the decade.  Her marriage and subsequent divorce during that time seemed to steer the course of her music – as she transitioned from the multi-octave R&B/pop diva of the early nineties to something akin to an R&B/hiphop diva.  Fresh, unique and easy on the ears and the TRL scene, who can forget the first time they heard Dreamlover in ‘93, Fantasy and Always Be My Baby in ‘95, Honey in ‘97 with Sean P. Diddy Combs and Mase. And the list goes on of hits that attempted to marry that multi-octave range with a hip hop beat and whichever hip hop artist was hot at the time.  Then there was the flop that was Glitter, her meltdown, disappearance from the scene, and reemergence in the first half of this decade with the Emancipation of Mimi and the follow up E=MC2.

While I was a big fan in the early years, I have to confess that her evolution as an R&B/hiphop/pop diva over the years left me longing for the old days.  The TRL years were nice but it was definitely more about style than substance and the hits just became formulaic for me.  Her reemergence in 2005 with Emancipation of Mimi was a welcome surprise as she seemed to recover from the debacle that was Glitter but the followup E=MC2 couldn’t maintain the momentum.  That brings me to Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel …

Not sure where to start but lemme begin by saying this was a pleasant surprise.  All the T&A prominently displayed on the album cover led me to prejudge this cd.  Over the years it just seemed that the more clothes she took off, the less inspired the music got.  And so, while all that thickness on the cover is downright hott, it told me not to expect much on the inside.  Couple that with one of the absolute saddest performances ever on the Oprah show, I questioned even listening to the album.  (For those who missed it, she sang a remake of the 80’s classic I Wanna Know What Love Is and could barely get the words out.  And I mean that literally.)  Surprisingly however this album lived up to that expectation in a completely different way.

Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel is perhaps the most cohesive, consistent, and surprisingly minimalist package to be put out by Mariah Carey IMHO.  This is the kind of cd I can put on in the background and vibe with all the way thru.  The songs aren’t spectacular but if you’re a lover of the mellow Mariah Carey, this album is 1hr of Mariah Carey bliss.  In a welcome creative move, this album takes a minimalist approach featuring 17 tracks of nothing more than a beat, a keyboard, and lead and background vocals.  The result is a cd that comes off much more peaceful, relaxed, intimate and at times even nostalgic – proving that sometimes Less Really Is More.

Forget the lead single Obsessed which is remixed and featured on a bonus disc.  Standout tracks include: Ribbon, Inseparable, It’s A Wrap, More Than Just Friends, The Impossible (with its homage to Jodeci and a beat reminiscent of Janet Jackson’s Anytime Anyplace), Angels Cry and the 80’s hit I Wanna Know What Love Is.  If you’re not a fan of the mellow Mariah Carey, this album might feel monotonous and you might even wind up sleepin’ on this cd, but I guarantee that the “lovers” won’t be sleepin – more likely “layin’ in the bed pumpin’ Jodeci”.  Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is definitely the worthy successor to 2005’s Emancipation of Mimi and an album that will prove satisfying to Mariah Carey fans young and old.

The story of a comeback …

I’ve had this album on my iPod for well over a week now and knew that I wanted to write about it, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to say. When I first downloaded it and gave it a listen, I was ready to pan the entire project. The powerhouse Whitney Houston “voice” wasn’t there. The trademark Whitney Houston “power ballad” wasn’t there. In fact, the ballads seemed to fall squarely on their face in my opinion – no emotional resonance, no power in the vocals, less than stellar lyrics. I had heard that this cd was supposed to harken back to “classic” Whitney, but what does R. Kelly and Akon etc know about “classic” Whitney???

I Look To You is by no means a perfect cd – especially if you still have echoes of “old-school” Whitney playing in your head.  This isn’t that Whitney and truth be told, how fickle am I to even think that she could ever be that Whitney on this cd.  People change and grow and their influences change so like all things even Whitney must EVOLVE.  That being said, a couple of days ago I decided to give the new Whitney disc (mp3s rather) another spin.

As I mentioned at the outset, if you’re expecting that trademark powerhouse Whitney “voice”, that’s not here (IMHO).  But upon syncing it to my iPhone, cranking up the volume, and pumping it thru my Sennheiser noise-cancelling headphones … I realized something.  I Look To You is as much a physical comeback as it is a figurative comeback.  Yes alot has been made of the trials and tribulations of the former Mrs. Bobby Brown – so that comeback is obvious.  I’m sure the questions will still be swirling well into next week or even next month whether Whitney can make a comeback – will pop music’s fickle audience (like myself) welcome her back with open arms and multiplatinum record sales?  I think the answer will be YES.  And that brings me to the “physical” comeback.

If you had caught me last week when I downloaded this cd, then you would have heard me pan this cd.  But recently I heard something different.  I heard an artist trip, stumble and maybe even fall on record … And then pick herself up, dust herself off, and catch her second stride.  The things I don’t like about this album are still there, but I don’t see them in the same light.  I’m not moved by the first single which happens to be the title track.  I’ve said it already – the ballads on this disc are lackluster.  The second single, the 70’s tinged Million Dollar Bill penned and produced with Alicia Keys, doesn’t quite hit it home for me either.  And sorry I don’t have much love for Nothin’ But Love either.  That would be three strikes in the first four tracks of this cd – not a good sign.  A trip … a stumble … maybe even a fall.  But it’s what happens next.

With a lil help from some friends, Ms Houston picks herself up, dusts herself off, cranks up the volume on her monitors and just does her thing.  With some careful song choices and careful crafting, Whitney finds a second wind – Call You Tonight, Like I Never Left (featuring Akon), Worth It, and For The Lovers.  If she had stumbled earlier, I don’t remember it ’cause these tracks had me hooked.  They’re not “old-school” Whitney, but somewhere in these tracks I had heard it – flourishes of that “voice” reassuring me, teasing me, hinting that perhaps that “voice” isn’t completely gone.  Perhaps with time and patience, that “voice” will come back – afterall that trademark Whitney “voice” wasn’t created in a day.

By the time I got to track 10 I Got You (the other Akon contribution), I was sold.  The comeback was complete and the title seemed very much appropriate.  Like runway-roadkill-Carrie on SEX & THE CITY, Whitney had picked herself up, dusted herself off and reclaimed that stage … stronger and taller and more confident than when she started.  And that’s what you get on the final track Salute (the other R. Kelly contribution) – a stronger, more resolute, more confident and definitely a more comfortable Whitney Houston.  Not the “old-school” Whitney.  Not a “new-school” Whitney.  Just Whitney.  (no pun intended there)

As I had mentioned on my facebook, …

Much love to Whitney Houston on a great comeback effort … I wasn’t sold on the first single but this album gets better and better the further in you get … WORTH IT is definitely the standout track for me … And that’s what this album is … Definitely worth it. =)

Btw, for the record, today on my walk home from Burger King, I logged onto iTunes and purchased the new Whitney Houston cd, I Look To You.  Just like she never left.  =)

A funny thing happened on the way to …

So on the way home from grabbing a late bite to eat, my buddy Jamaal an I get to racking our brains trying to identify a song I hear almost every night at work on the BJs music network (I dunno what u call the music service that they pump into these stores). It’s a hip hop track with female lead and featuring a rap track by Left Eye – which my buddy insists I need to stop repeating but that’s the only piece of info I know definitively. Turns out it’s a remix version of “808″ by Blaque … But I digress.

The true puzzle of the evening was trying to identify the Luther Vandross sample used in Janet Jackson’s 2001 hit “All For You”. It played during dinner at TGI FRIDAYS and we couldn’t believe that two R&B junkies like ourselves couldn’t remember it.

Being net junkies, Jamaal jumps on wikipedia (cause I know iTunes won’t tell me) and discovers the shocker of shockers.

(Janet Jackson fans better sit down for this.). I’m gonna quote it here before you scream blasphemy …

“All for You” is a song by American R&B-pop singer Janet Jackson from her seventh studio album, All for You (2001). Released as the album’s lead single in March 2001, the song went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks,[1] and also reached the top five and the top ten of the majority of the charts. “All for You” remains Jackson’s last Hot 100 number-one single so far.

Read that last line again please …

I’ll wait … …. …… …….

Ok enough already. Shocked??? We certainly were. Here it is again: “All for You” remains Jackson’s last Hot 100 number-one single so far. That was 2001 – eight years ago for the arithmetic-ly impaired. I don’t mean to dis on the girl but clearly poor Ms Damita Jo (after 20 Y.O. in the industry) has lost her Discipline. Coincidentally, “All For You” was the last Janet cd I actually paid for.

I’ve been long saying she’s off her game. She hit puberty on vinyl several years back and hasnt stopped playing with herself ever since. Clearly she didn’t listen to her friend on Velvet Rope … “Your coochie gon’ swell up and fall apart”. Clearly it hasn’t yet but her career is certainly questionable.

If I ever needed proof that she’s fading into irrelevance, this certainly does it. If this isn’t true then by all means please correct me AND wikipedia.

Incidentally, the answer to the question of the evening:

The song is based upon a sample from Change’s 1980 song “The Glow of Love”, which featured lead vocals by Luther Vandross.

The Elephant In The Room …

Jus saw this on CNN.com … People just can’t seem to let it go.  The state of Hawaii has certified it.  The Federal Government has accepted it, certified his candidacy, and certified the election.  But it’s not acceptable to YOU!

Well TOUGH SHYT!

Roland S. Martin is absolutely right – why should President Obama have to produce a copy of his birth certificate???  Not only is this a slap in the face to the President of the United States, there’s an implied slap in the face to the state of Hawaii AND the federal agencies charged with ensuring the integrity of our elections.

And while we’re at it, why don’t we just take a moment to acknowlege the other guest on the show – the elephant looming in the room that no one wants to talk about.

RACISM.

What’s ur opinion???

The E.N.D. of the Black Eyed Peas

Downloaded the new Black Eyed Peas album on Monday. Gimme a break. Times are tough and jus don’t have the money I used to have. But I digress.

I’ve listened to The E.N.D. a few times and it has me pondering the future of the group in a post Will.i.am and Fergie world. Granted I haven’t followed the group that long – Elephunk was when I discovered them and Monkey Business was hot. Of course since then, Will.i.am and Fergie have both stepped out and established themselves as hot comodities themselves. That brings me to The E.N.D.

While the album title actually stands for “The Energy Never Dies”, I find this album to be quite a departure from the previous two. This album feels more like the Will.i.am/Fergie show. The funky “monkey business” has been traded in for a relentless string of club beats. Thus far the track “Meet Me Halfway” has been the standout track – but only because everyone else seemed to take a step back.

This is one of those CDs that leaves me wondering in what direction hip-hop is going. Clearly “commercial” would seem to be the answer. The energy never dies on this cd, but my interest in this album is clearly on life support. Sound off – what do u think?

iPhone OS 3.0: The Next Generation

Thanks to a headsup from one of my cyberspace buddies, I jus downloaded and installed Apple’s new iPhone OS 3.0. Yes, it doesn’t come out until next week, but some generous soul was kind enough to post a copy of the gold master online.

The highlight is definitely the ability to cut, copy and paste now. Landscape keyboard across all apps is cool too – I’m typing this blog entry in landscape mode in WordPress on my iPhone. The ability to search locally on my phone and the voice memo features aren’t a big deal for me and I had to turn off the shake-to-shuffle feature – turns out I shake too much to make it practical. I had thought my iPhone was currupted until I recognized that feature – boy was I relieved.

Overall I’m underwhelmed but I didn’t expect otherwise – afterall this is jus an OS update. I still love my phone tho and wouldn’t trade it for anything. =)

Confucius Say …

My fortune cookie says:

“Everything is impossible until somebody does it.”

Coming March 11th

I have to get tickets to this show! This man is to comedy what Prince is to music.

Macman4ever Goes Mobile

I know I haven’t been around for awhile. With no Internet access at home, I’m relying on my iPhone to maintain my connection to the cyber world. While WordPress for iPhone works great, posting blog entries just requires more effort than I want to put out.

In the meantime I’ve been dabbling in another iPhone app called BrightKite. While I’ve never tried Twitter, I’ve been told that BrightKite is like an enhanced version of Twitter. You can find more info about it at http://www.BrightKite.com and if your ever on there, look me up … As Macman4ever of course.

Btw you can also find me on Loopt.