Needles » soul

Mr. Scruff – Hold On (f/Andreya Triana)

needles — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:01:21 +0000

Hailing from Manchester, UK, Mr. Scruff seems to have a more expansive view of his art form than many other musicians: he incorporates ideas about fish into all of his albums; does his own artwork, including cool animations for his website; and even owns his own line of tea. His work is primarily informed by his experience as a DJ. You can hear the influences of hip hop, jazz, soul and the like in his tunes. His latest album, which came out in late 2008, is called Ninja Tune, the same name as the label he has spent the last few years recording with. The track from that album that stands out most for me is a swingy bit of British Soul, with a bit of a steppers feeling to it. I don’t know too much about the guest singer, Andreya Triana, except that she is on the same label and is also from England. Enjoy the track:

Mr. Scruff – Hold On (f/Andreya Triana) | Ninja Tune

Wu-Tang Clan – Ill Figures (f/The Revelations, Raekwon, M.O.P., Kool G Rap)

needles — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:46:18 +0000

I took another look at this latest Wu-Tang release the other day and developed a new appreciation for the quality of the project. Here’s the deal: Brooklyn-based group, The Revelations, lays down the grooves, M.O.P.’s Fizzy Womack, also from Brooklyn, produces the tracks, and each track features at least one Wu-member (but not the GZA, the MZA or Masta Killa) and one New York veteran. Each track is also interspersed with a spoken-word joint by RZA. Kung Fu flick samples abound and most of the tracks work really well. The guest artists here make a lot more sense than, for example, The W. You may recognize The Revelations from a previous post I made, and Tre Williams does make an appearance on this album as well. For your listening pleasure, check out this joint from the middle of the album with Raekwon, both members of M.O.P. and Kool G Rap… nice combo!

Wu-Tang Clan – Ill Figures (f/The Revelations, Raekwon, M.O.P., Kool G Rap) | E1

Anthony Hamilton – Soul’s on Fire

needles — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:48:59 +0000

I realize that this song is already a year old, but I was listening to it today and just needed to put it out there. (Then of course there is the fact that I posted Skyzoo’s “On Fire” a few days ago.) Simply put, Anthony Hamilton makes amazingly beautiful music and has never let his fans down. Enjoy:

Anthony Hamilton – Soul’s on Fire | LaFace / Zomba / Sony BMG

Michael Jackson – With a Child’s Heart

needles — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:52:39 +0000

Of course, this wasn’t the post I was planning to write today. I was as shocked when I heard the sad news as everyone else. So, how do I properly pay my respects to one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived? In deciding what song I thought would be appropriate, I went through all my unsung favorites, from Invincible’s “Break of Dawn” to Bad’s “Liberian Girl” to Off the Wall’s “Get on the Floor” … but then I came upon this track from 1973′s Music & Me. If you were here to help us deal with our lament, Michael, I think this is what you would say to us. This is how you went through your entire life: with a child’s heart. Your adolescent spirit caused you many personal problems, but it allowed us to enjoy a beautiful human being. For that, I thank you. And, as I wrote earlier today, I hope you are now finding the peace that eluded you so much in life.

Michael Jackson – With a Child’s Heart | Motown

Raphael Saadiq – Never Give You Up (f/CJ, Stevie Wonder)

needles — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 06:20:36 +0000

Retro-northern-soul was definitely a fad of 2008. That’s too bad, because a lot of it was pretty well made and sounded great. Most of the artists that did it tried very hard to recreate a 1960s atmosphere, but some, like Saadiq, actually made it sound fresh and new without losing the qualities that made northern-soul so special. This track is beautifully done and Stevie Wonder adds a nice touch, not singing, but playing the harmonica which he really used to get down on back in the day. Enjoy…

Raphael Saadiq – Never Give You Up (f/CJ, Stevie Wonder) | Pookie / Columbia / Sony BMG

The Foreign Exchange – Take Off the Blues (f/Darien Brockington)

needles — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 05:46:05 +0000

The second collaboration between Netherlands producer Nicolay and North Carolina rapper Phonte of Little Brother resulted in a much more souled-out effort than their 2004 “Connected”. The pair recorded that album over the Internet, but were able to work together in the studio on their 2008 collaboration “Leave It All Behind”. This track is going to be the second single released from the album and is a nice little slice of Neo-Soul, very rare these days. The new album is quite mellow, and has some very well-orchestrated tracks. Enjoy…

The Foreign Exchange – Take Off the Blues (f/Darien Brockington) | Nicolay Music

The Revelations – I Don’t Want to Know

needles — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:50:34 +0000

This Brooklyn-based sextet harkens back to the early Stax sound of such greats as Otis Redding and Don Covay. I wish I knew more about the group, but maybe I should just be happy that they are off to such a good start. Music historians will note the inclusion of Rell, an early member of the Roc-a-Fella family from the “Streets Is Watching” days. Lead singer Tre Williams’s delivery is not quite as punchy as his contemporary Anthony Hamilton, but as a unit, The Revelations are undeniably passionate and soulful. Their EP has been available since November, and I highly recommended you cop it if you like what you hear here…

The Revelations – I Don’t Want to Know | Decision

Heavy Rotation – 2008 September

needles — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 03:47:36 +0000

This is the first of my monthly posts on some of the stuff I think is worth checkin’ out (Prodigy, Jadakiss, DJ Cam and more). Some of the tracks are notable for lyrics, some have great beats, while others are just treats from artists we haven’t heard in a while, from New York to Los Angeles… even Boston! This month there is a lot of rap, but also some neo-soul and r&b. I’ll be posting a new month’s worth of tracks every week until I catch up with the current month.

[click to listen, files will be available for six months]

DJ Babu – Dearly Departed (f/M.O.P.) | Stones Throw

Heltah Skeltah – D.I.R.T. (Another Boot Camp Clik Yeah Song) | Duck Down

Q-Tip – Gettin’ Up | Motown / Universal

The Foreign Exchange – Daykeeper (f/Muhsinah Abdul-Karim) | Nicolay Music

T.I. – Let My Beat Pound | unreleased

Terrance Martin – The Martin & Blake Jam Session | unreleased

DJ Babu – For Whatever It’s Worth (f/Evidence) | Stones Throw

John Legend – Green Light (f/Andre 3000) (Diplo Dade County 1988 Mix) | independent

DJ Revolution – King of the Decks (f/Sean Price, Tash) | Duck Down

Statik Selektah – Mr. Popularity (f/Consequence) | Showoff / Brick

Prodigy – Stop Stressin’ | Dirt Class

Fusion Unltd. – The Sun (f/Little Brother, Nickelus F, Hall of Fame, Mad Skillz) | Grind Date / ABB

The Game – State of Emergency (f/Ice Cube) | Geffen / Interscope

Jadakiss – By My Side (f/Ne-Yo) | Roc-a-Fella / Island Def Jam / Universal

Johnson & Johnson (Blu, Mainframe) – Wow | Tres

DJ Cam – For Minnie Riperton (f/InLove) | Inflammable

Ne-Yo – Closer | Island Def Jam / Universal