ALBUM REVIEWWWW

YaGirlB is back with a music review...


Artist: Maxwell
Album: BLACKsummers'night
Release date: July 7,2009

It is tradition that, to get in the mood for a new cd, I listen to the previous cd of the particular artist. And, with Maxwell's cd, it was no exception (although his music is music that constantly stays in rotation).

Listening to Maxwell's Now cd, in anticipation for the delightful sounds of BLACKsummers'night, I started to become taken over by feelings of soul, maturity, funk, love, and blues. I don't get that feeling often at all nowadays unless I am reminiscing about the good old days of music actually being about something (It's still out there... unfortunately, to get to it, you have to kiss someone thru the phone and go through unnecessary birthday sex). It seems like the artists of the Neo-Soul era, the last classic era of rhythm & blues music, have fallen through the cracks (D'Angelo... that one was for you, my fallen brutha), and given way to these cookie-cutter, radio-friendly freakfests of songs (usually assisted by our good friend, the Auto-tone).

Maxwell is the undisputed king of Neo-Soul. His albums are like a timeline of growth and maturity: we begin with Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite, which is a sexy, sensuous journey through what could be called the rollercoasters of twentysomething (filled with passionate meetings, sensuous sex, and post-coital bliss) romance and love (and sex). Then we move to Embrya, which decribes growth, transition, moving towards maturity. It was a very organic album, paying tribute to the soul of the 70s. He left us with Now, in 2001, which was, compared to Urban Hange Suite, a journey through more mature love and adulthood.

Eight years later, Maxwell brings us BLACKsummers'night, the first in a trilogy of three albums, to be released over the course of the next three summers. This album is definitely a welcome to this summer of less than stellar R&B and soul. The lead single off the album is 'Pretty Wings' which tells the tale of love at the wrong time. The simple melody (complete with bell/wind chime effects) and Maxwell's falsetto make this an instant summer classic for those summer jams or club nights where the DJ needs to slow it down. Like albums in the past, this album is about love, although on a different note. There aren't any tracks seducing the listener's earlobes or wedding songs (ala 'This Woman's Work'), but of mature love. No stand-out stories; just a harmonious tale of the trials and tribulations of mature love. 'Bad Habits' (my favorite track) and 'Stop the World' are on the slower, melodic side, while 'Love Is' exhibits injections of 70s era funk. 'Playing Possum' is another good track, about love that is gone, and cannot come back.

Although I would've liked a couple of more tracks on this album, a 9-track Maxwell is more valuable musically than the marjority of these 15/16 track albums put out by the R&B artists of today. This albums serves as a reminder that Neo-Soul is not dead, and will be resurrected to push out the influx of replaceable R&B artists (I'm pretty sure that Trey Songz, T-Pain, and Jeremih are a little nervous now). Buy BLACKsummers'night and you will not be disappointed at all. It will definitely entertain those dark and black summer's night.

- B

Favorite tracks: 'Bad Habits', 'Playing Possum', 'Pretty Wings'

Bad b*tches don't wear sneakers Mia (c) Brandon

So he TOTALLY judges my sneaker obsession... I forgive him. But I don't discriminate.. After all I am 5 foot tall, so I gots ta keep a surplus of heels! Lol .. May I introduce to you; The Nike Blazer Selvedge Denim... my feet would like to become acquainted with these... No release date as of yet. But nicekicks.com said that we should be expecting them REALLLLLLLL soon :)



Dear Los Angeles and media outlets,


To Los Angeles: As I sit here and watch the sensationalized (but oddly respectable and well put together) spectacle that is the Michael Jackson funeral, I applaud you for putting the bill (a whopping four million dollars) off on the tax payers, taking it out of our emergency discretion/action fund. Los Angeles, we are at a five-hundred million dollar deficit. Don't think that by blinding us with the flashing lights of the paparazzi and the star-studded tribute... I want to know how exactly we're going to be paying for this... Since we cannot seem to pay for anything now.
To all of the media (CNN, NBC, MTV, E! News, Entertainment Tonight, rag mags, etc., gossip sites): When will we let Michael Jackson rest in peace? I am tired of waking up to a recycled Michael Jackson stories. I don't care about the paternity of his kids or the custody battle that you keep shoving down my throat. And if you all bring up the child molestation cases, I'm gonna scream. He is the biggest music star ever; an icon of many decades who defined, redefined, and continues to define music, media, and pop culture a like. Let's report on things that are CURRENT, relevant news: the flailing economy, war, the poverish state of our cities. Tributes are one thing, but the constant rehashing of Michael Jackson stories and the rehashing of every little thing he's ever done is enough. And so I say thank you - your news stories on Bubbles, his skin condition and the analysis of his plastic surgery have been days of my life that I will never get back (because it's taken over EVERY media outlet). It's sad that falling ratings and viewership has resulting to the continuous assault and slaying of our fallen musical icon and genius.



R.I.P. Michael Jackson


*brought to you by YaGirlB

Got my Vans on but they look like wingtips (c) AC



So these weren't supposed to come out until August... But soleclassics.com had them early... SO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS! Of course they didn't have them in my size so I had to get em online, but for all the C-bus people with "normal" size feet that wanna cop you can get them there.


I got these



I'm probably gonna get these too, but I can't find em just yet :-/

SONG OF THE WEEK!

Kings of Leon - Use Somebody



Artist: Kings of Leon
Song Title: Use Somebody


I have been jammin to KOL for a while... (hidden because I didn't want to admit that I had given in to the hype) But I decided to embrace it and post this song. Hyped or not KOL is a pop band at its finest, and I will be checkin them out at Lolla... THERE I can admit it... :-p

Life is like a box of chocolates... (c) Forrest Gump

... Or maybe more like an inhaler filled with chocolate?



Well, that is exactly what Le Whif is.. A new way to indulge.. so instead of EATING chocolate you literally inhale it. I dunno about this one folks... seems interesting to say the least. The website boasts about the fact that the treat is calorie free and also claims that whiffing this chocolate supplement will curve your appetite, but I don't see how... Normally when I'm hungry and I smell deliciousness around me, I just want to eat MORE. But maybe that's just me. I would more than likely take a whiff of Le Whiff and THEN head to Baskin Robbins for a Chocolate Blast (my obsession... see picture below of me with said crack. They don't sell them in Columbus so whenever I head back to the Lou BR is one of my first stops). Interested? Try and snag yourself some HERE... Hurr rup, it's sellin FAST!

IRRESPONSIBLE WHITE PERSON WEDNESDAY!!!!



Mark Sanford.

Unless you were under a rock over the past week then you know that Mark Sanford- The Governor of South Carolina engaged in a marital affair... Now that definitely is reason enough for him to be labeled IWP this week... However, I am giving him the title because of the fact that he feels the need over confess. In his 9 hour interview with the associated press he named his penis and discussed how he was a non-stop f*cking machine... That's a little too much Mr. Sanford. I know FINALLY telling the truth can be liberating, but sheez tone it down a lil bit lol.

B.E.T (Butts Every Time) (c) Boondocks



The Confusion that was the BET Awards and the Michael Jackson tribute

Dear Debra Lee,

Thanks for coming off of your high horse and showing your face at the BET Awards. It was the icing on the cake of a terrible show. I could thank you for single-handly ruining (and continuously not helping to save) the BET Network... but you already know those feelings.

- Disgruntled viewer


I have taken a little while to write this review, because I come from a confused, and complex place. While I absolutely abhor BET for its lack of diverse programming and the buffoonery that goes on now (Frankie & Neffie... Tiny & Toya???), I admire the BET Awards (from a distance) for what it is. The BET Awards are the Grammy's for the urban music listener. And, every year, anticipation builds for this one single night, where all questions will be answered (What is Beyonce performing? Who will take home video of the year? Who will be the break-out performance? Who looks terrible...), and this year was NO exception because #1) one of my best friends was in attendance, and, more importantly, with the untimely passing of Michael Jackson, BET had proclaimed that it was going to revamp its show, complete with an extra hour, and additional performances.

Jamie Foxx opened the show with a tribute to 'Beat it", complete with the Billy Jean garb and moonwalk spoof. It was entertaining. A reunited New Edition performed a medly of Jackson 5 songs, which was good as well. Because of the length of the show (running an additional 38 minutes after the added 3rd hour), I won't go through every millisecond (which, like a lot of the show, wasn't entertaining), but I will try and hit on the highs and the lows of the night:

The Highs: There were a few good performances of the night. Maxwell made a big return with his performance of "Pretty Wings" off his just released BLACKsummers'night album. It was a beautiful performance, and Maxwell showed that he is still the King of Neo-Soul, with his melodic voice. Jay-Z, in simple Jay-Z fashion, delivered a stellar performance of D.O.A. (Death of Autotune). The O'Jays were, by far, the best performance of the night, outshining the tribute performance (performed by Tevin Campbell, Tyrese, Johnny Gill, and Trey Songz), and proving that true talent only gets better with age. Janet Jackson gave an emotional performance and spoke briefly for the Jackson family ("To you... He was an icon... but to us... he was family" - Janet Jackson). The 90s new jack swing performance of Keith Sweat (+ not so good vocals), Guy, and BBD was entertaining (minus the vocal/sound problems?). There were also a few funny bits; the Baby Boy skit at the end had me screaming and hollering (until Ving Rhames came out and it got... weird.)

The Lows: There were... many. Jamie Foxx was a good, funny host, but I thought it was very inappropriate that he kept promoting his tour (Note to Jamie: it was the BET Awards, not the promo date in your tour). And there was also too much of Jamie performing; I would've enjoyed seeing other artists in the place of his "filler" performances. Keri Hilson was the breakout star of the night; with her 1st televised performance and winning the Best New Artist award. Her performance = Not breakout.. Her dancing was... interesting. The ending was weird, and I didn't get it. And the rest of the performance was okay at best (more lackluster than okay). Beyonce as the showstopper... well... didn't stop the show. Her weird performance "Aye Maria/Angel" (which she recycled from her tour) was not good. It was very weak, given Beyonce's past performances. I was left confused and upset. Drake's breakout performance was also weird and not good (he was sitting, due to his sprained ACL), and included Lil' Wayne and Baby, which filled the performance with so much profanity that they might as well had been mute. Ne-yo was alright, but there was just way too much of him. Like Jamie Foxx, I was starting to feel like it was Ne-yo show. Ciara sang 'Heal the World' and it was God awful! I was very shocked and disappointed (disturbed and perplexed?) that she sang a ballad as opposed to dancing for her tribute to Michael Jackson. Her voice sounded like crying cats. I honestly had a *blank stare* through a lot of the performances. And, outside of the performances, the presenting of the awards seemed a little unorganized; sometimes they would say the nominees, and sometimes they wouldn't. Also, the absence of confirmed performers (The-Dream... Chris Brown... etc.) certainly hurt the show. The tributes, although seemingly heartfelt, were all slow, and no one paid tribute to Michael Jackson's catalog of up-tempo songs, which shaped the way 99% of singers dance and perform now (Keri Hilson attempted at the end of her set, and failed miserably).

After the awards finished, I thought it was awful, awful, awful. Facebook, Twitter; all social networks were messaging, and it wasn't good. There was a lot of negative feedback about the show, the performances, etc. And, I've had to sit back, and re-evaluate the show.

As a show, it was alright. What made the show terrible was because of the emphasis and hype put on the re-vamping of the show into the tribute show. A video montage of Michael Jackson, with a tribute show at a later date, would've been a better option, instead of the rushed product that was produced. I just wasn't moved or impressed with the show as a tribute show.. I feel like the artist's tribute were lackluster (partly because it was last minute, and partly because they were just too damn lazy to get it together). As the biggest showcase for urban music, movies, and sports, the BET Awards has to step it up. With the music video (on television) slowly dying out, the BET Awards are the only avenue to showcase the biggest and brightest stars in urban sports and entertainment. It cannot continue on with these lackluster shows that they pass off as entertainment. They have to do better. This past BET Awards show was not a tribute to Michael Jackson moreso than a testament of BET's commitment to mediocre programming, putting their artist to low standards, and not setting the building blocks for the future of urban music and entertainment. (Nice try), but shame on you, BET. You have a whole year to do better (although we're gonna need a better Michael Jackson much sooner).


-B

Check out B on twitter.com/YaGirlB... Trust me, you won't be disappointed! :)

Well, I mean, let's face it. You're not exactly normal, are you? (c) Vicki Vale

...It's not exactly a normal world, is it? (c) Batman



My homie Bruce has been gettin lots of love in these streets (yes he is named after Bruce Wayne... He is an ice BAT people... DON'T JUDGE ME!!!) So I decided to share with the world (the TWO readers of this blog lol)how you can attain one for yourself. I got my buddy Bruce from the comic book store Laughing Ogre *shout out to my fav employee Jeff* in Columbus, Ohio ions ago and I'm positive that they still sell ugly dolls there... But if you aren't in cbus your best bet is to head over to "The Ugly Shop" and cop one... I fell in love with these dolls as soon as I spotted them. I am a fan of things that aren't "conventionally" beautiful so I was immediately drawn to these supposedly "ugly" dolls (they're adorable aren't they?) If you happen to stop by the comic book store and see Jeff, tell him Mia says hello! :)



*When I was in Chicago a bus driver stopped me and asked if Bruce was the doll Obama's daughter was wearing on her bookbag. I had no idea what she was talking about... But thanks to google I found out that Obama's daughter was in fact sportin an ugly doll on her backpack... but NOT Bruce :-p

IRRESPONSIBLE WHITE PERSON WEDNESDAY!


You get THREE IWP's today folks...

Roberto Orci
Alex Kurtzman
Ehren Kruger

For those that don't know, the names listed above are the writers of Transformers 2... And while I don't know which individual is particularly responsible for Skids (the Transformer with the gold tooth pictured above) and his equally coonerific twin brother Mudflap I am blaming you all. I was already giving the first Transformers movie a slight pass in the racist undertones department because of how sweet it was... But this movie gets NO pass. You can't be wack AND have a Transformer with a gold tooth that "doesn't read." So irresponsible...

You're insane, aren't you? (c) Aang

Well that is what some are calling M. Night Shyamalan for trying to recreate this cartoon bliss... I'm preparing myself for the worse when it comes to this film... That way if it's even REMOTELY decent I won't be the least bit disappointed... I guess time will only tell... Trailer is below... Check it out in its entirety December 18th :)






*Shout out to Cel for gettin me hip