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All posts for the month July, 2011

Lift “My Heart”

Posted by John on July 22, 2011
Posted in: singles, videos. Tagged: . Leave a comment

I am a sucker for a lush circa-1970s bassline sample, so it’s no surprise that I was instantly hooked on Estelle’s new jam “Break My Heart,” which features Rick Ross on the rap. It has a Mary J. Blige “My Life” vibe to it which is ALWAYS welcome, and has turned out to be one of my songs for the summer. While Estelle’s vocals might not be everyone’s cup of tea, she always brings the flavor in my book. Check out the beautifully-shot video below…

The long-awaited follow-up CD to 2008’s Shine is All of Me, but we’ve been hearing that since 2009. The best I can find for a release date currently is a Warner Japan release on September 28 through Amazon, which would be about right with a Top 25 single rising at Urban radio currently. Either way, the teasers we’ve heard over the last two years serve as a reminder that All of Me can’t hit the street soon enough. Does it seem possible that Estelle was the subject of one of my first blog posts three years ago?

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What More Can I Say?

Posted by John on July 20, 2011
Posted in: upcoming, videos. Tagged: , , . 4 Comments

Music should move you. It may seem like that’s a given, but when you listen to a lot of music, it’s easy to take that fact for granted. I haven’t been MOVED by much lately, so when something has that impact on me, I stop and take notice. Such is the case with “Otis,” sample number one from Jay-Z and Kanye West’s upcoming Watch the Throne, due on August 1st in digital form and August 5th on a physical CD.

It’s not a complex track, but its impact is potent. Otis Redding’s passionate vocals from “Try a Little Tenderness” imbue the cut with enough soul to fill an album, yet “Otis” only lasts 3 minutes. Jay is slick, Yeezy is bragging, and the track sets the tone that all competitors should think twice before attempting to steal the Throne. Every time you think hip-hop has lost its way, a track comes along to say “we honor the past while pushing toward the future.” “Otis” does just that.