Monthly Report: May Singles
1. Maxwell - "Pretty Wings"
I already raved about this on the Singles Jukebox the other day, so I won't repeat myself, but man this really bowled me over the first time I heard it. My favorite part is the abrupt mid-song stop, which at first made me sorry that it was over, and then when the song kept going I was kind overjoyed to have more of it to listen to.
2. Papa Roach - "Lifeline"
Another one I wrote about a bit elsewhere already, so I'll be lazy again and just link to that.
3. Beyonce f/ Kanye West - "Ego (Remix)"
Considering how cold I've been on both I Am... Sasha Fierce singles and Kanye's recent run of guest verses in general, I'm really surprised how much I like this. His tendency to go beyond the standard 16 bars and kind of ramble on "Knock You Down" was irritating, but here the way he does it at the beginning of the song, before the beat kicks in, is kind of cool and reminds me of Andre on "Int'l Players Anthem" (although the way he does the hook is irritating as fuck). He cannibalizes a bit of the old mixtape track "Dream Killers," which is funny since I thought he was finally done rehashing pre-College Dropout lines with "Homecoming," but it also helps me pretend the verse is from back when Kanye was routinely this funny and self-deprecating. And once the Beyonce part starts it's just a catchy-ass song with a great piano hook.
4. Z-Ro f/ Mya - "Tired"
As much as I dug the ABN album last year, I totally slept on the fact that Z-Ro put out a solo album a couple months later, and was really blown away by this song when MTV Jams started running the video the last few weeks. I know sad introspective Z-Ro songs are a dime a dozen but this one is really killing me, just the way a random commercial R&B chick shows up to harmonize with him on this really soulful little chorus, and the beat is similarly simple but effective, just a great vibe on the whole thing.
5. 8Ball - "America"
Memphis All-Stars is still one of my favorite albums of the year, and a big part of that is the 9-minute final track, titled "Love Spoken" on the album. It's one of those random rap album outros where some poetry guy rants and raves vaguely political stuff for a few minutes, but it's all over this gorgeous wah-wah guitar noodling and actually sounds kind of dope, and just when you think it's over, this pinging synth riff comes in and 8Ball shows up again, rapping this incredibly bleak song, which apparently is called "America," and now has a video. Like "Tired," it's too dark to really be a hit, but I'm glad to at least see it on TV.
I already raved about this on the Singles Jukebox the other day, so I won't repeat myself, but man this really bowled me over the first time I heard it. My favorite part is the abrupt mid-song stop, which at first made me sorry that it was over, and then when the song kept going I was kind overjoyed to have more of it to listen to.
2. Papa Roach - "Lifeline"
Another one I wrote about a bit elsewhere already, so I'll be lazy again and just link to that.
3. Beyonce f/ Kanye West - "Ego (Remix)"
Considering how cold I've been on both I Am... Sasha Fierce singles and Kanye's recent run of guest verses in general, I'm really surprised how much I like this. His tendency to go beyond the standard 16 bars and kind of ramble on "Knock You Down" was irritating, but here the way he does it at the beginning of the song, before the beat kicks in, is kind of cool and reminds me of Andre on "Int'l Players Anthem" (although the way he does the hook is irritating as fuck). He cannibalizes a bit of the old mixtape track "Dream Killers," which is funny since I thought he was finally done rehashing pre-College Dropout lines with "Homecoming," but it also helps me pretend the verse is from back when Kanye was routinely this funny and self-deprecating. And once the Beyonce part starts it's just a catchy-ass song with a great piano hook.
4. Z-Ro f/ Mya - "Tired"
As much as I dug the ABN album last year, I totally slept on the fact that Z-Ro put out a solo album a couple months later, and was really blown away by this song when MTV Jams started running the video the last few weeks. I know sad introspective Z-Ro songs are a dime a dozen but this one is really killing me, just the way a random commercial R&B chick shows up to harmonize with him on this really soulful little chorus, and the beat is similarly simple but effective, just a great vibe on the whole thing.
5. 8Ball - "America"
Memphis All-Stars is still one of my favorite albums of the year, and a big part of that is the 9-minute final track, titled "Love Spoken" on the album. It's one of those random rap album outros where some poetry guy rants and raves vaguely political stuff for a few minutes, but it's all over this gorgeous wah-wah guitar noodling and actually sounds kind of dope, and just when you think it's over, this pinging synth riff comes in and 8Ball shows up again, rapping this incredibly bleak song, which apparently is called "America," and now has a video. Like "Tired," it's too dark to really be a hit, but I'm glad to at least see it on TV.
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on Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 1:27 PM.
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If I want some good Houston rap, I'll listen to UGK 4 Life (album of the year so far, I think).