For Madonna, pop music is the canvas of her greatest aspiration. While some critics might be ready to write her off, BEDTIME STORIES reasserts Madonna’s claim to the R&B/dance floor turf she ceded to others as her own productions became elaborately self-conscious. And where performers like R. Kelly filled the breach with risque, sexually explicit fare, BEDTIME STORIES marks Madonna’s return to a more stylized, elegant form of R&B....
The distinctive sound of the Gotan Project, which merges electronica with tango and other traditional South American forms, is further refined and expanded on the group’s sophomore release, LUNATICO. The album is more eclectic and ambitious than its predecessor, with intriguing instrumentation that includes bandoneon and strings. Guests include Calexico and vocalist Christina Villalonga (who join forces on the striking opener “Amore Porteno”), rapper Xoxmo, and musical director Gustavo Beytelmann, among others. LUNATICO finds the Gotan Project immersing itself more deeply in the tango, while still trafficking in trip-hop, downtempo, and ambient textures, creating a fine example of fresh, world music fusion....
And the film goes on!
Driving Electro-Swing action with “Oscar feeling” conversations of clarinet and trumpet inspired by Louis Armstrong, Gene Krupa, Josephine Baker and Benny Goodman. The 3rd album from TAPE FIVE “Tonight Josephine!” is another Retro-Homage to various facets from the 20th Century bar-music....
First coming to our attention via the Cafe Del Mar compilations of recent years Budapest Producers/Musicians Gelka seem more at home in the Balearics rather than Hungary. Yet it is the vibe of the latter with its almost guitar dominated folksy roots that gives this debut set an edge in the music of the good groove. Interspersed with some strange sound effects of no benefit, the album largely features a variety of good quality tracks that mix chilled-out funky tempos with the soulful vocals of Ghanaian born Sena. The album’s opening track ‘ So Many Ways’ and the rhythmesque Eartha Kitt influenced ‘ Blame’ with ‘ Angry Eyes’ bring out some rastafarian funk and social comment. Melodic guitar rhythms and relaxed horns feature heavily on the album with ‘When you gotta go you gotta go’ being a real treat over a sunset and a glass of wine! The album’s stand out track though is the catchy ‘Soon’ sang by the very soulful British vocalist Elly May....
Parov Stelar aka Marcus Füreder is a musician who lives and works in Linz, Austria. His style is characterized by the freedom of jazz combined with the groove of house and breakbeat. He performs as a DJ worldwide, where his sample-heavy remixes borrow enough from both modern beats and 1930s jazz as to be appropriate for both the dancefloor or the easy chair....
Adding pop savvy to their soul-disco mix, Jamiroquai grabbed the attention of MTV and Top 40 radio and won a Grammy with this platinum-selling album, their third. It’s a fine record, with warm keyboards, sweet strings, and irrepressible grooves grounding Jay Kay’s sublime vocals and fueling the hits (“Virtual Insanity,” “Cosmic Girl,” the title track). That voice–elastic, jazzy–is the fire of the band, but immaculate guitar sounds, snappy backup vocals, and clever old-school soul samples (Eddie Harris on “Alright,” Esther Phillips on “High Times”) are the details that create perfection. Balancing the dance-ready, radio-friendly tracks are the ballads “Everyday” and “Spend a Lifetime,” the reggae-styled “Drifting Along,” and a couple of didjeridoo instrumentals....
Hard Candy continues in the driving, club-oriented vein of 2005’s CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR, proving that Madonna has lost none of her energy and verve with age. In terms of material, in fact, HARD CANDY bests its predecessor, and the artist continues to make herself relevant in the 2000s by adding distinctly hip-hop grooves to her increasingly electronica-driven sound. Remarkably, the result never sounds like a blatant commercial appeal. As with nearly everything she’s done, this groove-heavy disc is distinctly Madonna’s own.
The Material Girl sculpted her sound this time out by hiring some of the hottest producers on the scene, including Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and Pharrell and the Neptunes. Cuts like the lead-off single, “4 minutes” (a duet with Timberlake), and the thumping, sexy title track sparkle with a contemporary club feel, begging listeners to turn it up and shake it. Yet Madonna’s classic pop sensibilities are far from lost in the mix. “Beat Goes On” recalls vintage singles like “Holiday”; “Heartbeat” is sleek, singalong Europop; and “Miles Away” is a love song that rides a sweet midtempo groove. Fun, danceable, and infectious, HARD CANDY is another winner from one of pop’s all-time icons.Rolling Stone (p.80) – 4 stars out of 5 — “A songwriting team of American chart royalty helps Madonna revisit her roots as an urban-disco queen….Like CONFESSIONS, HARD CANDY celebrates dance as salvation, but even the euphorically groovy ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Dance 2night’ strike wistful notes.”...
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