Jah Cure – The Universal Cure
Sobe Entertainment (4/7/09)
Reggae

I’ll confess to not being the biggest reggae fan out there. I can appreciate its heritage and the heartfelt fervor of the genre’s roots, but there’s a difference between “appreciation” and “affection.”

Jah Cure is one of those artists whose work is usually lavished with hyperbolic phrases including, but not limited to “…for fans of any genre…” and “…if you never thought you’d buy a reggae album…”. Cure, not surprisingly, has quite the umbilical link from his life story to his discography. He did an extended bid in prison—writing and recording his first album during that time—and has gone on to establish himself as a headline act since his release.

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Stack$ – Crazee and Confuzed
Sobe Entertainment (9/30/08)
Rap

These days, it’s almost impossible for the rap game to surprise long-time listeners of the genre. Those of us raised on the originality and urgency of hip-hop in its heyday have been shoved aside by an industry more concerned with kiddie dances, ringtones and a cookie-cutter style.

Newcomer Stack$ recently dropped his debut album, Crazee and Confused, and, truth be told, it’s quite the surprise. Maybe it’s because Stack$—the former Yannique Barker—was raised in the exceedingly affluent Maryland town of Bethesda. Maybe it’s because of the reported (and surely exaggerated) $10 million album budget. Maybe it’s because of all the A-level guest spots, but damned if this isn’t an entertaining album at times.

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Raphael Saadiq – The Way I See It
Sony (9/16/08)
R&B / Soul

Raphael Saadiq has been in the mainstream game for close to 20 years, yet he’s consistently flown under the commercial radar as a solo artist. It’s insane to think that Tony! Toni! Toné! might be a lasting legacy, but since that group disbanded, Saadiq’s done some great production work, garnered a few Grammy nods and you still can’t name five songs he’s been on.

Go ahead and try… I’ll even spot you that one with Naked D’Angelo off of the Voodoo album.

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The One – Superpsychosexy
OM Records (8/19/08)
Soul

Coming to you straight from Charlotte, N.C., The One represents a bit of a reach for OM Records—and if you’re familiar with their roster of talent, you know that’s saying something. His style is ostensibly neo-soul, but with his meandering delivery and repetitive lyricism, it’s hard to see what all of the hubbub is about.

“Hot Momma” is arguably his most recognizable single to date, but it’s at least two years old (it appeared on a 2006 OM compilation) and comes cliché-ready with that old “we don’t need no water, let that (expletive) burn… burn… burn” line crammed right in. The tired analogies continue on “Drippin’”, as The One’s woman is like “ice cream on a sunny day… all over [his] hands and face”.

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Earth, Wind & Fire – Live in Japan [CD/DVD]
Eagle Rock Entertainment (8/26/08)
R&B / Soul

On the one hand, I’m certainly old enough to remember Earth, Wind & Fire.

On the other hand, I’m not old enough to appreciate them.

I’m the guy that can name only their biggest hits and recognize when one of them has been sampled. Unfortunately, I can’t emotionally connect with the group in any substantial way, as their peak intersected with my infancy.

However, I have heard that Earth, Wind & Fire are quite the live performers, so I was ecstatic when I received a copy of their Live in Japan concert DVD/CD. Ecstasy turned to morbid curiosity when I realized that the concert was from 1990—George W. Bush’s father was our president, the NBA’s Michael Jordan was a ball-hogging me-first superstar who’d never win a championship and the Wayans Bros. were a universally loved collective of comedians who helmed the most refreshing show on television.

A lot has changed since 1990.

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Calvin Richardson – When Love Comes
Shanachie (5/27/08)
R&B / Soul

Calvin Richardson’s résumé reads like a road map from 15 years ago. The North Carolina-born up-and-coming soul star was influenced early on by K-Ci and Jo-Jo of Jodeci. And, if that’s not enough of a throwback for you, Richardson also appeared on the 1995 soundtrack to New Jersey Drive (with his group, Undacova). I’ll let you decide on what’s the more obscure reference—the year or the concept of an urban album soundtrack.

After an extended bout of label drama, including one shelved release and another inexplicably titled Country Boy, Richardson is going independent in an attempt to cash in on the kiddie R&B sound made popular by acts like Chris Brown.

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The Funk Brothers – Live in Orlando
Eagle Rock Entertainment (6/3/08)
Soul / R&B

The Funk Brothers – Live in Orlando [DVD]
Eagle Rock Entertainment (6/17/08)
Unrated
95 minutes

If you’ve never heard of The Funk Brothers, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you’re not alone. For over decade, Eddie Willis, Bob Babbitt and Uriel Jones performed much of the production work that was masterminded by legendary producer Berry Gordy, forming the foundation of that ubiquitous Motown sound, back in its heyday.

Much of their work was performed in anonymity (or, as the trio referred to it, in “the snake pit” of the demanding Gordy) but their contributions to this seminal era were finally celebrated in the 2002 film Standing in the Shadows of Motown.

Live in Orlando was filmed this past New Year’s Eve, and while the recorded portion for the CD and DVD releases (released separately) is entirely cover material, the end results are unmistakably Motown.

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The Grouch – Show You the World
Legendary Music / ADA (4/8/08)
Hip-hop / Rap

It’s been about 15 years since the West Coast consistently dominated the hip-hop scene. Despite the continued presence of tired acts like Snoop Dogg and his Dogg Pound (actual combined age in human years: infinity), the truth is that California’s peak lasted about two years, ending when names like “Newt Gingrich” were being introduced to the American public.

The independent scene out in Cali has been trying to find its footing amid the state’s rap stereotype (gangsta lyrics, dated g-funk beats), and if anyone’s going to lead the left coast into the light, it might as well be The Grouch.

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Keith Sweat – Just Me
Atco Records / Rhino Entertainment (5/13/08)
R&B

I’m old enough to remember where I was when Keith Sweat’s 1987 debut album—the triple-platinum Make It Last Forever—was released. Back then, you could drop an album that was just eight tracks long, but then again, back then we all thought the New Jack Swing era would last forever. Sweat’s record sales began a slow and steady decline over the next several years, before he realized his greatest success with his self-titled 1996 classic.

The funny thing is, save for the production work on his albums, Sweat hasn’t changed much at all in over two decades. Just Me is “exhibit A” to back up this statement.

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Rocko – Self-Made
Island / Def Jam (3/18/08)
Rap

I can’t say I know a whole lot about Rodney “Rocko” Hill other than his oft-gossiped-about relationship with R&B hotness Monica. The Georgia native caught the eye and ear of the wee Jermaine Dupri—who co-executive-produced this album—dropped the single “Umma Do Me” and, as they say, a star is born.

Of course, “stardom” by today’s standards doesn’t involve the same level of ascension as it did a decade or so ago. Case in point—the aforementioned “Umma Do Me”. It’s a defiantly cocksure piece of posturing that’s been dumbed down for the MySpace age of ringtones and downloads. Rocko’s second single, “Tomorrow”, is a little more clever on the wordplay (“I’m too busy f****n’ 20s, got no time for dimes”) but will be long forgotten by its intended target of high school sophomores before they start their junior year.

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