Santigold - Master of My Make-Believe (2012)

My prayers were answered in January when I was on Twitter and asked when will there be a new Santigold album for us to partake in. Someone replied that I wouldn't have to wait too long but that wasn't reassuring.  I posted the video to her single and waited.

In the same week of Santigold's second album dropping, two friends brought her name up in our discussions.  It appears that I was not the only one peeping the calendar. 

The Montreal Mirror gave Master of My Make-Believe a 6/10 rating which immediately got me on alert.

Before I continue, I must state again that Santigold's debut is one of the best albums released in the past decade.  I have not heard an album as brilliant as her debut in a long time. When the chance to buy the CD was presented to me, I seized the day, chance and of course the disc.  I have yet to own the vinyl but will try to correct that shortly. 

After reading the Mirror review and my first listen of  Master of My Make-Believe, I can understand why it was graded as such.  I did what I could to listen to the album with objective ears and not those of one expecting Santigold to blow my mind with her music again.  It was slightly difficult to not have flashbacks of the previous album and compare cuts.



Big Mouth didn't really grab me at first listen but it grew on me just like L.E.S. Artistes years ago.



I saw the Disparate Youth video minus the music.  It is my favorite song from the album.  Even after the second listen of the album the next day, it is quite similar to Shove It, my favorite from her debut, in tempo which could explain my affinity to the song. 



I say again that I love Santigold and her music.  Her originality and creativity intrigues me and peaks my own when I hear her.  I, like most of her fans, waited four years for Master of My Make-Believe.  It will make my Albums of the Month list soon and naturally Albums of the Year list in December. 

Freda Payne

I have had the chance to buy Freda Payne's Contact album on vinyl for about a month now.

It was a pleasant discovery that I didn't think about, expect to find or expect to want.  On the flip side, I was not happy to see its accompanying price tag. 



Years ago, I bought her Unhooked Generation: The Complete Invictus Recordings CD collection and typically never played it in its entirety until this month. 



The 2CD collection has an informative interview with Freda Payne in the booklet.  It objectively presents a review of her music at the time of its release.  The critic claims Easiest Way To Fall should not have been included on the Band of Gold album. Like the Unhooked and Hip Hop generation, I am so glad the single was on the album.  In my Flaming Ember post, I speculated about how sour the Holland-Dozier-Holland split from Motown Records must have been. The booklet gives more foundation to my theory.

All of the winning conditions are there for me.  It is a rare soul record by a beautiful vocalist that I would love to spin on the show whenever I can do so. 



As I said before, I listened to all of her songs on Invictus this month, including those on the Contact album.  The album costs more than what I paid to have all of her singles recorded on Invictus.  Had I not already acquired all of her prime Invictus music, I would be blogging about how I bought Contact rather than contemplating to buy it. 



It shows a lot of restraint for me to have not bought the album by now. I guess I should be proud of myself for that. It's the NOT having bought it and lining it up on my shelf that's getting to me.


As much as I love records on vinyl, the story doesn't necessarily end so. I'll try to find a happy medium between what is being asked for it versus what I'm prepared to pay for it.

**Post Script**

Days after writing this, I found a copy of Freda Payne's Contact album on vinyl at another store for half of the price of the one that inspired this post. It seems I did in fact find the happy medium after all.

DCV: Lee, Dubny & Me (June 2, 2012)

After many conversations with Dubny (right) & friend Lee (middle) over the last few months, I (left) figured we could create an interesting playlist one night.  It is scheduled to happen this Saturday. 

I'll be burning the midnight oil in my midnight lamp looking through my records. I know they will too but rest assured we should make it out of our respective record caves by the time we have to go on air. 

Tune in to The Suite Delight on June 2 from 8-10pm EST as we three kings of cuts present
an exceptional eclectic musical experience.

Peter Tosh (1944 – 1987)

I remember hearing the song Legalize It on a Montreal radio station many years ago and being awe-struck by it. Bob Marley managed to be the symbol of reggae music but had two important band mates in Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh.

My knowledge of Peter Tosh's solo music was very limited until the day I heard his Legalize It song. I knew he covered The Temptations’ Don’t Look Back with assistance from Mick Jagger but had it not been for prior exposure to song, Peter Tosh would have been even more unfamiliar to me.  After hearing Legalize It, I wanted to hear more of his music.

HMV was smaller and across the street from its current downtown Montreal location. I saw and sampled the Legalize It CD there one day. Before I got to the last track of the album, I knew I was leaving the store with it.

For whatever reasons, Tosh's 1976 solo debut ranks among the greatest reggae albums I've ever heard.

Tosh's unapologetic defiance was a slight shock at first because it was the second solo song of his I had heard and a far cry from Don't Look Back.

I then remembered Get Up Stand Up and began to understand Tosh was the real militant element of Bob Marley & the Wailers.

After understanding Tosh was not going to sugar-coat or present a Utopian idea of the world though his music, I realized this was the realest reggae I would ever hear.

The Beatnuts

Do you remember the first compact disc you bought with your own money?

Faced with the 1994 choice between Nas' Illmatic, Organized Konfusion’s Stress: The Extinction Agenda, Jeru The Damaja's The Sun Rises in the East and The Beatnuts’ first full-length, I walked out of the record store with Fashion, Juju & Psycho Les.

I somewhat marvel at how I arrived at that choice but considering I was making an important musical investment, I needed to make sure I was getting as many bangers for my bucks as possible.

I thought back to 1990-91 when I first learned of The Beatnuts. I saw their name was among the credits of my A Tribe Called Quest People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm cassette.  The Can I Kick It? video would give me a glimpse at what I would later know Juju to look like. 

In 1993, I would learn The Beatnuts would release music of their own. A DJ friend of mind had the Props Over Here 12” and I was immediately intrigued. I was just thrilled there was another East Coast hip hop team putting out product. Their affiliations with artists/crews I respected and admired made me a fan and eager for their full-length.

Although I was happy I would own Props over Here with the CD, No Equal had no equal to me and it was a source of disappointment to not see it on the 1994 CD track listing.

Nas was only 10 tracks deep and Stress was slightly longer but Beatnuts was approaching epic hip hop album status. Nas was new and I was fully aware he was a legend in the making. I knew Stress was and would be Organized Konfusion’s best album.  My logic was that if the near 20 tracks of their 1994 CD were as good as or better than the Funky Lemonade remix than it was a sure-shot.

With all of that Beatnuts hip hop history, it was clear I was going to buy their CD.  I firmly knew Beatnuts would give me the flavors, vibes and variety of sounds I would need.  Considering that I got my Beatnuts CD signed by Psycho Les when I got to see them perform in Montreal for their first time, I never regretted that decision. It was the best choice I could have made.

Mos Def - L'Olympia (June 15, 2012)

As one of my favorite MCs of the past decade, I saw Mos Def as one of the few that could help stop, or at least slow down, the tailspin hip hop was taking in the late 90s/early 2000s. Unfortunately, some of his albums revealed tailspins of his own.



As I write this, I'm in the midst of a mini-Mos Def showcase on an extended edition of Ill Groove Garden. It inspired me to write about Mighty Mos.



Mos Def cannot be faulted for musically experimenting and exploring his talents and the broad scope of possibilities. The issue for me was that hip hop, as well as myself, was in dire need of another Black on Both Sides when he dropped The New Danger and Tru Magic.



As much as there are some moments of brilliance on The New Danger, like Sunshine, the album is unevenly balanced between a rock/rap hybrid and his expanding on the foundations of his dazzling debut.



I presume my disappointment in the direction Mos Def took with The New Danger caused me to be less enthused about Tru Magic. It could also have appeared that Mos was not too enthused to have released Tru Magic, judging by its simple, plastic CD case packaging. Undeniable is indeed undeniable but I have never been curious enough to hear the rest of the album even after buying the CD before 2011's end.




It appears that he and the general public were happy for a return-to-form Mos Def album with the appropriately titled The Ecstatic.



A solo Mos Def/Yasin Bey returns to Montreal for a performance at L'Olympia on June 15. That is something we can all be ecstatic about.

K-os – Collected (2007)

I have been a big K-os fan since the release of his Joyful Rebellion album. I’ve seen him perform countless times, own his Publicity Stunt DVD and all of the CDs in his discography from Exit onward with the exception of the live album released last year.  The majority of all of that K-os material was found in Montreal.  Funny enough, it took one of my trips to New York to find his Collected CD.

I had known of the Collected compilation and might have had the chance to buy it on my music purchasing path. If I didn’t, it was because I thought I already had its tracks waiting for me at home. 

The Collected CD was among the very first purchases upon my arrival at the WFMU Record Fair.  If I had thought I had most of the tracks already, I would be more than happy to have them again because they were accompanied with exclusive remixes that I otherwise would not have owned.

Until I got Collected, I was not sure when, how or if I would ever have his Superstarr Pt. Zero remix.  My search for the 12” proved fruitless a few years ago. 

Feist is one of my favorite singing darlings and I discovered she and K-os worked together on the Mushaboom remix when I dabbled with her Open Season album. 

Sunday Morning personally places me on the fence but I have stood with K-os regardless.  There is a Twilight Mix of the song to check out.  Lastly, a song called Equalizer (Go! Remix) ends the compilation. 

I have always been big on unleashing remixes on The Suite Delight playlists to give listeners a different take on the artists or songs they may or may not know.  Collected allows me to continue doing just that where K-os is concerned.  It is also a great one-stop shop of K-os cuts.

Montreal Spring 2012 Record Convention

Aside from my birthday, the Montreal Spring Record Convention is a true sign the city is in full Spring swing.

The clear sky showed that record collectors and vendors were going to be in for a good day.

I was pressed for time that day which explains the few photographs taken. 
I was also busy making sure I knew who had what and where so that I could efficiently make the most of my time at the convention.

I did pretty well as usual.  I picked up a few platters that I expected to see, find and buy.  I was already carrying records on me for the show later that night and brought an extra bag to carry the record crop I reaped that afternoon.

Some of the tunes found that day has already made their way onto Suite Delight playlists.  Count on more as the summer months approach.

Miike Snow - Metropolis (May 2, 2012)

Miike Snow has a new album out now but I'm still tripping off of Animal.



I bought a promo CD compilation I otherwise was not supposed to have been sold to me just to have the single until I find a copy of their debut.

I have known and loved Miike Snow’s Animal since I heard it in 2009. I made what I still consider to be the slight mistake of not hearing the rest of album to broaden my Miike music knowledge. I may have gotten too hung up on the single and the many remixes to have checked out the other songs. There was also the fear the rest of the album may not be as brilliant as Animal.

When I got word Miike Snow was going to be performing at Metropolis in May, I was determined to be there one way or another. I saw it as the opportunity to correct the mistake made years ago of not hearing more Miike Snow. I was curious enough to witness the Montreal crowd reaction to the song as well.

I arrived to Metropolis to catch opening act Penguin Prison perform. I have a little knowledge of the group name from seeing it on either blogs or charts. Of the few songs they performed, Don’t Fuck with My Money got the most reaction from the audience and inspired many to take a trip to the merchandise table afterwards. I had the pleasure of meeting the band’s lead singer Chris and got to speak to him for a brief instant. He told me another Penguin Prison album is in the works.

During the near 30 minutes of wait until Miike Snow took the stage, a small group of spectators gravitated towards me. After explaining the audio cassette logo on my t-shirt was for CJLO and no other university radio station, they expressed to me that they were anxious to see and hear Miike Snow. One of the pack seemed more Miike minded than the others and I saw him as a source of information if the opportunity arose.

Miike Snow began performing around 9:15pm to a warmly receptive crowd. Sylvia had the crowd singing along for the first time since the show began. A little later, the crowd response to Pretender was on par with Snow closing the show rather than having started it. There was mention of a song called Black & Blue which again had the crowd roaring afterwards.

An hour into the show, the band stepped off of the stage and the crowd carried on like they were asking for an encore. Admittedly, I was getting anxious because they had not performed Animal until that point. After performing another two or three songs that I naturally did not know, the band broke into a surprisingly sped-up version of my song. The crowd response was unanimous. We were all there for Animal and judging by the band’s performance, they must have known that was the case and relished the moment.



Although the show had run for a little over an hour, Animal was in fact the show’s finale. To have been at Metropolis to see and hear the song performed was one of my best concert experiences for 2012. My little knowledge of Miike Snow’s music was its own hindrance for me having a better time that night. I owe it myself to get familiar with the two albums released so far so that my next Miike Snow concert experience will be all the more heightened.

D-Nice - Call Me D-Nice (1990)

I forgot how much of a D-Nice fan I was until a couple of weeks ago. 

In 1990, D-Nice’s album dropped and had many a jam on it. 

The organ breakdown of Call Me D-Nice drove me wild.  I sometimes couldn’t wait for him to finish rhyming so I could hear it. 

TR-808 is Coming was another favorite with KRS-One on the hook and that hypnotic, slow rhythm.

I had a hard time choosing between And You Don’t Stop and It’s All About Me as the conclusion to my high school yearbook blurb.  I always felt And You Don’t Stop was too short a song and that he should have rhymed for a longer period of time.  Mind you, if there was ever a case for short but sweet, that one verse defends and closes it.  In this day and age of hip hop, a good number of acts can’t do in 3 verses what D-Nice did with one. 

Going back to the title track, D-Nice was never more lyrically ferocious than on that single.  Considering what he rhymed over, I believe he had no choice but to attack the track and do it justice.  He does that and more. 

I played all of those songs I just listed since my return to CJLO in 2006.  I realize I did not play many tracks from his second album because I never owned a copy and no longer have the copy I owned in 1991.

My search for vinyl copies of D-Nice’s albums continues even though I may have forgotten that I was on that quest.  I presume if I came to face-to-face of the CDs/albums, I would have gotten the reminder then.    

As a member of legendary hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, D-Nice has produced many tracks and memories for most people of my generation. He was participant and witness to many events fans may not have been privy to know as well. He acts as hip hop historian with his True Hip Hop Stories series.