Songs
A Peace of Light, The Day, and Right On by The Roots

Back story
The Roots are a Philadelphia-based hip-hop group known as one of the best live bands performing today. They are currently the house band for the Jimmy Fallon Show, and somehow managed to find time to record and release a new album, How I Got Over. It is filled with live instrumentation and varied guests, anchored by ?uestlove’s drumming and Black Thought’s spot-on MC work. It’s an album whose message and vibe is perfect for these tough economic times. A New York Times review described it as “a serious deliberation on perseverance: a message for an era of recession.” Anyone thinking that hip-hop is dead and gone should give this a listen.

Why these songs
I was intrigued that the Roots employed several indie-rock acts on their newest release, so I decided to highlight three songs instead of just one, all featuring female singers. These songs aren’t necessarily representative of the album, but are wonderful nonetheless, especially enjoyed back to back.

A Peace of Light is a gentle introduction, featuring the beautifully eery, tight vocals of the Dirty Projectors. ?uestlove’s arrangement is top-notch.

The Day takes us into a familiar behind-the-beat Roots groove, featuring the Icelandic singer Patty Crash. Guest MCs Blu and Phonte add weight to a song about simply making it through, well…the day.

Right On features an irresistible hook sampled from from the alt-indie singer-songwriter/harpist Joanna Newsom. Not to mention the best groove on the album. Guest MC STS trades verses with Black Thought in 3 and a half minutes of soul, hip-hop, and pop perfection.

More info
All Music
Wikipedia

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Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010

Song
Butterfly by the Robert Glasper Experiment

Back story
Robert Glasper is a Texas-born pianist currently residing in New York City.  He grew up musically in the church, where he mixed gospel and jazz harmonies.  He is equally comfortable in a traditional jazz setting (playing with folks such as Christian McBride and Terence Blanchard) as well as a hip-hop setting (playing with folks such as Jay-Z, Bilal, Kanye West, Q-Tip, Mos Def, and Maxwell).

Why this song
Who says the vocoder is dead?  This is a great cover of the ‘70s Herbie Hancock tune off Robert’s 2009 release, Double Booked, whose 1^st half is acoustic jazz and 2^nd half incorporates electronic and funk elements.  While no one can touch Herbie’s electric piano playing, Robert’s version has more energy, a modern groove, and none of the now-cheesy synthesizer strings.  Adding a twist, Casey Benjamin is featured on vocoder, which complements the retro sound and yet takes it in a new direction.  Also worth noting is that all the songs on this album were recorded live in the studio, most on the 1^st take, including this track.

More info
All Music
Jazz.com interview

Check it out

Buy it
Amazon

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010