Jay Dee We Hardly Knew Thee

Woe is me. Detroit's hidden jewel, aka J Dilla, aka Jay Dee, aka 1/2 of The Ummah has passed. J Dilla was the one who really put Detroit on the map, possessed the real talent of the sapped city, broke open the doors for scores of intelligent Detroitian urban artists in a manner that would've made Berry Gordy proud (notably Slum Village, Dwele, etc...) Only 32 years old, J Dilla passed away in his sleep on Friday, February 10th after a bout with liver disease. Last year, he told URB Magazine he had been performing in a wheel chair because his health had decreased so rapidly as a result of working too hard and not eating well (or at all). But let's remember the happy times. J Dilla was responsible for some of the last decade's greatest hip hop tracks, including A Tribe Called Quest's "Stressed Out", De La Soul's "Stakes is High", Common's "The Light", Busta Rhymes' "Woo Hah" and one of my personal favorites, Pharcyde's "Runnin". He was also a member of the famed Soulquarian band, a mystical outfit filled out with likeminded geniuses James Poyser, ?uestlove and D'angelo. After a phenomenal pairing with Madlib last year on the Jaylib project, who knows what could have been in store for the Dilla. We can only speculate, and in the meantime, lean back and appreciate the treasures he's left behind.

The Pharcyde - Runnin' (Jay Dee Instrumental)

Whoa Little Doggies

His name is Cavalier King, not to be confused with the Cavalier King Spaniel, those rangly little mutts with the floppy ears and wet noses, shedding everywhere. (Ok, I confess, I'm not a dog person). I am, however, a MUSIC person, and Cavalier King the human fits that bill. Actually, it's not too snug a fit, as I find him a bit whiney about the state of the world, but I'm a lover of sarcasm at heart so I can embrace the darkside, especially when sporting a guitar. I would like to just buy him an ice cream cone (even adorned with rainbow jimmies, if he's so inclined), pat his head, and tell him it will all be alright. Sigh, how dreamy. Decide for yourselves, folks.

"Renegade" stream:

www.rubricrecords.com/mp3/renegade.mp3

Woo Hoo WTF

KT Tunstall was the #1 selling artist in the UK last year, will she make it on American hallowed ground?

Following the trend of UK artists looking to get fat off the promised land (ummm...is it still considered a trend if it's been on-going for nearly 50 years?), KT's debut release "Eye to the Telescope" arrives in stores today. Whether she's worthy of the almighty American dollar remains to be seen.

Personally, I find the backing "woohoo" of her first single "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" to be utterly annoying, just like I find the same trait unlistenable in Blur's "Song 2", but decide for yourselves, me friends. For the record, I happen to be a fan of Blur, so perhaps there's hope for KT yet.

Blimey. Just felt like saying blimey 'cos it's a fun word to say (though my favorite British idiom happens to be wanker, in case you were wondering).

KT Tunstall - Black Horse and the Cherry Tree

Get Drunk and Take Out Your Willie

I hate country music. Seriously, I do. The mere mention makes me think of big tacky 'dos, cheatin' hearts, moonshine and marrying your cousin. Or at least having sex with your cousin. My best friend from high school and I wrote the perfect country song: "Well I raped my mother and I stole her pigs and we all went down to Georgia". (No pigs were harmed in the writing of that sentence). So when I was passed the new Little Willies album (of which Norah Jones is a member), I scoffed at the thought that classic country songs (hear The Little Willies cover Willie Nelson's "Gotta Get Drunk" below) covered by uppity New York yupsters could actually be worth my time. And thensome! IloveitIloveitIloveit. The uptempo songs ("Roly Poly", "I Gotta Get Drunk") bounce better than the latest Britney Spears and the slow stuff (the most traditional Norah Jonesish song on the record "Roll On") is beautiful and heartbreaking in the way that country songs were meant to be beautiful and heartbreaking. Now, I'm not saying I'm converted to country, hallelujah, no indeedy, but this record popped my cherry and now it hurts a bit so it may be a little while before I go back, if at all.

The Little Willies - I Gotta Get Drunk

M&M: Melts in Your Pants, Not in Your Brain

Up for you today is Mylo's mashup of his oh-so mashup-able "Drop the Pressure" versus Miami Sound Machine's "Doctor Beat". I know, it's being played all over the super-guido Bridge & Tunnel favorite WKTU here in NYC (aka the center of the universe), and was a #1 smash in the UK, but it's brainless, it's fun, it makes me want to shake my tush. So sue me, I like music that gets played on Clear Channel. Thumbs up for me , though I'm still partial to Mylo's mashup of "Drop the Pressure" vs. Yaz's "Situation". It's just his solo work minus the '80s cheese I'm not so keen on. Savior of dance music? I think not.
Mylo & Miami Sound Machine - "Doctor Pressure"