funk, soul, acid jazz, hip hop and all the music that should be in your head.
It’s been awhile! But after a bit of a hiatus, Groovelounge is back as a monthly event held at my personal favorite bar in the city, Destination1905 Bar in the historic Indian Village neighborhood in Downtown Detroit. Amazing cocktails with an international flair, in an intimate environment. I’ll be posting updates for upcoming events and other surprises!
2016 was one of the most difficult years on record for me. Not getting political, but losing so many of my musical heroes including my lifelong idol Prince was one of the hardest things i've had to go through. But as always, music helped me get through it all. These were the top 10 albums I enjoyed last year.
10. - Radiohead/A Moon Shaped Pool
It's been awhile since Thom and the boys have made it into one of my top 10 lists, but this release felt more like the old Radiohead than I've heard in a long time. Felt like seeing an old friend that I haven't seen in awhile.
9. AlunaGeorge/I Remember
Aluna Francis & George Reid finally released their follow up to 2013's Body Music, and it doesn't disappoint. Electronic pop fused with R&B, this album is a fun energetic listen that brought me a lot of light moments when I needed them.
8. A Tribe Called Quest/Thank You 4 Your Service
One of the big losses of the year, was Phife Dawg. So one of the few bright spots was when we found out that they'd recorded one last album. And with that the reminder of how truly groundbreaking they still are.
7. Esperanza Spalding/Emily's D+Evolution
The jazz bass prodigy released yet another banger that is heavily fusion influenced with some amazing lyrical contributions. Esperanza in on her way to becoming an all around songsmith.
6. Anderson Paak/Malibu
No sophomore slump to be found on Anderson's 2nd release. The kid who made a name for himself working on Dr. Dre's "Compton" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album for this album, that is deserving of the accolades.
5. De La Soul/and the Anonymous Nobody
Again, I can't explain how difficult of a year 2016 was for a lot of people. However, getting both a new Tribe and a new De La album in the same year was most certainly one of the highlights.
I'm just now realizing while compiling this list of how many sophomore releases are compiled here. And how maybe the "sophomore slump" doesn't exist anymore, because Jillian Rose Banks picked up right there she left off from her 2014 debut "Goddess." I listened to this album A LOT.
Of course one of the most significant losses from last year was the loss of the icon, David Bowie. But being the true artist he was, he left us a final gift in this last release. I spent a lot of time with this one, and it still amazes me.
2. Anthony Hamilton/What I'm Feelin'
Anthony has been churning out quality R&B under the radar for years now, but this in my opinion is his strongest release to date. Front to back a solid album with multiple bangers, this would have been my #1 in any other year probably. However......
1. Bruno Mars/24K Magic
Peter Gene Hernandez, professionally known as Bruno Mars has finally arrived. Working with uber-producer Mark Ronson this album channels all the swagger of Morris Day with the production and vocals of a long-lost Prince protege. Funk tinged pop that is infectiously fun, this was an easy choice for #1 for me.
2015 was a great year for music! There were a lot of albums that I enjoyed, but these are the ones that exceptional in my mind. So without further ado, here's my top 10 album list for 2015.
10. Tori Kelly/Unbreakable Smile (Capitol)
The debut album from the girl that broke through by releasing videos of YouTube doing a Frank Ocean cover, does not disappoint. It's flawless pop with solid production, and her vocals are impressive to say the least. I was surprised at how much I liked this album, and she's been nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist. Highlights are the title track, "Nobody Love" and "Should've Been Us".
9. Lianne La Havas/Blood (Warner)
Leanne's sophomore release is a lot more well rounded than her debut effort from 2012 that got her on Prince's radar and got him to have her guest-star on last year's "Art Official Age". Highlight tracks are "Green & Gold", "Wonderful" and "What You Won't Do.
8. Mark Ronson/Uptown Special (Sony)
I've been a Mark Ronson fans for years now, primarily because of his work with Amy Winehouse and Nikka Costa. He abandoned his wheelhouse (retro sounding funk) with his last release (Record Collection) and I wasn't sure how he was going to approach this album. Well, he partnered with Bruno Mars and dropped 2 of the hottest singles of the year. I didn't even realize I'd missed Mystikal until "Feel Right" and then there was the monster smash "Uptown Funk". Needless to say, I think both Ronson and Mars realize that their next release needs to be a Ronson produced Mars album and they can both laugh all the way to the bank. Stevie Wonder guest stars on a couple of tracks and check out "Heavy Rolling" featuring Andrew Wyatt.
7. Dr. Dre/Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre (Interscope/Aftermath)
With the release of the biopic "Straight Outta Compton" it seemed fitting that Dre would drop an album to remind us all why he's probably the Godfather of Gangster Rap. Clearly the sound is heavily influenced (and probably ghost written) by Kendrick Lamar. The list of guest stars is long and includes Anderson Paak, Snoop Dogg, Jill Scott, Eminem and of course Kendrick. More on him later.
6. Miguel/Wildheart (RCA)
Old leg-droppin' Miguel (I really need to stop calling him that, but I won't) is back and this release further solidified his role in today's new crop of R&B artists as their "Prince". Funky, sensual and well written, it's a huge growth for him as an artist. It's like he knows that Prince won't do tracks like "the valley", so he will. And I appreciate it.
5. the bird and the bee/Recreational Love (Rostrum)
Somehow Greg Kurstin found the time during his production duties on Adele's new album to get back together with his longtime partner Inara George and put together a collection of stellar pop songs with their unique style. Highlights are "Young And Dumb", "Runaway" and "Doctor".
4. Alabama Shakes/Sound & Color (ATO)
Most years, this album would have been impressive enough to be the number 1 album of the year, and it will probably end up on the top of a lot of lists. As I said earlier, this was an exceptional year for music. Led by frontwoman Brittany Howard's amazing vocals, the album is a dizzyingly complex kaleidoscope of blues, rock and soul. I can't single out tracks, because the whole album is epic from front to back.
3. Adele/25 (Columbia/XL)
Everyone knows how much I adore Adele, and apparently i'm not the only one. I couldn't wait for this release, and it was well worth the wait. The debut single "Hello" was the biggest of the year, and returned her to her throne at the top of the industry. So I know the question becomes "Ben, if you loved it so much, why is it not #1?" It's an amazing album, and her vocals still move me to tears. However, I feel like she played it a little safe on this one. There's no tracks that sound like she was trying to stretch herself or go into new territory. She stayed in her wheelhouse, which is fine but there were a couple of releases I had to rate a little higher.
2. Andra Day/Cheers To The Fall (Warner)
Most people noticed Andra in the Apple Music holiday commercial that features Stevie Wonder. Her debut album hit me like no artist since Amy Winehouse. Sounds like Amy, Adele & Billie had a baby. But I hear a LOT of Amy in there. This album impressed me so much. Almost enough to be considered for #1. Almost.
1. Kendrick Lamar/To Pimp A Butterfly (Aftermath/Top Dawg)
I can't remember the last time a hip hop album sat at the top of one of my top 10 lists. Mostly because I can't stand what hip hop has become. In today's current political environment, I can't stomach what these clowns want to rap about. And along comes Kendrick. Instead of using his sophomore release to brag about his success, money and love life he uses his platform to shine a light on today's injustices. Kendrick has set the bar so fucking high, that the rest of the hip hop community should be embarrassed to not step their collective games up. He did a track where he fucking interviewed Pac. MIC DROPPED. Kendrick deserves every Grammy he's nominated for and even the ones he's not. This was an epic release that was sorely needed. A classic that should hold up to the test of time.
10 - Lily Allen/Sheezus -Lily’s third album now distributed through Parlophone/Warner (not Capitol, sniff) is all swagger, Brit snark and the other things that I’ve come to love her for. Most of the album was done with longtime collaborator Greg Kurstin from the Bird and the Bee, however the 2 standout tracks from the album weren’t. The title track produced by DJ Dahi and “Hard Out Here” which was one of the year’s best singles for me.
9 - Blue Six/Signs+Wonders - Jay Denes aka Blue Six is back!!!!! Co-founder of arguably one of the best labels of the last decade or so (Naked Music), hits us with another collection of downtempo and deep house tracks that are groovy and sexy. I didn’t realize how much I missed Naked Music until I played this album. Welcome back.
8 - Prince/Art Official Age
Third Eye Girl/Plectrum Electrum - I didn’t think that these albums deserved to be treated as separate entities, because they truly weren’t. Lyrically, they leave a little to be desired but musically both releases are really solid. AOA is more polished and the TEG album feels more raw, which i’m sure is by design. Overall it sounds like he had a blast making both of these and it comes through.
7 - The Ting Tings/Super Critical - Now this one was a surprise for me. I dug their debut album mostly behind the infectious rock of “That’s Not My Name”. Their second effort felt “eh” to me, which is why I was not expecting much out of this release. I was extremely and pleasantly surprised to find a collection of funky 80’s sounding tracks that sound retro without sounding like they’re trying too hard.
6 - Little Dragon/Nabuma Rubberband - Yukimi and the boys are back, and once again I have no complaints. None. Little Dragon needs no explanation. Moving along...
5 - FKA Twigs/LP1 - I love me some Spotify. Mostly because it saves me a shit ton of money while allowing me to listen to a shit ton of music. Mostly this album caught my ear because I haven’t heard a “new” trip-hop album in awhile, and it took me a couple of listens to really appreciate it. Between this and the next album on the list, I’m starting to have some hope that this extended pop period that music seems to have been stuck in is maybe starting to wane.
4 - Banks/Goddess - Once again, thanks to Spotify for recommending an artist to me that I knew nothing about and ended up loving. Imagine that Kate Bush, Aaliyah and Fiona Apple had a baby who listened to nothing but Tricky. Now go listen to Banks’ debut album. You’re welcome.
3 - Michael Jackson/Xscape - Okay, I agonized over placing this album at this spot for a couple of reasons. Mostly because I try and keep my top 10 to new releases, and I wasn’t sure if this album qualified. I decided based on the production and the fact that none of these songs had been released previously, that it did. With that being said, LA Reid deserves a ton of credit (and probably a Grammy) for spearheading this release by pulling unused tracks out of the vault and pairing them with producers that felt they had something to add to the track. The result was one of the biggest releases of the year and a stark reminder that Michael Jackson was one of the most unique talents to come along ever.
2 - Kimbra/The Golden Echo - I’m going to keep preaching about Kimbra until the world catches on, the same way I did about Amy. Her sophomore release picks up where her debut album left off and also stretches out in new directions. It’s an amazing release from front to back but the standout tracks for me are “90’s Music” which is a funky ode to just that, and “Miracle” which was probably my second favorite single of the year. Once again, this would have been my #1 for the year if it weren’t for.........
1 - D’Angelo & The Vanguard/Black Messiah - Hell, the WORLD was not expecting this. After working his 2 previous releases, it became a running joke for the rest of my tenure at EMI as to when the “next D’Angelo” album was going to drop. So suffice it to say, expectations were HIGH. Holee shit. During the first listen I found myself critiquing the album a little too much and literally had to have a conversation with myself about just listening and experiencing what I was hearing. And I missed D’Angelo. We all did. FUCKING EPIC. I could break this thing down note for note and lyrically and point out all of the moments of brilliance on this, but i’m not. It’s fucking D’Angelo and he’s back. Nuff said.
I love the digital age and I love Spotify. It's now an easy thing to be reminded of an album that had a profound effect on your childhood and now be able to easily share it with others. It was 1982 and the same year that Prince released his landmark fourth album "Controversy". He was quickly becoming a name in the R&B community and the Minneapolis sound was becoming extremely popular. That same year, Prince's childhood friend and former bassist and bandmate decided to strike out on his own and release his debut album on Columbia.
Now in the early 80's, Detroit was probably Prince's largest fan base so even though the single "Kelly's Eyes" only reached #72 on the Billboard R&B Single Chart it was HUGE in the Motor City. And unlike in most markets, Detroiters immediately recognized Prince's former bass player from the band insert from Prince's previous album 1981's "Dirty Mind", so every Prince head I knew ran out and bought this album. Boy, were we in for a surprise.
The title track captures the sense that music at the time was changing. "Urban" artists were experimenting with all kinds of new sounds and infusions of genres. Whereas Prince's albums of that period were largely thematic (For You/Prince - Disco, Dirty Mind - Guitar based, Controversy - Synth based), Andre's debut album basically shows that he has all of these tools in his toolbox and wants to play with all of them. Synth based with all of the trademark tight ass staccato rhythm guitar work and with some absolute killer bass playing, you are immediately put on notice.
The biggest single on the album, "Kelly's Eyes" definitely makes you wonder just how much Andre learned from Prince or vice versa because all of the feel is there. Amazing harmonies, playfully suggestive lyrics "I'm sick and tired of this phone affair, I want to get into your underwear", it's all there. At the time it just felt like an extension of the musical universe that Prince was creating (4 Prince albums, 2 Time albums and this) and we couldn't get enough.
I could wax poetic track by track, but if you have Spotify you should click the link and check it out yourself. Amazingly, this album holds up. "All I Need Is You" is reminiscent of 50's doo wop, "Get It Girl" is classic early 80's electro pop, "Baby Don't Go" a poignant ballad. Probably my 2 favorite sequences on the album are the back to back tracks "So Fine" and "Voice on the Radio". The former is a fucking banger that foreshadows Andre's work with Jody Watley that came much much later, and the latter being an 80's rock anthem that easily would have fit on "Dirty Mind".
Spotify, in light of Andre's recent release "The Stone" has re-released his entire catalog and I got goosebumps as I was immediately transported back into my bedroom in my childhood home, rocking out to this album on my headphones. Check it out. You're welcome.
