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Ryan
Cabrera
The Moon Under The Water
Papa Joe Records |
We were prepared
for the same, contrived, vocal pop-dung from the big-spiky-haired
one, but “Sit Back, Relax” is growing on us. Here’s
what Ryan, himself, says of his major-label debut: "The
new album is quite a different experience than any past record
I have ever done!! You will hear a new but familiar sound coming
from this album. I have spent about a year-and-a-half writing
and recording what I think is my best work to date! I wanted
the album to be a roller-coaster of genres and experiences.
I wanted to surprise people and confuse people…”
OK, we’ve lost interest again. |
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Death Cab For Cutie
Narrow Stairs
Atlantic/WEA |
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Tre-8
Most Underrated
Purple Haze |
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Foxy Brown
Brooklyn’s Don Diva
Koch |
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Victoria White
The Upside
Kalimba |
Urban-qualified, plaintive,
piano/keyboard-based vocals in the Corrine Rae vein. Produced
by Earth, Wind & Fire’s legendary guitarist, Sheldon
Reynolds, White’s album could raise the bar. |
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8Ball & MJG
We Are The South: Greatest Hits
Koch Records |
The duo’s biggest
hits on a single disc, including “Space Age Pimpin,”
“Pimp In My Own Rhyme" and "Don't Flex.”
As one-dimensional as these songs may or may not be, 8Ball and
MJG’s success cannot be disputed. |
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Tangerine Dream
Booster
Cleopatra |
Still somber after all
these years… These old pros effectively demonstrate that
“hip” and “youth” are not synonymous.
Making a wide spectrum of clubber-friendly instrumental music
since the Nixon’s first term, Tangerine Dream’s
latest is a compliment to the newer ambient artists who have
followed their tradition. And it’s quite a ride: “Hyper
Sphinx” clocks in at 14 + minutes, but “Tangram
Chin Part” is – dare we say – nearly house-y.
The horns, trance-hop grooves are other-worldly and amazingly
musical. |
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Mark Farina
Fabric 40
Fabric 591 Ltd. |
His CD mixes are usually
on the chill-out side of house/techno, often mixing house with
jazz and some hip-hop, but a DJ Mark Farina live-set event can
still cause a stir internationally. A Chicago-house staple like
Derrick Carter, Farina actually helped define the house-movement
all the way on the left coast in San Francisco. Like his previous
Mushroom Jazz projects, Fabric 40 continues his long-standing
repertoire of slower-BPM, mind-melding grooves, featuring DJ
Sneak’s “Mumbler,” as well as Cheeba’s
mix of Farina’s “Shibuya.” |
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