Game Theory by The Roots

I said wait
Cause here I come
Here I come
Here I come
You boys get ready
Cause here I come
Here I come
Here I come

I couldn't resist quoting one of the songs from this CD even though I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with what I am thinking of. I ran into this song and another one in my iTunes randomly and I thought, "Who is this? Why do I have this song?" After looking through the CD collection I found it, Game Theory by the Roots. The name sounded familiar and a friend reminded me that they are the house band for Jimmy Fallon. Things were starting to come together as to who they were but I still couldn't figure out why I owned this CD. I took a listen and got more of an idea.
The Roots are a hip hop band. Game Theory is pretty much all hip hop but there are some other influences in there, you can hear jazz, disco, hard rock, just to name a few. The song "Here I Come" has a guitar riff in it that sounds more like it came from a speed metal band than a hip hop one. Then there are other songs that have more jazzy and mellow beats. They also are obviously influenced by some of the masters in their own genre as I was listening to a Public Enemy song and realized that the Roots had taken a line from their song, "Don't Believe the Hype," and used it as the central theme for one of their own songs, "False Media." From information I read when looking up stuff about the Roots this CD was a little more political than some of their other CDs. It has references to 9/11, Columbine, Iraq, and also the violence in the streets.
My favorite songs are "Here I Come," the song I quoted above. I like it because it has a fast, pounding beat and has some cool sounding guitars in it plus I like the words from it. My other favorite song is "Long Time." This song kind of reminds me of a song from the disco era as the music is totally 70s while Peedi Peedi is rapping and then the chorus is sung with a bunch of "whoo-hoos" from the back-up singers. Definitely disco.
I am not keeping this CD. I can think of other people who will listen to it and enjoy it more than I ever will but I did like it and was glad to have been exposed to it. I have no idea why Ross would buy this CD but I find it an odd coincidence that he also bought a Public Enemy CD. Just not what I would ever think is his kind of music but he always surprised me by never letting himself get pigeonholed into liking or buying just one kind of music. I suppose that is one of the things that I always loved about him. He never made a judgment about anything, musically or otherwise, without giving it a chance.

Here I Come - The Roots

Crazy Rhythms by The Feelies

I am having another flashback. I wish I could still put my hair in one of those ponytails that goes off to the right or left with, of course, wall bangs. I would also be wearing a shirt with the collar cut off (with a tank top under that), leggings (with a skirt over that), and maybe leg warmers above my Keds. I'm back in the 80s, if only for a little while. That is what I felt like listening to this CD. I had never heard of the Feelies but they sounded a lot like the music I listened to for a good portion of the beginning of the 80s. Maybe if they had had a video on one of those late night video shows I would know them.

The Feelies are a punk rock/new wave band from New Jersey. Their sound on this CD reminds me of a mix of Devo and the Suburbs. The lead singer has kind of a deadpan singing voice similar to some of the Suburb songs. The guitars and the drums are kind of manic and really fast like some of the Devo songs or just new wave songs in general. It was definitely like going back in time listening to this CD. One of the unusual things they did in quite a few songs on this record was that they didn't start the music right away. There might be little sounds or it might just be quiet for about a minute. I thought that was pretty unique for a band to do. I also thought it cool that they did a cover of a Beatles song and a Rolling Stones song. Not really what you would expect from a new wave band.

My favorite songs are "Raised Eyebrows" and "Crazy Rhythms." The reason I like both of these songs are the beats and the rhythms in the songs. They are both pretty typical 80s songs. In "Raised Eyebrows" there is a lot of guitar and drums at first and there isn't any singing until pretty late in the song. The guitars reminded me of surf songs but then it changes to that 80s beat with a little Cure mixed in there. With "Crazy Rhythms" it was all about the beat too (lots of guitar and hammering drums) and the lead singer singing really fast and not making any sense (totally punk). It just made me want to swing my ponytail around in the air and dance really fast.

I could totally see Ross digging this CD in the 80s. I could see him at the record store with his long hair, his moccasins, and his tie-dye shirt buying this CD and then listening to it really loud. He probably had this on tape originally and then wanted to get the CD version. I cann't decide if I will keep this CD or his other Feelies CD. I struggle a lot with how many of these CDs I should "save." I didn't love this CD and I would save a CD I loved. It definitely brought back memories of a certain time in my life but I have other CDs that bring the 80s back for me. Also this CD doesn't really make me think of Ross either. So it really doesn't have much meaning for me. I guess I have my answer. Anyone out there want to have this CD and will appreciate it more than I do?

Raised Eyebrows - The Feelies

Confessin' the Blues by Carrie Smith

Carrie Smith is a blues and jazz singer from Georgia. This CD has a nice mix actually of blues and jazz songs. They are all cover songs that you so often here from the women jazz/blues singers. It has taken me forever to listen to this CD, not because it is a bad one, but because there are 16 songs on the CD. I would get through the first 5 going to work, the next 5 going home, and I would forget what the first 5 sounded like so I would listen to them again, then the next 5... Are you getting the picture? I would never get to the last 6! Even though it took me forever to hear the whole thing, I do love this CD. It's a lot like the other women singers Ross had in his collection. Carrie Smith is in the vein of Ruth Brown, Ernestine Anderson, Nina Simone, and Ella Fitzgerald. I love them all. This CD is great too because it has some really upbeat, shake-your-tail-feather songs, and it also has some dark, sad, my-life-sucks songs.

My favorite song is #2 on the CD, Country Man. Not just because I heard it the most but because I love the words to it! "I need a man with a whole lot of energy." Hmm. It's about how she needs to find a country man because they have all kinds of energy to do everything around the farm and yet can keep up with (if you know what I mean) her. Classic. Unfortunately I couldn't find the song anywhere to let you all hear it. I did add "Ill Wind" just so you could hear her voice. It's also a song that many jazz singers have done a cover of and I do love every cover that I have heard of it.

I am sure Ross bought this because of his affinity for women who sing jazz and the blues like nobody's business. Carrie Smith is definitely in that category. I do find it interesting that when I looked her up online it said that she never really got popular here but has a cult following in Europe. Leave it to Ross to find music that is very obscure and yet awesome. I'm keeping this.

Ill Wind - Carrie Smith, Sir R...

Atomism by White Light Riot

Just alright, fairly unremarkable. That is how I would describe this CD. White Light Riot is a local Minneapolis band that somehow got onto Ross's radar. I'm not quite sure why. Their music is ok but nothing spectacular. They are an alternative band with a similar sound to the Alarmists, another local band, but I like the Alarmists better, don't ask me why. I just felt like this was nothing I hadn't heard before. I didn't hate the music but it wasn't very memorable either. My favorite song was the first song called "Charlatan." It's a pretty catchy tune as you can hear below.

I am not sure why Ross bought this CD. I know he bought it at the same time that he bought the Alarmists CD. They both had pretty big buzz a couple of years ago and were playing out and about a lot. We saw the Alarmists live but I know I never saw White Light Riot. Maybe he saw them live and liked what he saw or maybe he heard something on the radio that intrigued him. This one was just a curious CD for me. I couldn't see him really liking this that much. I am not keeping this one. I know I haven't really talked it up much but I am sure there are people who would like this one. I just don't need it for my collection.

Charlatan - White Light Riot

The Essentials by The Meters

So now I have moved on from Celtic punk to American funk. The Meters are an old school funk band based in New Orleans. This is a greatest hits CD, as you may gather from the title, "The Essentials". Many of their songs are instrumentals with the standouts in the songs being the keyboard and the funky guitar and bass. The music is groovy and the beats are righteous.
My favorite songs from this CD are "Cissy Strut" and "Hand Clapping Song". The first one is all instrumental and was pretty familiar to me even though I had never heard of The Meters. It is a groove that is very recognizable and you can easily get down to. The latter song, "Hand Clapping Song," has vocals but not a lot. The song consists mostly of the band singing "clap your hands now, people clap your hands" over and over again as well as lots of hand clapping. It's a pretty simplistic song but it gets the job done. You can't help but sing along and clap your hands.
Who knows why Ross bought this CD but I know why he liked it. It is right up his alley: the funky grooves, the riffs that go off for awhile and don't really have an ending, and the fact that you could just listen to this all day long and never get tired of it. I'm sure he was almost tempted sometimes to put on a polyester leisure suit and boogie when he listened to it. I can't give this CD away. It is just another one of those classics I feel I need to add to my collection. Like I have said before, I feel like I am receiving my musical education posthumously. Slowly, I am beginning to recognize when a CD is something that must be treasured because the music on it was important to the era from whence it came. It is music that has meaning and has lasted the test of time.

Cissy Strut - The Meters

The Meanest of Times by Dropkick Murphys.

When I first put this CD in my ears said, "Ouch, why are they shouting?" Then I realized they weren't mad about anything, it was just the Dropkick Murphys' way. I had heard their song "Shipping Off to Boston" because it is in the movie "The Departed." It's a great song and a great movie. I highly recommend both. But I digress. After listening to John Coltrane's jazz CD, this jolted me in another way.
The Dropkick Murphys are described as an Irish-American Celtic punk band. This is a surprisingly accurate description of them. Their songs have a definite Irish sound to them with the bagpipes sometimes but mostly it is just the melody to the songs that make it sound Irish. This ain't no wimpy Irish band though. They scream (or pretty close to it) their lyrics and the guitars and drums are pretty strong and thrashing. This is not a CD for the meek or weak of heart.
Even though they are a punk band I was really struck by the words to their songs and the topics are serious ones about death and loss. My favorite songs are "Echoes on "A" Street" and "Surrender." "Echoes on "A" Street" is about how thankful they are for their families being showing them support even though they are gone for long periods of time touring. I love the words:
"And she'll wait by your side,
you're the one thing that matters in her life,
as she waits patiently by the window,
she knows you'll be coming home soon."
I love the beat in "Surrender." It's starts out fast and seems like it gets faster the longer the song goes on, finally reaching a crescendo at the end. It's a great mosh pit song. The words in this song really hit home for me though too:
"I was at my weakest state
and you kept me pushing on
you gave me something to believe in
and it keeps me standing strong
these lessons that I've learned
these things I'll carry on
and when you're gone I'll honor you
each day, however long."
Wow, that's pretty profound for a punk rock band. I have a feeling they have seen lots of loss in their lives and it hasn't been good. They also have songs about a woman who was on drugs and had her family taken away from her and a family who lost all their sons from different horrible things: alcohol, war, suicide, and guns. These guys don't take the easy road but it seems as though they are writing what they know about.
Ross loved the song "Shipping Off to Boston" so I am pretty sure he bought this CD after he bought that song. It's a good CD, not really my taste, but then I am beginning to wonder how I would define my tastes anymore. When I first listened to this CD I wanted to shut it off, but as I listened to the words and heard that Irish melody in the background, I got drawn in. I have ended up liking this CD but it isn't something I need to keep, so if anyone wants a kick ass CD, this is it. I am giving it away.
I think the more I listen to all of Ross's CDs the more I appreciate all kinds of music. Isn't that the goal here?

Surrender - Dropkick Murphys

Blue Train by John Coltrane

Margarita has been on hiatus and is back now...

And now for something completely different… That is how I felt when I first listened to this CD. This CD is jazz the way you expect jazz to be: instrumental, long riffs from one instrument, and each song going on for a long time with no real ending. John Coltrane is a tenor saxophonist but on the CD he has a full band with him, piano, drums, trumpet, trombone, and bass. This was so different from the Masters of Groove CD that I listened to a few weeks ago. I think the main difference is that the Masters CD songs seemed to have a direction and a specific rhythm to them; they weren’t all over the place like these songs seem to go. It’s like John Coltrane is taking you on a trip but then along the way there are all these stops he insists you visit.

My favorite songs are “Blue Train” and “I’m Old Fashioned.” I like the way “Blue Train” starts with the horns, i.e. the train leaving the station, and then as you listen to the song you can kind of hear the train traveling on its way. I liked “I’m Old Fashioned” just because it is a nice mellow song that sounds so tender and beautiful.

Ross loved jazz and John Coltrane has always seemed to me like the epitome of real jazz. That's why he owned this CD. This is a CD I wouldn't have ever bought or ever even have listened to if it hadn't been for this blog. I feel like I owe the CD a little time. I am not a big fan of this kind of jazz. Maybe someday I will like it as much as Ross did. Maybe I won't but I am willing to give it a try.

Blue Train (Enhanced CD Versio...