Category: Reviews
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RAEKWON – 'ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX… PT II'
Whilst many of today’s Hip Hop fans searched for ‘leaked’ Blueprint 3 tracks, the nostalgia-filled ’90s rap fan eagerly anticipated the sequel to one of the most seminal albums in Hip Hop history. Raekwon, the Wu-Tang Clan affiliate, released Only Built For Cuban Linx over a decade ago; an ensemble of unforgiving street tales, haunting…
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ALBUM REVIEW: Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt II
Whilst many of today’s Hip Hop fans searched for ‘leaked’ Blueprint 3 tracks, the nostalgia-filled ’90s rap fan eagerly anticipated the sequel to one of the most seminal albums in Hip Hop history. Raekwon, the Wu-Tang Clan affiliate, released Only Built For Cuban Linx over a decade ago; an ensemble of unforgiving street tales, haunting…
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EVENT REVIEW: Michael Jackson Birthday Tribute @ Jazz Café, London (29-30 August 2009)
I know it’s harsh to judge such things on aesthetics alone but most of the crowd gathered @The Jazz Cafe for the Michael Jackson tribute, on what would have been his 51st Birthday, did not look like your average aficionados. There seemed to be little evidence of the kind of sophisticated, cosmo crowd that I’ve…
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LIVE REVIEW: BABYFACE @ Indig02, London
Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds is currently at the start of his world tour and his one and only date for the very first time in London at the Indig02 was fantastic. Kicking off with “For The Cool In You” in true Babyface style we were transported as you’d expect into two hours of a world of…
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ALBUM REVIEW: Black Noise
Finding quality Hip Hop in today’s music climate can be a bit of a task. No disrespect to mainstream music, but a lot of Hip Hop has lost its signature sound and identity to broaden its sounds and reach the masses. It’s nice when you find artists who take the scenic route when putting together…
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LIVE REVIEW: LEELA JAMES (Jazz Cafe, 14th July 09)
On a Tuesday night in mid July, to a virtually packed house, London gave way to an intense display American Soul, Blues, Funk, and Rock in the embodiment of who’d I’d call the ‘Soul Preserver’, Leela James, whose voice, dance moves, and energy took over the Jazz Cafe for her second and last of her…
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Sa-Ra Creative Partners – Nuclear Evolution the Age of Love
They were the visionary beat providers on Pharoahe Monch’s brief comeback and full on anti-war cry “Agent Orange”. They stole the show with their ingenious production on Erykah Badu’s recent New Amerykah project. They are Sa-Ra Creative Partners and their new album is a bit like what happens when a disquieting ball of sound is…
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EVENT REVIEW: BLESSED SOULS UK and PLATFORM (9 July 2009)
Thursday 9 July 2009 saw Blessed Souls UK – the monthly showcase night organised by one of the UK’s most hard-working live acts, Adelaide McKenzie – make its City debut. For the first time in its two-year history, last night BS:UK was held in central London, at East Village in the Hox-ditch/Old Street area, known…
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MAXWELL – BLACKsummers'night
At the rate the songs have been leaked on the Net from Nu-Soul pin-up Maxwell’s long-awaited album BLACKsummers’night, some might feel this review superfluous to their needs. So, I suppose this is for the benefit of those, who like me, chose to wait till after its official release on 7 July to properly sound it…
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An Elegy For Easterly by Petina Gappah | Book Review
‘An Elegy for Easterly’ is the first book by Geneva-based, Zimbabwean writer and lawyer Petina Gappah. It is a collection of short stories about the lives, loves and derring-do of various citizens living in the country formerly known as Rhodesia. I admit I approached an ‘Elegy…’ with some trepidation. The more than questionable antics of…