Kelis - Food / Neneh Cherry - Blank Project

bassie

Food stream

I've always liked the idea of her more than her music.
Don't own any of her music, but thought I'd check this out still.
It has a real 80s/summery feel. Some of it will fade into background music, others - like Floyd - are lovely.
And Hooch is basically a reworking of Three Degrees' Collage.

Thoughts?

batmon

I skipped the last album but im enuff of a fan to travel w/ her non-singin' ass.

Ill cop.

ketan

i happened to have that lined up at the guardian when you posted that... i just finished it. i really liked the middle stretch of Floyd through Cobbler. the rest sounded like she was doing other styles, and not really bringing much new to them (if that makes sense).

going to check out the neneh cherry now!

bassie

ketan said:

i really liked the middle stretch of Floyd through Cobbler

yea, that's a terrific block of music - I would add Bless the Telephone and Rumble.

Brian

really dig this

ketan

ketan said:

going to check out the neneh cherry now!

Not to thraedjacque (there are some parallels in middle career soul singers releasing apparently forward thinking albums in 2014), but the Neneh has some really brave songs on it. Not everything worked for me but this is a nice indicator of how great it can be:

ps. here's the link to the stream: blank project

bassie

ketan said:

going to check out the neneh cherry now!

Yea, I am not enjoying her voice...or maybe how she's using it...or maybe how it works with the music...I don't know what it is, it's not working for me at all.
It feels real flat and cold.

disco_che

Great to combine both albums in a thread. I was really waiting for both of them to drop.

Now after listening I have to say there's nothing memorable about "Food", nothing that makes me want to re-listen to any of these songs. It doesn't hurt, I wouldn't change the dial if it came on the radio but nothingt more. Doesn't feel this half-assed retro-soul approach and whenever I feel a song appeals to me (like "Cobbler") the tepid horn arrangements ruin it for me.
"Blank Project" is a hundred times more interesting musically and production wise. I like how she picks up where she dropped it 18 years ago because this definitely has a 90s "Trip-Hop" vibe without sounding outdated. This has a lot more life & blood in it than "Food".

Both look great BTW.

LaserWolf

Have not heard it, but I do have Welk Shake.

dollar_bin

LaserWolf said:

Have not heard it, but I do have Welk Shake.

Funny you should mention that

Jimster

Liking the Neneh.

Conjures late-night Mancunian rainy bus-stop vibes for me. Reminds me of A Certain Ratio, with better equipment.

bassie

J i m s t e r said:

the Neneh.
Reminds me of A Certain Ratio, with better equipment.

Right! Except that what made ACR (and New Age Steppers, which I hear some of in there) great was the messy, lo-fi, cheap gear sound. Blank Project lacks that hearty dischord and immediacy - which would go well with the lyrics actually - it's got no clang.

Funny thing is, where I've never been a fan of Kelis' music, I've been a fan of Cherry as a musician.
Maybe it's been such a long hard winter, I'm simply not in the mood for sterile melancholy.

Jimster

bassie said:

Maybe it's been such a long hard winter, I'm simply not in the mood for sterile melancholy.

Wow.

Running out of Buckwud hits hard.

I hope it's not a cruel Summer.

bassie

lmho!
I'm a simple zig zag girl and now bananarama will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day!
When is their mid-life record, Mood Swings Autumn, due?

ketan

bassie said:

Maybe it's been such a long hard winter, I'm simply not in the mood for sterile melancholy.

Well damn, with today's weather you must be this on repeat:

Jimster

bassie said:

bananarama will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day!

You're not the on-ly one...

ketan

I'm going to add one more new release to this list - the new Marsha ep:



Come and 69 (!) remind me of the Love vs $$ epic by Dream (and Aaliyah).

Kinetic

bassie said:

ketan said:

i really liked the middle stretch of Floyd through Cobbler

yea, that's a terrific block of music - I would add Bless the Telephone and Rumble.

So on the money... I just snatched this span of songs and put it on my go-to playlist on my iPod for the ride. Although 'Floyd' must have accidentally dropped off your list.... love that shit.

cookbook

Hooch has been in heavy rotation since it leaked.

anyone checking for TDE's SZA?

bassie

Kinetic said:

bassie said:

ketan said:

i really liked the middle stretch of Floyd through Cobbler

yea, that's a terrific block of music - I would add Bless the Telephone and Rumble.

So on the money... I just snatched this span of songs and put it on my go-to playlist on my iPod for the ride. Although 'Floyd' must have accidentally dropped off your list.... love that shit.

? I mention Floyd in the first post and it is right up there in Ketan's post.


Is this the female thread now :ehhx2:
SZA is not like the others.

ketan

cookbook said:

anyone checking for TDE's SZA?

i was, but nothing was really hitting me as groundbreaking. i'll probably check out the new release though.

but i agree - she's not like the others. i don't even know what her style is at this point - too samey.