Jose James - Yesterday I Had the Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday

Release Date: March 31, 2015

All Music Review

I first became aware of Jose James from his appearance on Little Bird on Jazzanova's 2008 album Of All The Things. I heard that track and said "Who is this elderly brother who's voice clearly contains a lifetime of cigarettes and soul." I was completely unaware that it was in fact a 30 year old soul singer from Minneapolis. 

I enjoyed the track. But he ultimately fell off my radar. Until I discovered his song Do You Feel from his 2013 album No Beginning No End. I fell in love with him all over again. His voice is almost mesmerizing.  So when I heard he hid a new album of Billie Holiday covers, I almost sprained a thumb typing it into Spotify. This I had to hear. 

The record doesn't play like a cover album. It sounds like Jose James. It's soulful. It's jazzy. It's beautiful. He's taken Billie's material and made it his own. The middle of the record seemed to drag a little for me. Fantastic material. Beautiful. But for a few songs, I found my mind wandering. 

I don't consider myself an expert on Jazz by any means. But I am an expert on what I like. This type of record isn't one that fits every mood. But when the mood hits and I want to cool out and just be reminded of what good music can sound like, I'll struggle to find a record more fitting than this one.

Rating: 7/10

Favorite Tracks: God Bless The Child, Strange Fruit, Good Morning Headache

Snoop Dogg - Bush

Release Date: May 12, 2015

Wikipedia

Allmusic Review

If you are anything like me, news of a new Snoop Dogg record is met with indifference.  I’ve not anticipated a Snoop Dogg release since Rhythm and Gangsta (an album I enjoyed). Everything he’s released since then, I can seriously do without. I am establishing a rule on this blog that we are never to mention Snoop Lion. It’s not a thing. It never happened.

It’s not that Snoop’s music has gotten bad. It’s just that Snoop has fallen into that cycle that you see artists get into as they age. They seem stuck in no man’s land. Their music doesn’t seem to speak to the younger generation. And his now older fanbase would rather listen to Doggystyle than listen to him have a midlife crisis to a reggae beat. (I know, I broke my own rule.)

So when I heard he had a new record coming out, I prepared to hate it.  I expected the record to make me want to listen to Doggystyle. But then I read that the record was being produced by Pharrell and it immediately raised my expectations. Everything that Pharrell touches these days turns to gold. One day I’m gonna have to devote a blog post to Pharrell’s pact with the Devil he’s clearly made.

If there’s something you can never say about Snoop it’s that he’s afraid to change things up or take risks. From making funk records, to reggae records (Dammit, I did it again) Snoop always tries to grow and push himself as an artist. And he’s done that here. This album sounds more like a Pharrell record with Snoop singing than a Snoop record produced by Pharrell. And I mean that as a compliment.

Right from the start with the song California Roll, I was all in. The groovy track paired with Stevie Wonder’s harmonica makes this song damn near perfect. I wouldn’t be shocked if this song ends up on my year end top songs list.

Snoop rarely raps on the record. And that’s actually welcomed here. I like Snoop as a singer. It works on the canvas Pharrell lays out for him. When he does rap it feels forced and lazy.

The rest of the record carries on in this way. It’s a very enjoyable record. It’s remarkable to listen to this record knowing Snoop’s discography. After listening to this album, I did want to put on Doggystyle. But not as a palate cleanser. But as a reminder of where Snoop started and how on Earth we got here..

Rating: 8/10

Favorite Tracks: California Roll, Awake, Edibles, I’m Ya Dogg

Why A Music Blog?

Simple answer to this question; I love music. I often find myself explaining to people why I like an album or why I don’t. So I figured, why not start a blog. If I’m gonna rant about the music I listen to, it would be nice to give my wife a break from my ramblings and force them on you all. It’ll be simple. I’ll listen to an album and post a review. I’ll try to be funny and thoughtful. But chances are I won’t always be. Hopefully you’ll enjoy my blog anyway. Thanks for stopping by.