I remember walking into the Virgin Megastore that was on Union Square on August 25, 2001. It was my first day at my dorm at NYU for my sophomore year. It was a small tradition that I made for myself that each year I go back to New York I would buy a CD at that store. The first year it was Dilated Peoples “The Platform,” and that year it was Canibus’s “2000 B.C.”
I walked up to the counter and while ringing up the CD, he asks me, “Did you hear about Aaliyah?”
I said, “No, what happened?”
He replied, “She was in a plane crash and passed away.”
My jaw dropped.
I admired Aaliyah, because her “One in a Million” album was a classic to me. The combination of Aaliyah on top of Timbaland beats were a match made in heaven, and I had bumped the songs from that album consistently for a number of years, most especially “If Your Girl Only Knew,” “One in a Million,” “Four Page Letter,” and the remix to “Hot Like Fire.” Her voice was just right; she wasn’t a flashy singer, but on point with emotion and delivery with that correct amount of soul. Her harmonies always sounded great.
Most people usually use the word “angel” to describe her, and I’d have to say that description is pretty accurate especially when it came to her voice. There was a smooth feel there that just made you feel, “this girl’s definitely got it.”
And you have to admit, the hair over the eye, shades, and the baggy jeans/pants and tank tops were a good look without sluttiness giving a touch of not-so-feminine but sexy.
She had great versatility too. On that album alone you had ballads like “Four Page Letter” and “How Could the One I Gave My Heart To,” more funky songs like “If Your Girl Only Knew” and “Hot Like Fire” (remix was RIDICULOUS), and sensual sounding songs like “One in a Million,” and she handled her business properly on each.
Couple that with Timbaland’s ingenuity, and you had the perfect combination. Sorry Keri Hilson (even as great a songwriter as you are), but Keri doesn’t match nearly as well with Timbo as Aaliyah did.
Even her later works, like “More than a Woman,” “We Need a Resolution,” “Rock the Boat,” “Try Again,” and “Miss you,” were all really good songs, and I thought Aaliyah opening up “Up Jumps the Boogie” with Timbo, Missy and Magoo was just epic; there was just a feel to it that made you feel something was about to happen.
When I think of female R&B artists now, there’s a void where Aaliyah should be. No disrespect to the Beyonce’s and Alicia Keys’s of the world (both great artists, mind you), but there was something about Aaliyah that was different. The right amount of soul and sweet melody with no gimmicks, no overdone sexiness, and a good amount of versatility.
Here’s just some of my favorites from YouTube so you can enjoy the greatness that was Aaliyah:
Here’s Vincent, D-Ran a.k.a. Timmy Tidus, and I performing at the Coffee Cave in Newark, New Jersey this past Saturday (July 24, 2010). It was a Black Flag Shoppe event called “NJ HAS IT.” Vincent had a 15 minute set, and in the middle we did this cut. It’s the United Five theme for the clothing label, who also gave me the Biggie Babe t-shirt that I’m rockin in this vid. You can check their stuff out at http://www.united-five.com.
Also, for the latest trends in hip-hop wear from current and up and coming brands, make sure you check out http://blackflagshoppe.blogspot.com/ to check out the Black Flag Shoppe’s official site. You can also visit their store at 244 Lakeview Ave in Clifton, New Jersey.
So while watching the NBA 2010 Finals, (game 5 in Boston, to be exact, BEAT LA!) I was flipping channels and landed on the New Jersey Network. They were showing a televised performance by an a capella group called “Straight No Chaser.”
“Straight No Chaser” is a group of 10 male vocalists, harmonizing their way through covers such as “Time of the Season” by the Zombies, “Africa” by Toto, “Up on the Roof” by The Drifters, and a nice rendition of “Wonderwall” by Oasis.
I’m always up for unique music performances, and although I’ve seen some cool a capella performances, there was a certain swag to these guys that really caught my ear and eye. Their performance of “Time of the Season,” (coincidentally something I had sampled, more on that later. =] ) was great. The vocal arrangement was on point, and the performance was strong with the vocalists showing their personalities not just in their voices but in their delivery and actions. There was a particular cut when Jerome Collins (one of their Tenors and soloists) was moving his head in such a way with the adlibs that showed how much they enjoyed what they do and how much they put into their performances, and another where he was doing some Michael Jackson moves. I hope to catch them in Atlantic City in July as they will be at the Harrah’s for almost two months.
Here’s their rendition of Wonderwall, which I thought was pretty dope:
Hope you enjoy the tip. Stay tuned tomorrow for my review on drum recording; I’m going to go over my processes for the original kit I’m putting out this Wednesday. =]
I created a really simple video in Motion 4 as a promo for the song “Screamer” on the upcoming “Chamber Waves” album due out July 1st, 2010 by ADM.
Click play on the video and it will automatically start in 720p HD. Or click the ‘YouTube’ logo in the video to see the video on their site. Once there, switch to 720p (in the lower-right of the video) and see a larger version with clean audio.
Music Scene Spotlight: Aaliyah Was One In a Million
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010I remember walking into the Virgin Megastore that was on Union Square on August 25, 2001. It was my first day at my dorm at NYU for my sophomore year. It was a small tradition that I made for myself that each year I go back to New York I would buy a CD at that store. The first year it was Dilated Peoples “The Platform,” and that year it was Canibus’s “2000 B.C.”
I walked up to the counter and while ringing up the CD, he asks me, “Did you hear about Aaliyah?”
I said, “No, what happened?”
He replied, “She was in a plane crash and passed away.”
My jaw dropped.
I admired Aaliyah, because her “One in a Million” album was a classic to me. The combination of Aaliyah on top of Timbaland beats were a match made in heaven, and I had bumped the songs from that album consistently for a number of years, most especially “If Your Girl Only Knew,” “One in a Million,” “Four Page Letter,” and the remix to “Hot Like Fire.” Her voice was just right; she wasn’t a flashy singer, but on point with emotion and delivery with that correct amount of soul. Her harmonies always sounded great.
Most people usually use the word “angel” to describe her, and I’d have to say that description is pretty accurate especially when it came to her voice. There was a smooth feel there that just made you feel, “this girl’s definitely got it.”
And you have to admit, the hair over the eye, shades, and the baggy jeans/pants and tank tops were a good look without sluttiness giving a touch of not-so-feminine but sexy.
She had great versatility too. On that album alone you had ballads like “Four Page Letter” and “How Could the One I Gave My Heart To,” more funky songs like “If Your Girl Only Knew” and “Hot Like Fire” (remix was RIDICULOUS), and sensual sounding songs like “One in a Million,” and she handled her business properly on each.
Couple that with Timbaland’s ingenuity, and you had the perfect combination. Sorry Keri Hilson (even as great a songwriter as you are), but Keri doesn’t match nearly as well with Timbo as Aaliyah did.
Even her later works, like “More than a Woman,” “We Need a Resolution,” “Rock the Boat,” “Try Again,” and “Miss you,” were all really good songs, and I thought Aaliyah opening up “Up Jumps the Boogie” with Timbo, Missy and Magoo was just epic; there was just a feel to it that made you feel something was about to happen.
When I think of female R&B artists now, there’s a void where Aaliyah should be. No disrespect to the Beyonce’s and Alicia Keys’s of the world (both great artists, mind you), but there was something about Aaliyah that was different. The right amount of soul and sweet melody with no gimmicks, no overdone sexiness, and a good amount of versatility.
Here’s just some of my favorites from YouTube so you can enjoy the greatness that was Aaliyah:
If Your Girl Only Knew:
One in a Million:
Four Page Letter:
Hot Like Fire [remix]:
Rest in Peace Aaliyah. We all miss you.
-mnshyn
Tags: 4 page letter, aaliyah, canibus, dilated peoples, four page letter, hot like fire, if your girl only knew, missy, missy elliot, music scene spotlight, one in a million, timbaland, union square, up jumps the boogie, virgin megastore
Posted in Music Commentary, Music Reviews, Video Clips | 1 Comment »