Lil Zane - Tha Return album review
Lil Zane’s Tha Return was his comeback album after a long hiatus from the release of his 2003 album The Big Zane Theory. Tha Return was released in 2008 on CD. This album uses more crunk beats than a mixture of different sounds as his previous albums did. Despite Tha Return being his comeback album, the album failed to make it to any BillBoard charts. Unsurprisingly this album failed to match the success of Young World:The Future.
In spite of his third album not charting, the album has highlights such as Like This, Hustlers Anthem, Stay Talkin’, and Anywhere Pt. 2. Lil Zane fans and the general public slept on this album heavily. A sad example of a lack of promotion.
Like This is a song laced with Southern rap beats, electro synths, and crunk music. A fine example of Southern rap from the 2000s. Think Young Jeezy, Young Dro, or Jody Breeze. The song Like This didn’t chart on the BillBoards despite having a music video heavily played on MTV and BET. In spite of the song not charting, Like This remains a classic amongst Lil Zane fans.
Honestly the beats and synths on Like This are horrible. The beats are your average crunk beats at best. No surprise there. But those who are fans of Southern rap will enjoy this song regardless of material, subject matter, synths, or beats. The song has an joyful upbeat vibe which can be enjoyable by fans of all ages.
Hustlers Anthem is an anthem dedicated to all the hustlers. Honestly Lil Zane dropped the ball here by not making this song into a single. The song has easy peeasy understandable lyrics and his flows are not too fast unlike many other Southern rappers.
Lil Zane worked hard to get where he’s at today. He has no plans on backing down anytime soon. The money stretches as Lil Zane is respected and connected into the music industry. You can see Lil Zane on TV. He is colder than the winter time. You’re fucking with a baller, girl. He is a rap pro who has been in the game for over 15 years.
Anywhere Pt. 2 is a reprise of the 112 song Anywhere from 1999. The song picks up the friction that the original song left on the dance floor and bedroom.
Lil Zane attempts to add some thuggetry into Hoodstar with some gangsta rap over crunk beats.
Stay Talkin’ is a bragging rights type of song aimed towards the haters. The money stretches as Lil Zane is respected and connected into the music industry. You can see Lil Zane on TV. He is colder than the winter time. You’re fucking with a baller, girl.
3/5***!
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Rell – Long Time Coming album review
Rell – Long Time Coming is an album that was only issued as CD promo by Roc-A-Fella Records in 2005. Long Time Coming was one of the three albums that he recorded during his time at Roc-A-Fella Records. All of the three album he recorded on that label remain unreleased to this day. This was because the label did not know how to promote R&B artists and the producers had disagreements with Rell himself. This album was supposed to be released on Roc-A-Fella Records in 2005, but that never happened due to business politics. It's a shame this album didn't come out. It is just so annoying that never happened.
Regardless of business politics, Rell – Long Time Coming remains an all time classic and an impossible to find R&B album. Most of the songs on this album are killer slow R&B songs with a soulful touch. Rell graces the mic with his singing.
Distant Love is a love song about having long distance relationships. This Rell song was written for the ladies. Men don’t understand long distance relationships often. Men don’t understand their relationships often. Rell lets the ladies know when they leave that they are never forgotten.
Rell has never been a man who would just walk away from something he started to build. He’s a soldier. All he knows is war and love. It’s over between him and her. No more sleeping together. He wants to be protecting her. No one can compare to her.
Too late for second chances. She is forever in his heart. She was the sweetest young thing when Rell met her.
Now she has moved away. They were both in a long distance relationship but that shorty dissolved. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being away for so long.
Never Stop is similar to a D’Angelo song with the smooth funkiness of guitars, alto singing, sultry background vocals, and hip hop beats. The smooth funkiness of guitars gives Never Stop a funk soul vibe. Never Stop a killer track laced and graced with Rell’s vocals.
The moment he saw her, there was no doubt in his mind that he had to get next to her. In just of matter of time, Rell makes his move. She is working her body like nobody else on the dance floor. Rell wants to give her more. Things didn’t take too long for Rell to observe that she was ready. It’s love he is looking for.
She was the sweetest young thing when Rell met her. She was the prettiest thing he had ever laid his eyes on.
U Ain’t Let Me Down Yet explains how this woman has not let Rell down yet. The song describes how the woman in Rell’s long-lasting relationship with her remains strong. He is hooked on her. Rell sounds like Chaka Khan on this song.
The song shows promise in going forward in terms of progression with lyrics such as “As time glows we sweat/U ain’t let me down yet/With the rate you’re going/Hooked on you”
Back from Hiatus was produced by DJ Green Lantern. Back from Hiatus was Rell’s comeback from a long hiatus. The song was recorded in 2005 after The Remedy album was completed.
Rell announces his return from a long hiatus. He says hi to the ladies. His middle finger is held high in the sky for the haters. It’s on tonight as Rell is back on the mic with some more shit that you like. Speaking to the ladies with his usual sex appeal.
Last Ride has an urban feel due to the hip hop beats used. The beats, synths, and guitars are what stand out and are the highlight for this song.
5/5*****!!
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Jewell - My Blood, My Sweat, and Tears album review
Jewell’s My Blood, My Sweat, and Tears album is similar to her Black Diamond album from 1995. Singing with real talent and actual lyrics along with sultry R&B sounds. This is definitely what R&B needs now. Jewell made an awesome comeback with her Sweat, and Tears album in 2011. Anyone who enjoys real music will enjoy this album. Most of the songs on this album were written by Jewell Caples and Demetrius Warren. Da Brat makes an appearance too. Shocking!
Anyway, Jewell’s My Blood, My Sweat, and Tears album was released in 2011 on the Canadian label WIDEawake Entertainment on CD format and digital download.
If You Believe is an uplifting motivational and inspirational song about believing in yourself. You can do anything you want if you just believe in yourself. There is nothing you can’t do if you have faith. Anything is possible. If you believe, you can do anything.
Da Brat makes an appearance on the song Who You Calling Out with her raunchy raps. Her raunchiness adds a spice of urban sound to this R&B/soul song.
Back To the Bricks has that old Death Row sound with raps provided by label mate Bobby Sealz. Bobby Sealz has a smooth mellow R&B sound in his vocals when he raps. Honestly this song and If You Believe are the best songs off this album.
3/5***
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Rell – The Remedy (CD Sampler) album review
Rell – The Remedy (CD Sampler) was issued on CD in a cardboard sleeve by Roc-A-Fella, Elektra, and EastWest in 2001. DJ Clue hosted this sampler. Mike City produced a majority of the songs on this sampler. The sampler was a given away at an event in the year of 2001 held in New York State. 7 of the songs on this sampler are snippets. The songs that did not make the final cut for The Remedy album were Darlin and Mind Right. Those songs can be found on this sampler and elsewhere.
Bring It On Home is a killer slow track laced and graced with Rell’s vocals. The song also has a holy vibe due to the organ that is used.
Rell has the candles lit for a romantic night placed next to a bottle of yellow champagne in a bucket of ice. Rell tells this girl he can be the freak that she likes. He keeps it low-key like a real player should. He asks her to bring it home. There’s no sense in them wasting time. He’s got what she wants. She’s all that Rell needs.
A minute into the song is where Rell brings it on home with his soulful vocals. An organ used in the background takes this song into church.
Say It Ain't So is a heartbreaking song about how Rell’s lover became a totally different person. The song Say It Ain't So is a tale of heartbreak, sadness, and betrayal. Say It Ain't So was produced by North Carolina producer Mike City.
All of this time Rell thought he was the only one that mattered to her. He was so convinced that they were headed in the right direction. Now it’s as if she were a totally different person. It’s as if she were someone else. She changed like the weather changes. Her kisses are cold as a winter freeze in Alaska.
Rell explains mysterious calls he has been receiving. There’s been so many different numbers. She never knew about the notes he found on the windshield of her car. Is this the kind of thanks he gets for loving her the way he did? Rell loved her faithfully. He tells her to keep her phony smiles. Her heart has been missing for a while. The picture has never been clearer.
Darlin was a slow jam written and performed by Rell in 1998 for his debut album The Remedy. However the song was scrapped because producers felt that slow jams were outdated. So Darlin did not make the final cut of The Remedy album. DJ Clue hosted this song. The song appeared on the album DJ Clue - The Mixtape.
5/5*****!!
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Simken Heights - Religion Of The Beast album review
Religion Of The Beast is very important album from Simken Heights because Mass recorded the vocals on that album before he quit rapping and left the group. Mass decided to quit rapping in 1998 which is a shame. Mass and J Rome were the backbone behind the creativity of the Simken Heights sound and style. Religion Of The Beast was originally released in 1996 to much critical acclaim. The album has much of an evil theme to the point of being entertaining. The album also has that sound which captivated their original 90s hardcore acid rap fan base.
Bong Thang is a laid back acid rap track to get high to. The song has a hazy vibe. However the beats are low quality, but that doesn’t stop the song from being wicked. Bong Thang remains a cult classic and favorite amongst Simken Heights fans.
Bong Thang was written by Brian Hammock (Mass Hysteria). Mass, The Mad Rapper, and Alan Jackson were the producers for this Simken Heights song. Engineer Tim Houser recorded the song at Uptown Studios in Owosso, Michigan.
Kingdom of the Shellz is a totally unique acid rap song. You bet your sweet ass this song is definitely wicked! Classic Michigan horrorcore rap with high quality beats.
If you walk down Witches Woods past the hanging tree over the wooden bridge past Creepy Hollow, you will come across and ancient graveyard. Mortals are here after dark. For here is a place of twilight. A twilight world of spirits. Ghosts, ghouls and banshees front he never world of darkness. A horrifying sight of disembodied souls. This is the kingdom of the shellz.
Released from the grace. Eternally committed are the souls from the kingdom of the shellz.
Inhale At Your Own Risk has some wickedly insane beats. Although the song has that Miami bass sound. The song is upbeat despite the title. Inhale At Your Own Risk samples Cybotron - Clear.
5/5*****!
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Michelle Branch - The Spirit Room album review
Michelle Branch’s The Spirit Room album is an example of country and pop blended in together. Think country pop. Being that this is a pop album, love songs are included. The album became a triple platinum hit in less than three months due to the rising popularity of country pop such as Carrie Underwood, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Vanessa Carlton, and Dwight Yoakum. It also helped that the album was released during pop-punk’s rising success of the early 2000s. The pop market was at a high point.
You Get Me is about how Michelle is an unordinary person in a mixed up world and about how everything is okay if she has her man. Not being ordinary in a mixed up world is not exactly a bad thing. So what if you’re a little left of center or a little out of tune? Nobody is perfect.
So what Michelle is a little left of center or a little out of tune? Some people say she is paranormal. Some people say she is crazy. Who wants to be ordinary in a crazy, mixed-up world? Michelle doesn't care what they're saying as long as she has her man. Her man gets her when nobody understands. He came and took the chance.
Verse 2 gives us some imagery what goes on inside of her wild mind. You’ll never know what you'll find if you look inside her wild mind.
[Verse 2]
So what if I see the sunshine
In the pouring rain?
Some people think I'm crazy
But you say it's okay
You've seen my secret garden
Where all of my flowers grow
In my imagination
Anything goes
Everywhere is about a person who you admire that is there with you spiritually but not psychically. You can feel their spirit wherever you go. The track begins with a sense of wonder and ends with the realization that you’re not alone. The beauty that's within this song. Whether you're asleep or awake, that person’s spirit is everywhere. They’re everywhere. Part of them is drifting over you. You’re not alone. They’re always there. It's hard to think that they might not be real. That truly is a thought hard to fathom. The previous sentence alone can apply to anyone.
The final track can be sonically described as spiritual and a “closing of an era”. Lyrically it’s optimistic for the future and describes her “spiritual awakening” after discovering love.
4/5****!!
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I-Cue – Twisted & Funky album review
I-Cue – Twisted & Funky is a soundscape of mixed musical genres such as jazz, electronic, and hip hop. This album is instrumental for the most part. The whole album has that funky vintage sound.
Dig This is a jazz instrumental which uses drums and upright bass. Upright bass is what gives away a vibe of upbeat swing jazz. The bass is what really stands out. (Well, high bass to be exact.) Instrumentation for this song is looped. Dig This samples DJ Krush - Roll & Tumble. Listen to the organ that plays and you can tell.
Keepin' It On uses a distorted jazz sample with an electronic sound. The song uses medium bass. The instrumentation for this song is placed on a continuous loop.
Vibes is a saxophone influenced jazz instrumental which uses heavy bass. The song uses multiple layers of instruments. An example of some of the instruments used are a kick drum, xylophone, saxophone, and upright bass. The bass really stands out.
Booda Brain uses a barrage of heavy beats and super thick bass. Not to mention a hodgepodge of samples, vinyl cuts, and acoustics.
5/5*****!!
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Vallejo - Brothers Brew album review
Vallejo went back at it again with their new album Brothers Brew in 2012! There are not really any fillers on this album. If you liked Stereo, you will like this album! Some of it sounds like the Black Crows, Santana, or Los Lobos. Brothers Brew is the best Vallejo album of 2012! Take Me Away, Gone, With Everyday, Running, and Nothing To Lose are the highlight songs. Which should have all been singles. This album took 4 years to record.
The front cover is a pencil drawing was yellow on a burnt brown/red backdrop background with a pencil art drawing of the Vallejo band. The original Vallejo band is included.
Free is about being free from the person you once were and used to be. The song is a representation of spiritual freedom. The song nonchalantly represents personal freedom too. You’re as free as the ocean and high as the mountain. There’s no stopping you. You were once lost but now you found yourself.
Take Me Away is a song about escaping the monotony of everyday life.
Sometimes you need to run away from the strain of everyday life. Everyday life can be painful and monotonous at times. Sometimes you just want to be taken away to a better place where there is not as many problems. You work long hours for a corporation that work you very hard. No matter what, you try to live your own way with all your friends and family.
Vallejo shows some political awareness at the very of this song in their lyrics. They explain how fat was from Wall Street are cheating the American public out of their money in high numbers. These fat cats also cheat Wall Street. Read these lyrics to get a better understanding.:
Take me away, take me away
Back to a place where I’m living the
American dream in the USA
We got fat cat rats cheating Wall Street numbers
Chewing up money on a hot dry summer
Tell me something good or does it matter anyway
Better Days is about longing for good days instead of bad days. Everyone is longing for better days. Sometimes life can be tough. It’s how you choose to handle your behavior that counts.
Waiting On You is a mid-tempo soulful love song which is one of the highlight songs for this album. As a band, Vallejo refers to this song as a “soulful groover”. Soul meets rock on Waiting On You. The band did a lovely job with combining soul and rock together. The instrumentation is perfect. AJ and Omar’s work is all over this Vallejo song.
The lyrics in the chorus explains what playing the fool means.
[Chorus]
But don’t you keep me waiting, waiting on you
Don’t have me playing, playing the fool
You keep on saying, that I’m in love with you
So don’t keep me waiting
Cause all I ever do is wait on you
A Million Reasons is Let’s Talk About It revisited. There are a million reasons why you should be with the person you cherish and admire. No need to lie to yourself. Leaving that person alone can’t be good for you emotionally.
Money is about a woman who only wants a man for his money. She doesn’t care about his feelings. Money is the Vallejo answer to Kanye West’s Golddigger song.
Her good smell drives him wild. He likes her style. But there is something that sets him far apart from her. That something is money. He tells her, “You don’t wanna fool with me” . He’ll just break her heart. She is weighing him down by going after his money. She likes the money.
He’s not the kind of man who doesn’t mind paying for things. However he’s no sucker to her little game. He’s not into games where the man gets scammed.
Gone is a bitter yet sad song about love. The song deals with being dumped by your lover. One word to describe this song is bitter.
With Everyday deals with how fast time goes and flies by. The song is similar to The All-American Rejects -Move Along and Incubus - I Wish You Were Here.
The lyrics to the beginning of the song show awareness about how fast time goes by and how the years go passing by. This part of the song deal with forward progression in terms of time. People often overlook how fast time flies by.
Crazy how the years passing by
We sift through days so fast that we don’t realize
That life is not as long as we
Might like to think that it should be
That same goes for the middle of the song. Read these lyrics: “Crazy how the pictures fade and float way/It’s funny how we try to turn the page”
Running is about staying motivated no matter how things be or how bad the circumstances are. Nothing To Lose serves as the closing for Brothers Brew.
5/5*****!!
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MC Rube Dog - Messican EP review
MC Rube Dog - Messican was one of the many forgotten Latin rap EPs from the state of California during the rise of Latin rap. While short, the EP is anything but compelling. The beats are weak and the synths are watered down. Slick Ric and Repo Ric served as the producers. The MC Rube Dog - Messican EP was released on cassette only from the Repo Records label out of Oceanside, California near San Diego, California. MC Rube Dog was one of the many acts on Repo Ric’s Repo Records label during the 1990s.
People wonder why MC Rube Dog spells Mexican with two s’s instead of an ‘X’. He explains exactly why in this song of his. Messican is a wordplay on the term “Mexican” displayed in a speech impediment format. The song is also about who is the better rapper when it comes to rap music.
Messican uses thick bass and thick beats which are simple, repetitive, and quite annoying at times. The looped synths used do not help the song become less annoying either. Of course there is going to be differences in how the beats sound to some people by their standards. Some may consider the beats to be weak. Some may consider the beats to be wack. Some may consider the beats to be hard. Overall the beats are weak, wack, and watered down seeing as how only a couple of snares and kicks were used.
MC Rube Dog is one coming out of Carson, California. People talk about how they want to harm him. Here he is. He came to take a stand. A microphone in hand. He busts people down lyrically who come to him with wack rhymes. He heard you were busting rhymes that were so wack and played out. You want to blow out. Que pasa¿ Only two down with the simple rhymes.
MC Rube Dog ain’t down with racial segregation. He is down rapping rhymes. He’s here to tell us what’s currently happening. Bring it on. MC Rube Dog is here to bring knowledge. Not that bullshit story professors be teaching in college. MC Rube Dog is Native American Indian with some Aztec and Mayan lineage. He’s “Messican”. So come get a dose of knowledge. He’s down for the brown side.
His life’s a fucking mess due to what’s going on in the city. This is discussed at the very end of the song.
Cruisin is an upbeat old school rap song which uses a small selection of samples. Cruisin samples Vaughn Mason - Bounce, Skate, Roll and Nemesis - Get Ya Flow On.
Death Wish is a slow tempo rap song with a dark vibe. The song has a mood of sadness. Death Wish explores the paths of deadliness when participating in gang activity.
MC Rube Dog takes us back to when he was in the 4th grade. He was young and naive. He had to believe all the things he took in. He takes back in time to when he first joined a gang. He was “jumped in”. Of course he didn’t know what he was getting himself into at a young age. He didn’t know his lifestyle would have a death wish attached. He lost a childhood friend due to gang activity.
2/5**
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