1 – Grown Up – Danny Brown – “Remember when my first meal was a school lunch, now I spit sixteen straight with no punch…” One of the best rappers to date takes on one of the great hip hop subjects, being raised in poverty. His voice his really great, it isn’t thug, there seems something just beneath the surface of it seeped in sadness whatever he is saying – A-
2 – Everyday – A$AP Rocky – Off his upcoming album, he samples Rod Stewart and adds Miguel for a big time r&b blow out – B
3 – 1Train – A$AP Rocky – A flat out masterpiece with everybody taking a verse for an ultimate growing up poverty stricken track – A
4 – My Life – Slaughterhouse – They were real good when I saw em a coupla years ago, and while yet another look at money (again, past poverty is the subtext) is a a drag, Cee Lo sang the hook, that’s Royce Da 5’9″ with the best rap – B
5 – Body Part – Ciara – Slow jam, hot jam – B+
6 – Baltimore – Prince – A huge return to form for the artist formerly known as artist, the guitar is awful sweet – A
7 – Baby, You’re A Rich Man – The Beatles – Lennon’s song for all inclusive fifth Beatle wannabe Brian Epstein; also a Dylan answer song: “how does it feel…?” – A
8 – Platform (Demo) – M.I.A. – low key but lovely songerly song modern agitprop – B+
9 – Last Kind Word Blues – Adventures In Bluesland – Acoustic strummer from back in the Lone Star State, like a Western by Peckinpah before the shooting starts – B+
10 – This Is The Day – The The – Synth pop in the 80s lived and died on its tunefulness, and this one was good enough to sustain a career – A-
