Worth It – Danny Brown And Clams Casino – I love Danny’s voice and it is always great to hear him perform a new song and this one with New Jersey Producer Clams Casino is excellent, a very hot piece of self examination with a techno weird sound effects and a clipped half beat – B+
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-
But there wasn’t anything close to a new Lamar, nothing really shook the world of rap at all, it was very lethargic, very underground rumblings of art and over head circling big records for 2014. A hugel disappointing year for rap.
A heavy duty concert week for me, Keith Urban, Action Bronson, Danny Brown, The Roots, Katy Perry and Chronixx, and not a dog in the lot but pride of place goes to Keith because it was just such a cool scene and Keith was a good natured country ramblin’ guy AT FORTY SIX!!!!
t is 11pm on a Wednesday night at Best Buy and while it doesn’t say “Sold Out” for the third annual Peter Palooza, I have never seen the club busier. Peter Palooza is Hut 97’s Sunday night new rap DJ Peter Rosenberg and the birthday celebration is his, but the people want Action Bronson.
I’m Not A Player – Big Pun – After catching his son at Peter Palooza the other day, I went back to this long anything but cuddly guys first smash with its awesome O’Jays sample and sexy strokes from 97. RIP Mr. Punisher. – A
Who ever thought Danny Brown would be the greatest growing up? Two terrific albums later, Danny sure is one of the best, Joined by Black Hippy Schoolboy Q and hero in his hometown Action Bronson for this years PeterPalooza # 3 at Best Buy on Wednesday. Should be the rap show of the year.
Here Comes Trouble – Chronixx – with both NPR and Jimmy Fallon hailing the young Jamaican as the second coming of Bob Marley I gave him a listen and he is nothing close to it, though this is a tasty piece of Rastaman vibes stuff – B+
When it comes to ands like electronic duo Purity Rings I really show my age Dark Horse – Kidz Bop because they bore me to tears even though they have a gorgeous moodiness to them and if you want to hear them, the company of Danny Brown is where to do it – B+
Danny is a real American Black weirdo, the latest in a long line, and I think of all the names around here, he is the most purely commited and commitable rhymer. His flow isn’t better, phrasing not as good as Lamar and neither is his voice but his rhyming is impeccable and the two albums I’ve heard are both simply and undoubtedly fabulous albums
Dope Fiend Rental – Danny Brown – Why the hell did Danny Brown show at the A-Trak show if he didn’t come to party? This masterful track featuring Kendrick Lamar is good enough to remind you than Brown is not just an Afro and a drug habit – A
Tis the season to make lists and thank god for that because there is nothing going on in the music business and I’d be left reviewing Jingle Ball again in anticipation of next years where I think we will finally be getting Katy Perry. Or Taylor Swift. Or most likely both because they owe us for the disastrous 2013.
6. Something About Knowing – Maria Taylor – One of the top indie Queens finds a truth within the truth, a truer truth in true love, marriage and childbirth, then she tells us how it feels to be a mother and how it feels to know what she didn’t know. A miraculous album.
Pusha T and Danny Brown are held over from list week, Pearl Jam and McCartney are new to this week and except for acquired taste new r&b guy Black Milk, this is just about a holding action
The new Danny Brown album was the keeper and, man, did that take me by surprise, with Pusha T coming up second, less of a surprise, and a handful of indie bands bringing up the rear. Even Miley didn’t suck as bad as predicted.
Haunting Me – Mary Lee’s Corvette – There is still blood on the tracks on this masterpiece, a beauty of rare emotional depth starts ling singer songwriter confessional becomes country and morphs into a Jimmy Webb song on the chorus – A
A pretty good week, nothing killed but two very good rap albums and five very good indie bands plus Miley was better than expected and Sleigh Bells worse than hoped but not bad even so
Danny’s second strong release in a row is a companion piece to an album it has nothing to do with: Tyler, The Creator, Wolf, and like Wolf it is about life after fame and like Wolf, it is all drugs and rap, but this is a consistently well rapped album, smart as hell rhymes
Pop’s Love Suicide – Stone Temple Pikots – If it was easy to write glam grunge pop masterpieces like this, why has nobody, definitely including STP, been able to replicate it – A
