Teen Pop Sensasion makes - "FutureSex/LoveSounds" Justin Timberlake

I never owned an 'N Sync album even though I liked some of their songs. But when this album by a former member of the group came out I had to get a copy - "Futuresex/Lovesounds" - Justin Timberlake.

Great work by the former teen star who has proved to the world that he's more than capable to carry on and make great music well pass his teens and without the support of four other group members.

Thirteen thumping tracks on this album, well, not all thirteen, there are a few slow numbers as well - "(Another Song) All Over Again" - one of my favorites and "Set The Mood Prelude/Until The End Of Time". I believe the main producers on this album was Timberlake himself & Timbaland (American R&B/Hip Hop Producer/Rapper -  Ginuwine, Missy Elliot & Aailyah).

I have many faves on this album - "Sexy Back", "Sexy Ladies",  "Let Me Talk To You/My Love" featuring rapper T.I., . ..... Actually, I was about to list all the songs but decided to only name a few :-)

A great R&B/Pop album in my opinion which was nominated for four Grammy awards, winning two in 2006 and the following year winning another two including Best Male Pop Vocal. The album also earned him four MTV Music Video Awards in 2007 including Artist Of The Year.

If you're into R&B, Pop, or both... this is a great album you should check out in my opinion. I've also heard a few of the songs on his album coming out this March and it's gonna be another great one so look out for Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experiene"


Here are two of his videos - "Sexy Back" & "(Another Song) All Over Again"(Live)









Have a great day!!

Committed, True To The Cause - C-Sharp: The Invitation

When most people hear the word Reggae, they first think of Bob Marley.  Only the avid Reggae fan would be aware of the not so popular Reggae artists as well as the bands/groups that has had international success over the years - Inner Circle, Third World, Black Uhuru, Wailing Souls, Israel Vibration etc.

These days there are several other bands making their own mark in the industry and one of my faves is C-Sharp with their album "The Invitation".

They've been around for a little while, building their name in and around Jamaica as a band while gigging/touring with other artists individually or as a group. They've even made it as far as China, spreading Reggae, their music & Jamaican culture.   I really admire their commitment to each other and their musicianship. Its not easy to stay focused and "true to the cause" nowadays, I know this from experience.

"The Invitation" has thirteen well written and produced songs with a few covers. This is not your typical chill out kind of Reggae album. You can get up and dance to some of the tracks, sing along and just feel total joy.

 My favorites are "Family Man", "Reggae My Song", "Get Lifted"(John Legend cover) "Book Of Rules" (amazing cover of The Heptones classic) & "The Invitation".  C-Sharp teamed up with Reggae veterans Third World on Track 8 "Better Day Coming" and features the popular Dancehall DJ Busy Signal on the title track.

Show your support for the new and coming generation of Reggae bands/artist by checking out this great album - "The Invitation"

Here's their video "Somewhere"
 


Have A Great Day!!

Sweet Soulful Rocker - Tessanne Chin: "In Between Words"

Looks can be deceiving especially when you meet someone as beautiful and sweet as Tessanne Chin.  Don't get me wrong, she is a really nice person, but if after being introduced she said "I'm a singer", Reggae would probably be the last genre you think of, better yet, Rock wouldn't even come to mind. But that's exactly what she does - the best fusion of Rock & Reggae (IMO): "In Between Words"

I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with Tessanne a number of times. In fact I played guitars on Track 11: "Family"....I may have played on Track 13: "You & Me" as well,  not sure... maybe, maybe not lol.
The majority of the production and guitar work however is credited to a good friend and awesome musician/producer Rudy Valentino Jr.

The album has fourteen songs, a mixture of Rock & Reggae, some songs fuse genres and her soulful belting vocals matches the fusion perfectly.  She does her own writing on this album and touches on a variety of subject matters - love, abuse, social commentary.....
My favs on this ablum are "Hideaway", "Flying High",  "Messenger", "Are Yah Gonna (Control)" and "You & Me" which features her older sister Tami Chynn.

"In Between Words" is not the kind of album you'd expect from a Jamaican artist, especially one that looks more Asian than Jamaican. But the question is, what does a Jamaican look like? Think about it, we are a very mixed nation.

This is a great album to check out if you love Rock, Guitars and Reggae.


Here are two of her videos - Hideaway and BlackBooks




Have A Great Day!!

"....Pygmy Singing On The Radio" - DEEP FOREST

More than 3,000,000 copies of the album sold. It became Platinum in the USA, France and New Zealand; Double Platinum in Australia and Greece; and Gold in the UK and Norway. The album was certified 2x Diamond by the SNEP Export Awards in 2002. (Info taken from Wikipedia.com)

Deep Forest is the first and eponymous album by the musical group Deep Forest: French duo Eric Mouquet and Michel Sanchez.

"Somewhere deep in the jungle, there are some little men & women....." The very alluring narration which kicks off the album into the first track "Deep Forest".

The creators of this project were very creative, taking field recordings from UNESCO -  music from Zaire, the Solomon Islands, Burundi, Tibesti and the Sahel and mixing it with contemporary instrumentation to create this unique sounding album. The first of it's kind to my knowledge, but not the last.

Though released in 1993, it's still a good listen today. Eleven tracks of pure chill out and relax music. You'll be intrigued by the sounds and voices of Pygmies singing "Sweet Lullaby" among other songs. If you're the kind of person that makes it an issue if you can't understand what's being sung, this album isn't for you. If not, you will enjoy all the different languages and vocal tones captured in the recordings.

"Sweet Lullaby" would be my favorite but they are all really nice songs, well produced, thought out and put together.

If you are open-minded and are willing to hear something different for a change, this album is one you should definitely check out in my opinion.

As you may have noticed, I was unable to find a link to this album on iTunes & the amazon.com link only offers a physical cd (no downloads). I am sure if you're interested and don't mind 'digging' that you will find Deep Forest available for download somewhere in the world wide web. 

Here's what appears to be a video for "Sweet Lullaby"



Have A Great Day!