About this time last year I wanted to honor MJ’s life, but the site was in its infancy (I was probably still trying to think up a name at this point). So, I decided I would do it for the one-year anniversary of his death (or a little later).
First I wanna get serious before we get to the good stuff: Many people thought of MJ as a child molester because of the allegations in ’94 & ’05. I, however, did not. He may’ve had a completely warped view on what is socially acceptable, but it just didn’t seem in him to think on a sexual level, about anyone. Michael had a lot of shit happen to him growing up, as we all know, and as much as I sympathize for his children’s loss, I truly believe he is better off. Every time I saw him in the news, he seemed tortured by how some thought & treated him. I’m deeply sad to see him go, but he’s positively impacted so many lives with the music he created, including mine. I will be forever grateful to the King of Pop. R.I.P. MJ
I had too many songs to pick from, but I had to go with the original release of Pretty Young Thing. The reason is mainly because it isn’t that well known. Some of you may know of the more popular remake produced by Quincy Jones. But this one is, with out a doubt, the better of the two, as much as some of you may fight me on this one. The words couldn’t be more perfect. Oh, and the singing isn’t too bad either.
[audio:PYT.mp3|titles=Pretty Young Thing (Demo)](Download Link in Full Article)
GAYNGS releases their first album, Relayted, today, so I thought I would feature another song of theirs to kick it off. This may not be “The Gaudy Side of Town“, but it sure as hell has some good vocals (especially the chorus), and one hell of a sax – and you know how much I love sax(ophones). The one thing I didn’t care for, though it’s not that crucial, is that the ending drags on for a while. It’s not necessarily that bad, but I kept on wanting to hear more of those smooth-ass vocals.
I had a little difficulty with classifying what genre GAYNGS would belong to (I think I mentioned this in the previous article on them). I would say soul or R&B, but a lot of the album has some featured artists that range from hip hop to rock. Check out the album on Amazon or hit me up for a link, and tell me what you think (especially if I hit you up with a link!).
[audio:NoSweat.mp3|titles=No Sweat](Download Link in Full Article)
I was prett-ay, prett-ay excited about featuring GAYNGS. Not only does the group reside in good ol’ Minnesota, but a one of a kind talent is heading it up, Ryan Olson. Ryan is one of the key members of Mel Gibson and the Pants. If you don’t know who they are, don’t worry, not many/enough people do; however, the group has some of the most talented sons of bitches I’ve ever come across.
But let’s get back to GAYNGS… I had a little trouble deciding what genre to classify the group (it’s not a strong point of mine), but I thought R&B fit best. You could also throw in electro, pop, rock and whatever else, but genres are all tending to mash up these days anyway. From the first song on the album, “The Gaudy Side of Town”, I was hooked. The production on it is phenomenal, and some of the vocals took my breath away, literally (well, not literally, but I wanted to emphasis the point). The only part of the song I didn’t really care for was the vocals @ around two minutes. I don’t exactly know who it is (not a lot of information out there on the album), but I recognize his voice in other songs and he sounded a lot better. Here it sounds like the back of his throat is closed off. Oh well, it hardly takes away from the song, I just needed to put a little criticism in there.
The full album will be released on May 11. GAYNGS will be debuting it at First Avenue & 7th Street Entry on May 14. It’ll be a prom theme based on the last song of the album, “The Last Prom on Earth”. Tickets will be $15 per person, so if you’d like to go… and don’t have a date… I wouldn’t mind a night out on the town ;). You can pre-order at Ticketmaster or at the door. Make sure to check back in, i’ll definitely be featuring more of this fine group.
[audio:TheGaudySideofTown.mp3|titles=The Gaudy Side of Town](Download Link in Full Article)
The second feature in the Know Good Classics series, Cruisin’, is a soft & soulful trip by Smokey Robinson. It features Robinson’s delicate sound, accompanied with some (uncredited) backup vocals which harmonize with Robinson wonderfully. The song rekindles my appreciation for The Miracles and R&B, in general. It’s a perfect song for a nice, comforting night with a loved one.
[audio:Cruisin.mp3|titles=Cruisin’](Download Link in Post)