Preview: Taylor McFerrin’s Early Riser Album
Taylor McFerrin’s three track preview is a sample of what we can expect on his full-length release, but it’s also a peek at what the multi-faceted producer can do. Give him a style and he can run with it. “Place In My Heart” as original as it is for its hypnotic spiral of singer Ryat’s vocals, there’s a wurlitzer chord buried underneath that sounds like a nod to Stevie Wonder’s “All I Do.” Then beyond the vertigo of all the instruments he plays himself, the third teaser in the mix dives into some UK dubstep, another sign of his worldly appeal which has been recognized by Benji B and Gilles Peterson. What will he do next? If there’s a way to randomly tool with Bobby McFerrin’s (no relation?) one-hit wonder, then we’ll be happy too.
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Stream: The Roots, How I Got Over Album Preview
Credit is due to The Roots for dreaming up innovative ways to be everywhere, rain or shine, physically and virtually. Why wait for the album to drop next Tuesday, June 22nd when you can get snippets of all 14 tacks in a nifty How I Got Over widget. It’s just another notch in the belt of The Roots’ savvy tech moves. Sure keeping up with The Roots could practically be a reality show, yet they have too much wit to waste on something so trivial because they’re about staying ahead of the curve—kind of like ?uestlove Tweeting on the air while orchestrating their Sandwiches (the band’s sets between commercial breaks). What will they think of next?
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K Michelle’s What’s the 901 Mixtape will Hit Home for Suite903
So you might know Suite903 as the name of a long-lasting mixtape series that is as well-respected in the music industry like it’s FADER magazine affiliate. Here’s a new jewel: this site you rely on for Total Soul is also distant relatives of K Michelle’s hometown area code, 901. Imagine that, we’re two numbers removed from Tennessee’s digits! Haha.
K Michelle’s title for her What’s the 901 mixtape is far from arbitrary. The R&B bombshell is repping where she’s from. Is it a classic like Mary J. Blige’s What’s the 411? No need to get your hopes up, because her more formal introduction as R. Kelly’s protégé will be via Jive Records this year. Until What’s the 901 drops on May 28th, here are four things to keep you patiently waiting.
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Photo Recap: Dinner with Kelis and Friends
Photography by Seth Browarnik/Redeye Productions
If Kelis really wanted to torture her fans, she could chose to retire from music. Damn, what would the world be like without another “Milkshake”? The thought of her never churning out another mantra—like the one geared towards the lady lumps—never seemed real until she assumed control of the kitchen at her fancy listening session/dinner party last night.
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