R.I.P. Amy Winehouse: A Year Later
Hearing the initial news that my favorite singer had died was hard to believe. And here today, it’s hard to believe that it has already been a year that she’s been gone. Hard to believe that outside of a leaked version of an unfinished track or two, and couple of posthumous collaborations, we’ll never get a proper Amy Winehouse release again. I hate to say it, but on the path she was on, in the back of my mind I figured it was only a matter of time before the inevitable. But I never expected it to happen so soon. In fact, I held out hope for the opposite. There were reports she was doing alot better, looking alot better, and sounding alot better than she previously had been. Had a new album in the works, and had been performing again. I was first introduced, albeit unknowingly, to Miss Winehouse’s music in December of 2006, on Ghostface Killah’s album “More Fish.” I’m not sure if it’s a testament to Amy’s ability to capture (and in essence, BECOME) that throwback sound I’ve long been a fan of, or an embarrassing lack of ear on my part, but on Ghostface’s “You Know I’m No Good” I could’ve sworn the hook which Amy sung was a vintage vocal sample the producer dug up just for Ghost. It was until later on I went searching for the original sample (which I so often do, especially on beats with vocal samples) that I discovered the amazing voice I heard belonged to a young artist from the UK set to make her U.S. debut soon. The day was March 2nd, 2007. I had downloaded both of Amy’s albums “Frank” and “Back to Black” (hey, I couldn’t wait. Don’t worry, I bought both 11 days later on the first day of the latter’s official U.S. release) and I don’t think I listened to anything else that day. I was instantly hooked. Those that know me know I’m no fan of the “current” or “modern” R&B sound, with a few notable exceptions. I’ve always been fond of the style from the old soul artists from the 60’s & 70’s, and took a particular liking to modern artists to emulated and paid homage to that sound. So when I laid my ears on these albums, I instantly fell in love, with both her and her music. She not only paid homage to that sound I so loved, she had MASTERED it. THIS is what I wished modern R&B sounded like, and on this day, it did. My initial thoughts were this was the beginning of a long and...
State of the Art: another Gotye song for you to fall in love with (plus a bonus)
If you’re like most of the world, you’re just recently discovering Australian singer/musician Gotye, now that his smash single “Somebody That I Used To Know” is getting played every 15 minutes (deservedly so, because the song is the shit) on every radio station both near and far. If you’re like me, however, you’ve been up on Gotye since the beginning of the year and have already wore said smash single completely the fuck out before you ever discovered other people even knew how to pronounce his name properly. But that’s not me bragging, because even I was late getting put onto Gotye. I’m not sure what song Gotye is planning to release as his next single here in the states, but when I first discovered Gotye there was a song that caught my attention just as much as “Somebody…,” if not moreso. A little song called “State of the Art.” It’s an incredibly creative ode to one his favorite instruments, the Lowrey Cotillion Model D-575 electronic organ. Check out the song with equally amazing animated video below: You can’t tell me this song isn’t the absolute, unadultered, shit of all shits. Gotye is the motherfucking man. As an added bonus, if you’re a reggae fan, you absolutely MUST, as in you don’t have a choice, MUST check out the reggae remix of “Somebody That I Used To Know,” courtesy of the talented JR Blender (http://jrblender.com/promo/). Video below:...
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 revealed. Thoughts?
If you’re any kind of video gamer, it’s safe to say that by now you’ve seen the reveal trailer for Activision’s Call of Duty Black Ops 2. One of the worst kept secrets since… well, Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops 2 was officially announced on April 27th, and the first trailer dropped just a couple days ago on May 1st. And if you’re any kind of video gamer thats remotely familiar with the Call of Duty series, you probably feel strongly one way or another about the latest game in the annual series. In case you haven’t seen it (all 6 of you), the trailer is below: Overall pretty standard fare for these types of first-looks (complete with the trendy Dubstep woo woo background music), with one major exception: the setting. In a somewhat surprising move, the time period of the game has shifted to the near future, as opposed to the distant past of the previous Black Ops game and the other Call of Duty interations worked on by developer Treyarch. A futuristic setting should (I’m hoping) be a fresh take on a series, and FPS genre as a whole, that’s running low on original & unique ideas. Crazy technology, mechs, and cool-yet-realistic prototype new guns might just be enough to hold one’s attention just long enough to keep dedicated COD players from straying to other franchises. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how they implement all this future tech into the game, and if Ubisoft’s upcoming “Ghost Recon Future Soldier” dampens any of the “wow” factor of these new gadgets. On the other hand, how much could the future setting really add to the Call of Duty experience? Because, let’s face it, at the end of the day, it’s going to be the exact same game mechanics with a different skin slapped on top of it. We can look forward to exciting set pieces, linear run-N-gun action, and a clusterfuck of a story to temporarily distract us from the real draw of the game: the multiplayer. Complaints aside, the vast majority of us will probably break and put a significant amount of time into this game. Because, after all, it IS Call of Duty. And just like sex & pizza, “bad” Call of Duty is pretty enjoyable....
The Raven: I haven’t been this amped about a movie in years…
When a madman begins committing horrific murders inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s works, a young Baltimore detective joins forces with Poe to stop him from making his stories a reality. –IMDB Oh. SHIT. Son! A new movie. With an interesting concept. Based on my favorite author of all-time. The very person I named myself after many years ago when I was still pursing a rap career. How can I NOT be excited about THAT? Ever since I saw the commercial for it during one of the rare occasions I actually watch TV, I’ve been marking days on the calendar, anticipating it’s April 27th release like 2 fat women counting down the seconds until McDonald’s opens at 5am to serve the public. Yes, it’s that serious. A gentlemen of high esteem such as myself does not venture out to the movies very often, so it takes a (potentially) special film to get me off my lazy ass and into cushioned stadium seating. And a VERY (potentially) special film to do so opening night. The Raven is it (at least it better fucking be). Here’s the vitals: It’s starring John Cusak (as Poe himself), Luke Evans, & Alice Eve, and is directed by James Teigue (V for Vendetta, & Ninja Assassin). But honestly, none of that really matters, it could’ve been directed by Hype Williams and starring Steve-O from Jackass, and i still would’ve been there first day… OK maybe not, but I would’ve considered it. I mean it’s Edgar Allan fucking Poe we’re talking about here. With just a shade over a day until release, I can hardly contain my enthusiam. A quick glance at the early metacritic scores (3 poor reviews and 1 solid) have me slightly worried, but you know what? Fuck them, what the fuck do they know, anyway? This is Edgar Allen POE we’re talking about here! Depending on how good (or bad) the movie is, I may just do a review. Stay tuned…...
Photo of the Day: Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta
February 14, 1951. The 6th and final fight between Sugar Ray Robinson & The Raging Bull Jake Lamotta. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.