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Artist:
Maxwell
The bass line of the opening track is the first sign, and the smooth funk of the second track confirms it: On Embrya, Maxwell has done it again. Sophomore efforts don't always fare well, especially when an artist is still riding high on the accolades of a debut, but Maxwell has managed to take the exquisite soul of 1996's Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite and, without sacrificing any of its verve, turn it into something far more sophisticated. Not only is Embrya a sublime summer soundtrack, it's a groove masterpiece from start to finish. "Luxury: Cococure," the first single, like "'Til the Cops Come Knockin'" before it, is only the slightest taste of the treasures waiting to be devoured. If you're looking for lush ballads, skip to "Matrimony: Maybe You," the haunting "Know These Things: Shouldn't You," and the sensual slow jam "Gravity: Pushing to Pull" (and yes, nearly all the tracks are subtitled like this). They may not be as yearning as those that detailed his weekend-long tryst on Hang Suite (Maxwell knows better than anyone just how far a little restraint can go), but these tracks are gifts on their own. Put them together and you have an album that does n...
List Price: $11.98 |
Our Price: $4.01 |
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Artist:
Maxwell
International version of the urban artist's 1997 companion to his acclaimed MTV appearance with one additional track, 'Till The Cops Come Knockin'. Also features his beautiful rendition of Kate Bush's 'This Woman's Work' which is exclusive to this release. Of the other tracks, it features the singles, 'Sumthin' Sumthin', 'Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)' & 'Whenever ,Whatever, Wherever'. Another rare track is his very loose soulful take on Nine Inch Nails 'Closer', going by the title here of 'Gotta Get: Closer'. 8 tracks in total. Sony.
List Price: $11.98 |
Our Price: $5.00 |
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Artist:
Erykah Badu
BONUS DVD (PAL)
List Price: $13.98 |
Our Price: $4.72 |
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Artist:
Erykah Badu
List Price: $13.98 |
Our Price: $5.84 |
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Artist:
Tony! Toni! Tone!
List Price: $13.98 |
Our Price: $9.95 |
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Artist:
Maxwell
Three years after the scattered Embrya, new-soul prodigy Maxwell returns with Now, his most fully realized disc yet. While not as ambitious as D'Angelo or just plain flippin'-off-the-wall as Macy Gray, the singer-songwriter does claim a stance: acoustic-guitar-based, near-tone poems ("Sympton Unknown") and Kate Bush covers ("This Woman's Work") are hardly the stuff of your average pop-R&B love man. Maxwell's lush thickets of overdubbed vocals could stand as a fine listen on their own; the varied textures of the instrumental tracks make the flow that much more inviting. Steel guitar subtly fires "W/As My Girl," while a rock-influenced beat gives "Temporary Nite" a groove both choppy and slippery. Now's unity of feel and often pensive tone bring it a cohesive air. Even the potentially throwaway last track, "Now/At the Party," works as more than just an exercise in '70s-party groove. If the many brokenhearted plaints here were telling a story, it would provide a suitably happy ending. --Rickey Wright
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Artist:
Erykah Badu
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Erykah Badu
A true tour de force, Mama's Gun is that rare sophomore album that shows a maturing artist at her best. Erykah Badu's voice was always her main attraction--its unique sound has been compared to Billie Holiday and Chaka Khan. Here, it's her skill with that voice that shines. Badu shapes her instrument to suit her material (all of it written or cowritten by her). A full range is represented: On faster, danceable tracks like "Penitentiary Philosophy" and "Booty," she sounds gritty and funky. On softer, more introspective tracks, like "A.D. 2000" and the single "Bag Lady," she shows amazing restraint, letting her voice travel lightly over the notes, allowing the songs' emotions to guide her performance. The high point of the disc is Badu's duet with Stephen Marley, "In Love with You," easily the sweetest, truest love song of the year. That alone is reason enough to buy the disc--and you won't regret having done so. --Courtney Kemp
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Our Price: $6.91 |
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Artist:
Floetry
It's hard to imagine two more talented hipsters than Floetry singer Marsha Ambrosius and emcee Natalie Stewart, a.k.a. the Songstress and Floacist. The U.K. duo's Floetic debut has it all--smooth R&B, soulful jazz, hip-hop, spoken word, supple ballads and a warmth that cradles the listener from beginning to end. In short, it's exquisitely, decidedly feminine. The pair occasional raise the roof with sizzling rhymes and beats, but they clearly place a premium on vibe, evident in Floetic's mostly chilled, after-dark feel. Jill Scott and Michael Jackson have already benefited from Floetry's deft songwriting; Jacko covered Floetry's "Butterflies" on his Invincible disc. A demo version of that song is included here, but that's the least of the bounty. "Hello" is pure honey with the women's silky voices braided in harmony while the dreamy, gently gurgling "Sunshine" is like a soundtrack to a daydream. Comparisons abound (Lauryn Hill-meets-Dionne Warwick as scored by a blunted De La Soul maybe?) but perhaps the best description of Floetic yet unearthed is "sass and soul." And, at almost 70 minutes long, it's a steal. --Kim Hughes
List Price: $17.98 |
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Artist:
Erykah Badu
There is always cause for concern when a promising new artist follows up a solid debut with a live album rehashing all the same material. After seeing Erykah Badu steal the "Smokin Grooves Tour" summer of 1996, however, it only makes sense that her record company decided to release Live as a stopgap between her next studio recording. To put it mildly, the Badu live experience is anything but typical. There is a kindred bond between the singer and her audiences which translates wonderfully onto the disc. It's in the warmth of the songs, the intimacy with which Badu addresses the crowd, and the constant chants of "Erykah!" emanating from the masses. For her part, Badu does a wonderful job revisiting the material from her superb debut Baduizm. She also takes on an assortment of covers, ranging from Roy Ayers's "Searching" to the Mary Jane Girls' "All Night Long," making each one sound distinctly her own. The most captivating moment, though, is a new number called "Tyrone," in which she most eloquently tells a dense boyfriend to take a hike. --Aidin Vaziri
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Artist:
Maxwell
Handsome in his designer clothes and angelic, nappy dreads, Maxwell styles himself a modern-day urban love prophet in the tradition of Marvin Gaye. He concocts a conceptual music suite that purports to tell a fully rounded tale of meaningful love set in the tough but misunderstood inner city. What he delivers, however, contains only the faintest hints of what he promises. Instead we get a whole lot of the same tired R&B elevator slush and lyrics like "Gonna take you in the room suga'/ Lock you up and love for days." Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite is significant only in that it recasts the same old same old as something monumental, and nearly pulls it off. Initially, there's a lot to like about Maxwell: On his openers, "Urban Theme" and "Welcome," the early '80s full-band R&B and jazz pop grooves are reminiscent of Maze's brightest days and Steely Dan's coolest nights. But soon even Maxwell's passionate voice gets lost in a flat mix that turns every song into faceless background music. While R&B is at no loss for suave and sexy personalities to take the stage, a dearth of new ideas keeps the genre for the most part floundering and visionless. In the end, Maxwell's urban hang s...
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Our Price: $6.52 |
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