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Ryan Leslie – Glory

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Whoa. Where the fuck did this come from? Who’s this guy and what has he done with Ryan Leslie? The vocals, the instrumentation, the feel of the song. Fucking great. But LOL, where did this come from? This is the same dude that dated Cassie, right? Ryan Leslie, let us know.

Ryan Leslie – Glory

Ryan Leslie: (Official) (Myspace) (Facebook)

Rating: 8.0

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reviewed by
04-19-11

Uffie – Wordy Rappinghood (Tom Tom Club Cover)

uffie

Feel that pulse running through your toes, and then to your knees, and up through your entire body. Yep, you’re just as hooked on this new Uffie cover of Tom Tom Club as we are. And it feels so good! Just wanna move our dancin’ feet!

Uffie – Wordy Rappinghood (Tom Tom Club Cover)

Uffie: (Official) (Myspace) (Facebook)

Rating: 8.1

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reviewed by
04-19-11

Tom Vek – A Chore

vek

Vek is back.

Tom Vek – A Chore

Tom Vek: (Official) (Myspace)

Rating: 8.5

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reviewed by
04-19-11

Estelle – Break My Heart (Feat. Rick Ross)

estelle

Estelle links up with everybody’s fav overweight C.O. on “Break My Heart”. Estelle sounds great. Rozay’s laid back mafioso sound is a winning direction for Ms. Swaray. If there’s more of these gold-plated lush life sort of jams on her upcoming All of Me , Estelle could be in line for a strong return.

Estelle – Break My Heart (Feat. Rick Ross)

Estelle: (Official) (Myspace)

Rating: 8.1

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reviewed by
04-18-11

Sade – I Would Have Never Guessed

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“I Would Have Never Guessed” is another of the excellent unreleased tracks that will be included on Sade’s upcoming Ultimate Collection package. “I Would Have Never Guessed” is also a really really good torch ballad. The song is sort of in the same lane as Sia’s “Breathe Me” or DHT’s version of “Listen to Your Heart” except performed by someone with the chops to carry such a spare/vocal intensive sort of song. Sade’s performance is quiet, soothing, all that sort of stuff but it’s also powerful; she’s singing from a real place, a very precise point of emotion. Win to Adu.

Sade – I Would Have Never Guessed

Sade: (Official) (Myspace)

Rating: 8.2

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reviewed by
04-18-11

MED – This Is Your Life (Feat. Blu) (Prod. Exile)

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Two of the best MC’s doing it right now on an Exile beat? Over before it even began. Mint.

MED – This Is Your Life (Feat. Blu) (Prod. Exile)

MED: (Myspace)

Rating: 8.3

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reviewed by
04-18-11

Cage the Elephant – Aberdeen

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Cage the Elephant leads off tonight with a primo cut from their excellent Thank You, Happy Birthday LP. All the sweet shit you loved about 90’s alternative radio (close your eyes and try not to hear Weezer in that intro) is live on “Aberdeen”, heavy up-in-the-mix bass-driven verses, big distorted guitars, and even bigger melodies. It’s enough to make you wanna strap on some vans and start playing pogs. Your torpedo, our slammer.

Cage the Elephant – Aberdeen

Cage the Elephant: (Official) (Myspace) (Facebook)

Rating: 8.1

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reviewed by
04-18-11

THROWBACK SATURDAYS: Patti Drew – Hard To Handle

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Patti Drew’s timely take on the Otis Redding penned top 50 hit. It somehow makes you feel like this tune still has more to offer.

Patti Drew – Hard To Handle

Buy It: (Amazon)

reviewed by
04-16-11

The Pilots – Question and Answer

the-pilots

As experimental electro, r&b and smooth jazz continue to cross paths, note “Question & Answer”. Collaborations beckoning.


The Pilots – Question and Answer via YYY

The Pilots: (Info)

Rating: 8.1
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reviewed by
04-15-11

Cults – Abducted

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Just in case you were anticipating something more, Cults are releasing “Abducted” on Record Store Day as a limited edition 7-inch. This is a great record.

Cults – Abducted

Cults: (Bandcamp) (Purchase Info)

Rating: 8.5
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reviewed by
04-15-11

Tribes – We Were Children

tribes

Tribes remind me why I loved music in the mid-90’s, when people in the States actually cared about good guitar bands. Their sound is more reminiscent in music today rather than influential to new bands. Aside, it has a familiarity that all great sounds have. The fact that they are from the UK is even more interesting, boasting a sound that inspired the popularity of brit-pop in the UK and the demise of quality alternative rock around the world. And it still feels genuine. More to come from these guys.


Tribes – We Were Children (Demo)

Tribes: (Myspace) (Facebook) (Twitter)

Rating: 9
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reviewed by
04-15-11

Wilson Pickett – Get Me Back On Time (Danny Massure Edit)

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It ain’t funky enough in here! We need to make it more funky! Sticky Wicket, make it funky. Make it funky, Icky Ticket. Make it funky, I said.


Wilson Pickett – Get Me Back On Time (Danny Massure Edit)

Danny Massure: (Official) (Myspace) (Facebook)

Rating: 8.2

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reviewed by
04-14-11