With a sound like warm melted butter in songs that defined the “quiet storm” slow-jam genre, the voice of Anita Baker ruled the airwaves during the ’80s and early ’90s. From the moment the Detroit native released Rapture in 1986, Baker became a mainstay on R&B radio. Songs like “Caught…
Just as a fulfilling summer consists of familiar pleasures and thrilling adventures, summer soundtracks ideally should include obvious, reliable favorites and surprising gems. This is the guiding principle of the following list of hot-season tuneage. Of course, there are as many awesome summer songs as there are cases of skin…
“I’m everything.” So says Johnny the Boy as we take a booth at Rosinella and begin the ol’ verbal heave-ho. Coming from any other nattily coiffed über-hipster, such a statement would be absurd, about as fat-headed as it gets. But coming from a boy like Johnny, the remark not only…
Considering the fact that 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of a year that produced countless musical milestones, it’s surprising how little has been made of it so far. While pundits were quick to offer retrospectives of 1967, the year that ushered in Sgt. Pepper, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Cream…
Harmonix Instrumentals, Volume 1 (Self-released) www.myspace.com/harmonixanalogue This EP by reclusive musician/producer Harmonix could be a little dicey for the uninitiated. Crafted in his home studio, it’s an ambient-oriented, hip-hop-flavored 26-minute platter of jangly New Wave synths, space jazz, and Southern low-end beats. The opening trio of “New Wheels,” “Electrocrunk,” and…
Disregarding genre pigeonholing (i.e., ignoring all the drum ‘n’ bass-specific high-hat mayhem), if Random Movement’s sound were to be correctly placed in a hypothetical spectrum, it would be next door to The Orb. Originally a collaborative d’n’b effort between Jack Sheets (DJ Shapeshifter) and Columbus, Ohio native Mike Richards (also…
The obvious similarities between Secondhand Serenade, hailing from the suburbs of California’s Bay Area, and homegrown sensation Dashboard Confessional are impossible to ignore. Like Dashboard Confessional, the name is a framework for a shifting project led by a singular talent; John Vesely is to Secondhand Serenade what Chris Carrabba is…
You should know what to expect from a Guttermouth show. If the band’s name doesn’t spell it out, its reputation certainly should — there’s a reason the guys were banned from Canada, after all. Guttermouth is amazingly adroit at crafting Nineties-American-style punk rock in the vein of bands such as…
When Return to Forever disbanded in 1977 after going through four lineup configurations, the quartet’s core members went on to develop stellar, fruitful careers. Al Di Meola experimented with an acoustic trio alongside Paco de Lucia and John McLaughlin, among many other projects. Stanley Clarke continued to revolutionize the bass…
There’s no denying that Fourth Dimension is one of South Florida’s hardest-working reggae bands. The group gigs constantly — at least four or five nights a week — playing all three counties in South Florida, and these guys are actually worth a damn when they plug in their instruments. After…
Near the end of Digi Snacks, Wu-Tang mastermind RZA states, “Hip-hop is all about having fun.” And the production maestro, chess fanatic, and underrated MC indeed has a fabulous time spitting spastic, marble-mouthed verses on his fourth solo album. But soul-funk group Stone Mecca harshes RZA’s buzz with its dank…
Portugal. The Man likes spontaneity. In fact you might even say the Alaska quartet does things ass-backward. For example: Even though the band writes music while on the road and works out the parameters of some of its live jams ahead of time, it prefers to go into the studio…
In the late Eighties and early Nineties, hip-hop and house music constantly cross-pollinated. There was the Jungle Brothers’ classic “Girl I’ll House You.” There was Special Ed’s “Club Scene.” There was the hip-hop-influenced flash and panache of Chicago house pioneers such as Farley Jackmaster Funk. But, then, in the mid-Nineties,…
Katy Perry is capable of remaking herself for any promising target demographic. In her teens, she delivered achingly sincere contemporary Christian fare that didn’t turn out to be achingly sincere after all, and her One of the Boys persona — flirty, snarky tart — feels equally phony. The production, by…
This just in: Thousands of college students’ favorite jam act, O.A.R., will hit the appropriately jammy outdoor setting of Mizner Park Amphitheatre on Friday, October 3. Opening acts are Between the Trees and Matt Hires. Tickets cost $30 in advance, $32 the day of the show, and are available through…
Take a look at this: Amazon.com is listing two original copies of the now out-of-print 1993 album Love Thirsty by local act Black Janet, each asking close to $80. It’s hard to say how many have actually sold at this price, but I could definitely see this relatively unknown disc…
Here are tonight’s highlights in live music around town, in case you’re already getting the itch to go out and do something. — Arielle Castillo *Sebastian Bach, Poison, and Dokken at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach. Seriously, Bret Michaels must really love South Florida — he played here…
Here’s an oh-that’s-too-bad item for obsessive watchers of the local indie rock scene. Another band bites the dust — this time, Call it Radar. You may remember the band as its first incarnation, Baby Calendar, who played around town a little more, and were popular with that whole Athens, Georgia-centric…
Raina McLeod Janelle Monae performs at the Florida Room at the Delano Thursday night. Janelle Monae Thursday, July 17, 2008 Florida Room at the Delano, Miami Beach She came out from behind a curtain of strobe lights and fabricated smoke, but all of the faux atmosphere in the world couldn’t…
(Photo from ArtOfficial’s Myspace page) Amazing. Over 1000 bands nationally who competed in the Last Band Standing contest, judged by Perry Farrell, to play an opening slot at Lollapalooza. And among the five finalists is a band from Miami — ArtOfficial! What’s more, they’re the only hip-hop group in the…
The world’s favorite Miami R&B quartet, Pretty Ricky, just released a video for its latest single, “Knockin Boots ’08.” And again, we’re reassured that the boys are totally celibate virgins…. Kidding! This video is full of grade-A, Madonna-in-the-early-Nineties style beefcake (I guess they needed to save wardrobe budget money? hah)…
So Fort Lauderdale’s hardest working hip-hop crew, Major League, have a brand new video that they just released a couple of days ago. They shot it, directed, and edited it themselves and the song is appropriately titled “Grustlin” since what these guys are most known for, aside from having good…
