#477 - The Fugees - The Score

On the other side of my previous argument that rap is a genre that struggles to age well over the years is The Fugees' The Score. An album that perfectly blends a multitude of styles and genres, The Score is a testament to great music that takes you back to a time when you were young. Although the album is definitely 90's and lacks the swagger and glamor of contemporary artists, it is a fantastic example of what rap is capable of and the road it would take leading up to the current state of the genre.

The most recognizable and successful track on the album is definitely the wonderful cover of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly." To be honest, I dig Lauren Hill and company's version of this song even more than the spectacular original. Despite its massive pop appeal (you could not turn on music television or the radio without hearing the song), "Killing Me Softly" is just one among an album of great tracks. The samples utilized on The Score are fun and wonderfully arranged. For instance, the sample taken from The Flamingos' "I Only Have Eyes for You" on "Zealots" is, perhaps, my favorite part of the album. Other samples include artists ranging from The Moody Blues to Enya to Bob Marley.

"Ready or Not" and "Fu-gee-la" along with the Flack cover are The Fugees at their best. Listening to this album now, I am incredibly saddened that this would be the last album The Fugees put out. While Wyclef has had his hands on a number of different projects (my favorite being his solo-release Carnival), I long for the days that the three of these talented artists combined forces to create something so eclectically phenomenal. Do yourself a favor; listen to this album and appreciate what a great year 1996 was for those of us who were finding ourselves at the time.

-d.

I’m writing this intro before I’ve started the cd. I have mixed expectations here. On one hand, I remember how inescapable The Score was, with a mix of soul and backpacker hip hop. But was I only impressed due to my youth? Were the lyrics that brilliant and the singing so beautiful? Despite commercial success, none of the Fugees has done much quality work since. Lauryn Hill had the only critically acclaimed album to come from the three. I have to wonder if Wyclef just lost his skill with words, or if he never really had it. Time to find some headphones and see….

The answers come quick. Wyclef can’t rap. Lauryn was such an immense talent. Praz is….there. Maybe I’m being harsh. Wyclef has some interesting things to say, he just uses so many corny analogies and gets a bit mush mouthed at times. He gets shown up by Praz, who doesn’t rely on accents to the same level. It’s a shame Praz hasn’t done more music since the Fugees breakup. His verses are filled with expert wordplay. He just lacks the charisma of his old cohorts. Then there’s Ms. Hill. So much ability packed into a beautiful package. She could out-rap anyone in the 90’s at her best, and sang with enough passion to do right by Roberta Flack. Unfortunately, she’s apparently a whole big bag of crazy. She sabotaged her own career by running from the industry, releasing odd statements and terrible leaked singles. During the short-lived Fugees reunion she reportedly requested everyone call her Miss or Empress. She’s taken to wearing ridiculous makeup and outfits onstage, regularly getting booed off by her audience for her rambling, often spoken word. performances. It’s like a modern R&B equivalent of Syd Barrett.

The Score is a masterpiece, though. By far the best work of any of the three members discographies, it’s great samples and perfect beats from front to back. Aside from some pointless attempts at the obligatory “rap sketch” there isn’t a wasted moment. There is always a message to be broadcast, always an emotion to transmit to the listener. You can’t exaggerate Hill’s talent. She had the magic that allowed her to not just tell a story, but actually make you live it. "The Mask" is one of those moments. She has a conversation with herself that feels like you walked between to girls on the street. It also has one of the most laidback, jazzy loops on the album. Great rainy day listening. "Fu-Gee-La" is the real showcase. For all the deserved praise of "Killing Me Softly," it’s two tracks earlier that every member of the group gives their very best. Great verses from everyone, a perfect hook and a sublime rhythm track. One of those songs I can hear all day and not get sick of.

In the end, The Score more than lives up to my memories. It’s fantastic from start to finish. The only complaints I have are the aforementioned skits and the questionable cover of "No Woman No Cry." But those are very minor concerns. It’s sad that we won’t hear something like this again. It’s so hard to find this much skill in one group, and with the inability of the Fugees to get passed their egos and disagreements, we can’t look to them to be that rare gem. But at least we’ve got this album to hold on to.

#478 - LL Cool J - Radio

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Rap is one genre that does not age very well. Case in point: LL Cool J's Radio. Upon its release, Radio was a groundbreaking album, well known for its hard hitting beats and storytelling lyricism. It was the first album release on Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons founded Def Jam Records. Listening to it now, I honestly just had a hard time getting through it.

In high school, I owned my fair share of LL albums: Mama Said Knock You Out, Mr. Smith, Phenomenon, and G.O.A.T. Looking back on them now, I don't feel the same way about them as I once did (barring a few select tracks). That is not to say I was every astounded by LL, but I found him relatively enjoyable (besides his constant focus on his lips and abs). (For reference, just press play on the link twice...don't worry about the high or low buttons) The point is I am able to name tracks off those albums that I would listen to at this point in time, even though not one of them would be included in my top 20 favorite rap songs. Unfortunately, Radi0 only provides me with one re-listenable track ("Rock the Bells").

This album is part of the particular group included on "greatest" lists due to their groundbreaking merit, despite their inability to capture modern listeners. It was one of the first rap albums to reach such a high magnitude of record sales. It was a fresh addition to the still newly emerging rap genre. Unfortunately, it just doesn't grab me and I am fairly positive Mike will reciprocate my argument.

No cover this week. Instead, LL Cool J's shining moment. Check out the 7:30 mark.

.d

Look, I love LL. I really don’t think you can find a more genuinely likable guy in rap. So don’t take any of the following complaints as dislike for the artist. I just don’t get this albums place on the list. It’s a good album, and it has historical significance out the ass. But does it really deserve to be higher than the albums we’ve already reviewed? Is this a better rap record than Life After Death? I’m not sure I can answer either of those in the affirmative. Undoubtedly this is one of the most influential pieces of hip hop, being the first to use traditional pop music formats (verse-chorus-verse-chorus)., but I don’t think this is even LL’s best. That would probably be Momma Said Knock You Out (in my opinion a more ambitious record).

Nonetheless, there’s a reason people voted Radio on the list. Right off the bat you get hit with Rick Rubin’s sparse production. Rubin has always been good at creating great music without having one typical sound that defines him. He’s the anti-Lil Jon. You actually have to get four tracks deep before you’ll find an instrument other than drums. The occasional piano of "I Can Give You More" keeps the album from getting to monotonous, and right in the nick of time. The positive side to the bare bones beats is LL’s insane lyrics. The kid was light years ahead of anyone else at the time. "I Can’t Live Without My Radio" is a nonstop assault, tearing apart everything that rap had been before the day Radio was released.

"Dangerous" might be the best boast track ever. This song, above all others here, should be required listening for any prospective mc. The only issue I have with it is that about half the song is just drumbeat with random scratching. That can get a tad boring, but the lyrical play is just too good to knock the song. "I Need A Bea"t was the hit single, which baffles me. Mostly a showoff track for DJ Cut Creator, it doesn’t have much to offer from LL’s standpoint. The constant cutting throws the beat off every stanza, which game me a wicked headache. Maybe it was top level deejaying at the time, but it’s practically prehistoric by today’s standards.

Maybe that’s part of my problem. For what was a groundbreaking album, it now seems to define an era that hasn’t aged all that well. The vocal’s are undeniable. You could put new music to them and half a hit any time you chose. But the production, while top shelf in 1985, has been rendered so obsolete by the advances Rubin himself has been most responsible for. So basically, Rick Rubin is so good at pushing the evolution of hip hop that he has made his older work sound bland. That says a hell of a lot about one man's talent and ability to stay relevant. Unfortunately, LL Cool J hasn’t had the same ability.

Here’s two competing covers. Lagwagon vs. Street Sweeper Social Club

-TFM

#479 - I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight - Richard and Linda Thompson

If you feel you may need Zoloft, or have recently questioned life’s futility in anyway, do NOT listen to this album. You will be found with a belt around your neck. Things are pretty bleak by Richard Thompson’s view. On the other hand, if you have the strength to listen to this with an open mind, you can find some real beauty. The lyrics seem sad and depressed, but much like Harry Chapin or Leonard Cohen actually are more about a fascination with the art of surviving real life. If you can see what’s pretty about a dirty alley you will enjoy this.

First impressions of the music are interesting. A unique mix of almost American country with British folk. Acoustic guitar backed by pan flute. Blues interrupted by a renaissance quartet. There’s no fear in these arrangements. It’s obvious to say that Thompson had no care for conventions. Yet it never sounds wrong. Somehow it always ties together. "Has He Got a Friend For Me" is a great example. In the beginning it could be mistaken for the Flying Burrito Brothers, then in come the wood flutes. Beautiful song though.

"The End of the Rainbow" is one of the most beautiful melodies I’ve heard. At it’s heart a very simple song it builds itself around a very open arrangement, allowing for lots of space to layer the different instruments. All of which lets the most dismal worldview ever put to song come through the lyrics. This is just the first verse and chorus:

I feel for you, you little horror

Safe at your mother's breast

No lucky break for you around the corner

'Cause your father is a bully

And he thinks that you're a pest

And your sister she's no better than a whore.

Life seems so rosy in the cradle,

But I'll be a friend I'll tell you what's in store

There's nothing at the end of the rainbow.

There's nothing to grow up for anymore

Yup. About sums that up, huh? I’ll wait while you go call a suicide prevention hotline.

Back? ……No?

………uh oh……

In all seriousness, this is quickly becoming my favorite discovery from the list so far. Most the really great albums I was already at least familiar with, but this one was completely new to me. I’d heard covers of one or two of these songs, not knowing the were covers. After a few listenings I’m ready to go on a road trip with this album playing, which for me says a lot. The title track is classic, as is "Withered and Died" (the most country song on here). I can’t delve too deeply into breaking each song down, as I don’t want to lessen the impact for anyone, but I need to add that Linda‘s voice is a perfect match. At times soft, at others strong, her sense of underplayed drama just adds to the creeping allure of the music. This is by far the most emotional music for me that we have reviewed, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Especially for you cynics out there.

-the fat man

Once in awhile an album comes along that has been around for years and makes you re-evaluate your musical tastes. I Want to See the Bright Lights tonight is one of those albums for me. The minute I heard "The Calvary Cross" I got chills. Yep, that good. And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, the album included a live version of the song. Blew me away. I listen to it daily.

This album just does everything right and is extremely accessible, despite being a folk album. By which I mean, some folk albums get you weird looks from passengers in your car when they come on. This one, on the other hand, received this reaction: "Man, this song sounds fuckin' awesome. Who is this?"

From "When I Get to the Border" to the closing lines of "The Great Valerio," this album is an example of songwriting and musical composition done right. The album perfectly blends both Richard and Linda Thompson and allows them the ability to showcase their talents. Both artists are granted the right to show off their vocal pipes and rightfully so. While Richard provides the traditional male folk singer feel to the album, Linda offers us soulful ballads reminiscent of a Emmylou Harris type of female vocalist. Her voice is so effective that the listener disregards the lyrics which border on the verge of pitiful, especially on the track "Has He Got a Friend for Me."
With such a vast array of themes and subjects, the album could have definitely appeared scattered and haphazard. Instead, tracks such as "The Great Valerio," "Border," "The Calvary Cross," and the title track fuse to create something unique and wonderful.

I can't say enough about this album. I just read Mike's review and laughed because he shares my exact sentiments on this disc. By far, my favorite discovery and the exact reason we decided to undergo this epic (and often times, impossible) feat.

Switched it up this time around......M. Ward and Zooey cover.

-d.