If you don’t respect Cee-Lo Green’s musical talents, or shall I say ‘perfect imperfections‘, there’s a slim chance I may lose respect for you musically. Read the rest of this entry »

With college and pro football in full swing, summer is effectively over save for the autumnal equinox still to come on the calender. You can’t blame Estelle and Sean Paul for trying to squeeze the last drops out of it though. Read the rest of this entry »

…as in ya’ll slept!

While taking a little time out of my day to catch up on the world of R&B (since Hip-Hop is the first love), BET did nothing but reinforce my reasoning for ignoring their cornmeal of supposed entertainment programming. Forcing me to be an outsider, all I saw was a bunch of mofos leaning on Chris Brown and T-Pain for their worthless 15 seconds of fame.

Shit, Hip-Hop’s gonna be fine…R&B is in trouble.

It’s a genre not known for it’s die-hard fanbase (ever heard a debate on Ciara vs. Cassie?…Didn’t think so). Hot or not, Usher’s “Love In This Club” sounds like a half-baked, toaster strudel that was baked in a Apple Garageband oven.

Oh wait…it was.

And by allowing candy corn like Madonna and Mariah to blur the lines of what is actually R&B has the entire industry going soulless like Shang Tsung was the CEO.

While the countdowns and radio stations continue to swoon over everything that’s diluted, pardon me as I highjack the Stray Shots to shed some light on some worthy albums that should have gotten just a much burn as their overhyped competition.

Truth Hurts – Truthfully Speaking (Aftermath, 2002)

A triumph and tradegy all rolled up in one. After the chronic smoke had faded from 1999′s 2001, Dre adopted a new protégé in mad Black woman form. With Focus, Organized Noize, Mel-Man, Timbaland, Hi-Tek, R. Kelly, DJ Quik annnnd Dre on the boards, her sultry yet sassy vocals help combine for a nearly-flawless debut. But with her biggest hit “Addictive” featuring Rakim and an uncleared sample, Interscope figured she wasn’t worth half a billion dollars.

Glenn Lewis – World Outside My Window (Epic, 2002)

Usually comparisons to legendary artists can make a singer come off as a gimmick, but even Stevie Wonder himself acknowledged the similarities while recognizing the originality in Toronto native, Glenn Lewis. From the easygoing Read the rest of this entry »

Over the past few years several artists have attempted to transfer critical acclaim overseas in the U.K. into commercial success here in the States. Next up to bat with the support of John Legend is Estelle Swaray, a London-bred rapper/singer, who is the first artist to come out on his Homeschool record label. But who is Estelle? Is she a singer that raps? Or a rapper that sings? In actuality she’s an artist who is adept at both that lets the music dictate what she does. Her stateside debut Shine explores the many sides of love & shine is just what she does throughout the album. Read the rest of this entry »