411 Music Roundtable: August Edition
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 08.07.2008
The 411 music staff looks back at July, when Madonna had plenty of scandals, DMX got arrested, Brooke Hogan begged for attention, Chris Cornell went hip-hop, Miley Cyrus made us feel funny & more. Plus, previews for hot upcoming releases like The Game, Staind, GZA, Goo Goo Dolls, Extreme, Slipknot and others!
Hello 411maniacs, it's another edition of the 411 Music Roundtable, where the prestigious of and/or plastered Music Zone staff look back on the news of the last month and forward to the new releases of this one.
On with the show!
AUGUST 2008
BIGGEST WINNER OF THE MONTH
Lil Wayne
Patrick Robinson: If you'd said to me three years ago that Lil Wayne would be outselling G-Unit by a ridiculous amount I would have called you crazy. Yet, in this day and age of lagging sales, Lil Wayne has managed to remain around the Top 5 albums on the Billboard Charts for almost two months now and has broken the double platinum mark, something that 50 Cent wasn't able to achieve with Curtis.
Madonna
Mitch Michaels: Last month, Madonna proved that there was no such thing as bad press. The dreaded "tell-all" book by her brother was released and managed to come off so tame that many are now accusing Madonna of helping write it. Amazingly, it's only led to nasty stories about Madonna's associates like Guy Ritchie and massive promotion for her "Sticky & Sweet" tour. It also was revealed last month that Britney Spears would be appearing in a VIDEO to be shown on stage during Madonna's show. Amazingly, this minutia whipped fans into a frenzy, as well. Then you have the whole A-Rod scandal which has seemed to only reflect negatively on A-Rod without blemishing Madonna's image as…well, an old whore. But still. Think of it this way – Madonna helped Lenny Kravitz get some, despite his lagging album sales. She's not all bad.
Brooke Hogan
AJ Grey: Brooke may not have been able to bust out as a music star with her album Undiscovered in 2006, but she's definitely been busting out lately – of her bikini that is. It takes a lot to make the spawn of Hulk Hogan into a sex object, but Brooke's series of July photographs – featuring increasingly skimpy bikinis – is enough to get buzz around her reaching a fever pitch. And now we're getting Playboy rumors. Hopefully she'll get that next album out soon and ride this hype for all its worth.
BIGGEST LOSER OF THE MONTH
Scott Storch
Phil Watts, Jr.: Scott Storch was once a pretty good keyboardist who got his start by working on the Roots' first three albums. From there, he tried his hand at producing with the JazzyFatNastees, an admirable effort. Then, he joined up with Dr. Dre, and made a few hits ("Still D.R.E.") and became a HOT-HOT-HOT producer. Pretty soon, the fame got to his head, as he would start ripping off ideas from other HOT-HOT-HOT producers like Timbaland & Lil' Jon (remember him?), use his pull to bang random celebrity chicks (Lindsay Lohan, Christina Aguilera, Brooke Hogan), and even beef with other producers (remember his beef with Timbo? The one where Storch even tried to RAP?! OUCH.) However, these last few years haven't been kind, as karma would do a number on him. It's been three years since he produced a hit record and his greed has landed him over $500,000 IN DEBT, including unpaid child support, and the fact that he tried to live a lavish lifestyle that he knew he couldn't afford. I would say that this is the right opportunity to go back to the Roots, but then I'm reminded of the horror which was "Don't Say Nothin'", one of the worst songs the Roots have ever recorded. Storch went from a talented musician to being a corporate shill and is now paying the price for it.
Chris Cornell
Dan Halen: Chris Cornell goes hip hop. Monumental clusterphuck. What a shame that one of the strongest voices in rock has gone from a ground-breaking grunge band (Soundgarden) to an alternative supergroup (Audioslave) but when he attempts to do anything solo, he's pretty much failed. Now, after a horrible cover version of Michael Jackson's :Billie Jean", for some Godforsaken reason, Cornell feels the need to explore his hip hop side. To quote Csonka - NO BUYS!
G-Unit
Patrick Robinson: The final nail in the coffin seems imminent with their latest release, Terminate On Sight flopping harder than a fish with epilepsy. After four weeks on the charts, their latest hasn't managed to break the 200,000 mark. Remember the days when a G-Unit related track would rocket to the Top 10? The first two singles haven't even made it into the Top 50 with the first peaking at #95 and the second not even charting on the Top 100. Stagnant topics and style are to blame here, and no, kicking people out of the group doesn't count as change.
DMX
Mitch Michaels: June was a tough month for everyone's favorite felon, and it didn't get easier in July. DMX brought his arrest total for the year up to four last month. Over the 4th of July holiday, he was busted In Arizona for buying marijuana and cocaine, which also violated his probation in that state. He was arrested later last month in Phoenix after using a false ID to skip out on medical bills. He pleaded guilty to that charge and rapped outside the courtroom, "If you fall down, get back up." Uh – isn't that kind of admitting guilt? I've said it before and I'll say it again – WHY THE FUCK ISN'T DMX IN JAIL??
Ashlee Simpson
AJ Grey: This is a technicality, really, but Ashlee Simpson was starting to get pretty hot as she grew into her 20's. Nowadays, every picture of her shows her giant pregnant belly, which is a turn off to all but the sickest. Waiting it out for nine months is hard. Unless your Pete Wentz, of course, who most likely has plenty of boyfriends to relieve tension with.
BIGGEST MUSIC NEWS OF THE MONTH
Metallica Album Hype
Dan Halen: Death Magnetic seems to be polarizing people already and it's not even close to being released. Even more polarizing has been the fact that one of the songs is entitled "Unforgiven III" – does this mean we're going to get something along the lines of Black Album/Load/Reload-era Metallica or is it going to really be (if advance reports are to be believed) more in line with the Master Of Puppets material? Discuss and speculate amongst yourselves…and wait to see. Oh, and Chinese Democracy may be close to being released.
Rick Ross: Correctional Officer
Patrick Robinson: Despite taking on the name of one of America's most infamous drug dealers, "Freeway" Ricky Ross, pictures began circling the internet last month of a younger Rick Ross dressed in a correctional officer's uniform, receiving an award. Despite evidence suggesting that the man in the photo and the rapper are one and the same, including a strong facial likeness and matching social security numbers, Ross continues to deny the claims.
The New Kids On The Block Album
Mitch Michaels: In a month that has seen buzz for new albums by Metallica, AC/DC and even Britney Spears, it seems that the one everyone can't stop talking about is by the band who captivated us at the dawn of the 90's – the New Kids On The Block. And by "us", I mean girls who are now in their 30s. Rumored collaborations pop up regularly, with guests like New Edition, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Ne-Yo all being rumored at one point. Of course, it's not just who's helping out – the New Kids have managed to sell out several dates on their upcoming reunion album and the new single "Summertime" is a Top 40 hit. What the fuck is going on?
Miley Cyrus Loves Her Cell Phone
AJ Grey: She may only be 15, but Miley Cyrus knows a thing or two about generating hype. Who needs expensive photos shoots when you only need a white T-shirt and a cell phone camera? Several racy pics of Miley showing off leaked last month, grating against her Disney roots and squeaky clean image. Of course, it didn't keep kids from gobbling up her new album, which sold over 370,000 copies in its first week.
MOST NOTABLE RELEASE OF THE MONTH
Skillz – The Million Dollar Backpack
Phil Watts, Jr.: It's been 12 years since his solid debut, From Where?!?!?, and it seems like Skillz has had lots of trouble making a decent album to follow it up with (much less finding a competent label that can actually release it.) After years of iffy attempts and "Year-End Rap-Up's" of varied quality, he's finally given us a decent follow-up. Not only is Skillz still gifted in the punch-line category, but he's also proven to be a good storyteller, as songs like "My Phone", "Hip-Hop Died", and "Preaching To The Choir" prove. He does the back and forth with Freeway The Amish Negro in "What We Do Is Wrong Part 2" "Don't Act Like You Don't Know", Kwame continues to make us feel sorry for cracking all those POLKA-DOT jokes with his ill track for the aptly-named "Sick". The latest single, "So Far So Good", with Common and Kweli, continues keeping the Rawkus flavor alive.
John Mellencamp - Life, Death, Love & Freedom / Sugarland – Love On The Inside
Dan Halen: Nothing really blew me away and I actually picked up some bootlegs I was more excited about than any commercial releases. That said, I guess I'd have to go with either John Mellencamp's new album since I got more out of it than I expected when I reviewed it. Or maybe the new Sugarland album because I love the fact they covered the old Dream Academy song "Life In A Northern Town", with some added vocals from Little Big Town, and knocked it out of the park.
Nas - Untitled
Patrick Robinson: Rarely does an artist create such a ruckus that retail outlets complain to the label heads about not wanting to stock the CD in their shops, yet Nas has managed to do so with his last two albums, both formerly titled N*gger. After name changes and assurance that the content would remain the same, Nas delivered an album that balanced a message with some of the best production he's received in years and despite poor sales, it certainly had people talking for the better part of six months.
Austrian Death Machine - Total Brutal
Mitch Michaels: I picked up a few CDs this month, but I haven't had more fun than discussing this hilarious and completely thunderous album with the 411 staff. Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying (aka As I Lay Crying) put together this project, headed up by a faux-Arnold Schwarzenegger and each track is derived from a quote from one of his movies. Sounds goofy, but when you hear growling and shredding as "Arnold" screams "It is not a tumor! It is not a tumor!", you'll be into it.
MUSIC DVD OF THE MONTH
Tesla: Comin' Atcha Live
Dan Halen: I can tell you what it's not – it's NOT the Rolling Stones' Shine A Light. I'm going to go with the new Telsa DVD, Comin' Atcha Live. Tesla usually gets a bad rep because they came out at the same time all the 80's hair metal bands were sprouting up left and right, but Tesla was a little more cerebral than most of those bands. After all, they did take their name from inventor Nikola Tesla, so if you're going to name your band after an inventor, then you better put a little more thought into the material. That said, this show captures Tesla on their most recent tour, in support of their Real To Reel albums, which consisted of four discs worth of classic rock songs that influenced the band in their formative days (excellent sets, by the way, and well worth picking up – you can tell they really put their hearts into these recordings). Frank Hannon has become a master guitarist and a chameleon of tones and styles and the band just absolutely rocks a great performance. My only complaint? I'd love to have seen more of the cover material from the Real To Reel sessions.
ZZ Top: Live From Texas
Mitch Michaels: To be honest, when I first watched this DVD, I thought it pretty much sucked. The big reason was that ZZ Top barely moved around the stage and everything on the stage was so compact. It really didn't make sense for this type of show to play in such a large venue. But the band won me over with their rock, and a few days later I was jonesing to put it on again. So while it's not an awesome SHOW, the concert speaks for itself in terms of tearing through the band's best cuts (especially "Rough Boy" – damn, I love that song live). DVD extras are mildly interesting, including a cover of Hendrix' "Foxey Lady".
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE MONTH
The Artifacts - Between A Rock & A Hard Place
Phil Watts, Jr.: Just recently, Tame One & El Da Sensei reformed the Artifacts on stage at Rocksteady 2008, performing two of their hits - "Wrong Side Of The Tracks" and "Whassup Now Muthafucka?!". Sadly, it looks like that's the only time we'll ever see them both together, as there is still bad blood between the two. It sucks, since they are among my list of hip-hop groups that need to get they're asses back together. For now, this album is the only reminder of the greatness of this duo. Aside from the two aforementioned hits, you had bangers like "Heavy Ammunition", "Whayback" (the obligatory "Rap-is-so-fucked-up-these-days" track), "Lower The Boom" (the obligatory weed joint), "What Goes On" (the bitch-bashing joint), and my personal favorite, the Pete Rockish "Dynamite Soul" (by the way, track down the "Dynamite Soul" remix with Skillz!).
Max Webster - Universal Juveniles
Dan Halen: In honor of the recent Top 5 prog bands list that Blake did, I decided to give a little love to a band from Canada that certainly fits the mold but was not mentioned on anyone's list. Max Webster was not a person but a group, with Kim Mitchell being the front man, much the same as Jethro Tull was a band fronted by Ian Anderson. This would be their last album prior to Kim embarking on a semi-successful solo career. Max Webster was more of a cult band in America, but a bigger deal in Canada. This final album gave them their greatest exposure in America due to the fact that Rush took them as the opening act on tour in support of Moving Pictures. In addition, there was one song on Universal Juveniles, the epic "Battle Scar" that was recorded live in the studio and featured both Max Webster and Rush playing together with Geddy Lee and Kim splitting vocal duties. The rest of the album is all sorts of weird lyrics and chord progressions, scattered over a bed of hard rock with occasional acoustic flourishes. It certainly showcases Kim Mitchell's abilities and was a fitting finale to an unappreciated but great band. If you dig Rush, you'll want this just for "Battle Scar" but the album is great from beginning to end and worth seeking out.
N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
Patrick Robinson: When this album first came out, people were knocked on their asses. Loud, angry and with an "I don't give a f***" attitude, N.W.A. brought gangsta rap to the forefront of everybody's mind in the musical world like never before. Backed by Dre's impressive production and (mostly) Cube's powerful lyricism, the album spawned countless classic songs and even drew the ire of the FBI with "F*** Tha Police", which resulted in the group being banned from performing at several venues. To many, this album represents gangsta rap at its finest; poignant lyrics backed by loud and aggressive beats.
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River
Mitch Michaels: News recently came out that Fantasy Records would be re-releasing most of Creedence Clearwater Revival's albums as remastered, expanded editions. This is awesome news. While no doubt everyone owns CCR's Chronicle best of album (I believe you are issued that CD when you join BMG), the band is much more than their singles. Never is that more apparent than on Green River, which yielded two double A-side singles and produced two #2 hits in "Bad Moon Rising" and the title track. With the alt-country precursor "Lodi", the frail "Wrote A Song For Everyone" and a closing cover of "The Night Time Is The Right Time", there's not a bad moment here.
LYRIC OF THE MONTH
Phil Watts, Jr.: "Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend/Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within/Beware, beware of the handshake that hides the snake/Beware of the pat on the back/It just might hold you back" - The Undisputed Truth, "Smiling Faces Sometimes"
Dan Halen: "Life is short, even in it's longest days" - John Mellencamp, "Longest Days"
Patrick Robinson: "I got you stuck off the realness, we be the infamous / you heard of us / official Queensbridge murderers / the Mobb comes equipped with warfare, beware / of my crime family who got nuff shots to share / for all of those who wanna profile and pose / rock you in your face, stab your brain wit' your nosebone" - Mobb Deep, "Shook Ones Pt. 2"
Mitch Michaels: "When the family sings "Sweet Bye & Bye"/They might as well go on and tell us both good-bye/Cause you've come to be my heart and soul/The air I breathe, the reason there's life in these bones/So I've made up my mind, girl if it's your time/They can dig two graves, just carve one stone/Because without you here, I won't last long/Your love's the blood running through these veins/So if he calls you home, they can dig two graves" - Randy Travis, "Dig Two Graves"
NEXT MONTH'S NEW RELEASES
Kool G. Rap & DL Polo - Live & Let Die Re-issue
Phil Watts, Jr.: The Cold Chillin' Records re-issues are BACK. This time, it's one of my all-time favorite Kool G Rap albums. G Rap enlists the services of Sir Jinx (of the Boogiemen, responsible for Ice Cube's Death Certificate) to produce a huge chunk of this album. This features such bangers such as "#1 With A Bullet" (with Kane), "2 To The Head" (with Cube, Scarface, and Bushwick), the hilarious sex joint "Operation CB", and all three versions of "On The Run". This album also has the only good track of the Trackmasters' careers: "Ill Street Blues". However, at the time, this album was way too violent, and since Cold Chillin' Records was distributed by Time Warner (the same company that tossed out Ice T because of the "Cop-Killer" controversy), they were forced to put it out independently.
Onyx - Cold Case Files
Phil Watts, Jr.: When it comes to that rowdy roof-raising stick-em-up shit, I'm more of a fan of M.O.P.'s straight-forward style as opposed to Onyx's more cartoony "GRIMEE" style. However, I will admit that Onyx did have some bangers during their 90's heyday, like "Throw Your Guns", "Slam", "Shiftee", and "Shut'em Down". Hopefully, this will bring back the sound and the fury of the early days, something they haven't been able to do for years.
GZA/Genius - Pro Tools
Phil Watts, Jr.: With the Wu-Tang in a shambles (mainly because of the RZA having lost his mojo), it's up to the individual members to make things right. While I'm glad that the Genius is still doing his thing after nearly 18 years in the game, I am NOT crazy about him mustering up publicity by starting beef with 50 Cent. Hey, GZA - you are wasting your time even mentioning that thugged out Chippendale model and his crew of morons. Let karma take care of 50 Cent. You have more important things to deal with.
Patrick Robinson: It's been three years since his last album, with DJ Muggs, which is far too long in my opinion. Regardless, I'm excited that the album actually has a release date this time around. Looking at the notes for the album currently available, I'm anticipating greatness from both the production department and the lyrics, even from the guests.
Patrick Robinson: Ice Cube's last album was a clear indication that even doing all those kids movies couldn't completely blunt the once N.W.A. front man's tongue. I hope that this album will be the same, sharp lyrics that also encompass Cube's maturity.
Arabian Prince - Innovative Life: Anthology 1984-1989
Phil Watts, Jr.: Lil' Dap was ½ of the hapless duo called The Group Home. Their debut, Livin' Proof, was a winning combo of incredible production and laughable lyrics. Sadly, it's been pretty hard for the departing Gangstarr Foundation members (Group Hom, Jeru, Guru) to maintain the level of production they had when Premier was working with them. As a soloist, Lil' Dap has had some good luck with a few songs (particularly "Get It", produced by ALC), but can he bring the right people to help make his solo debut solid, or will it be another Guru-trying-to-replace-Premo-with-some-newbe foolishness?
Delicious Vinyl All-Stars - RMXXOLOGY
Phil Watts, Jr.: One of the hardest things about doing a remix is improving on something that was done right the first time. One peculiar remix is Masta Ace's "Slaughtahouse", which will be remixed by EMINEM of all people. Yeah, it's a neat gesture for someone like Eminem to give props to Masta Ace like this, but since Em has never been known as a top notch producer, who knows how screwed up the end result will be.
DJ Premier - Beats That Collected Dust, Vol. 1
Phil Watts, Jr.: Pete Rock had his cutting-room-floor material (Petestrumentals), Alchemist had his (The Cutting Room Floor Mixtape series), and now it's DJ Premier's turn to clean out his studio."The Beats That Collected Dust series consists of beats that were either for artists and were never used, or were just not adequate enough for me to ever release them with MC's spittin' over them. These are truly as we all know not my best work, but I had no plans of releasing them anyway. Then I thought, why not put them out "As Is" and let them be shared to the world. Most of them are just rough demos from the 1999-2003 period." - (Straight from Premier's press release.)
Extreme – Saudades de Rock
Dan Halen: Well, huge surprise here. I figured Nuno was not down with anything Extreme after he declined to participate when VH1 had that lame show where they tried to reunite has-been bands from the 80's – hell, he wouldn't even sign off on allowing the footage of them asking him if he was interested in reforming the band to even be broadcast. I guess his solo material, work with Population 1, Mourning Widows and various other projects totaled up to no income so why not rejoin the one thing that made you money? All joking aside, I dig Extreme's first two albums and always thought they were a very capable band (check out their medley of Queen songs on the Freddie Mercury tribute concert). I think they started losing it on the third album and the fourth was pretty bad. Gary Cherone's tenure with Van Halen did him no favors. Nuno could always deliver on the guitar though and I did dig his first solo record. If they could come back with another Pornograffiti and NOT have a hit that is NOT representative of their true style ("More Than Words" was NOT what Extreme was about), they just might make a comeback. (Yeah, right….who am I kidding?…it will bomb).
Goo Goo Dolls - Vol. 2
Dan Halen: They barely scraped out a first volume and now we get another? I actually liked the first one since GGD were not one of those bands where I wanted to have all their albums, but I did like some of their songs, so it was a good addition to my collection. A second volume does leave me pondering how and why they are doing this and the track listing is not so recognizable. Appears we're tossing in demos, remixes and live material to pad things and that's NOT something an artist should be doing on a greatest hits. Add to that, a DVD with videos and live footage (a nice bonus, but smacks of being overblown) and this sort of feels like "we have no new material, so we'll repackage old shit with unreleased material and see what happens".
Mitch Michaels: When Goo Goo Dolls titled their last compilation Greatest Hits, Vol. 1: The Singles, it was a no brainer that something like this was on the horizon. They've switched up the title to just Vol. 2 now, which means that it's just a collection of stuff from here and there for big fans to eat up. Hey, Goo Goo Dolls should consider themselves lucky to have enough extra material AND hits to make up two albums, as most 90's bands of their style managed to fizzle out with much less in the vaults. And really, is this actually a Vol. 2 to their Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce CD, which rounded up favorites and rarities from their previous label?
Little Feat - Join The Band
Dan Halen: Little Feat was one of those fun but underrated bands. They never got their due (in my opinion) for the amount of talent in the band. Doing a little research on this sort of got me excited. I dug Little Feat back in the 70's and have pretty much supported them throughout their career. Sure, they're not the same without Lowell George, but they've always had a group of stellar performers in the band and still have a core group of the original guys hanging tough. I haven't been able to determine if this is live or studio, but with the band pulling out some classic tracks ("Dixie Chicken", "Time Loves A Hero", "Sailin' Shoes") and utilizing a nice guest list of performers (Dave Matthews, Bob Seger, Bela Fleck, Chris Robinson, Emmylou Harris), this could be a fun little ride down memory lane and possibly bring in some new fans.
Eva Cassidy - Somewhere
Dan Halen: Normally I'd bash this sort of posthumous release and comment about raping and pillaging the vaults in a sad attempt to scrape up anything to make a buck, but I'll take all the Eva I can get. Not sure how many albums this makes that have come out since her passing, but her voice is awesome and this has some cool songs that I'm sure she put her unique stamp on.
Lloyd - Lessons In Love
Patrick Robinson: There aren't many guests on this album apart from an almost obligatory Lil Wayne appearance which is a change from Lloyd's previous albums. Hopefully that will allow him to shine without the help from others.
The Game - LAX
Patrick Robinson: I'm a Game fan and have been since the G-Unit Radio Part 5 mixtape came out, but his recent antics have begun to become annoying and his choice in production certainly isn't helping either. Still, I'm looking forward to this release and I'll probably pick it up unless it really pisses me off.
V.I.C. - Beast
Patrick Robinson: The lead single is called "Get Silly" and features Soulja Boy. Can you feel my excitement!?
Trapt - Only Through The Pain
Mitch Michaels: I was a big fan of that Trap Live CD that the band released following their departure from Warner. This set isn't drawing very strong fan reviews, but it is getting a good buzz on iTunes. Add the fact that the lead single, "Who's Going Home With You Tonight?" is getting some "Rock Band" love and you may have hope for post-major label Trapt.
The Academy Is… - Fast Times At Barrington High
Mitch Michaels: I hadn't listened to The Academy Is much until I reviewed the P.S. I Love You (gag me with a spoon) soundtrack. Their contribution there was really good and their much more straight-ahead rock than I had figured. Fast Times should be more of the same from the band and features appearances by members of Cobra Starship and Metro Station. Good for the Warped Tour crowd, but good for me too.
Chris Knight - Heart Of Stone
Mitch Michaels: When you talk about "underappreciated", no artist out there today in any genre is more lacking in the success to talent ratio than Chris Knight. The guy is the fucking Edgar Allen Poe of country storytelling. He's released four amazing albums over the past four years (not to mention a set of demos recorded in a trailer that puts most Nashville-produced material to shame in the "honest" department") and there's no reason to think this one won't rule as well. If you like ANY kind of country or even Dylan, you won't be disappointed here. Appreciation increases as your location moves farther from a US coastline.
Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone
Mitch Michaels: These guys are still rocking the masks? No matter – it's been a while since the Slipknot boys converged, as most have been busy with side projects over the last four years. Early word is that this album is more brutal than ever on the percussive side. This one could be your big beast of the new school year.
Staind - The Illusion Of Progress
Mitch Michaels: One of the few "Best Of" CDs I've ever regretted buying was Staind's. Not because the music is bad, but because they saturate the radio so. Get ready for more Staind on the radio, I guess. Aaron Lewis said they wanted Progress to be their heaviest album yet, but it came off bluesy and Floydian in places. That interests me.
THE END
And that'll do it for this month. Join us next month for another awe-inspiring edition of the 411 Music Roundtable!
