Monica Brown, better known to the world as the Grammy Award winning R&B singer Monica, releases her seventh studio album.
Jeez, has it really been 17 years since Monica first released Miss Thang, the album that skyrocketed her to stardom? It must be true since Ms. Brown is now in her 30's and her music does have a more adult sound to it.
After a quick throwaway intro that completely wastes Mary J. Blige's guest appearance, the album really opens up with the first official single off the album, "It All Belongs To Me" (with Brandy), that you've probably already heard on the radio. It's a sweet and satisfying break-up song where Monica and Brandy's vocals compliment each other well although the melody is a little too sweet for a song about having "a fit and slam[ming] the door."
That album has a consistent adult contemporary R&B sound--no small feat considering that there are over a dozen producers credited on the album (the most famous being Jermaine Dupree and Missy Elliott). If anything, the album is almost too similar with many of the songs seeming to blend together on repeated listens.
It's a quality release from the R&B songstress whose weakest point is that there is very little variety in the album overall. But what Monica does give us is more mature and in-depth than what can be found in her past releases. It is definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre but this won't be a crossover hit for the lovely Monica.
Score: 6.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "It All Belongs To Me" (with Brandy) [sample it below] and "Cry"
The Black Seeds is an eight member dub & funk band from New Zealand that Bret McKenzie (The Flight of the Concords) used to be a member of and is the only band I know of that regularly uses a wood block in their music.
For those of us who aren't Kiwis, The Black Seeds aren't as well known but their previous four studio albums all went Platinum in NZ. Now let's find out if The Black Seeds are poised to sprout growth in other countries as well.
The album opens with the dark but beguiling "Out of Light" that balances a thumping beat, a spooky melody and restrained vocals to create a very atmospheric track that is more downtempo industrial than pure dub on a track that is easy to be seduced by.
From there the album ventures into a more standard dub music with slightly sinister overtones until the middle of the album when songs like the instrumental jam "Loose Cartilage" bust loose with its 70's style keyboard work, funk guitar riffs and peppy feelings.
Dust And Dirt ends up being a highly enjoyable and praise-worthy album from the New Zealanders that has it feet firmly planted in dub music but that doesn't prevent the band from expanding their sound into other genres on some tracks. Hopefully this album helps them grow their audience outside of their home country.
Score: 8.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Out of Light" [sample it below], "Loose Cartilage" and "Cracks In Our Crown"
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