I made some music purchases recently that I want to share with you.
I brought George Clinton's, How Late Do U Have 2 B B4 U R Absent?. Please, people do not waste your money. It stinks and I don't mean funky! It does absolutely NOTHING for the funk juices. I rate it a 1 out of 10. The 1 is just because it's George Clinton.
On the other hand, Kirk Franklin's Hero, is not only good for your soul, but some of it will get the funk juices MOVIN! Right now, "Looking for You" is getting some play on secular radio, and with good reason. The groove is based on a secular song of years gone by, "Haven't You Heard" by Patrice Rushen. And there is a song on the CD with Stevie Wonder that is nice. In fact, it should have also been on Stevie's CD. I give it a 8 out of 10. Speaking of Stevie...
Steve Wonder's new CD, A Time to Love was a long time in the making. And, frankly, for it to have taken so long, it should have been much better. It is a good sound with solid music. It just doesn't move me too much. I give it a 6 out of 10.
Finally, there's the new CD by Earth, Wind, & Fire. The CD is named Illumination. This is a good CD.
It's a CD with multiple producers and writers: Will. I. Am., Raphael Saadiq, Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam, Floetry, and Brian McKnight.
I must say that Jam and Lewis do the best job of keeping the classic EW&F sound but keeping it fresh as well. Their production, "Pure Gold" will not disappoint old school EW&F fans. It's a winner. It's too bad it's only getting play on "old school" stations.
Next in line is the final "new" cut that is written and produced by Brian McKnight, "To You." McKnight keeps the EW&F feel and produces a winner for the group.
Raphael Saadiq gets a hand at doing some writing and production work for EW&F. I must say that he holds his own and gains some respect from me. "Show Me the Way" is a good EW&F song, but the only draw back is Saadiq gets some vocal work on the cut. I'm not a fan of the man's voice, so I just want to hear Phillip and Maurice work their chops. But, the song is good. Saadiq did 2 other songs as well. Overall, he does a good job.
Last, but not least, the BEST cut on the CD, one that had me dancing in my seat at work, and had my CD player on single loop, is "The One". Folks, that song is GOOD!
The CD is a solid 8.5 out of 10. If it weren't for Floetry and Big Boi being on the CD, I'd rate it higher.
OH, don't let me forget Public Enemy. I just brought New Whirl Odor today. I got it on "g.p.". I was disappointed by the lyrics, but the beats are STILL BANGING. The beats alone make me give it a 7 out of 10.