Mark Anthony Neal

Critical Noir

Critical Noir: The 2007 Playlist (ver. 2.0)

Posted 12/29/2007 at 10:30 PM | Comment?

Herbie Hancock featuring Tina Turner--"Edith and the Kingpin" from River: The Joni Letters

Following up the success of his Possibilities recording, Herbie Hancock offered his take on the music of Joni Mitchell, garnering Grammy nomination for best album in the process. River: the Joni Letters manages to negotiate that space between smooth jazz accessibility and Hancock's signature improvisational impulses. With Corinne Bailey Rae, Leonard Cohen, Sonya Kitchell and Mitchell herself among those contributing vocals, the biggest surprise is Tina Turner's performance on "Edith and the Kingpin". Turner is as assured and confident as ever, but as she hangs up her touring high heels, there's a whole world of jazz and pop interpretations for her to conquer.

Kanye West--"The Glory" from Graduation

Kanye West begins "The Glory" warbling--ever so cautiously--alongside the vocals of the late singer-songwriter Laura Nyro. But by the time that first bass line hits, West is talking his "shit again" on top of the defiant and even celebratory loops of Nyro's voice. It's a fitting remembrance of a woman, whose career was largely defined by the hits that others had singing her music including Blood, Sweat and Tears ("And When I Die"), Barbara Streisand ("Stoney Road") and the 5th Dimension who had major hits with Nyro's "Stoned Soul Picnic," "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Save the Country." It is Nyro own version of the latter--written as a tribute to the Civil Rights Movement--that West reimagines. I'd like to think that the earnest vocals that open the track--"[I got fury in my soul] fury gonna take you to the glory goal/in my mind I can't study war no more" suggests that West's fury has not only fueled the making of great music (or to paraphrase a well-known mogul, West has a body of work; them other cats got some albums) but has given him to the faith to try and indeed "Save the Country."

Ann Nesby--"I Apologize" from This is Love

For the past few years, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings have, for all intents, defined the notion of "throwback" Soul. But I'm gonna make a pitch for Ann Nesby, former lead singer of Sounds of Blackness. Like "Put it on Paper", her throwdown ballad with Al Green from a few years ago, "I Apologize" finds Nesby giving us the Soul of a grown-ass women. Whereas Sharon Jones recalls the music of 60s sirens like Bettye Lavette (still on this journey, by the way) and even the late Linda Jones, Nesby's sound is more like late 70s era Quiet Storm from the likes on Jean Carn ("If You Don't Know Me by Now"), Betty Wright ("Tonight is the Night") and Evelyn Champaign King ("Don't Hide Our Love").

Anthony Hamilton--"Do You Feel Me" from American Gangster (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Anthony Hamilton does Dianne Warren? And that's why Hamilton is such an American original ('bout time we put away those comparisons to Bill Withers, Syl Johnson and Bobby Womack). Who else could take the middle-of-the-road schmaltz of Warren and her ilk and make it sound like it was dripping with some of that West Carolina 'que? "Do You Feel Me" is from the American Gangster soundtrack and sure we hear nods to the Dap Kings in the background, but Amy Winehouse (damn, forgot to put her on the list) can't sang like brotha' Anthony do.

Darrell McNeil featuring Everett Bradley--"I Thought I Knew Heartache" from the Soul-Patrol Digital/Virtual Album

Another track from the Soul Patrol Digital/Virtual Album, this time from Black Rock Coalition veteran Darrell McNeil with assistance from vocalist Everett Bradley. "I Thought I Knew Heartache" like so much of the Soul Patrol project, just makes you wonder how much great music we never had a chance in hell to hear.

Angie Stone--"Half the Chance" from The Art of Love and War

The Art of Love and War is arguably Angie Stone's finest recording and if Mike Epps didn't show up in that video for "Baby" would anybody even know? On "Baby" Ms. Stone shares the mic with Betty Wright and later trades riffs with James Ingram on "My People". Truth be told, Ms. Stone's sensibilities have always been closer to that of Ingram and Wright's generation, as opposed to Mr. Archer or Mr. Richardson's, so it's fitting the The Art of Love and War appears on a revamped Stax label. And much as I have always loved Angie's sassy thickness, for sure, it's on ballads like "Half the Chance" that we are treated Ms. Stone at her best.

Jay Z--"Say Hello" from American Gangster

So let's assume that "Roc Boys (and the Winner is)" is Mr. Carter's best single since "99 Problems", but hot singles have long been irrelevant when we want a glimpse of Shawn. Production wise it's Just Blaze's "American Gangster" with that sample of Curtis Mayfield's "Short Eyes" that is in regular rotation (fo' real black super hero music) and there's a dissertation to be written about "Fallin'" (starting with Bilal's redemption and the rich use of Rick James's "Teardrops). But with "Say Hello" (with the sweetness of Tom Brock cooing in the background) and three or four well placed lines, Jay Z makes himself relevant to the world beyond the world of rap music: "And if Al Sharpton is speaking for me /Somebody get him the word and tell him I don't approve/Tell him I'll remove the curses/If you tell me our schools gon' be perfect./When Jena 6 don't exist, tell him that's when I'll stop saying bitch...BITCH!."

Chaka Khan featuring Mary J. Blige--"Disrespectful" from Funk This

"Never on schedule, but always on time" and our man Nasir could have been talking about that "every woman". For more than 30 years, Ms. Chaka has done things on her terms and in her time. So what if it took more than a decade and more than a few producers to get Ms. Chaka back in the studio of a full-length recording. And God bless Jam and Lewis for again making our Soul elders sound classic and contemporary at the same time. "Disrespectful" might be just a funky little ditty about love gone awry, but damn if in the hands of Ms. Chaka--and Lady Mary--if this ain't them throwing down the gauntlet on behalf of the fully grown, fully developed and the fully in-charge.

Eric Roberson--"Evening" from ...Left

So I'm a 42-year-old husband and father. It's been a bit since I hit the club and truth be told, I was never into the club scene all that tough in the first place. But damn if Eric Roberson's "Evening" ain't got me wishing my 42-year-old mind (and salary) into my used-to-be 24-year-old body for just a night of flirty, sexy love.

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