THE HAMILTON
MIXTAPE (VARIOUS ARTISTS)
The most
amazing and groundbreaking American musical phenomenon in ages gets some love
from the hip hop and neo soul community that inspired it – spearheaded by
Hamilton driving force Lin-Manuel Miranda and the mighty Questlove of The
Roots! Much like the musical itself, there's a grounding current of hip hop and
soul, but the sounds are as boundless and inventive as the contributing players
– which includes Common, Chance The Rapper, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, John
Legend, Wiz Khalifa, Busta Rhymes,Ashanti, Sia, Miguel, Nas, Usher, Aloe Blacc
and many more. Titles include "No John Trumbull (Intro)" by The
Roots, "My Shot (Rise Up Remix)" by The Roots feat Busta Rhymes,
Joell Ortiz & Nate Ruess, "Wrote My Way Out" by Nas, Dave East,
Lin-Manuel Miranda & Aloe Blacc, "Wait For It" by Usher,
"Burn" by Andra Day, "Say Yes To This" by Jill Scott,
"History Has Its Eye On You" by John Legend, "Who Tells Your
Story" by The Roots with Common & Ingrid Michaelson, "Dearl
Theodosia (Reprise)" by Chance The Rapper & Francis & The Light
and more. ~ Dusty Groove
HESTON -
TRANSPARENCY
Heston's
wearing a cowboy hat on the cover, but he's no country crooner at all – and
instead really steps forward with a sound that could win him the Neo Soul
crown! We've been following Heston for over a decade, and he's always had a
fantastic voice – one that can instantly reference classic soul expression, but
never in any sort of easy retro way at all – with a personal sort of rasp that
always lets you know that Heston's his own man! And this time around, he seems
to have this new sort of confidence and maturity that really sends the tunes
home – this way of being nonchalant, but totally right on the money with his
approach – infusing the tunes with an energy that we didn't always find on his
earlier records. Titles include "Mind Body Soul",
"Contradiction", "Every Time I Look Around Here",
"Mind Body Soul", "Lost In Amsterdam", and
"Dangerous". ~ Dusty Groove
THE KAY-GEES
– KEEP ON BUMPIN” & MASTERPLAN
The
Kay-Gees' greatest LP – and far and away better than anything else they ever
did! Grabbing up this one is like finding a lost Kool & The Gang LP from
the early years –which is no surprise, since Ronald Bell of the group produced
it and wrote a lot of the songs with the group. The band are incredibly tight
instrumentally – with lots of hard drums, choppy guitar, and the rolling party
feel that made Kool & The Gang so great during their best years. There's
some great horns that blast in and out, sounding very off-beat at the best
moments – like the classic "Who's the Man With the Master Plan",
sampled by YZ many years ago – or other funky cuts like "Ain't No
Time", "Get Down", and "You've Got to Keep on
Bumpin". ~ Dusty Groove
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