What’s in my earbuds pt. 8

so!

As things go I get in a mood of sorts  and tend to only listen to a lot of older music.  But I have found a few new things that I enjoy. Peep what’s in heavy rotation for me right now. A mix of pop, R&B and hip hop. per usual.

21 ~ Adele. The sophomore effort from Ms. Adele is a banger! I thought of doing a separate review of this album but then I got lazy, and started listening to other stuff (featured below) but this is still very much in my current rotation–hence its inclusion on this post. Some of my favorites are the lead single “Rolling in the Deep” ” Don’t You Remember” ” Take it All” and “Lovesong.” Also, “He Won’t Go” which is my absolute favorite on the album.

Late Nights and Early Mornings: Marsha Ambrosius’ highly anticipated album is here! and uhm, I like it. I don’t love it though. But its good music. The intro is hot, “Anticipation” captures my attention immediately, and is a good segue into “With You”  which is super sexy. My favorites are the title track, “Late Nights and Early Mornings” another sexy track and #freakyfriday official, as well as  “Far Away” “Lose Myself” and “I Want You to Stay.”    The CD definitely flows from beginning to end, but I prefer the first half of it, and it just didn’t really blow me away even after listening several times. I’m surprised there weren’t more sexy bangers on this album, I’d say about 3 out of 13 isn’t a bad number but I mean Floetry was pretty much known for the sexy jams and some of my favorite features from Ms. Marsha with artists like Jamie Foxx and Raheem Devaughn have been audio intercourse. Hmm, I guess with the SexTapes that she released previously she didn’t want to saturate the album that way.

It’s Love EP ~ Corinne Bailey Rae. a quick little joint featuring some covers. my fave is Prince’s “I Wanna Be Your Lover” and “Que Sera Sera” Click on the cover to sample/preview the tracks.

and for a few singles:

“I’m Beaming remix” ~ All City Chess Club. This isn’t new, but I listened to B.o.B.’s No Genre mixtape awhile back then forgot about it. However on a shuffle in my ipod I came across this track again and its been on repeat ever since. The original Lupe song is dope (I’m totally about to be a Lupe stan again and am soooo looking forward to LASERS–I might even go buy a physical copy to put with my collection of his other CDs) but the remix featuring Diggy Simmons, B.o.B., The Cool Kids, Asher Roth, Blu, Dosage, and Charles Hamilton–a mouthful! and not in that order,  is super dope. I think I dig Asher, Blu and Dosage the most on the track, but they all did their thing. Gotta love that Neptunes production.

“I Don’t Deserve You”~ Lloyd Banks ft. Jeremih. now I am not really a huge fan of either artist, but I do have a few Lloyd Banks bangers on my ipod–no full albums and nothing from the young crooner Jeremih. However this collabo works for me, its def a chick appeal song and I always love those. I do imagine a man is singing this directly to me whenever I hear it. I have to listen to it at least 3 times in a row.

“Hustle Hard remix” ~ Ace Hood ft. Rick Ross and Lil Wayne. this song! I don’t even do those guys like that but you can’t deny they pretty much wreck shit on collabos and remixes. I gotta say I like Wayne’s verse the best. This beat just goes so hard, and that hook just is super catchy. There are a few more remixes floating out there and even versions with others jacking the beat such as Young Jeezy and Joel Ortiz.

“My God” ~ Pusha T. our fave half of The Clipse does what he always does. crisp flawless lyrics over any beat. I mean its so effortless for the youngest Mr. Thornton.

There’ll be no waiting, I have no patience
This is the end of all my unrecognized greatness
I’m here now nigga pardon my lateness
You can hear in every bar and every cadence
Yeah, it’s the new God flow aint it?
The last supper for you niggas now repainted
Take position on the chess board and re-arrange it
Face to face with the truth get re-acquainted…

so, what’s new with yall? any thing in particular you are banging out on repeat? let me know.

oooh your love it is so good…

so good that…closer.

I don’t want to give you up
But I don’t want to hold you up
I don’t want ambiguous
I just know that I’ve had enough

I want you to travel with me
Lay loose and let your mind go free
Show you things that you’ve never seen
But you just got to go with me…

Closer
I want to I want to
Intimate
I want to I want to
Near at hand
I want to I want to
I want to get close you
Experienced
I want to I want to
Generous

Lay down what’s impeding you cause I want to get close to you…

I don’t want to give you up
But I’m tired of the pull and push
I’m tired of the making up
Don’t you feel that you’ve had enough?

I want you to journey with me
Explore all the hidden scenes
I don’t mind just a bit of tension
But we’ve got to move in the same direction…

I just had to go on ahead and list practically all the lyrics. yeah. they are speaking to me today.

so when I reviewed CBR’s latest album here, I said that this song had potential be my new “Breathless”. A new fave, and it so is–on this album anyway! Still the standout on The Sea. So infectious and cutesy, and just pure infatuation and pure Corinne. I loves it. Still.

Oh, your love is so good that I want to show you
Don’t make me responsible for something that you can’t find
Ooooh, your love it is so good
So good that…closer

even without knowing the words the song just SOUNDS so happy and hopeful. I feel like it should definitely be featured in a romantic comedy…

Let’s Float…down ‘The Sea’

so lets sit back, close our eyes and float. Well, at least that’s what I did while listening to the mellow sophomore release from Corinne Bailey Rae, The Sea.

standout tracks to me are

• Closer
• Feels Like the First Time
• I Would Like to Call it Beauty
• The Sea
• I’d Do it All Again.

These songs vary in content, and while none of it is “slit your wrists” depressing, the latter three are a bit somber.

I mentioned her in my I Miss You post last year and she definitely didn’t disappoint in her return! (Vivian Green got next!) Most fans of her music are aware that her husband died in an accidental overdose back in 2008 and you usually expect artists to make sad music to reflect life experiences but this CD is not totally sad by any means.  It goes in waves, the transition isn’t happy to sad or vice versa, but a bit of ebb  & flow. check it out and you will see…

some lyrics from the lead single “I’d Do it All Again”,

“It’s hard to believe this time, hard to believe
That my heart, my heart’s an open door
You got all you came for, baby
So weary, someone to love is bigger than your pride’s worth
Is bigger than the pain you got for it hurts
And out runs all of the sadness
It’s terrifying, life, through the darkness

And I’d do it all again, I’d do it all again
I’d do it all again, I’d do it all again…”

“Are You Here” and “Love’s On Its Way” are other downcast songs with a but otherwise its filled with her infectious vocals we love and the romantic content we are used to.

my absolute favorite song by CBR is “Breathless” and while I do not have a “comparable” standout yet on this CD, it is nice. very nice.  Paper Dolls and Paris Nights/New York Mornings are two other strong songs. This is music you play in the car to calm you down, makes you feel whimsical and at peace. I dig it, a lot. But then again I am a fan. a lot has happened in her life in the last 4 years since her debut (as all of us!) but this is definitely a great sophomore effort.

Monday Edit: I absolutely cannot stop listening to “Closer”. It may be my “Breathless” on this CD.