Robezz – Paradis, Paradise

Robezz is Las Vegas-based jazz artist and pianist extraordinaire. Inspired by some of jazz’s classic players, and influenced by his West African roots, the music of Robezz is a formidable combination of chops, infectious melodies and sexy rhythms. The musicianship on Paradis, Paradise, yes, no “e” in the first word of the CD’s title, is world-class and the songs will transport your mind to the coolest late-night jazz club that you could envision.

After years of recording and touring with some of the biggest names in jazz, Robezz has taken his rightful place in the front of the stage. For fans of jazz, smooth jazz and world music, Robezz is an artist that you must check out. He creates timeless music and it’s time for you to explore what this amazing artist brings to the table. www.Robezz.net

By Joseph A. Italiano

Laura DeLallo – What Do I Know

Laura DeLallo is an engaging singer/songwriter based in Connecticut who writes tunes that tell interesting, even funny at times, stories – backed by catchy acoustic guitar licks and a tight rhythm section.

DeLallo’s disc, What Do I Know showcases her soulful voice while highlighting tasteful hints of blues and reggae influences. “When I Fall Again” is a smash that evokes memories of the Gin Blossoms at their hook-laden best. The lyrics for “More Than Just a Friend” will deeply resonate with anyone who has ever developed romantic feelings for someone that started out as a platonic friend.

Fans of Sheryl Crow and John Mayer – another Connecticut native, will enjoy DeLallo’s latest effort. Laura is a lyric writing force to be reckoned with. Buy the CD. Listen to the CD. Read the lyrics. Try to put it down. I doubt you’ll succeed.

By Joseph A. Italiano

Reign Lee – Broken Skylines

Hong Kong-based artist Reign Lee’s latest CD, Broken Skylines, is a tour de force of catchy alternative rock, passionate lyrics and a pop sensibility that make the entire disc a pleasure from start to finish. Ms. Lee’s insightful lyrics seem to be influenced by her well-traveled life. She was born in Canada and moved to Hong Kong as a child. Reign lived in America during her college years, spending time in New York, Illinois and Arizona. This blend of cultures, life experiences and diverse musical influences has converged to create an outstanding CD.

“Summer Faded,” the opening track of the disc, is an upbeat alternative rocker showing Reign’s flair for writing poignant lyrics and melodies. She’s also an accomplished guitarist and it shows throughout the album. “Don’t Close Your Eyes” is another winner that hasn’t left my CD player in days.

The enclosed CD was recorded in Hong Kong, Washington, D.C. & New Jersey with several studio gurus, including GRAMMY® Award winner John Seymour. If you like songs that have something to say, conveyed by vocals that are warm and inviting, look no further than Reign Lee.

By Joseph A. Italiano

It’s Adjustable!

It’s Adjustable!
By Stacy Coronis

Still Flyin’, “Time Wrinkle” and “Za Cloud”
I’d be willing to bet that Still Flyin’ plays a lot of hackey sack and wear cords with patchwork stripes on the sides. This San Francisco based band is huge (too huge to name the individual members) and their album cover art is very psychedelic and cartoonish, both of which led me to believe the band was a bunch of hippies trying to bring back the good old days of Haight Ashbury. I was not interested. I think I popped it in as a joke one time at my boyfriend’s insistence, but we gave it only a cursory listen, a couple of seconds of each song.

Finally, though, I decided to listen to it for real. I was pleasantly surprised and not a little humbled by my music snobbery. Anyway, there are two discs, though I’m still unclear as to why. Both discs could have been combined into one, time-wise and listening to them back to back, I couldn’t detect any style differences between the two besides their covers. Both were pretty heavy on the reggae influences, specifically a King Tubby. I loved the horns throughout both albums and the harmonies are pretty tight on both discs. Even with these two things going for them, I think Still Flyin’ is too faux hippy for me. Though the horns are tight, too much else is loose and free form to make a really strong impression. Still Flyin’ would have benefited from some stronger editing – cutting out some songs and shortening some others to make a tighter sound and body of work.

Society’s Parasites, self-titled
Another good punk album from Hellcat Records. Society’s Parasites do a great job with their sound, even if it is a little derivative. They’re certainly not breaking new ground with their self-titled album, but its good, solid punk. The guitar work is hard and fast, the lead vocals are strong. They get straight to the point, too, keeping most songs under two minutes. A little bit more creativity would have been nice, but I definitely can’t complain about the album and I would go see them live any time.

Random musical notes
It was a good musical (and birthday) weekend. I went to see Pressure Cooker at Johnny D’s in Davis Square on Saturday night and the Stay At Home Ramblers at their monthly residency at the Abbey Sunday night. I thoroughly enjoyed both shows, though they were vastly different. I’ve also been listening to a lot of the band Lenny and the Piss Poor Boys, which I am pretty addicted to right now. If you have even the slightest interest in country, give it a listen.

KRS One plays Studio A in Miami

Hello people

Reporting in for a recap of a show of the legendary KRS One.

I figured out KRS was playing in Miami about a week before he was set to perform. I am so glad I found out about it. I hadn’t seen him for at least 4 years. It was at the Middle East in Cambridge, Massachusetts last time I saw him. That is pretty much the only place you go and see hip-hop music in the Boston area. Effing lame. Rap shows have a bad reputation of ending in a knife fight or shoot out or other manner of urban blight inspired chaos. I think that this impression is bull since all the hip hop shows I’ve been to have been very chill; well maybe I am a bit skewed in my perception since most rap shows I’ve gone to are in the tolerant hamlet of Cambridge. The People’s Republic of Cambridge is full of back pack hip-hoppers whose parents are mostly life long academics. The urban feeling in Cambridge is unique because it is a mix of hard edged street survival alongside eccentric art types and academics with a penchant for civil disobedience. It is a great environment for conscious hip-hop to thrive. I don’t think there is any other place beside Oakland, CA that has a stronger underground hip-hop scene.

This sort of brings me into the focus of this entry. I was going to see KRS One again but in a new city. I have been living in South Florida for about 3 years and the local hip-hop scene has been sorely disappointing except for some notable exceptions namely Solilloquists of Sound . They are amazing; great live instrumentation with conscious lyrical flows and beautiful singing. A true gem. I am pretty sure they are from Orlando. So beside them there are some other groups definitely representing but overall I have see a real lack of good hip-hop music down here.

I was worried that I was going to have the same let down at the show. There were a bunch of local rappers opening for KRS including Garcia, Brimstone127 and Major League. I got there and Major League was already on stage. These guys could definitely hold it down with strong flows and wordplay and rugged beats. The DJ was very capable with his quick reflex on the cuts and his virtuoso scratching. The absolute standout in the group was rapper, beat boxer, break dancer, and singer Kamikaze. This dude was a renaissance man; he totally wrecked it the whole night. It brings to mind one of my favorite memories on The White Rapper show when John Brown was all “I am an entity”. WTF! I had no idea what the hell he was talking about. But seeing this dude Kamikaze with his spits on the stage, flipping verses like its easy, breaking it down on the dance floor or participating in an epic beat box battle the kid shined bright. He was a whole package, an entity; I finally got it. We will see more from him. Major League in all were a solid rap group and that was beginning to change my mind about SoFlo hip-hop.

Major League

Then came the following acts and my hope dwindled. I had been looking forward to seeing Brimstone127 perform. I actually was into his stuff on Myspace but his live performance was really disappointing. It seemed he couldn’t get a rhythm and his cadence was off. I see potential in this guy, I just think he needs to work on his live show. His female counterpart added a dose of femininity with her soulful vocals; a real nice touch I could see them developing to great effect.

Brimstone127

KRS came on stage at about 1 AM and the crowd was excited to see the Blastmaster. KRS had a lot of energy and he engaged the crowd immediately. He fed off of the energy of the crowd and gave props to his audience. He was passionate that night performing some classics from his earlier work including the urban storytelling of “Love is Gonna Getcha”. That song is a clear example of his skills as a storyteller. And that was back when he was with BDP in the early 90s. KRS has been around for a long time and he still continues to produce powerful hip-hop music. He killed it on stage as he usually does. At one moment he stared intensely at his microphone before he broke out into an onslaught of lyrical brilliance. KRS is a urban poet and the godfather of conscious hip-hop. His lyrics and his life serve as inspiration for his fans; he uplifts people with his positive message. That night he did just that. During one of his breaks between songs he took the time to thank his fans “Without you none of this would exist”! Now how many performers will say that kind of thing and really mean it. And I know he means it by that look in his face; the sincerity in his eyes. Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone (KRSONE). Keep on spitting the truth like venom!

KRS One

By Shaun Flagg

Photos: Joni Sansone

New Kelly videos – Comedian Liam Sullivan

This guys is a friggin’ riot. Comedian Liam Sullivan is a serious up and coming comedic talent. You can see all his videos at Liam Show.

Check out these new videos featuring Liam’s alter ego, the valley girl diva, Kelly.

Let me borrow that top

Kelly’s Hollywood Meeting

M.I.A.’s new album Kala

Hi People

Have you heard the new M.I.A album? It is f*&$ing sick. You have to go and get this album. I am telling you, it is one of the best albums of the year. For those who don’t know M.I.A., she is a British rapper of Sri Lankan Tamil origin who incorporates elements of hip-hip, grime, ragga and dancehall into a unique electric fuzz of cacophonous bliss. Her debut Arular was met with critical acclaim with diverse contingents from dance freaks and backpack hip-hoppers giving equal praise to the British rap diva. The new album Kala is the follow up that will not fail to impress. This is another dose of bouncing beats, spastic samples, verbal gymnastics and beautiful fuzzed-out harmonies. The first singles off this album are “Boyz” and “Jimmy”. “Jimmy” features an up-beat dance beat and flamboyant string accompaniment with M.I.A.’s breathy vocals dropped over it all “Acha!!!”. It is a wondrous and lush pop song.

One of my favorites is the slower and grimier “$20 Dollar” with it heavy back beats and fuzzy vocal harmonics. You got to listen to this.

Check out “$20 Dollar”

MIA press photo