Norman Connors: Dance of Magic (1972)

I wasn’t planning on this being a jazz-heavy week, but after listening to the fantastic Les McCann album, I turned to see what other unlistened CDs and records I had lying around and recalled the 2-for-1 disc featuring the first two albums of drummer Norman Connors as a bandleader. Although he’d be more known for his smooth R&B soul jazz in a few years with hits like “Betcha By Golly Wow” and “You Are My Starship”, Dance of Magic shows the man in hardcore jazz mode with a killer lineup helping to bring his vision to life. Also like McCann, it features one massive side-long track followed by a few shorter numbers, but the improvisation and genre mixing goes in both a smoother and more avant-garde direction.

ChrisAugust 19, 2025August 19, 2025Leave a comment

CD, Vinyl

Funkadelic: Hardcore Jollies (1976)

In 1990 I became friends with Dave. Dave had a pair of friends who were brothers – Will (older) and Russ (younger). They were okay, although I don’t think liked me; they tolerated me because I was Dave’s friends. But they’ve remained stuck in my brain cells for two reasons: to fix the intonation problems on my first guitar (a black Epiphone Strat copy) Russ bolted my bride to the body with two massive bolts that did not in fact fix my intonation, and just made the guitar worse. And one day I walked up Dave’s driveway to find the three of in a rough circle, dancing and laughing to the funkiest, sick music I ever heard. The song was “Soul Mate” off Hardcore Jollies, the mighty ninth album from the even mightier Funkadelic. I was never the same.

ChrisJune 11, 2025Leave a comment

Vinyl

Curtis Mayfield: Curtis/Live! (1971)

I struggled to think of what the first live album I wanted to cover this week. What album gets across the thing I want to get out of a live release? I’ve never been one for perfect sonic replication: I can listen to the studio albums for that. I want to be inside the recording; I want to feel like I’m there – in the crowd, in the club. And it hit me: the first live release I bought when I re-kicked off my vinyl collection was Curtis/Live! the intimate, smoke and booze soaked live document from the man himself, Curtis Mayfield soon after leaving The Impressions and starting his solo career. Despite its lukewarm reception at the time (Rolling Stone continuing to prove itself the pulse of nothing), I’ve come to think of it as one of the best live albums ever, and potentially my favorite album from Mayfield.

ChrisMarch 31, 2025March 31, 20251 Comment

Vinyl

Willow: Empathogen (2024)

I’ve never been shy about my love for neo-soul and more, jazz-inflected R&B…heck, we already featured two artists in the best of 2024 series that have excelled at this kind of thing for a while now. Still, if you had told me a year ago that come December I’d be listening to the new album from Willow, the daughter of Mr. Jiggy himself, I’d probably laugh and move along. But here we with Empathogen, Willow Smith’s sixth album and return to her initial sound after two albums that stuck heavy to alternative pop/punk and rock. There’s a heavy emphasis on acoustic instruments and her voice, which is lovely whether it’s naked and bare or stacked in lush harmonies. I’m still slightly awed at how much this record speaks to me, and make no apologies for it when the end result sounds as good as this thing does.

ChrisDecember 15, 2024December 15, 20241 Comment

Vinyl

Beyoncé: Cowboy Carter (2024)

I put off writing about Beyoncé forever; what could I possibly add to the global conversation about one of the biggest artists in the world? Nothing. Even if you’re not a fan, you know exactly who she is, whether it’s from her time in Destiny’s Child to her incredibly prolific solo career, both as a performer and a producer. Chances are you know she’s married to Jay-Z, another legend of the scene. You probably know the drama, and her musical response (and his) even if you never actually heard them. As well: who doesn’t wag some part of their body when “Single Ladies” comes on? Anyway, that’s all mindless preamble to the fact that Cowboy Carter, the second in a three-act series of albums focusing on different genres (previous album Act 1: Renaissance focused on the liberating club and dance scene) has since release sat at the top of my list of incredible records, an album that not only brings the very best production I’ve heard on any record since, well…her last album, but also helped me to re-think my entire relationship to music.

ChrisDecember 6, 2024December 6, 20242 Comments

Vinyl

Brittany Howard: What Now (2024)

Had to take a small break for a number of personal things including college visits and a funeral, but the truth is I would’ve needed a break, anyway. I started this review of What Now, the sophomore solo release from former Alabama Shakes guitarist/vocalist Brittany Howard almost a week ago and came to a realization: here is an album I love but can’t quite explain why (yet). It’s a thick, often murky, challenging album, not straight-forward at all and the more I listen the more I believe it’s this challenge, this refusal to play it simple, forcing the listener to really dig in if they want to “get it” that makes me fall hard for What Now. I don’t know if I’ll come closer to “understanding” with this review, but I’m gonna try.

ChrisMay 4, 20242 Comments

Consuming the Tangible

We are what we consume

Tag: r&b

Norman Connors: Dance of Magic (1972)

Funkadelic: Hardcore Jollies (1976)

Curtis Mayfield: Curtis/Live! (1971)

Willow: Empathogen (2024)

Beyoncé: Cowboy Carter (2024)

Brittany Howard: What Now (2024)