SamuelWild Tags: Christina Aguilera, Estelle, Prince, R&B Anthems, Rhino UK, Sister Sledge
R & B has been seducing boys and girls with its flirtatious grooves for an absolute age now. And this masterful new compilation, served to us lovingly by Rhino UK, works at confirming that statement. This is a stone dead three CD compilation beaming out a multitude of fine artists from the last thirty years. Prince, Sister Sledge and Christina Aguilera just a few of the major league luminaries rubbing shoulders on this outstanding collection. The extensive sixty song set features solid favourites from the disco era like McFadden & Whitehead’s ‘Ain’t No Stopping Us Now’ and goes right up to the present day electro trend with ‘American Boy’ by Estelle, for instance. Most of the songs here will be recognised by the average man in the street. Which is another reason this mix up must be celebrated. Rhino have successfully combined quality with commercial success; not always an easy thing to pull off. In short, R & B Anthems is a fine listen and is sure to put a sparkle into these long winter nights.
Up and coming electro-sleaze band, Junkstar, here release a remix single of one of their sole EP’s tracks. The original version of ‘Bluebottles’ is a solid, reasonably catchy tune in the cross vein of The Bravery and Placebo. However, three of the four remixes that follow are a little too similar. Each retains the original four to the floor pounding kick and synth combination with only minor subtleties distinguishing them. Essentially they are decent tracks, but with today’s advanced technology you would encourage a little more diversity from a remix package. Fair play to the ‘DTD Bassline’ remix, though, which does pack something of a punch. Seizing on the current ‘wobbly/fidget house’ phenomenon, it is a lively, bounding house slammer with plenty of little production tricks that keeps the funk alive. As the lyrics in the song say, this one goes for the jugular. Buzzing!
Foreign Beggars return with a colourful third LP, continuing their amalgam of UK urban styles. In the same way that De La Soul crafted their multi-dimensional ‘3 Feet High and Rising’ back in 1989, Foreign Beggars have looted various genres and peppered it with an array of quirky rhyming that belies a more serious social commentary. All this is done with a dizzying plethora of guest contributors including Dr Syntax and Detroit’s, Guilty Simpson. Opener ‘Move Higher’ sets the tone as an uplifting soul-hop beat provides the sonic foundation for their matter of fact portrait of how things are right now. Subject matter continues with an earthy maturity, dealing with mortgages (‘Keep It Comin’), benefit dilemmas (‘Seven Figure Swagger’), and psychosis (‘Asylum Bound’) amongst other issues. All the while this is pulled off with an engaging array of fresh rhymes, often with a comical twist. The production is pretty minimal and crisp as of today’s major league standards, and sucks in a mix of electro, dub-step and grime. All round this is a very playable and solid LP that begs another listen or two.
Multi-national band, Subsource, have been honing their dirty-electro craft now since 2005. They’ve been hailed as the next Prodigy and, having worked with Liam Howlett himself, 2010 could be the year they take over the mantle. Already they are beginning to dominate the live circuit. This three track single is an interesting brew of high energy punk spirit, showcasing the band’s varied influences. ‘The Reason’ is a dark, brooding bass howler with more than a nod to Rage Against The Machine. Their vibrating bass detonation continues with ‘The Ides’ which also gives their reggae influence to shine amidst the wreckage. Closer, ‘Street Soul Music’, utilises the same thunderous back drop with a mysterious 80s vibe creeping in via synths and high-end vocal stretches. If you’re a dance addict who’s also looking for something to mosh to then Subsource could be your new reason to celebrate.
