'Refried Mac' by Res [EP review]

What a welcome return this is!

If my math is correct, this is the first official release by Res since her debut album ‘How I Do’ was released in 2002.  (If my math is wrong though, someone please tell me so I can play catch up.)

An album that’s long-been one of my favourites – only right to name check the brilliance of Doc McKinney on production who created magic with Res and songwriter, Santi White (Santigold).

But anyway, back to our subject at hand: not your conventional Philly songstress, Res’s debut album saw her comfortably merging styles and genres until we were left with something distinctly Res.  Thankfully, even after all this time, her new project, ‘Refried Mac’, has managed to do it again.  A digital EP comprising of five Fleetwood Mac covers – hence the name, Refried Mac (...get it?), this is a great project to reintroduce her to the masses and hopefully swiftly have followed with a full-length album soon enough.

The tracklist includes:

Rhiannon
Dreams
The Chain
Little Lies
Edge of Seventeen

Going for the absurdly cheap price of £3.45 on Amazon, be sure to grab a copy!

Me, myself and my CDs (part2)

Following on from part 1 of the ‘me, myself and my CDs’ series, here’s our first batch of CDs – whether it be down to the artwork or the packaging – that would breathe life into any music fan’s collection...


‘Destiny’ by Shuya Okino [2011]

Shuya Okino - one half of the infamous Kyoto Jazz Massive - spun the soul world on its head in 2010, first by teasing fans with the release of 'Still in Love' the year before, and then following it up with its equally inspiring full-length release, 'Destiny'.  Filled with dancefloor, string-heavy releases, and a vocal guestlist including N'Dea Davenport and Pete Simpson, the album stormed to the top of the year's best-ofs.  The packaging is particularly noteworthy though - as it's a book: a beautiful matt-laminated hardback book with the CD tagged in at the end.  What do the pages consist of though?  Er... well, they're really just pictures of him getting dressed in really fly gear and close-ups of said really fly gear (cufflinks, shoes, etc.), unfortunately no real info about Shuya, the album or the record label.  To add to its appeal though - it's not a particularly easy album to find.  I had to get it from CDJapan but thankfully SImply Soul now stocks it, so visit them to get yourself a copy.


‘True Soul: Deep Sounds From The Left of Stax’, Volumes 1&2 [Now-Again Records, 2011]

Released in 2011, this two-volume compilation – probably more aptly dubbed an anthology – took thirteen years to compile(!) and comprises of rare and unreleased funk and soul music from the legendary independent Arkansas record label amidst the 1960s and 1970s.  Music-wise, Volume 1 boasts brilliance like ‘Follow the Rainbow’ by Thomas East, and ‘The Real Thing’ by The Conspiracy, while Volume 2 counters with ‘You For Me and Me For You’ by The Right Track and two gems by Portrait in the form of ‘Springtime Smile’ and ‘Love You For Now On’. 
The volumes are each beautifully-presented in matt-laminated hardback cases containing a CD and DVD (which features live performances by the True Soul All Stars captured from 1973’s True Soul Revue television program), as well as a 56-page colour booklet containing photos and interviews.  Frankly, these volumes are about as essential hardcopy purchases as it gets!

‘The Outsiders Are Back’ by Kings Go Forth [Luaka Bop Records, 2010]

The debut album by Wisconsin's own ten-man soul orchestra went on to secure the coveted title of 'The Blue-in-Green Session's AlbumOfTheYear' in 2010 – having deservedly done so by becoming a group (of varying ages and backgrounds) brought together by their love and passion for playing and performing quality funk-filled soul music.
The icing on the cake with ‘The Outsiders Are Back’ is the album’s cover art, which are original drawings by Mingering Mike.  If you’re unfamiliar with Mingering Mike – let me introduce you:  Mingering Mike is you.  Mingering Mike is me.  Mingering Mike is that dreamer with the unattainable ambition of gracing a stage and being heralded as an international soul superstar – but as people couldn’t celebrate the superstar, they celebrated the dreamer.  Mingering Mike would go on to create a fictional career as a soul sensation by creating actual record sleeves for over 50 of his own ‘albums’ featuring his sketches of himself and his friends, and even including cardboard ‘vinyl’ in the sleeves.  ‘The Outsiders Are Back’ marks the first album that features Mike’s artwork that was actually released! (The story is truly incredible and far more extensive so for more info, please visit http://www.mingeringmike.com/)

‘Made by Maceo’ by Maceo Parker [What Are? Records, 2003]

Oftentimes, it feels like Maceo has been one of funk's unsung heroes despite a resume that includes saxophonist for no less than the actual architects and pioneers of funk music, including: James Brown, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Prince, despite carving out an incredible solo career including no less than fourteen solo albums and a relentless touring schedule.  It's his 2003 album 'Made By Maceo' which is of particular importance to us here though - despite featuring a brass section of Ron Tooley, Candy Dulfer and my favourite trombonist, Greg Boyer, throughout the record, the album can also boast a beautiful package as displayed in the following picture.

‘Kingdom Come’ [deluxe] by Jay-Z [Def Jam Records, 2006]

Jay-Z's 2006 comeback album, three years after what was intended to be his swan song, borrowed the title from a classic Superman comic book story that sees the Man of Steel come out of retirement to don the cape once more and save the world.  (In case anyone was wondering 'wow, Jay-Z's a comics fan!?', he isn't, the title was pitched to him by long-term collaborator, album producer and comics fiend, Just Blaze.)  Certainly an apt album title when discussing the Ruler of Rap's return to hip-hop and a theme smoothly carried over to the deluxe album packaging with a cardboard case featuring a cover of 'suit and tie'/corporate Jay-Z, and a slip case sleeve 3D cover that when inserted over the cardboard image, reveals the true identity of 'street hustler' Jay-Z.  Quite nifty.  There's a bonus DVD too in this edition.

Me, myself and my CDs (part1)

Y'know when you're having an argument with someone and you know you're not getting your point across well at all - there's a logic, a stance and a moral standpoint that justifies and explains everything and you're just not able to verbalise it at all, but worst of all, you know that later when you're replaying the exchange back in your head, the exact thing you should have said will occur to you and you'll kick yourself for not having realised it at the time!

The argument I'm talking about - which you can hear in full drawn out completion - can be found here in LF's debate about how we (music fans) consume our music [I'll also post up a link to the more recent November podcast that's about to air where we discuss the 'future of music' which touches on how people currently consume music and how they may continue to do so in the future].  If you didn't know when listening to the podcast, I'm the one frantically on the defensive trying to justify my standpoint of still buying CDs - I think I was actually called 'grandad' at one point?!  It would appear that Team LF take in music through practically every means possible, as long as it isn't by purchasing a hard copy.

I think one of my leading arguments was that 'I present a radio show and see myself as a bit of a collector', but that arguement served no purpose as still I was unable to muster up any level of understanding.  I do feel though that if I had been a vinyl junkie and had said 'I present a radio show and see myself as a bit of a collector', then the response would have been 'Oh, that's ok then'.  There's certainly something about vinyl that garners peoples' automatic respect as a fan and collector but CDs are just met with 'What's the point?'

I started to get serious about my music in my mid-to-late teens and had no aspirations of DJing or presenting so through the ease of purchasing at that time, CDs were the way to go.  And this is actually a little bit before MP3s became readily available, so if your friend had a really cool song on a CD that you wanted, you wouldn't say, 'Can you burn me a copy or email me the MP3', you'd say, 'Can you record that song on to Side B of my D90 tape please - cos that's what we did back then!  Wait a minute, maybe I am a grandad?! (ha ha).  But it genuinelly wasn't long before MP3 sharing became the thing furthering the ease of burning your own CDs, etc.

I don't think it's a shame that more people don't buy CDs, and I certainly don't think they're wrong for not doing so but I guess I'm surprised that someone else would be surprised that someone does do those things.

I thought this would be a great way to maybe segue into a different perspective - something of a celebration of the CD: it's packaging, it's artwork, so in the next week or so, I'm going to compile a few pictures of some of my pride and joys, and some CD packaging and album cover artwork my collection simply could not do without.

Make sure to check back here soon...