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I’m truly an awful friend; if I weren’t, I would have written this post long, long ago. So I’m just hoping that my friend, the supremely talented harpist Brandee Younger, will forgive me for just now mentioning her brilliant debut EP, Prelude.
Featuring the talents of bassist Dezron Douglas, drummer E.J. Strickland, and vocalist Niia Bertino, Prelude is a four song set that was recorded at Brooklyn’s Royal Blue Studios. For Brandee, creating Prelude was simply her having “fun in the studio.”
Tracklisting below:
- So Alive feat. Niia
- Angel Eyes
- Hortense
- Oriental Folk Song
I can’t help but think this project spawned from a joke that made the rounds amongst some Twitter buddies, one in which it was suggested that Ms. Younger record a mixtape. After all, not only is Brandee an accomplished musician, consistently performing with her quartet and working with jazz notables such as Bill Lee and Ravi Coltrane, she’s also been in the studio with artists like Drake, Common, and Ryan Leslie. And these days, dropping a mixtape is essential to one’s survival in the music industry. When Brandee asked what her nom de hip-hop should be, we suggested “MC Harpista.”
Thankfully, she didn’t run with the “MC Harpista” moniker, but she did deliver a solid project that I’ve been enjoying this summer and that I believe you will, too.
Prelude is available for download at iTunes. You can find out more about Brandee and her upcoming shows at her official website, BrandeeYounger.com.
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If my current Twitter stream is to be believed, Kanye West is currently running around NYC hitting up every Fashion’s Night Out event from SoHo to Fifth Avenue, causing stampedes and minor riots. Hey, we all know ‘Ye loves labels; fortunately, when he’s not thanking the Prada-wearing devil for hosting the city’s largest sartorial carnival, Kanye’s still focused on releasing that good music every Friday.
So while Mr. West parties it up with the fashion industry’s elite, you should check out “Good Friday,” the aptly-titled, piano driven posse cut featuring nearly every member of his G.O.O.D. Music family. Like last week’s “Devil in a New Dress,” this new track is vintage, soulful Kanye. Have a nice weekend, indeed.
Download: Kanye West feat. Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Big Sean & Charlie Wilson — “Good Friday”
“I Poke Her Face” by Kid Cudi featuring Kanye West & Common
I am not a fan of Kid Cudi. “Night & Day” is cool and all, but nothing this cat has done really grabbed me. So of course when I heard he had a song out called “I Poke Her Face,” the eye roll was mandatory. And what really confounded me was that so many women I knew seemed to like this song. Really? “I Poke Her Face” is okay with y’all?
I stumbled across this video while surfing on Teh YouTube and figured I could give the song a chance. Why not, right? Turns out, this song is pretty darn good. It’s still going to take more than a couple of songs, however, to convert me into a Cudi fan.
