The Runner – Kings of Leon
I know you’ve all heard it a million times and some of you have maybe even said it, but I’m gonna have to be a douche and be that guy. I’m just saying it is absolutely 100% true and unwavering. Loved this frickin’ band (and still do) before they hit the big time. For real…this album is as solid as it gets. I even have a lot of friends that didn’t know anything about KOL before their breakthrough a couple of years ago and hate the band and their crappy hits these days. And rightfully so…it’s crap. The sad part is that they won’t give the band a fair shake on their old stuff because of it. And that really is too bad. Because Of The Times is actually my favorite album of theirs and I will continue to rock this shit, no matter how many hipsters judge me for hating a terrible band. They weren’t always that way. Here’s to the old days…..
Fit But You Know It – The Streets, A Grand Don’t Come For Free
I received this album as a gift from my former brother-in-law a few years ago. It was a re-gift of sorts. He received it in some contest at his work, had never heard it, and decided he’d pass along this seemingly shitty album he got for me to me as a Christmas gift. That’s just the kind of guy he is. Ultimately, I guess the joke’s on him. It took me a couple of spins to get used to the casual talking banter of this Scottish rapper, but it turns out I like it! Thanks, sucka!
Long before the days of my brother and my early teenage years, where we hung around the street corners with a huge ghetto blaster resting on our shoulder, doing some paltry imitation of a moon walk to Hancock’s digital display of excellence, Rock It, the man had been making groundbreaking funky shit for years! Who knew? Well, although I didn’t know when I was thirteen, I sure knew by the time I was passing into adulthood. More than jazz and horns, Hancock always embraces sounds of the now, and more to the point, sounds of the future. This album, listed as one of Rolling Stone’s greatest albums of all time, by the way, was so far ahead of it’s time I can’t even wrap my head around what people must have been thinking back then when they first heard it. This album would be a stand out today in 2010, but he brought this shit out in…..wait for it….1973! God. My mouth is agape at that shit.
Great album, great song, great musician. Although I personally find Ben has hit a bit of a rut on his last couple of albums by not being able to break out of whatever mold he’s in, I think everyone can agree that this album kills. The range of styles and songs throughout is mesmerizing. This is a song from a father to his son and for a sensitive fella like myself, is gorgeous. Lyrically, Ben used to be in a place where he simply couldn’t be matched by most of his peers and this song is a great example of that. From his invitation of buying his listener a roast beef combo (and assuring him that he’ll pick up the tab) to the soft lament a few lines later where he apologizes to his son for having to be such a chip off the ol’ block, it’s funny, witty, personal and even tugs the heart strings. At least for me it does. I hope someday I have a son so that I can l can sing this to him.
Although this is a bit of a pop number from his studio release Continuum, the live version offers enough funky guitar bends for me to get into it. Here’s another one of my guilty pleasures that a lot of my peers may laugh at me for. Mr. Hollywood, tabloid, twitter attention whore himself. I prefer to think of this as a phase. I mean, after all…he’s still a young dude, comparably new on the scene. You can’t get too hard on him for having some fun with the lucky life he’s been afforded. But after it’s all said and done, John Mayer is a killer fucking guitar player. He just is and I’ll take on anyone who doesn’t recognize it. I prefer to listen to his live stuff, as it usually ends up on a bluesy road and showcasing his talents outside of the “recording can”. I predict, and I will wait and stick by him until it happens, that John Mayer is our Eric Clapton. I’m sure the comparison has been beaten to death but much more knowledgeable people than me, but I see so many similarities that I can’t let go of it. Even if it is just a fantasy.
That's it for now....have a great weekend, y'all
That's it for now....have a great weekend, y'all
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