Of course, to only pick three albums out of all of the 2008 releases is a highly subjective and challenging enterprise. There are some fantastic albums that were just shy of making the cut, such Al Green's triumphant comeback album "Lay It Down", Erikah Badu's "New Amerikah Part 1" and Raphael Saadiq's "The Way I See It" to name just a few.
Without further ado, the following albums were painstackingly chosen as the laureates of the Best of 2008 class.
The Roots – Rising Down
Questions arise naturally when listening to the latest Roots installment, questions like “Who does that?” Who starts their album with a sick freestyle, followed by a phone conversation, and then has a guest emcee drop the first verse of the album?
Roots fans rest easy, this dynamic band continues to push the envelope in terms of hip hop and music in general. It may not be the best Roots album to date, but it is still better than 99% of the music that gets released nowadays.
T o begin with, Black Thought is undoubtedly one of the most gifted emcees to ever bless the mic. Track after track sees a feisty, knowledgeable, edgy Tariq takes us on a journey of self-reflection, while also poignantly critiquing the sad state of affairs going on in the world. He may one of the few out there not lying when claiming that he is keeping it real.
No question, the underlying mood of the album is dark and moody. Yet as always, The Roots offer up a change of pace where you least expect it, this time around in the form of poppy, commercial – distinctively anti-moody – tunes such as "Criminal" and "Birthday Girl".
But for the most part, it's Black Thought along with longtime Roots crew collaborators Malik B, Dice Raw, Common and Talib Kweli, along with newcomers Porn and Truck North that hold it down on the mic while the band, led by the inimitable ?Love providing a variety of styles of beats, lays down the music that can be compared to no other in the musical universe.
The best – and only – hip hop band refuse to rest on their laurels, ever insistent on raising that bar. Now, if only other musicians would follow their lead.
Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
The fact that the single, “Business Time”, turned out to be a big commercial hit for the Kiwi comedy duo of Bret Mackenzie and Jermaine Clement is actually somewhat sad considering that it is actually one of the weakest tracks on their self-titled debut full-length release.
What is most impressive about these two witty oddballs is their versatility. Not only do they mimic a number of different styles, they do a hell of a good job of it too. Here are just a few examples:
- the spoof on 1960s French music and culture "Foux du Fafa",
- the dance hall inspired "Boom"
- the parody of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Pressure"
- the hilarious "Rhymenoceros vs Hip Hopopatamus" emcee battle
- an impression of rock icon "Bowie"
No genre is safe from the demented minds of the zany New Zealanders.
The song "Mutha'uckers", where Jermaine pleads to “them mutha'uckers to stop messing with my transactional shit” when encountering troubles at the ATM machine top them all though. Look for the Flight of the Conchords on HBO to catch all the songs featured as videos during their 30 minute skit comedy series.
The Souljazz Orchestra – Manifesto
Hailing from Ottawa, this afrobeat collective followed their energetic 2007 sophomore effort "Freedom No Go Die" with the equally powerful 2008 release Manifesto. As their American counterparts, Antibalas, set out to do, the Souljazz Orchestra's main purpose is to keep the Afrobeat sound - invented by Nigerian legend Fela Kuti in the 1970s – alive and kicking well into the new millennium.
Conscious, positive lyrics are backed by the infectious afro-beat grooves that never seem to grow tired. "Parasite" and "State Terrorism", in particular, are powerful tunes which feature playful question and answer interplay between the horn section and the organ.
"People, People" offers a more JBs style of funk groove for your listening pleasure, while the moody and emotional "Amen" gently sways the listener back down to earth.
Manifesto is guaranteed to keep people dancing and grooving through 2009 and beyond.
Chris Pady - One word that best describes Chris Pady: versatile. His knowledge and expertise in many walks of life has seen his work published in ...
