What's playing on the stereo?

[elSicomoro]

Taking a cue from the "In The Crowd" section, I thought I'd start a topic dedicated to listening preferences. I figure it to be a good conversation and educational experience.

So, I bought not one, but two new CDs today. Since relocating to the East Coast 2 years ago, I haven't been as much of a CD collector as I used to be. I believe these are the 7th and 8th CDs I've bought this year, which doubles the amount I bought in 2000.

Now then...a review of each:

Ozomatli-"Embrace the Chaos": Ozomatli burst out of Los Angeles in 1998 as a 10-piece band mixing funk, hip-hop, Latin, and rock music together along with the English and Spanish languages and activism. 2001 brings them back on wax as a 7-piece collective, but still pumping out the jams. On the first record, Chali 2na provided English raps while Raul Pacheco and Asdru Sierra provided Spanish lead vocals. Chali has since left (as the Jurassic 5 project blew up) leaving Kanetic Source (essentially the 8th member) to provide the rhymes. While not bad, Chali had a deep booming voice that was unmistakable. The hip-hop element, while still prevalent, is not as deep as it was on the first record. The band uses more sound bites on this record as well as guest artists, like Common. This record doesn't seem to gel together as well as the first one, nor does it seem to have as many feel-good songs. However, it is titled "Embrace the Chaos," and is a worthwhile CD.

Although the title of the CD has been known by fans for some time now, it is ironic that the record was released on September 11th.

Jamiroquai-"A Funk Odyssey": It is my opinion that Jay Kay is the white Stevie Wonder, because he DOES sound so much like the legend. And this record sounds like it might have been made by Stevie Wonder in the 70s. Unlike their earlier releases, this album seems to have a bit of an edge, as noticed in the hard guitars on a handful of songs. This album also seems to be more negative than their previous albums. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but perhaps it is a more realistic attitude of sorts. Jamiroquai's albums have always had some sort of social message though. And it cannot be denied that Jamiroquai make great videos ("Virtual Insanity," "Canned Heat"), including the new single, "Little L." I cannot stop myself from hitting the repeat button for this song. Great record...