Javelin: "No Mas"
Why Javelin's debut album is entitled "No Mas" is unclear--because the album totally leaves you wanting more. From front to back, the album journeys from 80s to 90s (when the tracks were first sampled) R&B/hip hop/soul/funk beats, never flinching to be "indie relevant." The cow bell and synthesizer on "On It On It" bring back memories of Detroit's legendary house scene. "Vibrationz" could be a summer hip hop joint for The Dogg Pound. Not since J Dilla's Donuts has it been so easy to listen to a beat CD through and through.
Sounds like: Groove Armada's children with Madlib with a dash of Chief Excel's parenting
Listen to: On It On It, Goal/Wide, C Town (shit listen to the whole album)
Baby Jaymes
There is never been a better time for Oakland to say, feel, and embrace “you got to keep moving, moving, moving.” Baby Jaymes, an Oakland soul, funk and R&B artist sent up "K.I.M" and while typically we shy away from single tracks--we had to share it with you. First, take notice of his voice. Absent of any unnecessary auto-tune, his voice rings like a church choir singing with the hope that slowly continues slipping away from East Oakland. On “K.I.M.” he sings “everybody has advice for us/ so much we didn’t know what was right for us,” and then “I don’t know which way to go / ain’t no time to be so vulnerable,” and one can’t help but shiver at his honesty. Then on “Posted,” we get a dance friendly track that mixes soul/funk/hip hop and boy is it sweet 90s-pop hip hop. "IYouWe" is a nice attempt at D'Angelo style, soulful with a funk push--but achieving D'Angelo is no easy feat, and might not be all that its cracked up to be anyhow (note: I feel bad for that dude).
Sounds like: Raphael Saadiq sits back in a session with Maxwell
Listen to: K.I.M., Posted, IYouWe, Every Nuance
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