Queens & Love Make Life

From Queens, New York
To Queensland, Australia
For beauty queens
Drag Queens
And British Queens
To the ants & bees
That hail their queen
Whether you're playing chess or cards or
Eating ice cream
From Dairy Queen
It's all love
It's all life
PODCAST #43 Queens & Love Make Life

Queens & Love Make Love Track Listing:

    1.    (0:00:19) Gorillaz DON'T GET LOST IN HEAVEN - Damon Albarn, the wizard behind the cartoon clan (illustrated by Tank Girl creator, Jamie Hewlett), has been a tour de force after leaving Blur.  On their second LP, Demon Days, they brought in Danger Mouse to produce the record, and to great success.  Introducing rappers Roots Manuva from the UK, the glorious Neneh Cherry & Martina Topley-Bird, MF Doom or DOOM from the underground in NYC, bringing old school back with De La Soul and Bootie Brown of The Pharcyde, and featuring Happy Mondays crazy lead-man, Shaun Ryder, not to mention, Dennis Hopper.  
    2.    (0:02:20) Gorillaz DEMON DAYS - The London Community Gospel Choir pushes this track into overdrive and illuminates this closing track as a perfect ending to a highly acclaimed album.  Brilliant track!
    3.    (0:06:26) Curtis Mayfield LITTLE CHILD RUNNIN' WILD - Oh my!  One of my all-time favorite tracks from arguably one of the greatest albums of all-time, Super Fly!  Along with Marvin Gaye's Trouble Man, and Isaac Hayes' Shaft, there aren't too many LPs out there that can be classified as Classic records as well as being soundtracks to movies.  All three, Shaft, Trouble Man and Super Fly came out within a year of each other (1971-'72) during the height of Blaxploitation film.  
    4.    (0:11:10) Fela Kuti EXPENSIVE SHIT - You cannot listen to chill music or ambient reproduced electronic music without having a sample of Fela Kuti, in particular, this track here.  For a modern homage to Fela, you can listen to UK funk bands by Quantum, such as Quantum Soul Orchestra or The Bamboos.  Afrobeat was made possible by Kuti, but more importantly, by his drummer, Tony Allen, since he was the driving force in the beat itself.  One of the greatest drummers of all-time, Tony Allen balanced his groove in a jazzy manner by studying Max Roach's lessons in Drum Beat magazine.  Recently Allen recorded with Damon Albarn (mentioned above) for the supergroup The Good, The Bad & The Queen.  Fela played sax, keyboards, trumpet, guitar, dabbled in drums, and of course, the lead vocalist who preferred to sing in English to push his politically-themed lyrics to the masses.  
    5.    (0:24:05) DOOM BATTY BOYZ - Oh wow!  This might be the most hilarious rap song ever made!  MF Doom has always been recognized as humor-gangster-conscious-food rapper, but this tops all.  From his latest LP, Born Like This, DOOM makes an analogy for modern rap stars as homosexual super heroes, while DOOM is the villain eradicating wack rappers.  With a sick beat, thematically like that of a comic progression and hilarious samples, DOOM wrecks the beat with his on-point flow, phrasing the lyrics in odd places to emphasize the humor, "It's a herb, it's lame, it's a...goddamn shame!"   Brilliant track.
    6.    (0:27:06) Barrington Levy BLACK HEART MAN DUB - At 14, in 1978, Barrington Levy started a small cult following in clubs around Jamaica dance clubs with his single, 'A Long Time Since We Don't Have No Love.'  He received more success in the UK during the '80s than he did in his native land Jamaica.  His album Here I Come received accolades in the UK.  This track is from a compilation of Levy's, entitled, 'Barrington Levy in Dub - The Lost Mixes From King Tubby.'
    7.    (0:30:39) Omara Portuondo NO ME LLORES MAS - One part of the Buena Vista Social Club supergroup.  Ms. Portuondo is a legend in Cuba, and in the '50s she sang for Orquesta Anacaona.  Later, with her sisters, performed with Nat King Cole in the US.  This is from her solo record Grande Exitos.
    8.    (0:35:33) Thom Yorke BLACK SWAN - Wicked wicked wicked track from the debut solo record, Eraser, by Radiohead frontman (I am continuing my Radiohead infatuation here, and I really don't care what anybody says, because their music fits everywhere).  This song features the ever-amazing co-terror from Radiohead, Jonny Greenwood.    
    9.    (0:40:13) DJ Zeph MIDNIGHT CREWSADE - From Sunset Scavenger, Zeph's sophomore LP.  From Oakland, California, Zeph is the constant in MC Azeem's world as well, and produces his beats as well as the conscientious rap/jazz group, Variable Unit, which also features MC Azeem.  Zeph is arguably one of the hip hop world's most underrated producers, and should be checked out.  
    10.    (0:43:31) Cass McCombs YOU SAVED MY LIFE - Alternative country musician from California.  This track is from his highly acclaimed newest LP, Catacombs.  McCombs is on the UK label, Domino records, and has released now 4 LPs.  
    11.    (0:48:45) Feist INSIDE + OUT (APOSTLE OF HUSTLE UNMIX LIVE AT THE BBC) - Another record from Canadian female high-praised vocalist and guitar player.  This is a live recording from the BBC on her remix album, Open Season.  The original studio recording can be found on her 2004 record, Let It die.
    12.    (0:52:09) Jamie Lidell FIGURED ME OUT - From Jamie's third LP, Jim, second commercially successful album, though.  This track sounds in the vein of Jamiroquai's Traveling Without Moving LP.  Off the Warp Records label, Mr. Lidell has blown up alongside counterparts, Battles.  In fact, Battles opened up for Jamie when I saw him two years ago.  Both acts together were arguably one of the best concerts I have ever seen.  The creativity and the energy was so high there was not one person in the entire place lulling around un-pulsed by their music.  
    13.    (0:56:23) Maxwell LOVE YOU - Oh yeah!  Another brilliantly sexy track from one of this year's best performances.  Maxwell's voice is such a refreshing embrace to the dismal outputting R&B has to show as of late.  This track is from Blacksummers'night.  I am certainly looking forward to his remaining two discs of this three-part series of LPs, which are to come out in succeeding years.  
    14.    (0:59:42) The Roots feat. Peedi Peedi & Bunny Sigler LONG TIME - If this track doesn't represent the summer's groove, than I'm not sure how to please you.  As the summer comes to close, I put this track in my 'phones and groove all the way through the subway and city streets.  The Roots are currently working on a forthcoming album, and by the sounds of it, it seems to be funky and soulful in the vein of the late James Brown.  This intelligent group of musicians are arguably one of rap's most prolific and entertaining groups, and you can see them perform every night on the Jimmy Fallon show.  This track is off their highly-acclaimed Game Theory album.  ?uestlove's groove behind the kit on this track is crazy beautiful.  Check out how he drives the song to overdrive and pushes the vocals along with his wave!
    15.    (1:03:24) The Cinematic Orchestra AS THE STARS FALL - Such a beautiful track off their latest Ma Fleur LP.  I have to say, the US truly butchered this LP, so if you're considering purchasing this record, I strongly recommend buying the UK version.  The US version, for whatever reason, changes the order of the tracks and omits one track.  This UK group is one of the best live acts I have ever seen, and it is truly worth seeing them and buying their live album performed at the amazing Albert Hall in London.  
    16.    (1:08:07) Estelle SHINE - Another brilliant track from this UK rising throwback star.  Her, Estelle shows off her rapping skills as well as provides a beautiful chorus-line to this wicked beat.  This is the title track and closing track to her latest album.