So I quickly mentioned this the other day in my post about some upcoming albums in 2009 and I have to say that since I’ve had a chance to listen to the whole thing, this is just a stellar effort.
I was grossly underwhelmed by the Rope-a-Dope and by The Undisputed Truth, but Us’ target=_blank>Us is one of the best albums I’ve copped in a good while.
Unlike his previous efforts, this is not one that is overtly political.  Far shy of Uncle Sam Goddamn, this album has a lot more soul …

In exciting news, Pitchfork Media is reporting that the long-awaited new Gnarls Barkley album is out already!
Obviously this follow-up to St. Elsewhere has some big shoes to fill, because I’m pretty sure “Crazy” was played somewhere in the world at least once a minute for an entire year.
Apparently they rushed to get the album out, partially in an attempt to defeat music pirates. The album was out for download at least a couple of weeks before the release date, so Gnarls did their best to get the album out …

Uncut.co.uk – News
This is not a typo. Scarlett Johannson, the actress and commonly voted one of the world’s most beautiful women, has just released an album.
Her upcoming album, Anywhere I lay my head, is a cover album of Tom Waits songs. That in itself deserves a little bit of respect. All too often we’ve seen celebrities try to release albums and quite often, they’re terrible. But this may be the exception to the rule because, believe it or not, the reviews of her album have actually …

Oldominion – One (2001)
Self-proclaimed pioneers of the “Northwest Sound,” Oldominion is a collective of mcs, artists and producers based in Seattle and Portland. One, released in 2001, is their first album and features appearances from 16 of their members. Although such efforts often lack thematic clarity, One’s beats are similar enough to ensure it remains musically consistent throughout. Indeed, most of the album’s beats are mid-tempo and based on dark, moody orchestral samples (think minor key string and piano loops) backed by competently programmed drums. Fortunately, this allows One to …

Maestro Fresh-Wes – Symphony In Effect (1989)
Awww yeah, this joint is a straight up classic! Released in 1989, Maestro Fresh-Wes’ first LP remains the biggest selling Canadian hip-hop album of all time. The album’s first single, “Let Your Backbone Slide,” was the first Top 40 single by a Canadian mc and remains the only Canadian hip-hop single to be certified gold. These figures are amazing, especially considering Symphony In Effect was released nearly 20 years ago!
Produced when it was still kosher to sample from obvious sources (and before other sources …

Luniz – Operation Stackola (1995)
Operation Stackola remains Luniz’ most successful album to date, having sold more than one million records since it was released on July 4, 1995. Propelled by the wildly popular hit single “I Got 5 On It,” Operation Stackola knocked Michael Jackson’s HIStory off the top of the R&B charts and earned Luniz a permanent spot in the West Coast hip-hop pantheon.
Released when g-funk’s dominance over the hip-hop airwaves was waning, Operation Stackola typifies the mid-’90s West Coast sound, with lazy, sub woofer-rattling bass lines layered over …

Heavy D & The Boyz – Blue Funk (1992)*
On Blue Funk, their fourth studio album, Heavy D & The Boyz largely eschew the New Jack Swing sound that defined their earlier work in favour of an East Coast-influenced, boom-bap style that is grittier and “entirely streetwise.” The album’s beats, courtesy of legendary producers DJ Premier, Pete Rock (Heavy D’s cousin), Tony Dofat and others, are, for the most part, typical of early ’90s New York hip-hop; that is to say, excellent. Replete with atmospheric, heavily chopped horn samples, deep bass …