House, R&B, Soul & Rap > Tru Thoughts House, R&B, Soul & Rap

Advantages: Brilliantly original, uplifting & energetic, as well as downbeat & soothing
Disadvantages: Some tracks very repetitive

...On Wax. "The 5th Exotic" is a mesmerising, dreamy compilation of tracks heavily infused with a retro ambience. Lazy jazz, thumping hip-hop beats and some energetic salsa rhythms all make an appearance within the album's tracks, making for a wonderful, addictive listening experience. THE TRACKS: "Introduction" A strange, quirky intro with a strange male voice encouraging us to "turn a machine on". It is a nice little touch Will has added here to ...
...compliments the album. "The 5th Exotic" A bouncy and extremely cool track, taking us straight into the essence of the album, never letting go. It has an infectious melody and catchy rhythm, with a jumpy synthesised electronic organ. It drifts into a Moby territory, with some epic synthesised strings and some sexy whispering vocals. One of the absolute best tracks on the album. "Snakes in The Grass" Echoing keyboard notes and a heavy bass open ... Read review

Advantages: Expertedly produced, features diverse world music styles, wonderfully addictive
Disadvantages: Too short

...including this new offering "An Announcement To Answer". With Quantic, Holland is renowned for making use of diverse world music styles - Brazilian bossa nova, French jazz, African percussion, Western hip-hop, drum & bass... Using modern beats, heavy bass and funk tempos, he combines them effortlessly to create organic compositions, which urge you to relax, dance or just sit back and appreciate his skills. ...THE ALBUM... "An Announcement To Answer" ...
...and heavy beats. "An Announcement To Answer" features an amalgamation of traditional sounds of various countries. In 'Politik Society', African beats support Latin banjo's and trumpets. Similarly, the opening track 'Absence Heard Presence Felt' features Asian strings, as well as heavy hip-hop inspired bass. He incorporates the voices of rap artist Ohmega Watts, as well as the lead vocalist from acclaimed urban jazz band "The Rebirth", Noelle Scaggs. ... Read review

Advantages: Quirky, Upbeat and Consitent
Disadvantages: Are there any stand out tracks?

The misleadingly dark cover for this album conceals what is a throughly cheerful and upbeat record. Porter's smooth vocals are reminiscent of that cheeky ape from "Gorrilaz" while he is backed by funky bass-infused rhythms and a variety of interesting sound effects that blossom like flowers all over the tracks! It is not at all a one dimensional album and it appears to have a variety of influences from indie, to Jurrasic 5 style hip hop, to funky ...
...Overall, therefore, this album offeres an ecelectic mix of styles which are tied together by a sunny and carefree attitude. The main reason for falling short of 5 starts is that it lacks the star quality that can lift a record to "the next level". Additionally while I can honestly say there is not a track on the album that fails to please there are by the same token not really any truly stand out tracks. It is fun. It is well crafted. The lyrics ... Read review

Advantages: Classic Hip Hop
Disadvantages: Nothing specific

Released in 1987, "Paid in Full" is the debut album from the legendary Hip Hop duo, Eric B. & Rakim. Until recently, when I educated myself on this musical genre, and the progression which it had made over the years, I knew very little about this pair, other than hearing one of the tracks from this album, "I Know You Got Soul", on a couple of occassions, but I beleive that after hearing the whole album through, you understand its signficance for ...
...record. The rapper, Rakim, and DJ, Eric B. were groundbreaking in what they presented with this album, and their partnership effortlessly combines great production (consisting mainly of Soul and Funk samples), and amazingly complex lyrics. 1. "I Ain't No Joke" Here's a huge way to kick the album off as it begins with such a quality tune, in order to give you a strong impression of where Eric B. & Rakim will take you through these ten tracks. You ... Read review

Advantages: Catchy, upbeat songs that make you want to dance!
Disadvantages: Some of the songs are too simular

Good Girl Gone Bad is Rihanna's third album to be released. The album has achieved considerable worldwide success, including six singles which have been released from the album. The album is Rihanna's most sucessful, going 2X Platinum. Umbrella was the first single to be released, and features Jay-Z. This is her biggest hit to date, winning her a Grammy Award. It went #1 in EVERY COUNTRY featured on Wikipedia's discography page, illustrating its ...
...more places. It has a good beat and i loved it from the first time i listened to it. 8/10 Other good tracks on the album are Breakin Dishes and Rehab. Rehab is probably my favourite song on the album, and it is produced by Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. Overall, I think this album is a brilliant one to have, as it features many well known songs that are easy to listen to. Perfect for any R&B fan, and becuase Rihanna is Barbadian, some songs have ... Read review