(Not So) Guilty Pleasure of the Moment: B.o.B. – Play the Guitar
Don’t know much about B.o.B., except I see his name on the charts or around the media in the form of “B.o.B feat. ___” or “___ feat. B.o.B.” credits we’re accustomed to seeing in modern day R&B/hip-hop.
His 2010 debut album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray [Explicit], hit #1 on the Billboard 200, and spawned three hit singles.
Fast forwarding to this year, in which B.o.B. will release his 2nd album, Strange Clouds.
The second single is “Play the Guitar,” and features another Georgia resident, Outkast’s André 3000.I heard while I was out running, listening to Sirius XM’s Hip-Hop Nation. And this is exactly why I’ll drop into different stations and genres from time to time – to discover something that clicks with me. “Play the Guitar” has a great rhythm, sort of a Caribbean undercurrent running through it. And the presence of Andrè 3000 adds that instant cred. Just a fun tune, and really good loud.
The Friday Five: March 11, 2011
Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.
The Five:
“Wings and Feathers” by The Guggenheim Grotto (from The Universe Is Laughing, 2010)
A bit ironic that this week’s Friday Five would begin with my favorite Irish singer/songwriter duo, as I’m headed to NYC to see them later this evening. While not my favorite track from their most recent release, it’s one I could see coming to love, in the live setting.
“Hot for Teacher” by Van Halen (from The Best of Both Worlds, 2004)
As Jeff Giles’ (y’all) has pointed out, there simply is no better Friday record than Van Halen’s seminal, 1984. For me, “Hot for Teacher” was every bit the hit single as “Jump” or “Panama.” I mean, come on … that intro? I remember spending hours upon hours trying—in vain—to master the two-hand tapped figure.
“Babylon” by David Gray (from Draw the Line, 2009)
This is a live version of Gray’s big hit single. It’s a xerox performance, save for the crowd’s insistence to sing the tune themselves. As much as I love the original, I can’t sit through 6 and a half minutes of it.
“The Way Young Lovers Do” by Van Morrison (from Astral Weeks, 1968)
Sorry Mr. Gray … I’d much rather listen to the real deal.
“Airplanes, Part 2 (feat. Hayley Williams & Eminem)” by B.o.B. (from B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, 2010)
I can honestly say that I haven’t cared for much of Eminem’s output of the last few years, save for a verse here and there. His appearance on “Airplanes” is one of those exceptions.
What’s on your shuffle today?
The Friday Five: April 23, 2010
Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.
The Five:
“Nothin’ On You (feat. Bruno Mars)” by B.o.B. (from The Adventures of Bobby Ray, 2010)
I remember first hearing B.o.B. — aka Bobby Ray – back in 2008 with his track “I’ll Be in the Sky,” and just as abruptly as he appeared, he was gone. A deft amalgam of Andre 3000 and Kanye with the sensibility and flow of Q-Tip, Bobby Ray manages to sound fresh, despite bringing some classic hip-hop clichés to bear. All that shit aside, this track made me giddy like a 12-year-old girl the first time I heard it. Evoking the classic summer single, there just in time to shake off the cold and ready to bump at maximum volume with the car windows down, this cut definitely deserves all the spins it’s getting. It may be “what the kids are listening to,” but in this case, I’m down.
“Hole Hearted” by Extreme (from Extreme II: Pornograffitti, 1990)
Take a open major D chord and shuffle it up the fretboard of a well mic’ed 12-string guitar and you’ve got yourself the recipe for the classic coda to Extreme’s magnum opus Extreme II: Pornograffitti. Seriously, could it get any more extreme? Is it cheesy as hell? Of course it is, let’s look at the lyrics: “If I’m not blind why can’t I see / that a circle can’t fit / where a square should be.” Pass the Gouda, please.
“Head Crusher” by Megadeth (from Endgame, 2009)
If given the choice between listening to a new Megadeth record and a new Metallica record, I will always choose the Megadeth, because no matter who is playing behind Dave Mustaine, you know exactly what it is going to sound like. Hell, at this point, the worst song on a new Megadeth record is still better than the best that James, Lars and company have to offer.
“Ice Cream (feat. Ghostface Killah, Method Man & Cappadonna)” by Raekwon (from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, 1995)
Speaking of songs that scream “summer,” this track was the jam back in the day, when I had a stereo system in the car that was worthy of turning up. While it might just be me, does anyone else feel like the Wu-Tang fell off after this? Take Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Method Man’s Tical, Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s The Return To The 36 Chambers – The Dirty Version, Genius/GZA’s Liquid Swords, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, and maybe Ghostface Killah’s Ironman – and that’s a big maybe – and you’ve got the makings of a legacy by which almost anything short of “classic” is really lesser. Sure, there have been shining moments after, but nothing that feels as raw and real as the freshmen releases.
“You Are the Woman” by Firefall (from Greatest Hits, 1992)
I’m not going to lie; I love this song. I love its stupid flute solo. I love just about every stupid thing about it.
What’s on your shuffle today?