RoyalUrbanite Music Reviews

Welcome to RoyalUrbanite music review page. This is where we will endeavour to bring you reviews on all la caliente (the hot) tunes that are banging on our home sound systems and mp3 players.

Periodically, we will bring you reviews on the old skool, the new skool, the forgot to go to skool and the kicked out for being so poor skool. We will try and be as eclectic as possible, but the funk will more than likely get top billing... it's how we do.

RoyalUrbanite

New Skool

Armand Van Helden feat. Tara McDonald:
My My My

Back in early 2005 I heard this song and I got hooked (instantly), I couldn't understand why I liked the song so much. The surprise came as It wasn't the type of song I would usually go for and with the lyrics using such small imagination and becoming repetitive after 30 seconds I was bemused with the recognition I was naturally giving Armand Van Helden's 'MY MY MY'. Now its summer of 2006 Armand Van Helden has re-released his year old classic originally taken from his album 'NYMPHO' with brand new vocals.

Tara McDonald has been given the opportunity to gracefully take Armand's classic to another level with lead vocals. Whether your at home, at work, the waiting room at the doctors or just chilling with your grandma, just listening to this track brings back all those memories of last years Ibiza trip with the boys. Quitting your job and eloping over there for the summer doesn't sound so irrational anymore does it? What makes the song work so well is the way Armand makes the beat sound compacted and erratic while using very robotic drum patterns.

The infectious baseline is amazing, the chorus is very catchy, the sounds are well picked and blend together to give the song a hard hitting warmth. Now improved even more with Tara's Vocals leading the way, Armand Van Helden looks to have this year's summer record in the bag.

GET DA SHADES, SUMMERS HERE!

MY RATING: 4/5

Written by Makdaddy, RoyalUrbanite

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Note: This is the original, not feat. Tara McDonald

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Sandi Thom:
I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)

Sandi Thom's debut single is the impossibly catchy 'I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (with flowers in my hair)'. The 24-year old has had an industry changing move to fame. 'Sandi' had a long tour of gigs in February and after weeks of touring her car broke down. So with no car and no money Sandi set up a web-cam in her South London basement (Tooting). Within weeks thousands of people were watching Sandi perform several songs live on the net. She also has a 'My Space' website with hundreds of hits a day.

This single was made after some advice from Sir Paul McCartney no less, at a lecture in Liverpool. He told her "Simplify your music and go back to the basics" (which she did). The song has minimal percussion in the verses with just Sandi singing her vibrant vocals and then when the catchy chorus comes in, a Dr. Dre-like beat appears.

I'm not really digging the track because of its farm nature and contemporary pop sound. But needless to say Sandi looks to be an innovative and fun new English artist. Plus she's from SOUTH LONDON!

A SO-SO TRACK.

MY RATING: 2/5

Written by Makdaddy, RoyalUrbanite

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Busta Rhymes:
The Big Bang

I could start and finish this album review on saying "DR. DRE is the Executive Producer!" Actually I think I will...

Nah I'm playing. Ok, down to business. Busta Rhymes is back after a good four year break (well if you can call featuring on nearly every R 'n' B, Hip Hop and Pop remix a break). Busta slowly let everyone know his come back was going to be huge, and you don't get any bigger than Dr. Dre. First Busta left his record label 'J RECORDS' and made a swift move to Dr. Dre's 'Aftermath/Interscope' record label. For Busta to capitalise on his latest studio album, he couldn’t have made a better move than to work with the Hip-Hop King. I remember when I got Busta's last album 'Genesis', that's when I first realised that one of the best combinations in new school Hip-Hop was Dr. Dre and Busta Rhymes.

I was amazed how much chemistry came with every song that had Dr. Dre's musical presence behind it. Everyone remembers 'Break Ya Neck' that was superior 'Dr. Dre' production and 'Busta Rhymes' at his best! This new album has 5+ tracks produced by Dre and a couple co-productions by the Dr. The power his beats give out is 'FLAWLESS' just like the first song of the album 'Get You Some' featuring Q-Tip and Marsha from Floetry, this starts the album off like the 800 'Brake Horsepower' that starts the Bugatti Super Car. The drums are the kind of drums that extract fear from people; it makes the little nerd that loves 'Star Trek' from Mrs. Castle's maths class feel like 50 Cent with a 'Shotgun'!

Edit: Aint' nothing wrong with Star Trek. Bigglesworth

The song starts with the usual static 'Dr. Dre' drum beat with some kind of Indian guitar trying to keep up, then when 'Busta' starts spitting, these INCREDIBLE piano cords come in to play. No wonder Dre takes so long to produce beats, everything sounds immaculately scrutinised and placed. I could say there are bangers on the album but every song Dre's done is BANGIN! Now I'm finding it very hard how to describe 'How We Do It Over Here' featuring Missy Elliott, It's infectious beyond recognition (maybe that done it?).

Dre uses no hi-hats, symbols or high frequencies with the drums apart from an interlude that comes before each chorus where he uses a 'tinkle bell' sound. This keeps it straight GULLY!!! 'DJ Green Lantern' Eminem's old DJ does a track on the album called 'In The Ghetto' featuring (Surprisingly) 'Rick James', this track's stumbling beat and pertinent horn arrangement makes a towering statement on the album. Busta's flow is mind-blowing with intense syllable rhyming time and time again. After all these years that Busta has been rapping, he has just got better and better.

His concepts are pretty much the usual thing you get from a Busta album, 'you can't mess wid us, I got money and bitches, Flipmode's the squad, just get down and shak wid a chick', etc. Nevertheless this album is really good for the car, club and the 18-wheeler truck!! (Haven't got one? Well buy one before you buy the album).

PRODUCERS: Dr. Dre, Swizz Beats, Sha Money XL, DJ Green Lantern, Erick Sermon, Will.i.am, Timbaland and many more.

SPECIAL GUESTS: Q-Tip, Marsha from Floetry, Missy Elliott, Stevie Wonder, Swizz Beats, Will.i.am, Raekwon, Nas, Mr. Porter from D-12, Rick James and more.

THIS ALBUM IS JUST STRAIGHT GANGSTA!
COP DAT DISC!!

BEST SONG: There's too many, can't choose...

MY RATING: 4/5

Written by Makdaddy, RoyalUrbanite

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