MOS DEFinitely Not the Best Show I've Seen

After seeing a truly great Toots and the Maytals show three days earlier, I thought I was in store for a mind-blowing weekend (yes, in this case the weekend would have stretched to Monday) of live music. My anticipation for the Mos Def concert at Santa Clara University's Leavey Center was almost overflowing. Despite the criticisms aimed at his second and third albums, I appreciated his body of work and his desire to experiment with The New Danger and his return to classic hip-hop roots on True Magic. My friend had seen him in a number of small venues and also anticipated the performance that evening, until we endured the sound system and one mediocre and one atrocious opening act. I could barely understand anything the first rapper said due to an excessively loud bass and generally substandard sound system. I wished I could have simply blocked out the second performer with his emo style and go-go dancers; think Marilyn Manson hip-hop...painful, isn't it? The second act was so bad my friend wanted Mos Def to come out and apologize for putting us through such an awful performance. Unfortunately, the sound when Mos Def came on stage was no better. I am not sure if it is the acoustics of the basketball arena, an incompetent sound man, both, or some other aural transgression, but the experience definitely did not make me enthusiastic to return to the Leavey Center for another concert. Now, Mos Def did perform the hits everyone wanted to hear, particularly "Ms. Fat Booty" and "Umi Says," but the sound was so poor it detracted from what should have been a nice mix of old and new hits. The highlight of the evening for me was the fact that he played "Champion Requiem," one of my favorite songs and one that I did not expect to hear live. I do look forward to seeing Mos Def again, but I will wait until it is at a venue I trust.

Toots and the Maytals Rock the Warfield

Toots Hibbert's reggae career spans from before there was reggae to 40 years later, yet his ability to put on a great show endures. On April 14, 2007, Toots and the Maytals rocked the Warfield in San Francisco for over a hour and a half. Toots did sing "Do the Reggay," which is the song credited with the invention of the term "reggae." He also sang almost every song a long-time fan would want to hear. My personal favorites were included in the show, especially "Monkey Man," "Funky Kingston," and "Take Me Home Country Roads." Yes, he did perform "54-46 Was My Number," which is not only a staple song in his catalog, but also a staple at a Toots and the Maytals concert. The latter track is of course a cover of the late John Denver's hit, but with a Jamaican twist. The acoustics at the Mezzanine were extremely good, which translated into clear, quality sound (my wife commented that this was the first show she didn't need earplugs). When he is not singing, the majority of the time Toots spends on the stage is done dancing. This reggae veteran not only knows how to move to the reggae riddims, he still shines as a vocalist and reggae legend. The next time he tours your area, make sure you put his show on priority.

Native Guns: Ammunition for the Mind

On the advice of one of my students, I ventured to the Elbo Room to see Native Guns on April 2, 2007, in the heart of the Mission District in San Francisco. Native Guns are a politically aware and intelligent Filipino hip-hop duo. MCs Kiwi and Bambu carry the performance with their chemistry and lyrical prowess. Their smooth flow and delivery was heightened as they played off one another's energy and lines. Native Guns had the entire upstairs section of the Elbo Room moving to the beats and rhymes. The group clearly has a very strong following in the Bay Area, which makes sense with the Bay Area's large Filipino population. The group is ironically both political and anti-political in their stances on the war, the President, and the government, railing against all three while spurning the political process at the same time. Ah, the beauty of free speech. While I do not speak tagalog, Native Guns makes me want to so that I can understand their entire message. The group also went through a catalog of early 90s hip-hop hits from the East to the West Coast, which gave a bit of nostalgia for those of use who grew up on that era of rap and a history lesson for those who didn't. Much of mainstream rap is dragged down by materialism, superficiality, misogyny, and general irresponsible content, the awareness and social commentary found in the music of Native Guns is refreshing. Champions of independent hip-hop, Native Guns' social consciousness and intelligent lyrics demand attention and
recognition.

Got Music? No, Mind Control is Much Better

When I heard the initial title of Stephen Marley's debut album, I cringed. Got Music was just too cliched and lacked the originality I expected from one of Bob Marley's most talented children. I was able to pick up the "Organically Grown Sampler" and was very pleased with what I heard, especially "Mind Control" and the all-too-brief clip of "Chase Dem." Naturally, when Stephen changed the title to "Mind Control," he allayed my fears while we went through multiple release dates and delays. The wait was more than worth it when I finally picked up the album at Best Buy (I chose this retailer because of the two bonus tracks: "Got Music" and the hauntingly wonderful "Someone to Love"). This album reflects much of the same intensity and effort his father was able to put together when creating albums that need no more and no less to feel complete. The album is all killer, no filler. Each song can stand on it own merit, but together the songs create a collage of styles and content. For the lovers out there, "You're Gonna Leave," "Fed Up," and "Hey Baby" will more than fulfill your needs. Stephen also does justice to the Ray Charles cover "Lonely Avenue," so much so that I also had to download the original. The aforementioned "Someone to Love" is struggling to be my favorite song, competing with the straight roots and political critique of "Chase Dem" (as good a song as any Marley has released) and the nyabinghi anthem "Inna Di Red." "The Traffic Jam" and "Iron Bars," songs inspired by his brush with the law in Tallahassee, compose the core and center of the album while managing to mesh nicely with songs before and after. If I am gushing about this album, it is because Stephen Marley didn't miss on a single track. The extra time fans waited might have made us impatient for the album to come out, which turned into impatience for his next release.

Waaaaaaaay Broader Than Broadway

The self proclaimed "original Dancehall master", Barrington Levy, is just that...and then a whole lot more. Last night, Levy played an almost two hour set in Santa Cruz. Being my first chance to see the Original Dancehall Master at work, I came to the show with high expectations and bubbling anticipation. I mean...who doesn't want to hear Levy belt out "Vice Versa Love"?

The crowd was very young overall, which led to an semi-exodus of curfew bound teenagers leaving around midnight. However, Levy assured the die-hards and faithful fans saying, "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He began the set with a medley of some of his greatest hits, including a nice remix of "Under Me Sensi". If you came to the show looking for the venerable singer to go through his massive catalog and pick a greatest hits mix, you knew what to expect. Levy did a wonderful version of "Prison Oval Rock", splicing in a shout out to the locals calling it "Santa Cruz Oval Rock" in the first refrain. "Murderer", "Black Roses", "Too Experienced" (one of my favorites from the set), "She's Mine", "Living Dangerously" are just some of the hits performed in front of a good crowd at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz.

The whole show exceeded my expectations, which were very high to start with. This show will be in the forefront of my mind for the next week or two at least. As I said earlier, "Too Experienced" was definitely one of my favorite parts of the performance. In the main set, Levy treated the audience to a double shot of "Work". First, he sang almost the entire song acapella before going through it one more time with the band's support. We didn't get to hear "Broader Than Broadway" until the encore (which lasted almost an hour), but it was the perfect placing in the mix. The grande finale, as was expected, came with a five minute rendition of the ultimate show stopper in his catalog: "Vice Versa Love". One of the greatest parts of this song and his performance is that the power and beauty of his voice is not lost one bit when going from the record to the live performance. "Vice Versa Love" is such a brilliant and timely composition that it (well, really the whole show) left me in a state of awe and completely beaming after the end of the performance (the beaming hasn't stopped...that is how great of a show the Original Dancehall Master puts on).

Another of the great aspects of Levy's performance last night was the way in which he gets the crowd involved in the show. From having the crowd mimic his skatting and singing to making us chant "more and more and more and more" to get him to continue playing during the 50 minute encore, Levy ensured that those of us who truly love his music made a strong connection during the performance. The highlight of this crowd participation/interaction was his insistence on the crowd singing "Get Up, Stand Up" with him, which the crowd gladly did from start to finish. Honestly, this part especially gave me the goose bumps because Levy and the crowd were together on the singalong, showing the timelessness and power of Marley's music in both Levy's and the crowd's adoration and respect for the King of Reggae.

There are a lot of performers that I want to see, but a much shorter list of those I have to see every time they come near wherever I live. Barrington Levy has joined that list after two hours that will be firmly ingrained in my memory for Iternity.

06: The Enemy Strikes Back!!!

I finally broke down and bought the latest installment of Public Enemy's musical legacy: Rebirth of a Nation. Now, I am kicking my self that I did not get it earlier. The combination of Public Enemy and Paris (ironic, but longtime favorites of mine) creates a thought-provoking and intellectual discussion of the state of US society. The CD definitely lambasts the "president with the devil eyes" our country currently suffers under, but the commentary is a stark contrast to much of the tripe commercial hip-hop is spewing these days. The CD starts out with a bang on "Raw Sh*t" and "Hard Rhymin'". "Hard Truth Soldiers" is an instant favorite of mine, particularly with the inclusion of another of my favorite hip-hop groups, Dead Prez. The entire CD will keep your heading rocking and your finger on repeat after the last song. Another highlight of the album for me is the great mix, "Field N*gga Boogie", which includes a Capleton sample (one of my all time favorite reggae artists...and a completely appropriate sample in light of PE's revolutionary mentality/stance). All the Flavor Flav fans out there, no worries. Although Flav's contributions are minor for the most part, "They Call Me Flavor" takes us back to Flavor Flav's glory days with a raucous, fun, and insightful song. For any PE fans or those who want hip-hop with a mind, Rebirth of a Nation is a necessity for your collection.

Josie Mel

Josie Mel's Rasta Still De 'Bout is an excellent cd from start to finish. The initial (and title) cut is a one drop dance inducer with the help of Lutan Fyah. The duo definitely begins the cd with a strong cut. The infectious "Consecrate Yourself" and "Let's Party" help to make this a perfect cd to get your reasoning session off to a positive and upbeat start. One of my personal favorites is "All Over Your Face", which is a nice narrative of moving on from past relationships but having compassion for a troubled ex. Mel's voice has a nice push to it, but this only works when you have strong lyrical content as he does throughout the album. Another head-nodder is "Hail HIM", a testament to the strength of his rasta convictions. Rasta Still De 'Bout is a highly recommended album for those enjoying this renaissance of conscious reggae.