Buck 65 - Talkin' Honky Blues

YOURZ

Buck 65 (real name Richard Terfry) is a Canadian MC/DJ known for his both his lyrical and musical articulateness.  His samples are often obscure and characterise his production, as do his beat poetry-like lyrics.  Experimental and unforgiving, Buck 65 follows similar roads to artists such as Tom Waits. 

Talkin' Honky Blues, winner of a Juno Award for Best Alternative Album in 2004, came to me via the song Wicked & Weird, which was all over local alternative radio when it first came out.  Unusually, the samples Buck 65 has used are blues (hence the title - a reference to a blues style called Talkin' Blues).  I tried to find his sources but failed miserably (the small print on the CD sleeve proved impossible to read - why do they do that?)

There are some absolutely brilliant tracks on Talkin' Honky Blues, but, like a lot of what Mr Waits does, this is not for the casual listener.  It's not the sort of hip hop you will hear blaring out of overly-loud car speakers nor is it likely to be filling the dance floor at a local RnB club.  This demands attention and, to those who pay it what it deserves, they will be well rewarded.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

I think he thinks I wouldn't like it.  (YourZ sez: yep, I really did but in this case, I'm glad I'm wrong)  But I did.  As YourZ says, it's not for the casual listener, and as such, I'm not going to be putting any Buck65 songs on my gymPod any time soon.  But damn, the guy's intelligent!  This is what I think more hip-hop and rap artists ought to be doing.   I mean, where else are you going to find someone talking about the real emotions he felt when he cheated on his girlfriend?  More often they're boasting about how many hos they've had or how many baby mamas they're paying for.

Maybe it's because he's Canadian....

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://buck65.com/

In our collection we also have Situation

Kid Loco - Kill Your Darlings

YOURZ

As I mentioned in the previous post, I'm a sucker.  Without harping on this, it might be viewed as a negative by a lot of people, but in my case, my sucker-worthiness has worked in my favour.  Sometimes. 

One such good example is Kid Loco.  Years ago, I became friends with a DJ who also worked in a local record shop.  He was a nice bloke but was mostly interested in trying to get as much product out the door as possible.  Fair enough - the whole objective of retail is to do this very thing.  But he could see me coming from ten miles away and knew just how to pitch something to me to make it irresistible.  90 percent of the time, I would crumble with little resistance.  What makes this even more irksome is his strike rate for picking something I'd really like was very high indeed.  (I'm glad he moved on some years ago, otherwise I'm sure our collection would be double what it is now).

One such gem is Kill Your Darlings.  Jean-Yves Prieur, or Kid Loco, is a quintessential French musician/producer/DJ whose sound is chilled to the point of coolness only the French seem to be able to achieve.  He sound is so laid-back, you could be floating on a cloud (probably of illicit greenery, if you catch my drift).  And with song titles like Here Come The Munchies and Three Feet High Reefer, there's no doubting where some of his chill comes from.  Now, where did I put those chips?

VERDICT:TURN IT UP

MINE

Sunday morning, coming down.... couldn't be a more appropriate time to play Kill Your Darlings.  It's one of those albums I have to thank YourZ for (thanks, honey!) because I'd never have heard of it otherwise.  And it's full of gorgeous, gorgeous songs.

My personal favourite is Little Bit of Soul, which is just so sing-along.  But all of it is fabulous in that eclectic mix of trip-hop and - whatever else it's made up of.  Who cares? 

It's not surprising I'm fond of this, as Air's Moon Safari is also a personal favourite.  Ah, the French.  The best part is, this album's exactly the right length.  That is, it lasts from when I leave home in my car to when I arrive at work.  Result!  But I'd also like to experience this again soon in that Sunday-morning way (hint, hint, YourZ!)

VERDICT: TURN IT UP (lay back and let it wash over you)

For more information: http://www.kidloco.com/

In our collection, we also have the compilation album Another Late Night: Kid Loco