Published My First Tab on Ultimate Guitar

Ultimate Guitar is a 20+ year old website with over 1 million songs and over 10 million registered users. It provides a forum for guitarists, bassists, and ukulele-ists to upload, learn, post, and share music in a searchable, easy to read format.

Guitar is one of those instruments that does not require learning how to read sheet music on the staff. For this reason the majority of the written music on the site is not in standard music notation; rather; it is written in the form of chords which are placed above lyrics, or using tabs, where a grid represents the guitar neck and numbers on the lines indicate where the player places their fingers.

I have been using Ultimate Guitar since I started playing the guitar in 2007. It wasn't until this year that I finally posted one of my own tabs though!

When I started learning guitar I was going through a religious phase. Praise and Worship music is the modern version of the Gospel genre, and central to services in the evangelical world. The songs are often very catchy and easy to learn. Ultimate Guitar and other sites have thousands of Praise and Worship songs available. Even though I am no longer religious, I still enjoy playing the songs. Many I have memorized and will probably never forget. One of these songs is called "Better is One Day" by Matt Redman. The lyrics are based on one of the Psalms. It is a pretty song that I have known how to play for years. I wanted to post the song on my YouTube channel for a Mexican YouTuber named Isa Villalobos. While practicing it I realized that I could play most of the melody. When I looked it up on Ultimate Guitar I saw many versions of the chords but no tab for the entire song. I challenged myself to learn the tab, write it down, and post it to the website. I made a tablature grid on graphing paper to write out the whole song. It was very easy to post a song using the format on the Ultimate Guitar site. All I had to do was login, select Create Tab, copy the template, then save it. Once it was approved my tab was available for the whole world to view!

A good friend of mine made a few suggested edits on the site which turned out to be spot on. So I accepted the edits and viola! Now anyone who wants to play the melody for Better is One Day and not just the chords can use my tab.

My Top Songs of 2019 on Spotify

The top songs of 2019 have been published for Spotify users. Scanning through my list I could tell it was accurate. Here is the Spotify link to my top songs.

This was the year of Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish. Two huge breakout artists who had tons of hits.

Some artists were holdovers from 2018, probably because I listened to my Top 2018 songs in the first couple months of 2019!

As in the past, my most listened to songs are in the Pop genre sung by mostly female artists.

Some of the tracks are songs are frequently listened to because I have been practicing them on guitar. For example, I was learning Sunflower by Post Malone, Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur, All Mixed Up by 311, Hurts So Good by John Mellencamp, and Guitar Man by Cake.

A few songs which I bet 99% of people who know me would not guess I like:
1) Act Up by City Girls
2) My Type by Saweetie
3) Liar by Camila Cabello

Here are some tracks that are some of my favorite discoveries or rediscoveries:
1) Return to Innocence by Enigma (oldie)
2) Never Gonna Be Alone by Nickelback (oldie)
3) She Got the Best of Me by Luke Combs (new to me even though it came out in 2018)
4) Caramel by City High featuring Eve (oldie)
5) KANGA by 6ix9ine (new)
6) Bring It All to Me by Blaque (oldie)
7) Break Your Heart Right Back by Ariana Grande (new and really good album as a whole)
8) Crawling in the Dark by Hoobastank (oldie)
9) Boxing Day by blink-182 (new to me)
10) Addicted by Simple Plan (oldie)
11) Caught in the Middle by Paramore (new to me)

Some bands I discovered this year:
1) Polyphia - electronic
2) Crystal Castles - emo punk
3) Mr. Kitty - emo punk
4) Lil PEEP - trap rap
5) The Dangerous Summer - punky? check out the song The Sky Opened Up
6) Juice WRLD - rap. It was so strange that I was watching this guy's music video featuring some other rapper named NBA Youngboy on Sunday, December 8, 2019. This was the first time I had heard of either artist. When I looked up the guy online I saw that he died that same morning at an airport. He had a seizure while walking through the airport. According to a TMZ story today, he had swallowed a bunch of pain killers with the intent to smuggle them through security. This is a tactic inmates use in prison to get drugs past guards. They wrap the drugs in a condom or some other sealed container, then cough it up when they get to a safe spot. The container Juice WRLD swallowed must have broken in his system, leaking the contents of the drugs, thus causing a seizure. It was bizarre to have heard about this artist for the first time that day by watching his video and looking him up online, only to learn that he had been pronounced dead just a few hours earlier. EpicAwesomeVideos on MTV must have been playing his videos because of that news. That guy NBA Youngboy is no saint either. The guy has all kinds of crimes on his record.
7) City Girls - rap
8) Saweetie - rap
9) Lil Yachty - rap

My Top Songs of 2018 on Spotify

Spotify has this great feature that constructs a list of your most listened to songs from the previous year into one playlist. After thinking how cool it was to have this list I wondered if it truly reflected the songs I listened to from most to least. A quick google search took me to this link of a Spotify community page. One of the FAQs asks this question. It says the list will vary slightly to help the songs flow better. I agree with this because even though Tom DeLonge's "New World" should be number one, I'm not sure that Mishon's "Just a Kiss" is second. I had rediscovered that song this year after going back to some old playlists of mine from the 2000s.

Feel free to check out my playlist here. You don't need a Spotify account to see it. Maybe you will see some songs you like.

Thriller 25

Spotify has the Michael Jackson Thriller 25 Super Deluxe Edition.  It contains the original tracks plus remixes, interviews, unreleased tracks, demos, and interviews.  For those of you who have enjoyed listening to this masterful album over the years, it is worth a listen.

One of the tracks I had never heard of was a grammy-winning track for th E.T. soundtrack called "Someone in the Dark."  It is a touching, slow ballad that reminds me of the artist's 1975 hit "One Day In Your Life." The soft tracks like this are characteristic of Jackson's younger years.  When he got older he had bigger beats with edgier, more grating vocals.

A softer song that has a swing to it that did not make it on Thriller was the song "Carousel."  It is a very short song of 1:50.  It did not make it on the final album because producer Quincy Jones said it did not fit with the other tracks.

Everyone in the world knows Billie Jean.  This story was written by Michael Jackson from a real life experience he had where a crazy woman he had dated accused him of being the father of one of her two twins!  Thriller 25 has a home demo of Jackson singing and humming the unfinished lyrics.

The interviews with Quincy Jones are particularly interesting because he explains in a very straightforward, casual fashion how he got Eddie Van Halen to play guitar for "Beat It," how Paul McCartney got into "The Girl Is Mine," and how the album broke down many barriers and had such mass appeal.

The most interesting part of the whole album to me was the explanation of Vincent Price's poem in the middle of Thriller.  Songwriter Rod Temperton had written the entire song Thriller.  He had always envisioned a talking portion at the end.  He thought of having a "famous voice in the horror genre to do the vocal."  Since Quincy Jones' wife knew Vincent Price they automatically tried him.  Temperton did not have the vocal part written, even the night before the session where Price was supposed to come to the studio! Temperton hammered it out at the very last minute the day of the session and Price did it in two takes, a remarkable achievement according to Quincy Jones because the cadence had to be right and you could not stretch tape back then.  There were three verses written for Price but only two were used in the final product.

New Music & Albums Discovered 2013

This has been an INCREDIBLE year for music, not just newly released music, but music I have discovered for the first time.  Some of you will say, "Oh my god, how have you not heard that before this year?"  To which I will reply the same way when people say that about movies: You can't stay ahead of everything all the time.

I have discovered so many great songs this year that I want to share them so you can check them out too.  This list is not hipster friendly.  I don't apologize for embracing some of the most sold out, mainstream product out there.  It's what I like!

Last year was the year of Slacker and Pandora.  In the Spring this year I finally got a Spotify account and it has been worth every penny.  Spotify has taken over as my main source of music.  Some friends of mine also introduced me to more country and punk music this year.

Punk

I was introduced to all kinds of punk and ska bands I had never heard of before - Something Corporate, Finch, Snow Patrol, Mest, Save Ferris.  Here are some of my favorites:

Angels and Airwaves - "Secret Crowds"  I downloaded a whole Angels and Airwaves I-Empire album.  It's a work of art.

Lit - "Zip Lock"  Remember Lit with "My Own Worst Enemy?"

Goldfinger - "Counting the Days" 99 Red Balloons got me into them now I can't stop listening to this one.

Mest - "Cadillac"  My friend Kim introduced me to this gem. If I hadn't been so into strictly radio music when it came out I wouldn't have missed these smaller punk bands.

Something Corporate - "I Woke Up In a Car"  The song puts you where the artist is taking you.

Fall Out Boy - "Where Did the Party Go?" Download this entire album and play it from start to finish.  Stadiums have been playing that "Mighty Fall" song all year.

Blink 182 - Download the entire Neighborhoods album from 2011.  The song "After Midnight" is excellent. The bassist gives a short commentary prior to each song that makes the album more interesting.

Brand New - "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knew"

Sublime - "Cisco Kid" This is from the incomplete (and underrated) Robbin' the Hood album.  The song is unusual because it mixes tracks from an old radio/TV western in a clever way.  The album gives you a better appreciation for the rest of their work.  It feels like you're listening to behind the scenes demo tapes.  I have also listened to "Garden Grove" and "Jailhouse" from the self-titled album a lot this year.  These are songs I knew about but it has been fun to revisit.

Less Than Jake - "The Science of Selling Yourself Short" Speaking of "My Own Worst Enemy."

Pop

Avril Lavigne - "Sippin' On Sunshine" from the self-titled album that came out last month.  Avril Lavigne could be in the punk category because she is punk at the core. She has deftly adapted her style as she has gotten older.  She even raps on this album!  There is something for everyone here.  Download the whole damn thing!

Avril Lavigne - "Smile"  Don't recall this one ever being on the radio. Like many of her songs, some of the hidden gems are the ones that don't get radio time.  "Things I'll Never Say" and "My World" did not get playing time from the Let Go album because they were smothered by "Complicated" and "I'm With You."

Lady Gaga - "G.U.Y." Haters are going to hate.  There has been much ado about how unsuccessful the Artpop album has been.  This album will put you in a dream world.

Katy Perry - "This is How We Do" This album would never top her previous one.  It doesn't have to because it's an album you can put on at a party and let run all the way through.  I would hate to give Ke$ha credit for popularizing a new sound we have gotten used to on mainstream pop radio.  Perhaps there is another explanation for it, but the in-your-face, loud lyrics mixed with heavily overproduced electronica is permeating everyone's pop music these days.  If you listen to this Katy Perry album along with the Gaga and Avril albums you will hear some similarities.  I'm convinced this is a sound that will define the 2010's decade.

Justin Timberlake - "Don't Hold the Wall" from the 20/20 album. Dem chipmunks.

Milli Vanilli - "Baby Don't Forget My Number"  I apologize for NOTHING!  There was some documentary on this group that sparked my interest.  So many catchy songs to name.  They got taken off of Spotify some time this summer.

Hip Hop & R&B

Finatticz - "Don't Drop That Thun Thun"  (you know you want to)

Drake - "Own It" From the Nothing Was the Same album that came out in September.  Drake sounds great on this album.  Some of his tracks are quiet, almost to the point of being spoken word.

Kanye West - "Yeezus" (Album) Yeezus, this album is strange!  It is an abstract painting on a wall that makes you feel a little uncomfortable.  I paid attention to it because the late Lou Reed praised it.  Who knew Lou Reed, an old rocker, would praise something so distant from his style.  I think Kanye West is sacrificing the easy profit from mainstream rap hits for the sake of producing something innovative.

Jay Z - "Tom Ford" This album was big because of the Holy Grail song.  The first time I listened to the album I got into Tom Ford for its 8-bit Nintendo sounds.  Turns out it made it to the radio.

Aaliyah - "Down With the Clique" Old school!

Ciara - "Body Party" Could this go down with Kelly Rowland's Motivation as one of the sexiest songs of the new century?

Naya Rivera, Big Sean - "Sorry" This is Santana from Glee

Rock

Staind - "Epiphany" I know, I know.  I should have heard it.

David Bowie - "Where Are We Now?"  This song broke out with an odd video.  The Next Day is Bowie's first album in a long time.  Read up on Bowie and you find a true artist, someone who did everything his way.

Bush - "All Night Doctors" From the 2011 album.  Gavin Rosdale's voice is still strong enough to pump out excellent sound.  This is a mellow, piano-based song with very little guitar.

Mainstay - "Become Who You Are" A Christian rock song from '07

Red - "Lie to Me (Denial)" They sound a lot like Anberlin

Alice in Chains - "Shame In You" Such an old song but didn't hear it until this year!

Anberlin - "Innocent"  This song and "Modern Age" are from their 2011 Vital album.  The whole album is solid.  I prefer Innocent because it gives the album a chance to mellow out in the middle.  Most of their riffs are very fast and distorted.  Anberlin has an album out in 2013 called Devotion featuring songs from Vital plus live versions of older tracks.

Electronic

Skrillex - "With You, Friends [Long Drive]" Discovered on Spotify electronica station

Haim - "My Song 5"  This was an album reviewed on some NPR show.  This song is cool the way Lorde's "Royals" is cool.

Daft Punk, Tron Reconfigured - "Derezzed (Remixed by The Glitch Mob)" If you liked the Tron soundtrack you will like this.

Daft Punk - "Something About Us" I imagine a dark, comfortable lounge with led stars on the walls, lots of attractive people, women in short sequin dresses, this song being a soundtrack everybody's night.

Gotan Project - "Queremos Paz" Loungy.  From Spotify electronica

Country

Carrie Underwood - "Wasted"

Little Big Town - "Pontoon"

Blues

B.B. King - "Losing Faith In You" This song is beautiful.  Sounds a lot like Ray Charles' style with the brass in the background.

Revisiting TLC CrazySexyCool Album

If you don't remember the lyrics, "don't go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to," you were probably not living in 1995.  The song "Waterfalls" was TLC's best selling single from their album CrazySexyCool, staying at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks.(1)  It echoed through sound systems at malls, was heard repeatedly on variety radio stations, and its music video was a constant presence on MTV and VH1.

The album was so popular in the mid-90s that I wanted to revisit it to learn more about it. 

It always helps to understand a group's music if you know a few fun facts about the artists.  TLC was composed of three women with diverse backgrounds:

Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins is the bleached-blonde, deep voiced, leader of the group.(2)  She grew up in Iowa singing in church choirs.  She is of African-American and Native American descent.(3)  When she was young, her family moved to Atlanta, where she would eventually perform at an audition for a singing group that would become TLC.

Lisa "Left-Eye" was the pig-tailed rapper who featured more prominently on their debut album Oooooooooh.. On the TLC Tip.  She is of Cape Verdean descent.(4)  Her family traveled frequently because her father was in the Army.  She settled in Atlanta where she joined as a rapper in a group with Rozonda Thomas.  I learned from a RollingStone article that Lisa Lopes burned down the mansion of her husband, football player Andre Rison, after they got into a fight.  Apparently she lit his shoes on fire in a bathtub when the fire spread to the whole house and burned it down!  Call for a divorce?  Nope. They stayed together!  Tragically, Lopes died in a car accident in 2002.

Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas was born and raised in Atlanta.  She was a dancer in an R+B group before meeting Lisa Lopes in 1991.  Thomas is of African American and West Indian descent.(5)  Following the breakup of TLC, she ventured into the world of acting and was featured on many TV shows.

If you are older than 30 your first recollection of TLC was probably the trio's 80s style, complete with oversized white clothing splashed with lots of color.  They had very successful tracks from their first album, Ooooooh... on the TLC Tip, like "What About Your Friends," "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg," and "Baby-Baby-Baby."  The style was a mix of R+B and Hip Hop called new jack swing.  Other examples of new jack swing are Montel Jordan's "This Is How We Do It" and Boyz II Men's "Motownphilly."

Any artist seeking success in the early 90s had to ditch the strange 80s clothing style and adopt beats that were either hard gangsta rap or soft, smooth, soulful tracks that emphasized singing.*  For CrazySexyCool, the members got together with Babyface, Jermaine Dupris (remember Jay-Z collaboration and Da Brat), and Sean "Puffy" Combs to create the latter.  Lopes' raps were kept to a minimum, drum machines were ditched for softer melodies, and the topic of female empowerment, though present in the newer album, was overtaken by overtly sexual songs.

Rozonda Thomas said in an interview with Billboard in 1994 that the women were expressing themselves in more mature ways on the new album.  CrazySexyCool has "stronger voices, closer harmonies, tighter raps, and more ballads" than their debut.  Regarding the title of the album Thomas said, "Left-Eye is Crazy, I'm Sexy, and T-Boz is Cool."(6)

"Creep" was released just before the album itself in October 1994.  It was followed by "Red Light Special," "Waterfalls," and "Diggin' On You."  The album was so successful that it earned them six Grammy nominations.  It won for Best R+B album, and "Creep" won for Best R+B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.  Even more, TLC became the best selling female group in the United States, and second in the world behind the Spice Girls.(7)  CrazySexyCool is #379 out of 500 on RollingStone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, right behind Oasis' What's the Story Morning Glory.(8)

Lesser-known tracks on the album are the intros and interludes, none of which would receive radio play, except maybe on 95.5 WBRU on Sundays.  Tracks 1 and 2 are intro- and inter-ludes featuring Jermaine Dupris.  They are boring and are meant to just set the stage for the next song.  Track 6, titled "CrazySexyCool," has T-Boz talking about herself and her bandmates with Puff Daddy saying little fillers in the background to a simple beat.  Track 14, titled "Can I Get a Witness," is meant to mirror track 7 in beat and style, but this time Busta Rhymes is talking about what he wants in a girl with Left-Eye saying the fillers.

Other lesser-known tracks worth mentioning are "Kick Your Game," "Case of the Fake People," and "Switch."  The seductive, overtly sexual nature of songs like "Kick Your Game" remind me of songs by Keith Sweat and R. Kelly.  There is no denying the message of these tracks: You want it, and I got it!  "Case of the Fake People" reminds me of the group's earlier song, "What About Your Friends" because it discusses the loyalty of friendships, especially following money and success. In "Switch" T-Boz gives relationship advice with a sound not unlike En Vogue.  These songs most likely would not make it on the top 40 charts, but they make for a complete album when combined with the headliners.

Check out the album!  It's worth another listen!



1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfalls_(TLC_song)

2 "Burn, Baby, Burn."Cooper, Carol. Rolling Stone (Aug 24, 1995): 27-28.

2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/celebvocate-t-boz-recruits-bone-marrow-donors/2011/07/06/gIQArIUG1H_blog.html

3. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0519912/bio

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rozonda_Thomas

* When I talk about the choice that had to be made between gangsta rap and R+B I mean most groups had to sound like either Coolio or R. Kelly.  Eventually, the term "rap" would be replaced by Hip Hop and the two genres would overlap much more.  Think about Chris Brown songs.  They are both Hip Hop and R+B.

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CrazySexyCool

6. "LaFace Trio TLC is Back, With a New Maturity." Reynolds, R.J. Billboard Oct 1, 1994; 106, 40.

7. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/tlc-crazysexycool-20120524

More album cover art and lyrics can be seen at the blog: http://encartespop.blogspot.com/2010/08/encarte-tlc-crazysexycool.html

Rowdy Music at Ocean State

The other day I was in Ocean State Job Lot picking up some random item I knew I could find for dirt cheap.  I made the mistake of wandering through the aisles so I ended up leaving with a bag full of cheap stuff when I only intended on buying one cheap thing.

While glancing through the selection of imported cookies from Slovenia and the pink pens that looked like they were stolen from a dumpster behind Building 19 I heard a semi-familiar song on the radio.

The song was "Give In To Me" by Michael Jackson.  The song was an officially released single from the 1991 Dangerous album.  You probably remember tracks from the album like "Jam," "Remember the Time," "Black or White."  It was strange to hear the song because even though it was released as a single, it never got much playing time in the US.  New Zealand love it though.  There it remained at the number one spot for four weeks!(1)

At the checkout counter an older lady sighed and asked me, "Do you like this music?"

"Yeah I do!" I said.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Michael Jackson from the Dangerous album."

She was surprised and said, "Michael Jackson?  I didn't know he got that rowdy.  Well, we aren't fond of it here."

A few interesting things about the Dangerous album and that song in particular.

• Dangerous contained a mixture of hip hop elements and R&B called "New Jack Swing."  This was a genre of music that came about in the late 80s and early 90s.  The best examples I can give are Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative" and Boyz II Men's "Motownphilly."
• Like he did with "Beat It" on Thriller, MJ collaborated with a well-known rock guitarist to produce some of the licks and riffs on Dangerous.  Slash from Guns n' Roses played the guitar for the song "Give In To Me."
• Lyrics for "Give In To Me" are different from songs on his previous albums because they have more of a sexual connotation and deal with tension in relationships.  Other songs like that on Dangerous are "Who Is It," "She Drives Me Wild," and "In the Closet."

The reason why the Ocean State lady said the song was "rowdy" is simply because its lyrics are in fact edgier, and the song is categorized as both heavy metal and hard rock.

If you have not listened to some of the lesser known tracks on Dangerous including the song "Dangerous" itself, I encourage you to do so.  It is a fantastic album.  The critics say the peace on earth ballads are corny.  To some extent they are, but they still sound great. I learned there were a bunch of unreleased tracks for this album.  Most of them are sub-par except for Monkey Business.  Check it out!

(1). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_In_to_Me

Heliotrope Bouquet

Today I accomplished the last big goal I had for the summer:  recording Heliotrope Bouquet, the 1907 ragtime classical piano piece by Scott Joplin and Louis Chauvin.  The movements are a little jerky because of my lack of practice with the classical style and use of a steel string instead of a much preferred nylon stringed instrument.

I came across the piece while checking out daddystovepipe's YouTube channel.  He is an avid guitar player, collector, and teacher of blues and ragtime.  His rendition of this song is just beautiful along with the picturesque background of what I am guessing is the backyard of his Belgian home.

Practicing classical guitar makes you appreciate the complexities of that style even more.  Rhythm playing, power chords, and most pop rock solos are a cinch compared to the fancy fretwork required for an accurate, professional classical guitar piece.  In fact, I neglected the second half of Heliotrope because it was just too darn hard!!  The first part was difficult enough for me.  I feel bad for my roommate because he's had to listen to me practice for the last few months!

Missing Contemporary R&B

Some may wonder why I cannot let go of 90s music.  The 90s brought us many new styles like grunge, alternative, contemporary R&B, and gangsta rap.  My fond recollection of these styles stems primarily from their being the songs I grew up on.  Also, it would be difficult to imagine what our current music landscape would look like without these preceding styles.  I am going to narrow my focus on contemporary R&B because of all the styles this is the one whose absence I feel the most.  Grunge isn't the same today, but its influence can be heard in bands like the Foo Fighters.  The Black Keys are an alternative rock band.  And gangsta rap is a thing of the past, but that is largely due to changes in society.  Gangsta rap beats are still used in current hip hop; they are just noisier and more dance-oriented.

Throughout its history, R&B has changed many times over.  The term R&B dates back to the 1940s when African Americans were producing their own music for a black audience.  It was the "race music" referred to in old movies.  Even to this day most R&B comes from black artists.  Mariah Carey is one of the few exceptions.  There was a boogie woogie phase with Fats Domino, a big band phase with Big Joe Turner, and a blues/jazz phase with Ray Charles.  Disco and funk dominated the 70s, but when the 80s came around, the genre was starting to morph into what we know today as contemporary R&B.  R&B is no longer an acronym.  Like MTV, it is just a collection of letters and/or symbols that has taken on a different meaning.  Many of the songs contain elements of blues, depending on the song, just like there is still some music on MTV, but the emphasis does not live up to its full name.

When I think of 80s R&B I think of Michael Jackson who sang a mix of pop and R&B that was different from the rhythm and blues of the 70s.  80s R&B was a "soul and funk-influenced pop music that originated as disco faded from popularity (thank god)."(1)  What I learned from researching this topic is that New Jack Swing was a style that developed in the 80s that bridged the gap between the R&B of the 80s and 90s.  New Jack Swing is heard in groups like LL Cool J, Bobby Brown, Wreckx-n-Effect, Bel Biv Devoe, Janet Jackson, Montel Jordan, and TLC.  I think these bands would fit in nicely with today's blending of hip-hop and R&B.  What forced these bands out of the rap category in their day was that rap was either Slick Rick storytelling style or NWA gangsta style. 

The first R&B songs I remember that fit the contemporary model I highlight in this blog entry are H-Town's "Knockin' Da Boots" and Silk's "Freak Me."  The next most memorable are Jodeci's "If You Think You're Lonely Now" and Kieth Sweat's "How Do You Like It."  Almost all male R&B artists were African American, and were excellent singers who sang soulful songs with sexually-charged lyrics.  Female R&B artists that started in the 90s were groups like TLC, En Vogue, SWV, and Mary J Blige.  Later, R. Kelly would shine along with Usher, Aaaliyah, and Ginuwine.  Remember the Brandy and Monica battle?  Lauryn Hill dominated with her Miseducation album.  If you have some favorite artists from this era please comment!  The mention of an artist that I have forgotten about would be awesome.

Today we have black artists who sing slow songs with great lyrics.  What's missing compared to the 90s is the emphasis on the singing element.  What happened to all the singers?!  They are creating a 21st century R&B that is more of a hip-hop crossover mixed with elements of dubstep and auto-tuning.  When R. Kelly started making songs like "Ignition" and Usher did "Yeah!" the newer category currently dominated by Chris Brown and Rhianna began.  Some of the newer artists can sing, but they are not expected to sing with the kind of clarity of the 90s artists because that is not the sound that is in demand.

A perfect example of the kind of song I think is distinctly 90s is Aaliyah's "Let Me Know."  It's slow, soulful, sweet, and emphasizes her singing ability and lyrics.

If bands like Boyz II Men and En Vogue exist today in a R&B form it's the newer hip-hop crossover version.  The best example of a 90s style R&B song that has recently been released is Kelly Rowland's "Motivation."  Did anyone else know how well she could sing?

Whether the contemporary R&B style of the 90s is dead and gone or will have a revival I do not know.  I do miss the singers from that era.  Their voices were able to shine on the most popular radio stations.  Pop stars like Adele, Amy Winehouse, and Lady Gaga are getting their chance on variety stations at least.

(1).  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm_and_blues

Bad Blues

One of the best things to come out of a breakup was when I picked up the guitar in 2007.  The girl I was with had expressed interest in learning how to play but never got around to it.  When we split that idea stayed with me, and I thought, why not give it a go?

My brother Nate had started taking lessons in electric when he was 12 but never learned enough to play.  His Squire Stratocaster (pictured below) and Simon and Patrick Folk Acoustic stayed around the house because his friends were very musical.  Nate took a liking to vocals while his friends played instruments.  I asked my parents if I could take his hand-me-up guitars and they obliged.

I expressed to my first guitar teacher that I wanted to learn how to play basic rock and christian songs.  At the time I was involved with a church that was into contemporary praise and worship music.  My teacher was into the blues at the time so we started with a mix of theory and Mississippi Delta blues style songs.  Since my singing ability is (ahem) less than stellar I took a liking to the style, preferring instrumental songs that didn't require, but often had, lyrics.  Learning the Delta blues has helped understand the roots of American music.  To this day I focus mostly on this style because it never gets old.

The song I posted today is a cover of "Bad Blues" by Baby Tate.  The first version of this song I heard was on Daddystovepipe's YouTube channel.  The song is awesome because it is a slow, low sounding blues song that has a bunch of different parts.  Fortunately, Daddystovepipe had a lesson on it so I have been working on it for a few months.

Recently Remembered 90s Songs

Dru Hill "How Deep Is Your Love"

Ginuwine "Ain't None of Your Friend's Business"

Blackstreet "Don't Leave"

Rome "I Belong To You"

Nas ft. Puff Daddy "Hate Me Now"

What makes 90s R&B so great is the number of groups with voices.  The groups getting all the attention these days are the Young Money rappers like Lil Wayne and the in-your-face pop bands like Hot Chelle Rae and Katy Perry.

There's nothing wrong with the popularity these newer groups have gained.  I do wish that the voice could once again find a place on the R&B charts.

Slacker Favorites

Most smartphones come with the Slacker radio icon in its mix of stock applications.  The limited service is free but good enough for cheapskates like me.  The biggest disadvantage is having to listen to a car commercial every four songs.  Like Pandora, Slacker lets you skip songs you don't like and heart the ones you would like to hear more often.

My first smartphone was a Blackberry Tour:



It was top of the line when it came out in '09.  Slacker was my most used third-party application.  I've had it on every phone since so my favorites list has gotten pretty long.  My most listened to stations are 90's Hip Hop, UK Hits.  I've favorited 46 songs so far.  Below is my list of the favorites I had never heard before and feel compelled enough to share.

UK Hits

Bullet for my Valentine "Bittersweet Memories" - The chorus rocks!

Passion Pit "Little Secrets" - Fun. Period.

Lily Allen "Everyone's At It" - Song about pharmaceutical abuse.  Allen can really sing.  She also has tons of hits in her relatively new career.  She's featured with T-Pain on that 5 o'clock in the morning song (actually it was her song but he added it to his song like Eminem did with Dido.)

Sade "Soldier of Love" - This could have easily been an 80s song but glad it isn't.

Duffy "Well Well Well" - You've probably heard this but it's too good not to mention.  She also sings that song that goes "you've got me begging for mercy."

Eliza Doolittle "Skinny Genes" - Reminds me a little of that Ingrid Michaelson song "The Way I Am."

The Prodigy "Spitfire" - Nothing new but I like this industrial/electronic stuff (in moderation).

Kate Nash "Pumpkin Soup" - Typical poppy UK hit with a nice brass in the background.

Lady Sovereign "So Human" - If you haven't heard her biggest songs they are great.  A young teenage female rapper who was on US radio for a bit but hasn't done much since.

Oasis "All Around the World" - Did this song get much airtime?  I don't remember it.

Daniel Merriweather "Change" - Opening piano draws you right in.

The Chemical Brothers "Believe" - I need to listen to more of this band.

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip "Cauliflower" - Electronica.  Yes, his name translates to Dan the Sac.  Who knows why the song's called cauliflower.


90's Hip Hop

Goodie Mob "Cell Therapy" - Never heard of these guys.  I put this song at the top because it's great.  The video on the other hand....  But I did discover from the video that Ceelo Green was in this group!

Coolio "Bring Back Somethin Fo Da Hood" and "Mama I'm in Love With a Gangsta" - Coolio's songs that made it to air were pretty clean.  It's easy to forget Coolio was real gangster rap even though he had "Gangster's Paradise."  A lot of the tracks on these albums I have never heard because I wasn't allowed to get the explicit albums as a kid.

De La Soul "Big Brother Beat" - They had a song featuring Redman called "Ooh" that got a lot of airtime.  This is the only other song I know by them.

Junior M.A.F.I.A "Player's Anthem" - tink, tink, tink, tink. The beat is recognizable but it doesn't get airtime anymore even on throwback hours on hip hop stations.

LL Cool J "Back Seat" - Was this song ever on the charts? It's definitely chartworthy.  This is one of those songs I can't believe I didn't discover until last year!

MC Lyte "Ruffneck" - Apparently she had a couple of gold albums.  I thought she was The Lady of Rage who was featured on Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle album.

Method Man ft/D'Angelo "Break Ups 2 Make Ups"

Nas "Sweet Dreams" - Has the same beat as Tupac's "All Eyez on Me"

Beatnuts "Watch Out Now" - This is one of my favorites from the 90s.

Dr. Dre "Some L.A. Niggaz" - Even though I had the 2001 album I must have skipped over this one.