Albums I listened to this week [6/29/08]

Mutek - The Remixes
I can't even remember where I found this. I've tried to find out more about Mutek, but can't find very much. In fact, I am wondering whether Mutek is actually a magazine as opposed to a person. If you know, let me know.

Essentially, this is a compilation of ten remixed Hip-Hop tracks. Most of the beats on these remixed tracks sound like the type of tunes you'd hear during a Sunday brunch at a lounge with a live jazz band. The artists remixed on this album include: Nas, Beastie Boys, Gang Starr, Big Daddy Kane, Common, MF Doom, Skee-Lo, Crooklyn Dodgers, and Outkast.

Based on this album, I would definitely check out more of Mutek's remix work.

Highlights: "Nas Is Like [Mutek Remix]" and "Sure Shot [Mutek Remix]."
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Killah Priest - The Offering [2007]
Killah Priest is one of the more cerebral MCs in Hip-Hop. I definitely learned that after listening to View From Masada [2000], Heavy Mental [1998] and Black August [2003]. The Offering does not veer from this standard.

The album utilizes a massive amount of religious and/or spiritual references. For example, "Uprising" contains references to: The Beast; Three 6's; Christ; disciples; Bible scriptures; the Gate (referring I believe to Heaven's Gate); the pits of hell; and archangels.

Guest artists include: Nas, Hell Razah, Immortal Technique, Ras Kass, Canibus, and Kurupt.

Highlights:

• "How Many?"
• "Happy"
• "Priesthood"
• "Standstill" (featuring Bloodsport and Immortal Technique)
• "Inner G" (featuring Ras Kass, Kurupt and Canibus)
• "Gun 4 Gun" (featuring Nas)

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The Herbaliser - Blow Your Headphones [1997]
Herbaliser's album features repeat appearances by a female MC known then as "What?What?" (who many now know as Jean Grae). However, most of the tracks are of the instrumental variety, usually with a trip-hop or jazzy feel. Decent, but for instrumental Hip-Hop, I prefer Nicolay, Ayatollah, Nujabes, DJ Shadow and J. Dilla. Nonetheless, the album was solid and I'd probably check for another Herbaliser album.

Highlights: "Another Mother."
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LMNO and Kev Brown - Selective Hearing [2008]
I first heard about Kev Brown when he remixed Jay-Z's Black album, calling his version The Brown Album. He also contributed quite a bit to Jazzy Jeff's album, The Magnificent. His beats were consistently jazzy and smooth. He brings the same style to this selection.

This album gets bonus points from me by offering an instrumental version of all of the tracks. The album has 11 full tracks (with vocals and instrumentals) followed by the instrumentals of the same 11 tracks. THANK YOU!!!! Why don't other artists do this more often? This is so much wiser than putting together 11 nice tracks and 11 sorry filler tracks just to reach a 60 - 70 minute album.

Highlights:

• "Who's That?" (which samples Charlie Brown from Leaders of the New School's verse on "Case of the P.T.A." - "Who's that? Broooowwwwwn" - works perfectly for a Kev Brown song.)
• "Selective Hearing"
• "We Got This" featuring Oh No

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Nas & Phil Collins - Phillmatic
Full disclosure: I'm a sucker for 80's pop music and I'm a sucker for blend remixes. This album hits both on the head.

Sometimes I forget how many classic Phil Collins songs exist: "Land of Confusion," "In The Air Tonight," "Sussidio," "Against All Odds" and "Take Me Home" just to name a few. On this mixtape, Phil Collins vocals are blended with Nas beats while Nas vocals are mixed with Phil Collins (or Genesis, a group that included Phil Collins) instrumentals.

For the most part, the mashup works well. There are a few tracks that seem awkward because the vocals don't match the track or because the mixing gets sloppy. But these occasions are the exception rather than the rule. Listening to this album made me want to reconnect with some old school Phil Collins and Genesis. Moreover, it made me want to hear more from the DJs involved in this mixtape: DJ Crazy Chris, Simon Sez, Chong Wizard, and DJ Sixteen.

Highlights:

• "One Mic" lyrics (Nas) mixed with "In The Air Tonight"
• "Tonight Tonight Tonight" lyrics (Phil Collins) mixed with "Made You Look," "I Can," "If I Ruled The World," "Thief's Theme," "Dr. Knockboots," and "Nas Is Like."
• "Invisible Touch" lyrics (Phil Collins) mixed with "Ether."
  
• "Affirmative Action" lyrics (Nas) mixed with "Hold On My Heart."
  
• "That's All" lyrics (Phil Collins) mixed with "Halftime," "Phone Tap," and "Street Dreams."
• "Made You Look" lyrics (Nas) mixed with "I Missed Again."
  
• "Land Of Confusion" lyrics (Phil Collins) mixed with "Rule," "You Owe Me," "You Know My Style."