I’m in the middle of reading Steve
Earle’s novel, “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive.” Those who read this
blog know I think very highly of Earle as a singer/songwriter and he isn’t a
bad novelist either. It gives me hope that I can have a second career as a
novelist as well. For now, I’ll just do another blog entry.
Disc 631 is….Jazzmatazz 3: Streetsoul
Artist: Guru
Year of Release: 2000
What’s up with the Cover? Guru looking cool
out on the street, his pencil-thin hipster moustache ten years ahead of its
time. Fun fact – if you could pan the picture up and to the right, you’d see
Pink Floyd’s floating pig above that factory building in the background. OK,
maybe not.
How I Came To Know It: My friend Casey originally put me
on to Guru’s Jazzmatazz series – this was just me buying another entry in the
catalogue.
How It Stacks Up: I have three Guru albums, all from his ‘Jazzmatazz’
series. “Streetsoul” is admittedly my least favourite.
Rating: 2 stars
The introductory track to Jazzmatazz
3: Streetsoul bills itself as “One of the
hottest blends of hip hop, soul, R&B and jazz ever.” This would apply
nicely to Guru’s first Jazzmatazz album released back in 1993, but it is an
overly bold claim the third entry in the series.
Guru (short for Gifted Unlimited
Rhymes Universal) is one half of the amazing rap duo “Gang Starr” and also one
of the most insightful vocalists in music. His intellect shines through on Gang
Starr albums and he carries that through easily to his collaborations with
other artists on all the albums in the Jazzmatazz series as well. The first in
the series, which came out in 1993 was a classic album, ahead of its time.
Unfortunately, “Streetsoul” doesn’t
stand as tall. Guru’s efforts to fuse jazz into his music is muted here, replaced
with collaborations with various other hip hop artists. There is nothing wrong
with hip hop collaborations, and “Streetsoul” has some exceptional artists (among
them Macy Gray, Donell Jones and Erykah Badu) but the only true jazz musician
that I could identify was Herbie Hancock.
By 2000 it feels like the whole ‘Guy
X featuring Girl Y” thing was well on its way, and while it can make magic
moments (think Eminem and Dido on “Stan”)
often it just feels like empty pop music.
I will give Guru credit for rarely
letting his lyrics descend into empty pop territory. In fact, he is typically
very good at using his slow conversational rap style to deliver important
personal and social messages. I wish there were more rappers taking risks like
Guru, and I wish he hadn’t been taken from us so soon (dying of cancer in 2010).
That said, talking about important
topics is not enough – you need to have innovative raps, and songs that hold my
attention, and there just aren’t enough of these on “Streetsoul.”
There are some highpoints, among
them the Angie Stone collaboration on “Keep
Your Worries” which has a funky “late night at the private club” groove
coupled with a “keep my name out yo’ mouth” message. Half of most people’s
problems would evaporate if they took this simple advice.
“Hustlin’ Daze” is also a cool track, with a downtown New York horn
flourish and some funky scratching. I wasn’t familiar with Donell Jones, but I
like the way he adds a melodic touch to the chorus with his high and (dare I
say) pretty vocals.
However, a lot of the other tracks
while well produced and performed just didn’t grab me. They just felt like a
lot of generic hip hop out there these days. The interesting way that Guru
rapped over top of jazz arrangements on the first album are either missing, or
buried so far down I can no longer pick them out.
The final song, “Timeless” elevates the record again. It
features Herbie Hancockand listening to him noodle his keyboards around Guru’s
melody is a joy to the ear, but it comes a little late to restore my faith in
the record.
There is nothing wrong with “Streetsoul”
– the music is good and the performances strong. They don’t speak to me
sufficiently, however, and I think I’m going to bid a fond and generally
favourable farewell to this album. It will no doubt make someone very happy.
Best tracks: Keep Your
Worries, Hustlin’ Daze, Timeless
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