By: Carmine Mattia

The Roots have done plenty for the world of music. They have bridged gaps between hip-hop, rock, neo-soul and jazz, paving the way for the future of popular music. Undun is The Roots’ 11^th studio album and in my opinion, it is soon to be a classic.

Undun is a concept album that tells the story of a fictional character, Redford Stephens. The character is inspired by a song written by Sulfjan Stephens. The collection of songs depicts Redford’s life and struggle in a poverty-ridden urban environment. It is arranged in reverse order, beginning with the sound collage “Dun,” and finishing up with a four movement instrumental suite.

“Dun” opens the album at the end of the character’s story. This song is a sound collage, which gradually fades into the album. The second track, “Sleep,” begins with a very bare organ and some light percussion, creating a hypnotic, eerie atmosphere. Black Thought, The Roots’ lead emcee, chops the beat up with his busy flow. This track is very unique in that it stays relatively mellow throughout and never really explodes with energy, making for an easy transition into the album. This mellow vibe differs from The Roots’ usual high-energy sound.

“Make My” is a track that opens up with a distant-sounding electric piano and swells into a peaceful chord progression. It eventually leads up to a verse by the up-and-coming emcee Big K.R.I.T. His verse is very refreshing and meaningful in comparison to the less active flow of most modern emcees. The mood of the song become progressively peaceful, but plateaus at a catchy chorus that depicts the artist’s rejection of his current lifestyle and a desire to stop living. The end of the song features a bass line with a watery effect, which repeats as an outro jam. This song is presented as a complete package and a perfect hybrid of soulful, honest music with definite pop potential.

The album picks up with “One Time,” which features a heavy Questlove beat that complements a very in the pocket guest verse from Phonte. The second verse from Black Thought is clever and combines smart rhymes with deep meaning. This features a bit more space than usual, allowing for enunciation of his words. The third and final verse is from regular Roots feature Dice Raw. His intensity makes his words believable, giving us another good track on the rising action of the album.

“Kool On” slowly fades from “One Time” and into a funky guitar, bass and drums loop. It features three verses from Greg Porn, Black Thought and Truck North. Each of these is slightly better than average. The album begins to slightly plateau at this point.

As soon as “Kool On” has completely faded out, Questlove counts off the start to “Otherside.” The sound of his playing shows his mastery of drum recording and production. The song falls into a bright electric piano melody and remains pretty bare until climaxing at the chorus, sung by Bilal. Black Thought has a couple of very good verses on this track, followed up by another verse from guest feature Greg Porn. After hearing this verse by Porn, you come to realize that the appearance of new rappers reinvigorates their sound and can keep their style from becoming stale.

“Stomp” opens up with a lone guitar playing, which sounds like a player tuning up. It then, however, becomes a motivational, pounding hip-hop track, featuring piano and slightly distorted electric guitar. Black Thought and Greg Porn each contribute a verse. The rappers take risks and show a creative approach that is not evident in most modern rap music.

Although I like the music on the track “Lighthouse,” sonically this is one of my least favorite tracks. The rap-hook sounds like gibberish, and it is hard to make out most of the words. The chorus is a bit overdone with lyrics that seem out of place within the context of the rest of the track. It is not an abysmal song, but the album could have stood better without it. Balancing out the sub-par chorus, the verses get funky and the rapping is soulful. I feel it is one of the best verses on the album from Black Thought featuring Dice Raw.

After swerving into a roadblock, “I Remember” brings the album back on track. The track opens with electric piano and a short verse by Black Thought, then leads into a soulful chorus. The beat drops out, and a choir accompanied by a small string section enters. The choir and strings play unaccompanied until the song eventually falls back into the groove with a rap crescendo by Black Thought in the third verse. This build-up-and-break-down style is the classic Roots formula.

Once again, showcasing his brilliance in drum recording, Questlove opens “Tip The Scale” with a bare beat. The band, featuring a very catchy hook, eventually accompanies the beat. An eerily mellow atmosphere is created underneath Black Thought’s final piece of lyrical genius on this album. The chorus features a small string section followed by another verse from Dice Raw, who gives his all once again. Dice Raw shows his versatility by being less wordy and more strategic in his rhyme. The song goes into a very soulful bridge and ends on another chorus.

Arrangements

11. Redford

12. Possibility (2^nd Movement)

13. Will to Power (3^rd Movement)

14. Finality (4^th Movement)

Between the great rapping and soulful music on this record, I couldn’t ask for much more. The album has a few hits on it that will probably gain some momentum in the coming months. It is nice to see an older band progress and try to do something different. Overall, Undun is a must-have for any Roots fan.

Chiddy Bang releases their debut album, "Breakfast"

“There is no one like me, like me. Mind your manners, we gonna be here forever man.” If you haven’t heard of Chiddy Bang, Capitol Records hip hop/rap duo, yet – don’t worry. Just as their song, “Mind Your Manners,” says, there isn’t anyone like Chiddy Bang and they are most definitely here to stay.

After meeting at Philadelphia’s Drexel University in 2008, front man, Chiddy, and production genius, Xaphoon Jones, have been hard at work to create their own refreshingly innovative and much welcomed style of hip hop. Straying away from the overwhelmingly auto-tuned and sugary sleek beats that have been over-populating the airwaves for the past few years, Chiddy Bang brings what they call “”Hip-Hop-Electronica-Afrobeat-Club-Pop” to the music world. With the release of their much anticipated full-length debut album, Breakfast, Chiddy Bang’s original style is being welcomed into the music world with open arms – and already leaving everyone wanting more.

Breakfast might be the most overlooked meal of the day, but Chiddy Bang’s Breakfast is not something you want to overlook – although how could you miss it? After “#ChiddyBangBreakfast” trending on Twitter and becoming regulars on late night talk shows promoting the album, Chiddy Bang is already becoming a household name. Featuring their most popular track, “Ray Charles,” which you may have seen performed on Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno’s late night talk shows, Breakfast has something for everyone.

Chiddy Bang

With incredible production by Xaphoon himself, each track has it’s own unique sound. ”Happening,” perhaps one of the most high energy and radio friendly tracks on the album, features fellow Capitol Records artist, VV Brown, and is just one of the several tracks on their debut album featuring other artists, including Icona Pop and Gordon Voidwell. Featuring an addictive melody and attention-stealing lyrics, such as VV Brown’s opening line, “It’s your choice, what are you waiting for?/’Cause this is happening, yeah this is happening,” as well as a beat that seems to suddenly give you enough energy to jump up and dance around your bedroom at two in the morning, Chiddy Bang seems to be doing everything right for their debut album. Of course, “Happening” is only one of 14 tracks that could, and will, easily become instant hits. “Breakfast,” the title track off of the album, has you hooked within the first five seconds of the short horn-filled intro and keeps you hanging on until the very end with Chiddy’s immediate and in-your-face rapping with lines like, “I’m feeling flyer than I’ve ever been/Flyer than ‘em ’cause we flying where they’ve never been,” that surely describes how they must be feeling right now.

With 14 high-energy and masterfully produced tracks, Breakfast, currently at the #3 spot on the hip hop/rap charts on iTunes, is one album that you don’t want to miss out on. Take it from us… Breakfast just became our favorite part of the day.

Get Breakfast on iTunes now.
For more Chiddy Bang, check them out at these links below:
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Review By: Max Sergienko

Valentine’s Day is a tough day for a lot of people. (I myself plan on celebrating it by not leaving my apartment and drinking black coffee alone all day.) Blast of Love, however, the latest release by Berklee guitar professor and New Jersey native Lauren Passarelli, has me reconsidering.

Everything about Blast of Love is refreshingly honest and unpretentious, from Passarelli’s raw, mellow vocal timbre, to the naïveté and young-love aesthetic, to the album’s pitch-perfect release date of February 14^th. Beginning with the first song “Come be Loved,” Passarelli invites us into the music: “Here no walls will keep you out,” she sings. The acoustic, feel-good nature of the tune calls to mind George Harrison’s solo work in the best way. The production itself is very understated, allowing the music to speak for itself, and giving the tunes a warm, lo-fi nostalgia. Other favorite tunes of mine include “Don’t Look Down,” a song about the precarious nature of relationships and the beauty of blind faith, as well as “The Sea Road,” an airy, imagery-heavy ballad driven by Passarelli’s layered vocal harmonies.

Blast of Love is the kind of record you put on on a rainy day with a cup of tea; an artfully crafted acoustic opus that couples or lonely people can equally enjoy.

Blast of Love is available at the Berklee bookstore, CD Baby and iTunes.

Album artwork contributed by Universal Republic Records.

Article/Interview By: Lisa Occhino

January 24 was a very special day for rising pop-opera artist Elizaveta. Not only did she kick off her mini-tour in Boston at Berklee’s Café 939, but her first album under Universal Republic Records, Beatrix Runs, also dropped the same day. It debuted at #24 on iTunes and climbed to #16.

“I call it musical alchemy,” Elizaveta tells The Groove during an interview in the Red Room at Café 939 just before her concert. “I take different elements and throw them in the pot and see what comes out.” The way she mixes opera together with pop, piano hooks, and electronic beats creates a truly unique and fresh sound that is so pleasing – and I would even argue necessary – to hear in a world where nearly everything on the radio sounds painfully similar in its blandness.  She still considers herself a pop-oriented songwriter, though, because to her, “a pop song is just something that translates to a lot of people.”

Born in New York and raised in Russia, Elizaveta was classically trained on voice and piano. She grew up listening to classical music, but once she reached the age of ten, she started listening to a lot of Queen, Elton John, and Nina Simone. “As far as influences go, it’s a very mixed bag,” she explains. “I tend to gravitate towards classics, but there’s a lot of amazing music out there today, too.”

With a degree in opera from USC and two successful independent EP releases under her belt, Elizaveta got to work on her major label debut with the help of multi-Grammy award winner and producer Greg Wells (Adele, Katy Perry, Elton John). “[Greg and I] both like similar music,” Elizaveta says. “I love electronica and I’m classically trained, so we tried to see how organically we could incorporate all that.” Together, Greg and Elizaveta were able to hone her pop-opera vision and style, and the resulting record is nothing short of compelling, thoughtful, and beautiful.

Elizaveta at Cafe 939. Photo by Lisa Occhino.

“It’s very important to find who you really are,” Elizaveta advises aspiring performers. “Find your authentic sweet spot, and then nurture and develop that. In today’s world, it’s more than ever important to be original, because there’s so much information and there’s so much content that people tend to kind of zone out and dismiss things. I think it’s important to find somewhere where you are unique, but the thing is you can’t really fake it. I don’t think there’s a shortcut to it. You have to be the best at being yourself.”

Elizaveta is a perfect example of a true artist who’s found her “sweet spot.” Her pure voice is as pitch-perfect live as it is on her record. Her meaningful, heartfelt lyrics combined with effortless high notes and incredible vocal control will send chills down your spine. Her songwriting style allows her technical training to really shine through, which supports her melodies in a way that most other artists couldn’t execute. Even though her Café 939 performance only consisted of a bass player to accompany her singing and piano playing, the two of them still managed to fill up the room with catchy melodies and piano hooks that get stuck in your head.

Before she sang one of my favorite songs of hers, “Orion,” she explained that she wrote it for a friend who was diagnosed with a progressive incurable disease. When she performed it live, it took on a whole new meaning and really moved me emotionally. Her last song of the night, “Odi Et Amo,” was another quite impassioned performance with its full-on operatic chorus. “People who like ‘Odi Et Amo’ – which is the most dramatic one on the record as far as the opera part goes – are not the same people who would normally listen to classical music or go to the opera,” Elizaveta explains. “I’ve had 14- and 15-year-old kids tell me they really love that song. The way I use [opera] in this record is more like an emotional texture. In an aria, you have the vocal style throughout the whole song, but I kind of go in and out of it. I also do my own vocal arrangements, so I find ways to embroider it in my own way.”

Although Elizaveta has only just embarked on the journey of her mainstream music career, I can guarantee that she’s an artist you’re going to want to keep your eye on. If you’re looking for talent and originality in the music industry that cuts through the clutter, be sure to check out Beatrix Runs, exclusively on iTunes.

Jason Reeves has enjoyed a successful behind-the-scenes career as a songwriter, penning multi-platinum hits such as “Bubbly” and “Realize” with Colbie Caillat and other tracks with music industry mogul Kara DioGuardi. Simultaneously, though, Jason has also made a name for himself as a singer and performer. His latest work, Caged Birds Set Free, was independently released in November 2011.

Upon first listen of Birds – before I was aware of Jason’s collaboration history with Colbie – his simple, mellow sound and romantic lyrics made me immediately think of her music. Needless to say, I was delighted when I got to the beautifully written track “Wishing Weed,” on which Colbie lends her voice for a perfectly meshed duet.

Jason and Colbie met through a producer in L.A. and quickly became good friends. “Neither of us had ever co-written songs before, so it was kind of just a crazy, magical accident,” Jason explains to The Groove. “I’ve been lucky to write with a lot of people, but she’s still my favorite.”

With the help of longtime collaborator and producer Mikal Blue, Jason delivers heartfelt lyrics with dreamy guitar and piano accompaniment. However, he has a difficult time defining the sound of his new album: “I just try to capture the emotions of the songs. I guess you can say it’s honest music, but beyond that I’m not sure how to describe it.” Whatever the genre may be, it’s the kind of music that simply makes you feel at peace. It’s the perfect album to listen to if you just need to put life on pause for a few minutes and breathe.

With Caged Birds Set Free, Jason takes his next step by returning to his signature style of raw, earnest songwriting and instrumentation. “Song for a Waitress” is the kind of song that every girl wishes her crush would sing to her. “Bicycle” grabbed my attention immediately with a unique and poetic opening line: “I wanna build you a bicycle faster than life / So you can keep up with your dreams.” Also included is the single “Rescue,” a longtime fan favorite that is being offered as a studio track for the first time.

More than anything else, Jason hopes that after people listen to his music, they can relate to it and reflect on their lives. “Even if it’s just one line in one song, that’s good enough for me,” he says. “One of the reasons I think music is so powerful is that it helps people understand the way they’re feeling by relating to it.”

Caged Birds Set Free is available for download from all major digital retailers, including iTunes and Amazon.

Article and Interview By: Lisa Occhino

When I saw Rachael Yamagata perform at Brighton Music Hall in Boston a few weeks ago, I noticed that her demeanor was relaxed and collected, with a quiet confidence. However, when I complimented her on how well she came across on stage a few days after the show, I was shocked by her response. “I actually have a lot of stage fright,” Rachael confessed. “I really have to push myself to get to a place where I can survive up there without cringing. When I get into it, I feel good and I get into a rhythm, but I’m a super private kind of hermit in my daily life. It’s definitely an effort for me to get up there every night.”

Even though Rachael admits to having stage fright, she certainly masks it like a professional. Her slightly sweet, slightly smoky voice makes you feel like she’s singing directly to you, as if you were the only person in the room. She possesses an impressive dynamic range; whether she’s singing softly or belting it out, you can feel the honesty in each word. She very obviously loves playing with her band. Rachael is a completely down-to-earth person, and there is nothing artificial about her. She’s got a great sense of humor, she’s relatable, and someone you’d want to be friends with.

Rachael Yamagata. Photo By: Laura Crosta.

Something unique that I noticed about a lot of Rachael’s music is that it tends to have a waltzy or 6/8 feel. I asked her if there’s a particular reason she’s drawn to this more than straight 4/4 time, and her response was, “I’m a total romantic at heart… I just play whatever feels romantic to me.”

Rachael’s previous album, Elephants…Teeth Sinking Into Heart, had a lot of darker songs on it, but her latest release has quite a different feel. “[Chesapeake] is very much a band collective album to me,” Rachael explains. “I had a really heavy hand in Elephants, but I stepped back for this one. The musicians guided the tracks with their energy and inspiration, along with the producer and myself. There’s a looseness to it. There’s a feeling of freshness and something more carefree that I think resonates in a new way on this record. And some of the songwriting has a lighter side to it. There are still a lot of strings and orchestral arrangements, but the harmonies play a bigger role in this record.”

Even with the brighter sound Chesapeake has overall, I was still the most moved by the heartbreaking ballad, “You Won’t Let Me.” When I first got the album, I listened to that song on repeat almost every day because it’s just that powerful.

At her Brighton Music Hall performance, Rachael mentioned that she was able to produce and release her album because of fan donations. This came as a surprise to me, because the last I remembered she was signed to a major label. When I chatted with her, though, she explained that she had split from her three-year relationship with Warner Brothers early in 2011 and chose a DIY approach to release Chesapeake: “I used PledgeMusic. It’s fan-supported projects basically, and my project was the record and this tour. You use the fanbase that you’ve already got… and offer incentives. Anything from handwritten lyric books to special releases that no one’s heard before – anything that seems like it might be of interest to your fans.” Rachael went on to describe how this approach engages fans from the get-go and actually allows them to become a part of the process. “It was a great way for me to do it because there were a lot of people out there interested in what I was doing, and it certainly helps to fund the project in a huge way.”

As always, I love asking successful artists what their best advice is for musicians trying to make it in today’s music industry: “Play live shows…and be super driven,” Rachael says. “Stay connected with your fans, they’re definitely the most important thing. And just be authentic to your music, whatever it is. Word of mouth is super powerful as well. Whether it’s 10 people in a room or 2,000, play your ass off.”

For more on Rachael, you can visit her website, www.rachaelyamagata.com.

Review By: Nash Atkins

When most prog-savvy musicians hear the name Animals as Leaders they immediately think of mind-blowing virtuosity put into short catchy instrumental songs.  The band was originally formed in 2007 as a solo project by guitarist Tosin Abasi at the urging of Prosthetic Records. On the first album, fellow prog guitarist and producer Misha Mansoor helped to program all the drum samples and electronic patches while Tosin performed all the guitar tracks on eight string guitars.

The new album, Weightless, was released November 8^th in the United States and has received a mixed greeting from the hardcore, almost cult-like following Animals built so quickly after the groundbreaking debut. Being a huge fan of their first work, it was difficult to look at this album as a step in a new direction and not direct competition. The thing is that the band has kept the captain but added more sailors. Tosin Abasi was joined for touring and the recording of the new album by drummer Navene Koperweis, as well as co-guitarist Javier Reyes.

With that being said, I find that Weightless has taken a new direction that I personally don’t find nearly as exciting when compared with the freshman album. The drummer and other guitarist took over the production work from Misha and also helped to write all of the songs on the album. The shame in that is the fact that Tosin’s genius has been somewhat diluted by the other members. This is not to say that Javier and Navene aren’t amazing musicians, but with the drums mixed so high and the electronica so much more prevalent, it makes the listener wonder what the focus is here.

Tosin’s riffs are always shocking to the ear, but they start to become bland with too many layers and not enough variation to keep interest. There are definitely great tracks on the album such as the anthemic title track, “Weightless,” as well as the staccato jazz-fusion groove, “Do Not Go Gently.” However, unfortunately my overall impression was that the ambient djent (detuned rhythmic chugging) guitar and electronic layers make for an ambient landscape that starts great but fails to keep the energy going throughout. It is in no way a badly done album, it just falls short to hits like “Waves of Babies” or “CAFO” from their first self-titled release.

Succinctly, there is no doubt great playing by all members of Animals as Leaders, but it really feels like the compositional genius and amazing guitar work of Tosin Abasi took a back seat to the band mentality and cookie cutter recording techniques of today. Prosthetic Records originally asked him to do a solo project and maybe it should have stayed that way. Regardless, fans of Animals as Leaders and Tosin Abasi’s solo work should look forward to more impressive albums in the future as they continue to grow and adapt to each other.

Review By: Andrew Libenson

Popular music seems to be defined by the quest for the biggest sound, so when I was given a copy of Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, by The Low Anthem, I was reintroduced to the beauty in simplicity.  The opening track, “Charlie Darwin,” is enough to make you rethink folk in a pop-dominated world.

From the moment you hit play, you hear a pronounced underlying hiss, and a cheap, single tracked guitar finds some warmth with analog preamps.  The simple finger-picked pattern lays the tone:  these guys are taking their time, making each change a catharsis in itself.  After the mood is set, the band unveils their calling card as three members create a bed of audio with ethereal oo’s and ahh’s, doubled by a pump organ.   Soaring overtop is Ben Knox Miller’s trademark angelic falsetto.  At the first chorus, the feel is intimate, with four part vocals only grounded by a lone guitar.   The song keeps its form, until the last chorus: “Oh my god/ Life is cold and formless/ Oh my god/ It’s all around,” where at the second line, the song climaxes with a rousing crescendo and gut-wrenching tension, and as the last of the air drains from the pump organ bellows, only the sweet hiss remains.