Daniel - Damn (I Wish I Was Your Lover)

Daniel "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover"


Get it at iTunes.

R Les for Pres

There is nobody else doing what Ryan Leslie is doing right now. He's found some sweet middle ground between Dilla-ugly concepts of what a beat can be, futuristic synth pop production, moody D'Angelo-isms and black top 40 r'n'b writing. The complaint about Leslie is that he never goes far enough out down either road - experimental or pop accessibility - but I like the balance and minimalism. So much of the best black music today is ruined with obnoxious lyrics, fatuous track lengths, invisible session players and a reliance on tacky cameos. I like that R Les plays his own instruments, keeps his songs short and his productions lean, and that he doesn't manage to spout out anything so fucking morally prehistoric that it's a deal breaker for even my already crass sensibilities.

Transition is his second record in '09. To which I say, WTF. Possibly he rushed this thing out, but I think it benefits from not being fussed over. It seems impossible, but I think it's even more stripped down than his previous release, Ryan Leslie. Some of the production on that album had a little bit more futurism and rough edges, which is missed, but song-for-song, this might be my favorite.

Download a live recording of Ryan Performing his fantastic single "Something That I Like" earlier this summer. Then listen to some streams from the record (including that same single, featuring Pusha T from Clipse) and aquire this music for yourself.

mp3 Ryan Leslie "Something That I Like (Live at the Penthouse)

Ryan Leslie "Something That I Like (Feat. Pusha T.)"



Ryan Leslie "All My Love"



Ryan Leslie "Zodiac"

Ennio Morricone - State of Grace Opening Titles

I can't answer why State of Grace (1990) is not held in higher, more revered esteem. It's an Irish gangster movie set in Hell's Kitchen featuring Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, Gary Oldman and Ed Harris. Beyond being a near flawless movie I'll always remember it for having the only love scene I can think of in cinema that actually approaches reality.

I also can't answer why Ennio Morricone's masterful score is not in print, or why no performed and recorded version of any of this score's titles was ever produced on one of Morricone's greatest hits compilations. (There is one version of State of Grace I saw on iTunes (on Ennio Morricone: Film Music Maestro), but it's a pretty shitty synthesized fake.

So here's a rip I made of the opening titles, using my laptop. It's such an amazing use of orchestral color. Morricone always did his own orchestrations and it's hard to think of any film composer working today who can get this kind of texture. They just don't make em like this anymore.

I love the way this piece falls effortlessly back and forth between major and minor keys, like someone drifting in and out of sleep. It sets the tone for a great story about fragile things in the thorns of violence.

You're welcome!

Ennio Morricone - State of Grace Opening Titles