Published by James June 15th, 2006
in Free Tracks, Album, Review and 2006.
DJ Mag calls him a “a right fucking find” and I am inclined to agree. The Fix sets up the bomb and delivers. Flamgirlant calls it as it is when she simple states over at the albums page at eMusic that Moschella is what you’d get “[i]f Prince and Stevie Wonder had a love child,” but I would say that he was conceived with Lenny Kravitz sitting in on the session back when he was still fresh and relevant. It is short, sharp, fun, funky, and delivered with a genuine passion for the music.
The Fix opens up with a sweetened little funk number that has Moschella channeling Prince on vocals with Stevie Wonder backing him on keys and will assuredly put a skip in your step and a shake in your sway. The beauty is not that he is aping these artists, which he is not, it is that he is so much in tune with the feeling and tradition of that brand of stripped down, tightly crafted, R&B that is rubbed down with a spicy jerk of Funk. Moschella like to surprise you by pulling in references out of thin air. With the foot stomping back beat of “Strong Man”, sounding like an outtake of “When The Levee Breaks,” he brings a tight little burner that will bring a smile to even the most dour face.
While the album, for the most part, is upbeat and feel-good Moschelle does take a moment here and there to throttle the energy and slow things down for a more traditional number. “If You Believe (You Will Be Strong)” dials it back, offering a simple and raspy electric piano line back by simple rhythm section while he offers up words of support, “If you believe in yourself, no one else will steer you wrong.” It is earnest if not a little trite but it fits with overall mood of the album and his optimism is infectious enough that you might find yourself singing along after a couple of bars.
The Fix is on my Best of 2006 list just for it refreshing stew of soul and funk. Moschelle has proven himself to be a talented multi-instrumentalist and someone worth waiting for their next album to drop. Very highly recommended. You can grab the album over at eMusic or Amazon or if you want scope out the free track, “Moved On,” over at his website or over at The Mark Out , which a couple of more posted as well.
Published by James June 5th, 2006
in Free Tracks, Album, Review and 2006.
If you view the world through red-tinted glasses this album is not for you and you should stop reading right about now. Otherwise, read on.
Pick A Bigger Weapon has been on constant rotation since I picked it up last Thursday. Between the infectious bump of the beats and the fiery leftist politics tempered by moments of sly humor I was hooked. Riley is angry. His anger, unlike some, does not come out in rapid fire bursts of aggression, rather it slinks about offering backhanded compliments and pure snark with a gummy funk backdrop. He wears his politics on his sleeve and makes no apologies for his stance on US politics or culture, both of which he sees as destructive forces but ones that also allow for and nurture his viewpoints and creative freedom with him pinned in the middle of the dichotomy.
“We Are The Ones” sees Riley at his sharpest both lyrically and intellectually. He drops his lines in a mocking blue-blood accent leveling both barrels at the the materialistic drive of our culture and its destructive tendencies being fueled by the Horatio Alger myth of the self-made man. The words make for poignant reading but in delivery it steps up to another level where humor is had in does of cold bitter truth. Riley weaves an argument how circumstance and environment can lead people to paths of increasing desperation:
(first verse)
And I felt like an abandoned child
Left to fend for myself in the wild
While every courtroom, judge and gavel
were there to bury me under the gravel
Or at the bottom of the finest malt ale
(second verse)
As I clenched five digits on the forty-five
Barely down at the retail store I would detail more
But I don’t wish this action to be glorified
There was a plan I was eager to listen
To not sleep in the park in the fetal position
The commentary has been heard on many albums before and likely will be heard on many after but what sets Riley apart from the pack is his ability to capture a voice and have that carry the narrative from the beginning to the end of the song. In comparison to the Cristal-Lexus-Gat rhymes that dominate the programming of radio and MTV making his portrayal of street life all the more biting.
If the message proves to be to heavy at times solace can be taken in the fact that Riley and Pam The Funktress deliver something that you can get by just nodding your head to. The album is built on rubbery funk and soul lines that glide about effortlessly, from the dirty “ijuswannalayaroundalldayinbedwithyou” to the sweet “BabyLet’sHaveaBabyBeforeBushDoSomethin’Crazy” all the way to the retro-flavored bounce of “Ass-Breath Killers” and militant soul of “My Favorite Mutiny”, which features the rhyming talents of Talib Kweli and Black Thought. Additionally, The Coup teamed up with a number of industry luminaries ranging from Tom Morello to Toni! Tony! Toné!.
Pick A Bigger Weapon is an outstanding album and in contention for my Best of 2006 list. You can grab two free tracks from their website or just head over to eMusic or Amazon to grab the full album. Very highly recommended.
