Mariah Carey's first proper album since 2009 is a couple covers away from being as nostalgic as the Glitter soundtrack. Its title – well, the part that precedes the ellipses – is taken from a self-portrait, reproduced on the back, drawn at the age of three and a half. "I'll just sit right here and sing that good old school shit to ya," she sings on "Dedicated," a song seasoned with a Wu-Tang sample, a Nas throwback verse, and reminiscent chatter. Like many other songs on the album, flashbacks are laced through the music as well as in the lyrics, with Carey reflecting upon happier moments in a relationship while either pining or scolding.
Calvin Richardson made a small impression as part of the short-lived mid-'90s urban group Undercover, whose smooth contemporary soul showed the influence of Jodeci, childhood friends of Richardson. So, it shouldn't come as a great surprise that Country Boy, his 1999 solo debut, also recalls Jodeci (it even features K-Ci on the opening track, "I'll Take Her"). To Richardson's credit, he does show signs of developing his own vocal style, even if the music either is too close to Jodeci for comfort, or a little too generic. That said, there are several very strong songs – inlcuding the single "True Love," which features Chico DeBarge, and the Monifah duet "Close My Eyes" – that keep Country Boy enjoyable, even when it sounds a little samey.
Double CD of unreleased alternative versions and different mixes of Daevid's first solo album - Banana Moon. Daevid Allen was one of the founders of the British progressive rock band the Soft Machine in 1966. After recording just one album with the group, he became the founder/leader of Gong, which he left in 1973 to begin a solo career (though his first solo album, Banana Moon, was released in 1971 while he was still in the group). Allen explored his quirky, folky take on rock throughout the '70s and '80s on albums like 1976's Good Morning and 1983's Alien in New York. His solo work also included collaborations with underground rock impresario Kramer like 1993's Who's Afraid? and 1996's Hit Men, which was released on Kramer's Shimmy Disc label.
If you’ve heard of Andy Falkous, you already love this album, and I, in turn, love you. If you haven’t, Andy Falkous was in Mclusky (now defunct), then Future of the Left (still going). Good old noisy bands with pop sensibilities, with a knack for a hilarious lyrics. Not in the comedy vain of someone like Tenacious D or Weird Al Jankovic (sigh), but in a witty, intelligent, or just incredibly random I-can’t-believe-that’s-a-line-in-a-song way. Anyway, he lost his full time job, and had some quiet time, so he decided to record an album on his own (his wife plays bass on a track, and some guy plays drums on a few to make them sound good). Mostly it’s just him.