Credit: Brad Gregg But drama and rivalry appear to surround the minxy R&B songstress. In fact, hoopsvibe.com goes as far as to call her the Yoko Ono of the NBA, obliquely suggesting that James Harden’s departure from the Thunder prior to the season had something to do with a love triangle between him, Ibaka and […]
R&B
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B real
The trio, which began as a quartet in 2003, is composed of Tré McCoy of Omaha, Neb.; Dele Olasiji of Norman; and Eric Hollowell of Davenport, Iowa. They met at a party in 2001, while attending college. “Four different states and we all happened to end up at the same party,” McCoy said. “The name […]
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Poliça — Give You the Ghost
Winning an NFL Championship (last season) and a couple Grammys (for Bon Iver) probably has a lot of those folks high on life, which could possibly also explain why they’re so unafraid to strike out in weird sonic directions. Enter Channy Leaneagh (formerly Casselle). Previously fronting Minneapolis folk ensemble Roma di Luna, her new vehicle, […]
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Still make you Sweat
Sweat, who appeared Saturday at Riverwind Casino in Norman, has been cultivating relationships with fans for years, since debuting solo with the monster hit “I Want Her,” ushering in the new jack swing style of the late 1980s. “Twisted” and “Nobody” came with the second wave in the mid 1990s, both Billboard hits which likely […]
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The Weeknd — Echoes of Silence
Not so fast! “Echoes of Silence” continues with the cadre of really sad characters (such as the poor girl working “for your face-lift” on “XO/The Host”) in really sad, sexually exploitive situations spelled out on The Weeknd’s first two mixtapes, without adding many new elements to that signature hazy, narcotized atmosphere of industrial beats and […]
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The Roots — undun
Depicted by the band’s house emcee, Black Thought, Redford Stephens is the narrating character, a composition of many of BT’s family members and people he and fellow Roots founder ?uestlove knew from their hometown of Philadelphia. Listening to “undun” you hear Redford’s hopes, dreams, mistakes and struggles, all told in uncompromising, uncontrived lyricism from Black […]
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Drake — Take Care
My feelings about this are complicated, although I found the record to be a languorous epic that rewarded dividends upon repeat listens. It’s certainly a winsome, good album — probably even a great one — but for reasons ascribed to Aubrey Drake Graham’s sense as a producer more so than his voice or rapping. The […]
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Terius Nash – 1977
• Beyoncé, “1 + 1” (critically lauded, album’s certified platinum after topping the Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks) and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (Topped four separate U.S. charts, four times platinum, guaranteed to be played at every wedding until eternity ends)• Mariah Carey, “Touch My Body” (Jack McBrayer-starring video boasts more […]
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The Weeknd — Thursday
Far from it, in fact. “Thursday”’s a terrific R&B record, creeping and grinding along at a pace appropriate for a sequel to the menacing, borderline-nihilistic “Balloons.” What the second album (Tesfaye promised a trio by the end of the year — all to be downloaded online, for free) lacks is the cloak of enigma that […]