Madcon is a hip-hop group with a huge dose of soul production. If the Roots went all out with the funk soul music, you'd pretty much have Madcon. There are keys, horns, and soulful choruses. Beggin' is an immediate hit that you may have already heard. The question is will these guys be the next Black Eyed Peas, the next Outkast, or more tragically, the next Pharcyde?
I also like Wholehearted, Liar, and Shine.
Admittedly, this video is not so great with the respecting of the women, but what can I say, I like the song.
Eclectic hip-hop from Orlando. As innovative and creative as Outkast and Black Eyed Peas (well, at least BEP's early stuff was innovative and creative). Also remind me of Public Enemy at times. You won't hear so many different styles on most hip-hop albums. On top of that, No More Heroes is a concept album. How quaint. SOS feature a female vocalist, grinding guitars, hard beats and acrobatic flow. How many groups would name drop Cab Calloway? Not too many, I tell you.
Standout tracks are:
Marvel, New Sheriff in Town, Gotham City Chase Scene and Dolla Dolla
Janelle Monáe's music is a combination of throwback sensibilities with modern production values, and the result is outstanding. Her EP, Metropolis: The Chase Suite is based on the Fritz Lang movie from the early 20th Century of the same name. I've never seen the movie, but I know it involves robots and stuff.
Monáe's voice is reminiscent of Shirley Bassey. In fact, when I played one of her songs for a couple of the kids on my XC team, they said it sounded like a James Bond theme, which makes sense since Bassey sang at least three that I know of.
*** Bonus points for anyone who can name which Bond themes Shirley Bassey sang without looking them up on the Interwebs.
Sincerely, Jane is by far the standout track. It combines a full orchestra with amazing vocals and DJ breaks. It's just not often you hear horns that.... brassy.
I also recommend Many Moons and Violet Stars Happy Hunting.
At some point, Monáe made her way to Atlanta, and not surprisingly, she's been involved in projects with Big Boi of Outkast. When I listen to her music, I can definitely hear the musical connection. She appears on Big Boi's Got Purp? Vol II with an incredible dance track called Lettin' Go. It sounds like she's channeling Rock With You era Michael Jackson, and she's almost as good as MJ here.
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