Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Jem - Down to Earth


I'm sure I don't have to recap the Wu-Tang Financial sketch from the Chappele Show oh so many years ago. But it brings me to a larger point.


Wouldn't everything be just a little better if the RZA produced it?


The drums would be a little more crisp. The background noise would be a little more sparse. The samples would be a little more... Saturday morning kung fu esque?

I'm listening to Jem's 'Down to Earth,' and it sounds like something the RZA would've produced, but didn't have time to. It's got those spare drums, those crazy 70's horns.

But it doesn't feel quite finished.

So it's kind of fuzzy around the edges. It hops from vaguely Latin-flavored dance music to old gospel samples to weird spoken word. The music fills the space when it doesn't have to, and when it doesn't, you wonder why not.

It's a pleasant enough album. Something you could put on an evening dinner party playlist, in between the Dido and the Thievery Corporation. It's music for people of a certain age and socioeconomic status (mid 30s, own Subarus, two kids, occasionnally smoke a little weed, like Obama, prefer Ron Paul).


Get Now - "I Want You To...", "Keep On Walking"

1 comment:

Shelby - Shifted Sound Host said...

Agreed. I like her first album quite a bit more. However, I think there are a few good ones on here.
And I'm late 30's, no Subarus, three kids, no pot and all Obama.