Review: J Beck - Class Is In Session

J Beck - Class Is In Session
2010, J Beck

Hip-Hop and rap have had quite the history, starting out as a daring and entertaining form of street poetry set to rhythms, becoming a popularized art form and in some cases a caricature that probably does more to reinforce negative stereotypes than break them down. Like all genes there is both good and bad out there, but it seems that often it's the more blatantly negative influences that get the most press. It's refreshing to find someone like J Beck using hip-hop as an inspirational and life-changing medium. In his day job, J Beck is a teacher on Chicago's South Side. After school hours, J Beck performs his catchy brand of organic hip-hop at venues and events all around Chicago. J Beck's sophomore EP, Class Is In Session, great rhymes and rhythms, a realistic world view and a positive message of non-conformity and hope.

Class Is In Session opens with "Bachelor With My Bachelors"; the expected introductory song that's less than traditional. J Beck dances on the edge of calling out the rap establishment for the lack of intellect in popular rap. J Beck is strong with a rhyme and makes a solid opening impression. "Fall In Line" gets a bit awkward in the bridge, but otherwise deftly combines hip-hop and hard rock in the tradition of groups like Body Count. "Make Lemonade" has more of a commercial feel to it, blending laconic rhymes with the sort of hip-hop-lite that tends to dominate the R&B charts. "Stuck In The Moment" has a bit more life; a positive message about accepting life as it comes and making the most of it. Class Is In Session closes with "Can't Stay This Way", featuring a sample that sounds like the Chipmunks singing backup on a classic soul song. The song approaches a stream of conscious lyrical style, switching between cogent voiceovers and J Beck's commentary that varies from poignant to huh? moments.

J Beck offers honest if sometimes vague assessments of the world around him on Class Is In Session. With a focus on social justice and change, J Beck infuses Class Is In Session with a desire for change as well as a highly personal, sensitive angle not generally seen in popular hip-hop. J Beck seems to be most prolific when he has something to rail against, blending righteous anger with intelligent lyrics. There are a couple of musical decisions here that perhaps do not reflect well on J Beck, but the overall outcome is a positive one. In "Bachelor With My Bachelors" J Beck makes a reference to Mark Twain and Lil Wayne in the same line. Some might be aghast at this grouping, although I suspect Twain himself would have taken a bit of subversive glee at the thought. It's that same subversive spirit that drives J Beck in the pursuit of making the world around him better. Class Is In Session is worth listening to on that basis alone. It will be interesting to see where J Beck goes next.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about J Beck at www.myspace.com/purposedrivenflow. Class Is In Session is available from CDBaby.com as either a CD or Download.

Review: Bryant Oden – Songdrops: 30 Songs For Kids

Bryant Oden – Songdrops: 30 Songs For Kids
2009, Bryant Oden

Bryant Oden followed the path many Indie musicians take; where music is a love, a hobby while careers are pursued; but sooner or later the artist must follow his muse. Oden has been writing songs since his teens both comical and serious. A native of Oklahoma, Oden moved to Denver after college to be closer to the mountains; his inspiration. With a Masters in Education Psychology, Oden has worked as a counselor, an ESL teacher in a high school and as an entrepreneur. Over the years he has entertained family and friends (and occasionally strangers) with his comical children’s songs. After hearing for the umpteenth time that he should record them, Oden set out to do just that in 2008. It appears that Oden has struck a chord. His The Duck Song has over 3.5 million streams on various media sites, while several other songs have over 100,000 streams each. On November 1, 2009, Oden releases his first album, Songdrops: 30 Songs For Kids. Kids love The Duck Song. Parents love The Duck Song. Will Songdrops deliver on its promise?

There are children’s albums for children; children’s albums for adults, and the best kind: albums so masterfully written that children and adults get them on different levels and both enjoy them. Listening to a group like Trout Fishing In America will give you an example of the latter. Such bands/albums are rarities as even the folks capable of writing them don’t nail them all the time. In his masterful and humorous creation, The Duck Song, Bryant Oden gets there for a shining moment. The album born from that inspiration, Songdrops, never quite gets there again. That’s not to say it’s a bad collection of songs, but Oden never quite hits that same level of divine inspiration on the other 29 songs presented on Songdrops. Ultimately, this is a children’s album full of songs that adults will think kids will think are fun or funny funny, but may have a hard time gaining much traction with the kiddos.

Oden opens with The Duck Song, a fine and funny song with a classic vaudevillian twist at the end; enjoyable for everyone. I Got A Pea is a cute song built around an age-appropriate double-entendre that will have the kids cracking up and will even bring a smile on the parents faces. Perhaps the biggest drawback to the album overall, a conceit, if you will, is the use of Chipmunks style vocal mixing on the album. It sounds as if Oden has sped up his vocal lines to raise the pitch of his voice, creating an Oden-on-helium sound with rapid-fire vibrato mixed in. It may amuse the younger set at first, but it becomes grating quite quickly and doesn’t really seem to serve any purpose in the long run. This shows through clearly for the first time on Songdrops, which is cute buy annoying because of the vocal thing.

I enjoyed Bob The Snail, an ode to an unusual pet, and I Love U (It’s My Favorite Letter) will get little feet moving, but it just doesn’t have that quality that will have your toddlers walking around singing it at the top of their lungs a few hours or days later (a mixed blessing). The Unfinished Song will bring you back to your Scholastic Book Club days with Madlibs set to music, but the song may well be over the head of the younger kids. Oden hits his best “serious” moment on Sing You A Rainbow, seeming to summon the spirits of Raffi and John Denver in a sweet moment that will appeal to the sentimentality of the Moms listening (and a few of the Dads). Oden may go over the line a tad for some parents on I Don’t Like Tomatoes; getting very close to something some folks may consider a hot-button word for your toddlers. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with it, but there are some parents out there that won’t appreciate the humor on this one.

Oden is a humorous guy. He enjoys writing and playing for kids, and the songs are honest and well-intended. The quality is very much hit-or-miss throughout the album. The Duck Song is a classic, and there are a couple of other entries here that are very well done, but on the whole Songdrops leaves a lot to be desired as a children’s album. In the end I wouldn’t play it for my own kids, as after listening to folks such as Laurie Berkner, Trout Fishing In America, Elizabeth Mitchell and even The Smudge Fundaes, Songdrops just wouldn’t hold their attention.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Bryant Oden at http://www.songdrops.com/ or on Facebook. Songdrops will be released on November 1, 2009. Expect availability on iTunes. For information on CD available keep checking Oden’s website. You can listen to the tracks on his site, or watch videos on YouTube.

Review: Alvin & The Chipmunks - Undeniable

Alvin & The Chipmunks - Undeniable
2008, Chipmunk Records

It's hard to know what Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. would think of the continued evolution of his Chipmunks. Since the re-emergence of The Chipmunks on television in 1983, the brand (and sound) has been continually updated to match the musical mood of the moment. Whether it was Urban Chipmunk (country); Club Chipmunk (dance mixes); the soundtrack to the 2007 motion picture or their latest release Undeniable, the Chipmunks have stayed almost-current with current musical trends.

One of the charms of the original Chipmunk recordings was the way in which they were created. Bagdasarian did all of the vocals himself, of his unaltered voice, and then replayed the recordings at differing speeds to create the Chipmunks' voices. Despite the manipulation there has always been something vaguely organic about the voices, allowing for at least partial suspension of disbelief. Somewhere in the last decade or so the process has gone entirely digital, using computers and vocal effects to try to recreate the original magic. As vinyl LP fans will attest, new technology isn't always an improvement. Such it is with The Chipmunks.

Undeniable definitely hits the flavor of the moment musically, but the Chipmunks voices sound like they've been digitally altered with electronic effects. For longtime listers/fans of The Chipmunks this may wreck the experience of Undeniable. I know I personally had a hard time squaring this recording with the past recordings of The Chipmunks. The album opens with the DeeTown remix of the theme song from the 1983 television series, including raps. This may go over well with new fans, but probably won't appeal as much to older fans. Shake Your Groove Thing highlights the electronic voice effect sound that I mentioned earlier. Additionally, the Chipmunks are singing background here. Generally if you're buying a Chipmunks album you're not doing so to hear someone else sing.

Livin' On A Prayer is actually an interesting vocal arrangement, but again suffers from the ultra-modernization of a classic sound. Thank You is a hip-hop/R&B radio anthem that again sounds like a computer is singing lead (and background) vocals. All The Small Things suffers from the same fate. The first song to really capture the original spirit of The Chipmunks is Ho Ho Ho. The Chipmunks (and David Seville) are now voiced by Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., and the repartee between the characters returns here somewhat, although Seville is more darkly grumpy than in the old days. The original version of We're The Chipmunks is more familiar, but still suffers from the vocal manipulation that abounds through the rest of the album. I will admit I was charmed by the cover of Time Warp, but would have preferred to hear this recording done before the era of computer based recording.

In the end, Undeniable is a decent effort that falls short of its potential on the basis of over-production and technology. While its certainly more time consuming, I have to think that a better overall product could be had by returning to the old way of recording the Chipmunks albums. Perhaps it lowers the profit margin a bit based on the time put in, but perhaps a better, more believable recording outsells the current version. As someone who grew up with the Chipmunks, I find myself disappointed.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Alvin & The Chipmunks at http://www.chipmunks.com/. You can purchase a copy of Undeniable at Amazon.com or wherever music is sold.