If y’allz don’t check out SHOOK magazine then… well you probably should. It rose out of the ashes of Straight No Chaser, made by a bunch of the same people and still with a lot of the artwork done by the legendary Swifty. The main difference from Chaser is that there’s a bit less jazz and a bit more hip-hop. Also comics.

Anways they’ve got a cool little interview with beatmaker and hallucinogen-enthusiast Flying Lotus up at the minute, where he runs down his top five tunes like EVER.

“I think that beat is a perfect beat. The mix is just so perfect, it’s a great reference point for any EQ-ing. A lot of people use Dr. Dre as a reference when they’re mastering but I think that’s as close as it gets to classic Dre mixing. It’s just a dope song. The snare drum on that is from this disco tune. It’s just incredible. Dilla at his finest I’d say. The EQ-ing, the samples, all the melodic stuff that’s happening, it’s so musical. And it’s so pretty. That’s the beat that’s hard to deny. It’s also one of those beats that can blend well with anything, so I play that song in almost all my DJ sets. I think it’s perfect.”

So I dug out Fantastic Volume II and it turns out he’s not wrong: Players is awesome. If you don’t know, get to know.

Slum Village – Players

Do yourself a favour and don’t put it on the laptop speakers.

TURN IT UP.

The second of my four Thanksgiving meals was, in a word, delicious!

Ryan and I headed over to my friend Laurel’s boyfriend’s house for a Thanksgiving potluck party. Everyone brought traditional Thanksgiving dishes and we had tons of food!

Potluck Platter

Friends and Food

Within 10 minutes of our arrival we were diggin’ in.

My Plate

I went back for seconds of the sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese and stuffing… apparently carbs and I are lovers today.

The dessert options included brownies, cookies, pies, a pumpkin roll, whoopie pies and more. I brought my two pies and the turtle pumpkin pie was a hit! I really enjoyed it and it got good reviews from other taste-testers. If you’re looking for an easy, tasty Thanksgiving dessert, you may wanna give it a go.

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

Yummy Nuts and Caramel

Yummy Pie

It was a fun time with wonderful friends. I’d say Thanksgiving meal number two was even better than round one. Round three will kickoff tomorrow at my work Thanksgiving potluck lunch. I can already feel my food baby growing.

Dusting and Decorating

Though I managed to gather up the fall decorations into a pile yesterday, I didn’t get around to transforming our apartment into a winter wonderland.

When we got home from the potluck party I got to work cleaning (as in vacuuming, dusting, scrubbing) because moving picture frames around to make room for holiday decor revealed just how dusty and dirty our apartment truly was… ick. I was on my feet cleaning and decorating for more than two hours, but our place looks ah-maze-ing!

Sadie was happy because her little Santa bear (in the form of a free Victoria’s Secret PINK beanie baby) resurfaced. Fun for all!

I also totally forgot I packed up some Christmas CDs with my decorations and enjoyed listening to Mannheim Steamroller and Straight No Chaser.

I LOVE Straight No Chaser. I think acapella music is unbelievable and this group is so talented. I know this video was very popular on YouTube a couple years ago, but if you haven’t seen it, you HAVE to watch. They’re amazing!

I got my whole family hooked on their Christmas album. They just released a new CD for this Christmas and my mom already bought it for us to enjoy over Thanksgiving. Woop, woop!

Week Ahead

Another weekend bites the dust. I’m looking forward to this work week… only two days… and tomorrow will be fun since we’re having our Thanksgiving potluck lunch. I am bringing one turtle pumpkin pie and some cupcakes.

I would be bringing two pies, but look what happened when I was moving stuff around in the fridge:

Fallen Pie

Pie down, pie down! What a bummer. Not only did I lose a perfectly good pie, but it also fell on the kitchen floor which I just cleaned. Luckily Sadie’s super-fast tongue licked up a lot of the crumbs and made vacuuming round two a breeze.

I will only be working two days this week. Ryan and I are heading to St. Pete after work on Tuesday to begin the Thanksgiving fun. My family and I are flying to Gettysburg early Wednesday morning to spend the holiday with my grandmothers, aunts, uncles and cousins. I love family fun and can’t wait to see everyone.

“hungover pop song” is a soft little number that originally made an appearance in a recent shoot mr hudson did with complex mag. as the keys begin to clumsily set the picture, you get a vivid mental image of hudson sitting at the piano after a late night, toying around, with this as the end result. oh, that i could be this brilliant when i’m hungover…

by the way, how about that burberry blazer and spencer hart shirt/tie combo in the pic up there? ridiculous.

mr hudson on myspace.

download:

mr hudson – hungover pop song.

- panda

I apologise for the lack of postings; I have been out of internet for a while and not been able to update this as much as I would have liked!!!

However I wrote this album review for Mr Hudson’s ‘Straight No Chaser’ recently as a short feature for a uni magazine project;

The loveable blonde from Birmingham brings experimental new sound to pop charts…

Mr Hudson, real name Ben Hudson has finally released his highly anticipated solo album after debut single ‘Supernova’ shot straight to number one back in the summer.

Although currently supporting Calvin Harris on tour there is no question that Hudson is a star in his own right. The singer song writer from Birmingham formerly experienced some success with band Mr Hudson and the Library back in 2006, after featuring on ‘Later With Jools Holland’. The band then went on to release their first album in 2007 entitled ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ which received strong reviews and national airplay.

A tour of several UK festivals followed, as well as a series of gigs that saw them support Amy Winehouse, The Police and Kanye West, leading to the signing of Hudson to Kanye’s G.O.O.D music label.       

‘Straight No Chaser’ brings a timeless sound to our speakers, one that could transcend through all seasons. Whether you need something to listen to while chilling on the beach or just fancy a little bit of escapism in bed on a Sunday morning, this unusual cocktail of rhythms and basses will take you from the sun and sea to the set of a Paris rom-com movie in the middle of winter. 

Written in just two months in a tiny flat in North London with a guitar, piano and a mattress that doubled for soundproofing as well as a bed, he documents an emotional journey that sounds like total joy.
Hudson’s harmonising vocals lay on a bed of crushing drum beats and electronic synths, mixed with acoustic melodies and a touch of RNB.

If one listens carefully you may spot an organ playing alongside a tambourine in the forefront of a dance soundtrack, typically like chalk and cheese and yet somehow Hudson seems to make it work. 
Tracks like ‘Straight No Chaser’, ‘Knew We Were Trouble’, ‘Stiff Upper Lip, and ‘Everything Is Broken’ are the strongest of the album, giving us some catchy pop choruses to whistle along too while we walk.
The weaker tracks are those that use the more traditional and simple acoustic instruments, forgetting the dance esque backdrop.

However not everyone has been so keen to embrace his change in style. This new shift could of somewhat alienated older fans that have followed Hudson through his Library days and into his solo career.
While his new style has given him a quick ticket to cross over into the mainstream pop charts and secure a wider following, many believe the lyrics have been splashed through a super computer and lack the use of any real instruments, touching on the notion that Hudson is musically better than simply mixing his vocals with a keyboard.  
On whatever side of the fence you sit the album is likely to strike gold in the charts, making a convincing case in bringing Hudson to international success. Ultimately though it’s about one man experimenting with a new sound that logs his journey in music so far.

If you have not yet been converted to the quirky, wry and loveable blonde I guarantee your opinion wil have changed after just one play through of ‘Straight No Chaser’.

Tracklisting;
1. Supernova
2. White Lies
3. Knew We Were Trouble
4. Straight No Chaser
5. Learning To Live
6. Instant Mesenger
7. There Will Be Tears
8. Stiff Upper Lip
9. Central Park
10. Anyone But Him
11. Everything Is Broken
12. Lift Your Head
13. Time
14. Supernova (Calvin Harris Remix)

Future Hit; Knew We Were Trouble

Fx

My new obsession is Kanye West’s new BFF Mr. Hudson. Not much is known about him. I have tried to research about him but the only thing that is evident is that his real name is Ben Hudson!  He appears a proper English gent which is probably why I’m attracted to him. Blonde hair has never appealed to me; especially bleached blonde hair. But having said that, there is some mystique surrounding him. Maybe he’s strangely alluring because I never thought he would create music with any kind of R&B feel to it. It could be his Darcy posture and his slight aloofness or maybe it is because I cannot obtain his date of birth from anywhere!

Mr. Hudson’s songs are a cool, complimentary blend of R&B and indie. For this reason, I believe he is an original musical mastermind and  I hold very high estimations for him in the future. He has impressed the likes of Kanye and Jay-Z. I just hope that he can now win over the hearts of the British public and establish himself fully as an artist in his own right without having to be linked to American superstars for his success. Mr. Hudson mas made appearances on a few shows around the UK supporting Calvin Harris. I did not get tickets for any of those shows but I will be keeping my eyes open for when he tours under his own headline. Mr Hudson is the definitely the artist to watch out for in 2010!

After such a declaration, I leave you with this anthemic song There Will Be Tears on his Straight No Chaser debut album. It is hard to pick a favourite on his album but this song makes my spine tingle everytime I listen to it. Press play, sit back, close your eyes and relax!

I have to admit- I was extremely skeptical about even wanting to go to this concert. I had only heard a few things here and there about SNC, including that they were the “12 days of Christmas” “youtube” guys. Great. So excited. (not).

The night first started off with UB’s a cappella group The Buffalo Chips They did only about 5 songs, but they succeeded in pumping up the audience. Among the songs performed were “Fireflies” by Owl City, “Watch Over You” by Alterbridge, “Lady” by Styxx, “Drive” by Incubus, and finishing it off with an audience-participatory version of “Army” by Ben Folds. After looking further into the history of the group, I stumbled upon their (apparently) award-winning version of “Viva La Vida” that was featured on a collegiate a cappella compliation called B.O.C.A., or “Best Of Collegiate Acappella.”

UB's The Buffalo Chips

Obviously these guys put some thought and work into their arrangements and how they come across on stage. Soloists were chosen very well to suit the overall attitude of a song, and fit the tone. There was a clear balance between soloist and background, which is tough to do in a cappella.  Besides some minor sound issues (i.e. not hearing the soloists clearly at times), The Buffalo Chips were my favorite part of the night-  so far.

GRADE: B+

And then there was Straight No Chaser. Dressed in suits, each having their own mic, come out and start off explosively with a soulful rendition of “Signed Sealed Delivered I’m Yours.”  I wasn’t expecting to enjoy myself so fast. Even their more contemporary songs such as “I’m Yours” and “Rehab” had their own little minor “spin” or “remix” to it. Once they got into the Christmas Carols, I didn’t really have any qualms with it. They had a great sense of humor, stage presence, and seamless segways into, during, and out of songs. They had a fantastic mix of songs you haven’t heard in so long (and don’t know why they don’t appear on your mix CDs anymore) with a few abstract, or maybe just too old for me (oops!) to recognize, and a few originals. This included a sitcom medley, christmas carol medley, a SNC original (almost like a theme song for the group), and an unplugged “Oh Holy Night” sang at the end of the stage with no mic, no ear pieces.

If you aren’t a fan of a cappella, or if you don’t know if you can be or are, then I’d start off with these two groups. The Buffalo Chips for a more personal connection, and SNC for a more professional, polished feel. My background for a cappella music started with the 1990’s groups of University at Rochester’s Yellowjackets, and their CD Wilson Boulevard is still in my Ipod, and I do not skip it when it is on shuffle. I then have experience with other collegiate a cappella groups from other schools (St. Bonaventure, other UR groups..), including personal involvement.

In terms of Holiday Music, I like my traditions: Amy Grant Christmas Albums, Mariah Carey A Merry Christmas, in addition to some other family-tradition classics. I’m not going to lie, I’m considering throwing SNC into that CD shuffle of Holiday Music.

Grade: A

I got the opportunity over the weekend to, uh, “borrow” Mr Hudson’s new album — Straight No Chaser — and I’m impressed by almost everything on it. Admittedly, “Anyone But Him” with Kanye West wasn’t my favorite tune on the album, that honor has gone to “Life Your Head” or “There Will be Tears”, but I couldn’t find a good version of those tracks to share, so you’re going to have to settle for this.

Trust me though, there isn’t a lot of settling going on anywhere on the album. I can only assume Mr Hudson’s thought process went like this: Hey, remember when people liked the Postal Service? And then they stopped making records? And remember how Kanye West can make an electronic-based album like nobody else? Let’s just take the Postal Service’s sound, Kayne’s creativity and see what happens.

There was an interview where Kanye said Mr Hudson has the potential to become a bigger star than him. Everyone thought he was completely full of shit, but after listening to the 13 tracks on Straight No Chaser, ol’ dude could be on to something.

“Anyone But Him” (feat. Kanye West) – Mr Hudson ★★★

I am not one who often invites friends to events I am going to.  I did this past Wednesday, and I am so glad…

Last year, about this time, Breakfast Television had a men’s a cappella group on, promoting their new album.  That group was Straight No Chaser.  Their sound is tight, yet fun, and they love to sing.  They formed as a group in their university days, and last year Atlantic Records reunited them, and signed them.  The first venture was  to create an album around a piece that went viral on youtube- the 12 Days of Christmas (check it out!).   They recently released their second Christmas album, and while I was downloading it, I discovered they were performing in Toronto Wednesday night.  I was so excited that I had to share the news of the concert.

My beloved had an evening of meeting scheduled, and not wanting to go alone – but really wanting to go, I invited some dear friends to go with me.  None of those I invited were familiar with them.  But, because we have a relationship, and they trust me to not take them somewhere they would be uncomfortable…they joined me.

The result was 3 very enthusiastic new fans. (To the point that one of my friends joined their facebook group before I did!!).  Great, you say, so you went to a concert, and your friends were happy they went with you – what’s that to do with a blog about “thinking orange”?

Currently, at the church I work at, we are in the midst of a series called “Go Fish”, (so is the church where Jeff is serving, as well as 2 other friends in the churches they serve). It’s helping us to see the importance of “fishing” for others to be followers of Jesus, and how God equips us to be able to do that. We are called to share the Good News of the Gospel.   Many people are afraid, or maybe better, extemely shy of sharing their faith with friend and family.  Even parents can have a difficult time talking about matters that are faith-focused.

Often we feel that we because we aren’t Biblical scholars, there is no way we can give adequate answers to those who have questions about the validity of the tenets of our faith.  The thought of Evangelism conjures up images of tearry-eyed, slick haired men making apologies for indiscretions, or God directing that one’s life hinges on multi-million dollar donations.  We don’t want our friends to turn away from “Bible thumping”, or shirk from a “turn or burn” presentation of how much God loves us.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that I have friends and family that I won’t get to spend eternity with, because they refuse to acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.  I know they refuse, because I’ve tried to have that converation with them.  I can’t help but wonder though – how often does my desire to have my whole family believe in who Jesus is, look like the enthusiasm Ihad when I  introduced my friends to a new musical group?

Good News is just that, it’s news that’s just too important or exciting to keep to ourselves.  If we do, how selfish is that?  As Christians, we serve a Risen Lord, who desperately seeks to be in relationship with us.  So much so, that He sent His only Son to make that relationship possible.  Sharing that Good News doesn’t need to be complicated- indeed it needs to not be complicated – simply our story of what God is doing in our lives.  People cannot deny your story, and it’s the very unique tool God has given you to share His love.  

Sharing Jesus with someone you care about so that it can change their life…will directly impact this and the next generation.  And if we all lived like we believed it’s the revolution the world needs – what a celebration that would be.  Because, to quote Reggie Joiner, ” a hundred years from now the only thing that will matter is someone’s relationship with God.”

Die Klage, die Majorlabels hätten in den 90ern die Entwicklung des Internets und seiner Möglichkeiten verpennt und gingen seit dem mit restriktiven Mitteln gegen etwas an, an dessen Spitze sie eigentlich stehen sollten ist ein alter Hut und ihr Verhalten wird nur noch von dem der GEMA getoppt, , das etwa dazu führt, dass man seit einigen Monaten von Deutschland aus Videos der meisten Major-Acts nicht mehr auf YouTube sehen kann. Dabei sind Clips doch seit jeher Marketing-Tools gewesen und somit nie unmittelbar zum Geld verdienen gedacht. Oder habe ich da was falsch verstanden?

Das Groteske ist, dass die Labels nicht nur die virtuelle Entwicklung sondern auch die Globalisierung verpennt haben und sich aufführen, als gäbe es noch Handelsgrenzen. So erschien das Album von Miike Snow hierzulande erst Ende Oktober und damit ein halbes Jahr nachdem es im Rest Europas bereits erhältlich war und als Import damit auch. Diesen Weg muss man nun auch gehen, um “Straight no chaser” von Mr Hudson in den Händen halten zu können. Dabei war die Veröffentlichung der Platte auch bei uns für Ende Oktober vorgesehen, der Clip zur Single “Supernova” lief auf den Kanälen, die man längst nicht mehr als Musikfernsehen bezeichnen kann. Die Resonanz war dem Label Universal anscheinend nicht groß genug beziehungsweise ihr Sicherheitsbedürfnis zu groß – die Veröffentlichung wurde erst Mal gecancelt, eventuell soll es im Frühjahr noch Mal versucht werden.

Dabei ist Ben Hudson kein Newcomer. Als Mr Hudson & The Library” veröffentlichte er mit seiner Band 2007 das Album “A tale of two cities”, das noch stark von Britrock und Grime beeinflusst war. Dann wurde Kanye West auf ihn aufmerksam, schrieb und produzierte mit ihm gemeinsam den Song “Paranoid” für sein Album “808s & heartbreak”, machte ihn mit Jay-Z bekannt, mit dem Hudson für dessen Album den Song “Young forever” aufnahm, und nahm ihn für sein Label GOOD Music unter Vertrag. Und schließlich tritt er auf dem Album neben “Supernova” auch bei “Anyone but him” als Gastrapper auf und betreute die Arbeiten an “Straight no chaser” als Executive Producer.

Und, oh Wunder, Mr Hudsons Album darf auch als “808s and heartbreak Part II” verstanden werden. Das bezieht sich sowohl auf die Arrangements – der Synthesizer Roland 808 mit seinen typischen Tribal-Sounds dominiert auch dieses Album, als auch auf dass Thema – wie West steht bei Hudson das Ende einer Beziehung im Zentrum, darauf verweisen schon Songtitel wie “Knew we were trouble” und “Everything is broken”. Nur Autotune mit seinem Vocoder-Effekt, den West für seinen letzten Longplayer bis zum Anschlag ausreizte, blieb diesmal weitestgehend im Schrank. Hudson hatte ihn nicht nötig, singen kann der im Gegensatz zu West.

Am Anfang stehen mit der Single und “White lies” die einzigen beiden Songs des Albums, die Hudson nicht mit produziert hat (geschrieben hat er sie alle, fünf alleine, die anderen im Team). Bei “Supernova” hielt West die Regler in der Hand und zeit erneut, dass er weiß, wie ein Hit klingen muss. Der Song ist zudem repräsentativ für das Album, dass sich weitestgehend im Midtempo-Bereich bewegt und die perkussiven Elemente in den Vordergrund stellt. Die Songs werden jeder für sich vom Refrain beziehungsweise einer prägnanten Hookline dominiert, auf die Hudson sich auch auf kürzestem Wege zubewegt.

Aus dem homogenen Sound hervor stechen nur “There will be tears”, das mit clicks ‘n’ cuts statt Tribals und eben doch einem heftigen Autotune-Einsatz aufwartet, und “Lift your head”, das kurz vor Ende des Album mit einem Reggae-Rhythmus überrascht. Es sind nicht die Highlights des Albums. Da ist neben der Single und dem Titeltrack vor allem “Learning to live”, in das sich Hudson bis zum Schreien hinein steigert, “Anyone but hin” und “Everything is broken”, ein Kollaboration mit Kid CuDi, der auch bei Wests Label unter Vertrag steht. Am Ende steht “Time” mit einer melancholischen Melodie auf dem Klavier und dem Hoffnungsschimmer “We will survive”.

“Straight no chaser” wird zu Unrecht vom Label hierzulande zurück gehalten. Es ist ein gutes Popalbum, dessen Makel allerdings die Nähe zum letzten Album Kanye Wests ist undwie es mit Kopien so ist: sie sind nie ganz so stark wie das Original.

N Dubz & Mr Hudson

After their last Vid expect somthing EPIC!

‘Against All Odds’ out next Monday!

Zur Abwechslung mal wieder ein kleiner Musiktip:
Seit dem 31.10. ist Mr Hudsons Debütalbum “Straight No Chaser” käuflich zu erwerben. Die Einflüsse von Kanye West sind definitiv nicht zu übersehen, was den einen oder anderen sicher eher abschrecken wird (Gruß an Hannes S. aus H.). Mir gefällt das Album allerdings sehr. Den Stil würde ich als eine Mischung aus Britpop und R’n'B bezeichnen. Das auf dem Album das eine oder andere Features von Kanye und CuDi zu finden ist brauche ich wohl gar nicht zu erwähnen.

30-something year old white guy from the UK spits out love songs like it’s a disease and hooks up with Mr. West for his first US release entitled Straight No Chaser. Mr. Hudson is definitely my favorite find from 2009.  You can tell his music has evolved genuinely from his first LP to the new one.  In the song “Knew We Were Trouble” he says, ” I’m just a boy from Birmingham, another imposter on a major label roster. How did I get here? No fear.” He knows who he is and he’s just living his dream. That’s what I like most about Mr. Hudson.  Plus he produced and featured on one of Jay’s best songs off of BP3, Forever Young. Did I forget to mention he has impeccable style? Check out his personal page HERE. Watch the video below of my favorite song off the new LP, Instant Messenger.

From a week ago on Cloud Nice:

Download for free here. It’s a nice little beat tape that Pleks Two (today known as Tay Sean) put together at age 17. His production most closely resembles Cali G-funk but with a Nice little Northwest twist (I’m not even sure what that means, so don’t ask me to elaborate).

Mr. Hudson- White Lies

Mr. Hudson Fea. Kanye West- Anyone But Him

“Incase You Dont Know Mr. Hudson is one of the new artist on Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music Label. Mr. Hudson appears on Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 Album song Forever Young which they will be shooting a video for in London. Check out his mixtape Straight No Chaser out now!”

Here are this week’s new music releases:

The Almost – Monster Monster
Amerie – In Love & War
Aqua – Greatest Hits
Andrea Bocelli – My Christmas
Julian Casablancas Phrazes for the Young
Steven Curtis Chapman – Beauty Will Rise
Kate Earl – Kate Earl
Fantastic Mr. Fox soundtrack album
Michael Feinstein & Cheyenne Jackson – The Power of Two
David Fray – Schubert: Moments Musicaux/Impromptus
Genitorturers – Blackheart Revolution
Girls in Trouble – Girls in Trouble
Glee: The Music, Volume 1 soundtrack album
Grandpa Elliott – Sugar Sweet [Amazon exclusive]
Kathy Griffin – Suckin’ it For the Holidays
Halford – Halford III: Winter Songs
Rickie Lee Jones – Balm In Gilead
Jonny Lang – Live at the Ryman [MP3 download only]
Sean Lennon – Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Undead film soundtrack
Ryan Leslie – Transition
The Mary Onettes – Islands
NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack, Vol. 2 soundtrack album
NOW That’s What I Call Music Volume 32 compilation album
REO Speedwagon – Not So Silent Night With REO Speedwagon
Serena Ryder – Is It O.K.
John K. Samson – City Route 85 [MP3 download only]
Say Anything – Say Anything
Michael Schenker Group – Live & Loud
Shwayze – Let It Beat
Slayer – World Painted Blood
Straight No Chaser – Christmas Cheers
The Swimmers – People Are Soft
Tone 7 – Tonality
Carrie Underwood – Play On
The Village: A Celebration of the Music of Greenwich Village compilation album
Weezer – Raditude

Love it or hate it you cannot ignore Mr. Hudson’s reinvention at the hands of Mr. Kanye West.  This weeks song of the week is the one tune on the album I cannot get out of my head, Stiff Upper Lip.

It’s a melancholy song about the moment before the break up, and what happens next, “Now i’m walking back to our place / which is soon to be your place…” he bemoans at the start, then goes on to talk about arguments and camping outside at his mates place.

This all makes for a very heartfelt record (and probably one of the only times Auto-Tune does not sound retarded!).

Soulside Funk

I’m loving these videos. Click here to read my “Straight No Chaser” album review.

personally, i saw some shots there that i think would have made better cover shots. still a dope cover, just not a fan of the font. luckily the album is every bit as amazing as it should be.

- panda