What I’m Listening To: April 2011

Cee Lo Green: The Lady Killer - I hesitated on this album at first because of my natural proclivity toward avoiding what everyone else thinks is cool. But, then, there's usually a reason that they think it's cool. The 30 second samples on Amazon didn't really get me going on it, but then it's hard to take something this massive out of context. It's a great piece of art that reminds me a lot of John Legend, but with more funk. Download:" Bright Lights Bigger City", (The Song Otherwise Known as "Forget You"), "Love Gun".

Brian Wilson: Smile - I think that if it had been released in 1966 as originally intended, this record would have cemented the Beach Boys reputations as on par with (perhaps surpassing) The Beatles. It is lightyears ahead of its time. Well, it would have been. It's release in 2004 subjected it to the "benefits" of modern record-making. While it is still full of heart and soul, I doubt that it maintains all the ethos that it once had. Download: "Heroes and Villains", "Good Vibrations", and "Surf's Up".

Looking Glass: Looking Glass - Ok, I'm not really listening to the Looking Glass record. But I'm absolutely digging "Brandy", just as I always have. Best quote from YouTube regarding the track - "Silly girl though Brandy, falling for a Sailor. Find yourself a nice regular guy like Fireman or an Electrician or something, LOL". Download: "Brandy"