2006 - A Musical Year In Review


It is amazing how quickly a year can go by. Before the year ends, through the news, entertainment programs, and the like we will be reminded of all that has taken place this past year.

We would be remiss if part of that moment of reflection didn’t include taking a look back at the year in music.

There were some great if not interesting achievements in music this year.

For example, for the Oscar’s category of Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original Song), Three 6 Mafia became the first African American rap group to win this award with “Its Hard out Here for a Pimp” for the movie Hustle & Flow.

But the world of music experienced loss as well.

Some of music’s greats that have fallen asleep in death were: James Brown, Gerald Levert, Wilson Pickett, Billy Preston, June Pointer and Lou Rawls. All made significant contributions to the world of music and will truly be missed.

Like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, music is to the ear of the listener. And of course no retrospective is truly complete without providing a list of what was hot and what was not.

I decided to share my list (in no particular order) of CD’s that were released this year that were hot and should definitely be in one’s music collection or at least taken note of. I also was curious to know if some of my choices matched up with some of the industry’s “professional picks.” I was pleasantly surprised that some of my selections did make their lists.

I guess I am on my way to being a real pro.

Here are some of my top picks for the 06.

· Chris Brown – Chris Brown
· Corrine Bailey Rae – Corrine Bailey Rae
· Game Theory – The Roots
· In My Own Words – NeYo
· Kingdom Come – Jay -Z
· Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor – Lupe Fiasco
· Moments Like This – Carol Riddick
· Once Again – John Legend
· Seasons of Life – Janita
· Testimony: Vol. 1 Life & Relationships – India.Arie
· The Breakthrough – Mary J. Blige
· The Evolution of Robin Thicke – Robin Thicke
· The Healing – Strange Fruit Project
· The Red Clay Chronicles – Anthony David

Until next time, peace.

In the Thicke of It

Evolution is defined as:

1. A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form.

2. Robin Thicke.

The Evolution of Robin Thicke, the second release, by Robin Thicke demonstrates that musically an artist and his music can change into a different, more complex and better form.

Although a newcomer to some of us, Robin Thicke has long been honing his craft since he was 12 years old and is showing us that he is a musical man. With a soulful sound and vocal styling reminiscent of Marvin Gaye, you will be transported into another dimension of musical pleasure.

The first track had my attention instantly. A smooth and funky little duet with the lovely Faith Evans, entitled Got 2 Be Down. This track had a retro – Motown feel to it and captivates your interest for what is to come next.

What came next was a jazz influenced love song called Complicated. Here Robin uses his falsetto style that is accompanied by an arrangement that not only punctuates his vocals but allows the warmth of this song to come through. This track is not too complicated to enjoy.

Would That Make You Love Me is the third track. This song is a bit more up tempo. What I like about this song is the acoustic feel that really sets the tone for the entire song. The guitar is the driving force and all of the other musical instruments just add an accent, but then there remains this subtleness. It’s a subtleness that allows you to feel his plea to find out just what it would take to get the object of his affection to love him in return.

The current single, Lost Without You is another charismatic ballad that whisks you off to the islands with its sound and just pulls you in.

The Evolution is not just filled with smooth ballads. Tracks like Shooter and All Night Long featuring Lil Wayne, and Wanna Love U Girl change the pace of the cd and gives it an edge.

The evolutionary journey ends with a beautiful ballad entitled Angel, which I think hands down is the sleeper song of this collection. This one just allows me to close my eyes and drift away.

If you were ever to ask me do I believe in the theory of evolution, I would immediately tell you no.

Do I believe in the Evolution of Robin Thicke – absolutely!