For lack of anything better to do and rather than put my dearly purchased research skills to the test trying to find out if anyone ever put out an album called Saxual Healing, I submit this, my random Friday top ten:
1) Porter Wagoner: Eleven Cent Cotton - This is a fine if unimaginative song about being a poor farmer in the South. Yawn. I'll give it a 6.0 for the fine playing of The Boys, who are actually Marty Stuart's band, The Fabulous Superlatives.
2) King Sunny Ade: Sunny Special- Alright, I love JuJu music, you love JuJu music, hell, everybody loves Juju music, but this song is too long. It goes on and on and on. It sounds like the Allman Brothers plus talking drums. In this song's defense, it is a medley of diferent songs. But it is still too long and it doesn't make me want to boogie. I give it a 5.0.
3) The Rosebuds: Night of the Furies- I really really liked The Rosebuds first two albums but the new one is pretty lame. This song is not one of the better songs from an already lame album. Sorry kids, but I'm gonna give it a 5.0.
4) Kamala Walker: Street Talkin'- Kamala Walker is a fake jazz musician, one of dozens of Madlib's pseudonyms. That said, this track is unbelievably cool and funky and just...well, it's really good. It gets a 9.0.
5) Midtown Dickens: Tetris- This is not my favorite Midtown Dickens song, though I imagine it is a crowd pleaser at their live shows. The song is about (you guessed it) Tetris. And maybe something deeper. Or maybe not. However, it is childish and fun and almost as catchy as the original theme music to Tetris itself. I'll give it a 7.0.
6) The Dynamics: I Want To Thank You- An ok song by a great band. The Dynamics were a deep soul band from Detroit back in the day. I don't think they ever recorded anything horrible. This is a 7.0.
7) Ex-Members- Into The Nite- Another Durham band, this song is great fun slab of gay dance club power. Right up there with the best Le Tigre. Awesome. A 9.0.
8) Devon Russell- Roots Natty- A perfect example of classic scary roots reggae, coming from the hills to the dancehalls. This song sounds armed to me. I give it an 8.0.
9) Battles- Race:In- I'm still getting used to this band, but I do dig their quirky little demented machine music in small doses. This is a fun whistling song. 8.0.
10) Bobby Quesada- Bataola Boogaloo- Tremendous salsa on the newly resurgent Fania label. All of you New Yorkers interested in your city's cultural and musical heritage should look into the new Fania releases. Everyone else should buy a Puerto Rican flag for their front porch, turn up this song and dance the night away. I especially love Bobby's vocal interjections; he sounds like a Latino Fred Schneider. This is a 9.0.
The average score was a 7.3. Which is not bad, but then again, I did pick the music.
