Nas - Life Is Good CD

Life Is Good buy CD music It doesn't take much listening to Amy Winehouse's 1960s pop period piece to realize that this is a tribute with an edge--nice girls back then didn't sing about boozing and rehab. Since her 2003 debut album, FRANK, Winehouse has been a frequent presence on the gossip pages of the U.K. tabloids, and her songwriting here candidly reflects her experiences with drinking, sex, and drugs. BACK TO BLACK's production is an artful blend of sophisticated '60s R&B and 21st-century stylistic poaching, with "Tears Dry on Their Own" incorporating elements of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," and Winehouse sounding like Billie Holiday fronting a reggae band on the old-fashioned cheating song "Just Friends." Densely packed with musical history and often conjuring a dark, Portishead-esque atmosphere, BACK TO BLACK is a sumptuous-sounding collection freighted with blunt confessionals of a lush life. Recording information: Allido Studios; Chung King Studios; Daptone Studios; Instrument Zoo, Miami, FL; metropolis Studios, London, England; Rapking Studios. Photographer: Harry "Rockbarry" Benson. Arrangers: Mark Ronson; Gabriel Roth. Personnel: Amy Winehouse (guitar, background vocals); Vincent Henry (guitar, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, piano, celesta); Salaam Remi (guitar, piano, upright bass, bass guitar, drums); Binky Griptite, Thomas Brenneck (guitar); Steve Sidwell (harp, trumpet); Helen Tunstall (harp); Perry Mason, Pigott Smith, Tom, Warren Zielinski, Liz Edwards, Mark Berrow, Christopher Tombling, Peter Hanson , Peter G. Hanson, Boguslaw Kostecki, Everton Nelson, Johnathan Rees (violin); Jon Thorne, Kate Wilkinson, Rachel Bolt, Bruce White (viola); John Heley, Joely Koos, Anthony Pleeth (cello); Andrew MacKintosh, Chris Davies (alto saxophone); Jamie Talbot, Mike Smith , Neal Sugarman (tenor saxophone); Ian Hendrickson-Smith, Cochemea Gastelum, Dave Bishop (baritone saxophone); Bruce Purse (trumpet, bass trumpet, flugelhorn); Dave Guy (trumpet); Richard Edwards (tenor trombone); Victor Axelrod (piano, Wurlitzer organ, hand claps); John Adams (Fender Rhodes piano); Nick Movshon (bass guitar); Troy Auxilly-Wilson, Homer Steinweiss (drums); Mark Ronson (tambourine, hand claps); Vaughan Merrick ...

Life Is Good album for sale Recording information: 54 Sound, Detroit, MI; Chevy Shack Studios, Atlanta, GA; Doppler Studios, Atlanta, GA; Heaven Studios, Queens, NY; Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, FL; Konkast Recording Studios, Atlanta, GA; Patchwerk Studios, Atlanta, GA; Silent Sound Studios, Atlanta, GA; Sunland Music Studio, Gambia, West Africa; The Green Room, Atlanta, GA; Track Record Studios, Los Angeles, CA; TransContinental Studios, Orlando, FL; Tree Sound Studios, Atlanta, GA; ZAC Recording Studios, Atlanta, GA. Photographer: Jonathan Mannion. Arranger: Aliaune "Akon" Thiam. Personnel: Tony Love (guitar); Giorgio Tuinfort (keyboards, programming); Luis Resto (keyboards); Michael Butler (drums); Hakim Abdulsamad (programming, background vocals); Dwight Reynolds "Skrapp", L.S. Troo, Eminem, Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Benny- D. (programming). Audio Mixers: Aliaune "Akon" Thiam; Eminem; Mark "Exit" Goodchild; Leslie Brathwaite.

Life Is Good CD music Nasir Jones's controversially untitled LP follows the impressive trifecta of GOD'S SON, STREET'S DISCIPLE, and HIP-HOP IS DEAD. This latest record leans on gritty, often metallic production and a mission of personal catharsis, often in congress with a current sociopolitical pointedness. Nas's most aggressive eviscerations are saved for the hard-rocking rampage of "Sly Fox," which stands up for Ludacris and other MCs assaulted by conservative pundits, as if playing the role of the protective older brother. But for all the album's candid nihilism, perhaps the most moving moment is still one of hope, as articulated on "Black President." Poignantly sampling a 2Pac lyric about it seeming "heaven sent," Nas ponders the pros and cons of Obama's ascension. And the use of Shakur's words serves as a way for Nas to communicate a message to the fellow free-thinkers who inspired him, but who didn't live to see such progress in the face of relative chaos. Recording information: Cinematic Studios, New York, NY; Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY; Encore Studios, Burbank, CA; Legacy Recording Studio, New York, NY; Manhattan Center Studios, New York, NY; NRG Recording Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Patchwerk Recording, Atlanta, GA; Roc The Mic Studios, New York, NY; Royal Z Entertainment, Westlake Studios, Los Angeles, C; SoundTrap Studios, Atlanta, GA; The Record Room, N. Miami, FL; Touch 510 Studios, S. Orange, NJ; Warrior Studios; Westlake Audio, Hollywood, CA. Arranger: Stic.man. Personnel: Johnny Polygon, Stic.man (vocals); J. Myers (guitar, background vocals); Kevin Mayer, Binky Griptite, Thomas Brenneck (guitar); Eddie Montilla, Idalia String Ensemble (strings); Neal Sugarman (tenor saxophone); Ian Hendrickson (baritone saxophone); Bruce Purse (horns, background vocals); Vincent Henry (horns); Victor Axelrod (piano); Brian Kennedy, Mikuak Rai, Jason Perry (keyboards); Homer Steinweiss (drums). Audio Mixers: John Frye; Kevin Crouse; Mark Batson; Phil Tan; Billy Hume; Keri Hilson.

Life Is Good songs Def Jam's contracted edition of Frank Ocean's Nostalgia, Ultra never materialized. The label nonetheless released two of the mixtape's songs as singles. One of them, "Novacane," clashed with everything else on the radio, reached the Top 20 of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and crossed into the Hot 100. The singer's presence spread with appearances on Goblin, 4, Watch the Throne, and The OF Tape, Vol. 2. He then completed this album with Malay, Om'Mas Keith, and Pharrell as his co-producers. Journalists present at June pre-release listening events speculated that some of the lyrics revealed Ocean's bisexuality. Ocean subsequently published a screen shot of a document, dated December 27, 2011, that included details of a crushing romantic relationship with a male. Ocean also revealed that he wrote for the sake of his sanity and credited his inner circle: "I'm sure these people kept me alive, kept me safe." One listen to Channel Orange makes it obvious that he is as free as an artist as he is as a man. The album doesn't have as many slyly powerful hooks as Nostalgia, Ultra, but Ocean's descriptive and subtle storytelling is taken to a higher level. He's up there with Bilal. As easy as it is to listen to Ocean's voice in long stretches -- he's casually expressive -- the number of deep ruminations over slow tempos requires some patience. Even the lone song that could be termed a banger is a ten-minute suite that takes 90 seconds to get on the floor; the song with the widest and most creative scope as well, "Pyramid" shifts from "my black Queen Cleopatra" and ancient Egypt (over swift synth funk) to "Your love ain't free no more" and a strip club (over booming, low-profile slickness). The lighter moments, such as the loose and bright "Sweet Life" and the relatively exuberant "Monks," both of which would be standouts on any N.E.R.D. album, offer more than bright coating, dealing in surrealism and sharp observations that are equally penetrating. On the other end, the most personal song is "Bad Religion," a phenomenal brokenhearted ballad consisting of organ, piano, strings, and handclaps: "This unrequited love/To me it's nothing but a one-man cult/And cyanide in my Styrofoam cup." Everything that falls between, counting the rumbling drug dependency tale "Crack Rock," the snapping/swooning "Pilot Jones," and the longing falsetto shuffle "Thinkin Bout You," is vivid and worthy of complete immersion. ~ Andy Kellman Liner Note Author: Frank Ocean. Recording information: East West Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Manhattan Sound Recording, New York, NY; San Ysidro, Beverly Hills, CA; Studio For The Talented & Gifted, Los Angeles, CA; the Record Plant, Hollywood, CA; Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA. Photographer: Nabil Elderkin. Personnel: Frank Ocean (keyboards); J. Ryan "Malay" Ho (guitars, brass, keyboards, programming, background vocals); Taylor Johnson, John Mayer , André 3000, Charlie Hunter (guitars); Dave Eggar , Chuck Palmer , Sara Parkins (strings); Francisco Torres, Irvin Mayfield (brass); Pharrell Williams (keyboards, programming); Om'Mas Keith (keyboards, background vocals); Shea Taylor, Jeff Babko (keyboards); Matt Chamberlain (drums, programming); Stacy Barthe, Lalah Hathaway, Raymond Buck, Juliet Buck, Elizabeth Paige, Danielle Miranda-Simms, Crimson Tide Cheerleaders, Auntie Rosie (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Frank Ocean; J. Ryan "Malay" Ho; Mark "Spike" Stent; Jeff Ellis.

Life Is Good album for sale Mos Def's 2009 release (and Downtown Records debut), THE ECSTATIC, spent a significant time simmering. After releasing the critically acclaimed BLACK ON BOTH SIDES in 1999, featuring its near-perfect balance of hooks and innovative genre-bending, Mos journeyed deep into the unknown on the experimental THE NEW DANGER. 2006's TRUE MAGIC, while containing some solid tracks, was more of an afterthought to fulfill a label contract. However, the Mos Def on THE ECSTATIC feels like Mos Def Engaged, as the hip-hop wordsmith from Brooklyn lays down some sharp invectives over backdrops both inventive and downright groovy, beats set down by Madlib, Oh No, and many other greats of the game. Most of all, Mos is just having fun frolicking in the fertile fields of his love for hip-hop, tossing offhand references to Run-DMC, Outkast, Ultramagnetic MC's, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, and others, and it ends on the single "Casa Bey," a relaxed and defiant jazzy party of an artist who knows he's come into his own.

Life Is Good CD music Opening with a horror movie intro, where chainsaws roar and heads fly, Slaughterhouse's major-label debut instantly feels like an Eminem album. Of course, it's on his label Shady, he is the executive producer, and one track later, he's on the cut "Our House" with his "Love the Way You Lie" co-star Skylar Grey providing the hook, and while it's a formula that works for his group D12, Slaughterhouse is comprised of respected veterans, as in Joe Budden, Joel Ortiz, Crooked I, and Royce da 5'9". This determined crew righteously tore things up on their self-titled debut, an album which fed on a "world won't listen"-style anger, which here has evolved into a credible strut, with successful folks like Busta Rhymes acting as their equal on the electro-pumping highlight "Coffin." Swizz Beatz sees the group as the monied dons of the strip club during the top party cut "Throw It Away" as lesbians get "piped" and flying thongs land in champagne glasses. Still in the club, "Throw That" sits in the same booth but seeking "higher mileage" with "I throw this, I throw this dick on you girl" as its brutish hook. Elsewhere, it's the hilarious "Her pussy hotter than a chili pepper/I tell her laydown, and give it away, give it away now" on the aptly titled "Frat House," and then there's "Flip a Bird," a solid anchor for the surprisingly hedonistic album, hitting the group's sweet spot with its light hook and complex word play. "My Life" with Cee-Lo Green, and the concealed weapon "Hammer Dance" ("two-steppin with my weapon on") are right there too, while "Get Up" is an amazing showcase for the crew's clever use of cadence -- check how the words bounce back and forth during the chorus. Still hormones, honeys, home boys, hopes, dreams, horror, Eminem, and the state of hip-hop is a lot to shove into an album, and with both the group and their superstar label boss known for wearing their ambition on their sleeve, there's an over-eager overflow here that means some details got missed. Crotch-grabbing tracks might crash into a convincing emo-rap number and these proven wordsmiths might have left more room for guests and hooks than they probably should have, but just because their indie debut was a more cohesive showcase doesn't mean the joy and pain of Welcome to Our House isn't worth the required sorting. ~ David Jeffries Recording information: 934 Studios, Totowa, NJ; Black Key Studios; DPA Studios, Detroit, MI; DPA Studios, Oak Park, MI; Effigy Studios; Jungle City Studios, New York, NY; Parhelion Recording Studios, Atlanta, GA. Photographer: Chad Griffith.