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Mike McCray
Thursday, June 10, 2010
News / Mike McCray NEW MUSIC: The Roots + John Legend
Posted By Mike McCray on Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 3:41 PM
I'm sure I'm not the only one jealous of everyone who got to partake in the glory that was The Roots picnic last weekend in Philly (att, asd, assf and more) but the band is not leaving us hanging. With the release of their new album, How I Got Over, swiftly approaching on June 22, new tracks are streaming out.
"The Fire" features John Legend and will be Track 11 on their upcoming LP. Some may remember hearing it before when The Roots rocked the Winter Olympics in Vancouver earlier this year, but this inspiring jam will surely be blaring out of arenas and put to some highlight reels in the very near future. I wouldn't move over "Stronger" as this generations' go-to motivational song just yet, but it's not bad. Video in the works as well.
Check it out.
The Roots - The Fire (Feat. John Legend) <-- click here to play.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
CD Reviews / Mike McCray / News Mixtape review: Cee-Lo's Stray Bullets
Posted By Mike McCray on Tue, Jun 8, 2010 at 4:17 PM
The Deal: Yet another Down South hip hop icon jumps into the mixtape game but this one's a little different.
The Good: Who else can have Goodie Mob and The B-52's on the same project? Seriously.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Live Reviews / Mike McCray / News Live Review: Carlitta Durand
Posted By Mike McCray on Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 1:49 PM
Carlitta Durand
Wine Up
April 29, 2010
The Deal: After backing up the Grammy-nominated, The Foreign Exchange, Durham native Carlitta Durand steps into the solo spotlight in one of Charlotte's most soulful rooms.
The Good: She was cheery, personable, jazzy and soulful. Keep her set moving without it feeling rushed. Her backing band, Fat Snacks, was dope but she managed to build an instant rapport with a saxophonist on-stage she'd never worked with before who added touches to her songs that her (and the crowd) seemed to enjoy. While her originals were cool, she shined in covering Andre 3000's "Prototype" and Jill Scott's "He Loves Me."
Geeks will appreciate the social media touches as she live streamed the show on UStream via iPhone.
The Bad: Crowd participation was spotty. Whether it was chatty women talking about their day over glasses of wine or the guys racking up on the pool table, the show had it's fair share of distractions. Backing vocals seemed louder than the main mic early on, a problem that was sured up after a few songs.
The Verdict: Not quite North Carolina's answer to Jill Scott but definitely a talent you'll appreciate more after seeing in person.
Setlist:
Flashing Lights (Cover)
Out of Love
A New Life
Thinking of You
Her
Falling
Always (My Lost Love)
Prototype (Cover)
Alright
He Loves Me (Cover)
American Boy (Cover)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Videos / Mike McCray / News Video: M.I.A.'s "Born Free"
Posted By Mike McCray on Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 2:18 PM
And you thought Eryukah Badu's little stroll in the nude caused controversy... The video for M.I.A's song, "Born Free" has already been banned from YouTube in the States for its graphic images. There's full front nudity, people getting beaten, redheaded kids being chased through mine fields and some other pretty graphic shit that I won't ruin for you, but needless to say, it's crazy.
As far as the song goes, umm, don't see this one being the radio friendly club/banger "Paper Planes" was, but I highly doubt that's what she was shooting for either.
NSFW, watch with caution. Anybody that cares even the slightest about kids, may not want to click play.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Opinion / Mike McCray / News Alice in Chains' new audience?
Posted By Mike McCray on Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 11:56 AM
Living in the immediate proximity of The Fillmore and Uptown Amphitheatre means overhearing good (and bad) concerts from time to time.
Overhearing Alice In Chains the other night, while jarring, wasn't all bad, but the funniest part for me had to be after the show when I was taking my high school-age cousin home after the show (he was working) and he was trying to figure out how he knew songs from a band that formed before he was born and has only put out one, maybe two albums in his lifetime.
It was about midway through the drive that we both figured it out.
Alice In Chains shares common ground with 2Pac, Nas, Pantera and even B.o.B as artists featured on last year's Madden video game. What's funny about songs on Madden is that it'll expose and make you sit through music you'd otherwise skip without hesitation but because it's part of the game you go along with it, a lot of times embedding it in your brain so much that you sing it during the day.
How else would a Black teenager from a neighborhood that's about as hood as Charlotte gets know Alice in Chains' "Them Bones" by heart?
So yeah, Alice in Chains...meet your new fan base!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Opinion / Mike McCray / News The local video dilemma
Posted By Mike McCray on Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 3:27 PM
I grew up on the tail end of the music videos generation. The flop on the couch and waste a day watching music video days have come and gone and, sure, sitting on YouTube to see what new videos are out is cool but it's not the same.
It does present a unique conundrum for the local artist though, especially those who have grown up in the "real" MTV era where the thing artists do when they have a new single is shoot the video.
I usually tell artists if you don't have the budget, or anything funny/cool/creative for a viral video, skip the video all together because there's nothing you can do to help yourself. It's my respect for local artists that won't allow me to use this blog to clown some of their frankly shit-tastic videos I've been tagged in or sent lately.
I'm talking '80s green screen in the mall bad without the irony and we're in on the joke part. These guys were completely serious and the problem lies in how they've been presented media in the past versus how the industry works now.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Live Reviews / setlist / Mike McCray / News Live review: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Posted By Mike McCray on Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 3:35 PM
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Amos' Southend
April 10, 2010
The Deal: Arguably legendary rap quintet graces the stage minus Flesh-N-Bone (who was picked up on a felony warrant two weeks ago), but nonetheless efficient.
The Good: The audience was nuts! Seriously one of the loudest, most excited crowds I've ever seen at Amos' (that's Nas, Mos Def, Talib & Goodie Mob included). From start to finish, other than brief lull for one of their "younger cats" to do a song or two, Bone had an extremely engaged audience that rocked with them the entire time. It was crazy to see a rap audience especially that didn't have to be sold over.
BTNH knows they have a catalog of hits and was smart to spread those out over the duration of the set, but to see the crowd's positive response to their new material, you knew that the people there were mostly diehard fans, not casual listeners. If Bizzy Bone wanted to dive off the stage and crowd surf, he would've been caught and supported with ease.
Friday, April 9, 2010
News / Mike McCray / Local Leak Local Leak: The Otherside & Haz Solo's Laundry Day EP
Posted By Mike McCray on Fri, Apr 9, 2010 at 12:09 PM
The formation of The Otherside is a story only possible in the digital-music era.
How else would guys on opposite sides of the country, who didn't go to college together, had never met or crossed paths, get together to create music that sounded like they had been in the same room collaborating for years? Thank the Internet.
Sauce Fonda, a Charlotte native and the group's featured producer, found Keno online and, after hearing just four songs on his MySpace page, decided to hit him up to collaborate. A point he downplays as, "being bored."
Whatever the circumstances, the Sacramento, Calif., based MC obliged and the two have been working as a group since 2007.
theOTHERSIDE & Haz Solo - Hold It Down <— Click to listen.
"Hold It Down" is the group's favorite song from their new EP, Laundry Day, which dropped on Monday. It features cuts from DJ Jun and rapper Haz Solo adding some Midwest (Milwaukee to be exact) flavor to the Carolina-Cali connection. This sample and horn heavy track has some Cool Kid-y lyrics and a classic, upbeat hip-hop feel which producer, Sauce Fonda, says is different from his normal, laid back, soul sample-driven tracks.
"I was going for some real hype shit," said Sauce Fonda. "I heard the sample [and] chopped it up like it was nothing, sent it to Keno and he went nuts."
You can download the Laundry Day EP here. To hear more of The Otherside's previous projects, visit http://theotherside.bandcamp.com/
The group says they'll make some decisions about moving forward with an album based on the popularity and response to this EP.
News / Mike McCray / Local Leak Local Leak: Haji Basim's "I Rocked A Letter"
Posted By Mike McCray on Fri, Apr 9, 2010 at 11:02 AM
Charlotte may not be able to produce a rapper ready for the big time, but there's something in the water around here that kicks out good, soul artists consistently.
Haji Basim is a rising acoustic soul artist calling the Queen City home after performing a ton down in Atlanta, up in Seattle and all over the East Coast. His musical exploration as a student at Johnson C. Smith University was the driving force behind the blend of urban folk music he does now and you'll hear influences of folk, soul, hip hop, flamenco, bossa nova and neo soul in his songs.
The singer/songwriter grew up in a deeply religious home where secular music was a no-no but you could never tell with the sincerity in his music and lyrics. We got his latest song, "I Rocked A Letter" this week and had to share it with you.
Haji Basim - I Rocked A Letter <-- Click here to play.
This track rocks like a soulful lullaby, that fits perfectly with this good weather we've been having. Basim described the origins of the song as "meeting someone and feeling things about them from the very beginning, that words would seem unable and to soon to convey." I don't know about the women you all know, but I'm sure most of them would take this sort of thing over a plain, old 'I like you' any day.
For those that missed him last Friday at The Evening Muse and his listening party last Saturday, you can check out his new album, Urban Folk, Acoustic Garden, Vol. 1, here.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Opinion / Mike McCray / News Bobcats success + a memorable soundtrack
Posted By Mike McCray on Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 1:50 PM
After a close win over the the former Charlotte Hornets last night, the Charlotte Bobcats are in the playoffs for the first time ever. Luckily, I get the opportunity to look back at one of my favorite movies as a kid and, arguably, one of the best soundtracks of the last 15 years, because of it's close ties with the team.
Space Jam starred Bobcats majority owner Michael Jordan and came out in 1996, better known as 4th grade for me. The soundtrack for the movie went 6x platinum, hitting double-platinum within two months of it's release.
What was crazy about this album was how good it was, especially the music for a fairly silly, kids movie. No teeny boopers on this one, luckily it was pre-Britney Spears and the Boy Band boom, this album had really good artists singing good songs, only a few actually pertained to basketball.
