Day 18 - Blaxploitation and Boredom

Ginuwine - The Bachelor
Let me say it and get it over with ... stupid name. Right, onto the music. I suppose if you are a fan of this genre (what is these days called R+B) then you'll like this. Big fat .. I'm sorry, "phat" bass and drums, underpinning a mixture of rap, melody, and generally lots of songs about bumping, grinding, and buttering up muffins. Nothing here to see really, just your regular R+B fayre with nothing to write home about or stand out from the rest in the cookie cutter bland bucket of hormone riddled drum and bass.
Standout Tracks: Unsurprisingly, none.


Marvin Gaye - What's Going on
What's happening brother! Parts of me like motown, larger parts don't, but there is absolutely no denying the talent on display on this short album. Funky beats, groovy percussions and interesting arrangements abound all over the record, and Gaye has a very easy voice to listen to (and quite a range on him). In particular, Save the Children breaks into a real nice fast jazz break in the middle before settling into what today you'd call a Jamiroquai-esque funk (although the influence is very obviously the other way around, I'm not that daft). Gaye's vocals often disappear a little into over indulgence, but the relentless bass and percussion push the record on and make it something you can definitely tap your foot to. On the whole, a great album, whose influence can be felt still down the years. This album is definitely a keeper.
Standout Tracks: What's Going on, Save the Children, Right On, Inner City Blues


Global Communication - 76:14
This doesn't bode well. Apparently the title is the total length of the album, a rather eclectic collection of ambient sounds. Oh well I'll give it a try. At least the artists forewarn the listener as to how long they are going to be bored. I can see why someone might like this, but seriously? I don't. It's a sequence of repeating keyboard sound effects with some chunky rich chords being played as a backdrop. Perhaps if I lay back on the grass and looked at the clouds while listening to this it would make more sense to me, but that's not an option. It's music that doesn't do anything, or go anywhere, just rambles on incessantly adding the occasional scratch, whistle, or fake choir noise to the background keyboard noodling. Dull.
Standout Tracks: The last one. Because it finishes after that.