Sometimes, your family knows me better than I know myself. I told people 'don't buy me any Cd's for Christmas, because I always end up spending a bunch of money before Christmas on the mix Cd's I like to make and give people for the holidays. In the past couple of years, people have bought me specific Cd's, and in some cases I have already owned those Cd's, or had other Cd's a little higher on my list, and I end up taking back the Cd's (or in my sister's case last year, forcing her to go back down to Fat Beats in the Village to return them herself). But both my sister and sister-in-law saw past my bluster and bought me iTunes gift cards. Perfect! While my sister-in-law didn't have any specific recommendations for her $25 gift card, my sister noted on hers that it was '$15 for 15 songs - make it a great CD!' Well, OK! Here's the 15 songs I got (in alphabetical order):
1. Charles Hamilton - Brooklyn Girls - Honey, did I ever tell you I grew up in Brooklyn?
2. Jazmine Sullivan - Bust Your Windows - Loved the first song of hers I downloaded, 'Need U Bad.' And who doesn't like to hear a woman sing about committing violent crimes?
3. John Legend - Green Light f/ Andre 3000 - For some reason, John Legend always slips below my radar. But not today!
4. Kings of Leon - A friend at work told me about these guys awhile back, and I liked the interview I read about them in Blender this year. I also considered the more popular 'Sex on Fire,' but liked this one a bit more.
5. Lily Allen - The Fear - Lily's back! The long awaited single to her sophomore album, which drops this February. There is a lot of good stuff to look forward to in 2009 - Eminem, Big Boi, Outkast, Andre 3000, Raekwon, RZA, U2, Kelly Clarkson (well, my wife is excited about it...), Clipse and Missy Elliott, but Lily Allen's album is definitely on the top of my list. I'm already laughing at the name of the album: It's Not Me, It's You
6. Lykke Li - Little Bit - This girl was a critical darling of my three most trusted music sources - Blender, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. We'll see...
7. Main Source - Live at the BBQ f/ Nas, Joe Fatal and Akinyele- The song that launched Nas' career way back in the day. For some reason, I never had it.
8. MGMT - Time To Pretend - Another 2008 critical darling. This one rocks, though it's hard to picture the guys in the picture rockin' like this. Oh well, don't judge a book by it's cover.
9. O'Neal McKnight - Check Your Coat - Saw this one in Rolling Stone, kind of a new-style Michael Jackson. And he's Diddy and Jermaine Dupri approved, because they did a remix of the song.
10. Pete Rock & CL Smooth - They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) - Another classic that somehow wasn't in the collection.
11. Teyana Taylor - Google Me - Hilarious. Watch the video clip. Even hilarious'er.
12. The Knux - Cappuccino - These guys are going to get a long look later, but I'll start with this one.
13. TV on the Radio - Golden Age - More Brooklyn guys!
14. Usher - Love In This Club, Pt. 2 f/ Beyonce & Lil' Wayne - Some have said this version is better than the original. While I don't agree, it's certainly a top notch remix.
15. Young Jeezy - Put On f/ Kanye West - Jeezy always delivers with the big singles. I kind of think of him as a sort of latter-day Naughty by Nature. If I buy his whole album, I'm bound to be disappointed, but he always delivers with the "anthem" songs.
With the rest of my $$$, I completed the following three albums:
- The Alchemist - The Alchemist's Cookbook - It's an EP, but Al's always got good stuff.
- Black Milk - Tronic - Love this guy's beats.
- Santogold - Santogold - She was a breakout star of sorts this year. Needed to get the whole thing, especially since it was only $8 to start with, and $7 when I completed it (I had bought L.E.S. Artistes previously). Why was it $2 cheaper than a normal iTunes album? I don't know, and I don't care...
I also got The deluxe version of the iPod Touch version of Lux. It's like Risk, and I think it's safe to say that I'm hooked on it! This actually took me to like $43, so I cheated a little, but it's okay. Thanks again ladies, the money was put to good use!
1. Charles Hamilton - Brooklyn Girls - Honey, did I ever tell you I grew up in Brooklyn?
2. Jazmine Sullivan - Bust Your Windows - Loved the first song of hers I downloaded, 'Need U Bad.' And who doesn't like to hear a woman sing about committing violent crimes?
3. John Legend - Green Light f/ Andre 3000 - For some reason, John Legend always slips below my radar. But not today!
4. Kings of Leon - A friend at work told me about these guys awhile back, and I liked the interview I read about them in Blender this year. I also considered the more popular 'Sex on Fire,' but liked this one a bit more.
5. Lily Allen - The Fear - Lily's back! The long awaited single to her sophomore album, which drops this February. There is a lot of good stuff to look forward to in 2009 - Eminem, Big Boi, Outkast, Andre 3000, Raekwon, RZA, U2, Kelly Clarkson (well, my wife is excited about it...), Clipse and Missy Elliott, but Lily Allen's album is definitely on the top of my list. I'm already laughing at the name of the album: It's Not Me, It's You
6. Lykke Li - Little Bit - This girl was a critical darling of my three most trusted music sources - Blender, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. We'll see...
7. Main Source - Live at the BBQ f/ Nas, Joe Fatal and Akinyele- The song that launched Nas' career way back in the day. For some reason, I never had it.
8. MGMT - Time To Pretend - Another 2008 critical darling. This one rocks, though it's hard to picture the guys in the picture rockin' like this. Oh well, don't judge a book by it's cover.
9. O'Neal McKnight - Check Your Coat - Saw this one in Rolling Stone, kind of a new-style Michael Jackson. And he's Diddy and Jermaine Dupri approved, because they did a remix of the song.
10. Pete Rock & CL Smooth - They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) - Another classic that somehow wasn't in the collection.
11. Teyana Taylor - Google Me - Hilarious. Watch the video clip. Even hilarious'er.
12. The Knux - Cappuccino - These guys are going to get a long look later, but I'll start with this one.
13. TV on the Radio - Golden Age - More Brooklyn guys!
14. Usher - Love In This Club, Pt. 2 f/ Beyonce & Lil' Wayne - Some have said this version is better than the original. While I don't agree, it's certainly a top notch remix.
15. Young Jeezy - Put On f/ Kanye West - Jeezy always delivers with the big singles. I kind of think of him as a sort of latter-day Naughty by Nature. If I buy his whole album, I'm bound to be disappointed, but he always delivers with the "anthem" songs.
With the rest of my $$$, I completed the following three albums:
- The Alchemist - The Alchemist's Cookbook - It's an EP, but Al's always got good stuff.
- Black Milk - Tronic - Love this guy's beats.
- Santogold - Santogold - She was a breakout star of sorts this year. Needed to get the whole thing, especially since it was only $8 to start with, and $7 when I completed it (I had bought L.E.S. Artistes previously). Why was it $2 cheaper than a normal iTunes album? I don't know, and I don't care...
I also got The deluxe version of the iPod Touch version of Lux. It's like Risk, and I think it's safe to say that I'm hooked on it! This actually took me to like $43, so I cheated a little, but it's okay. Thanks again ladies, the money was put to good use!