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The Low End Theory(more) »rank: 5341by: A Tribe Called Quest
: essential recording:De La Soul are remembered as the premier Native Tongues posse, those rappers who got low-key, self-consciously thoughtful, and jazzy in the face of gangsta's hardcore threats. But A Tribe Called Quest may have been even stronger, especially on their excellent second album, the bass-thumping, heavily jazz-sampled The Low End Theory. According to the opening 'Excursions,' rapper Q-Tip's old man says the disc's jazz-rap 'reminded him of bebop,' and Q calls himself 'prominent like Shakespeare.' But if Charlie Parker had ever written poetic couplets and backed them with ... |
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Essential Sly & Family Stone(more) »rank: 3680by: Sly & Family Stone
: :Long before Michael Jackson and Prince became superstars by fusing rhythmic soul with rock's sense of scale and ambition, a former Northern California deejay and producer named Sylvester Stewart took the vaunted musical utopianism of the '60s and forged it into the cross-cultural, ass-shaking, genre-bending groove monster that was Sly and the Family Stone. James Brown may have invented funk, but S&TFS masterfully tooled and supercharged it into mass-acceptance. No mere greatest hits collection--though they're all here in digitally remastered glory--this 35-track, double-disc anthology delves deeper into the handful of ... |
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Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus(more) »rank: 11220by: Spirit
: :Spirit was formed with the intention to combine jazz, rock, classical, and folk with a mystical orientation. Led by the family duo of Hendrix-inspired guitarist Randy California and his uncle, jazz drummer Ed Cassidy (whose shaved head--some 20 years ahead of its time--was the band's visual focus), Spirit had a few idiosyncratic hits such as 'I Got A Line On You.' The band didn't reach its prime until Twelve Dreams, after which they promptly broke up. A loosely constructed sci-fi concept album, it contains the band's biggest hit, the ecological ... |
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Light Grenades(more) »rank: 2042by: Incubus
: :A rare case in which a band actually gets better with time, this California hard rock quintet seems to have finally grown into its skin on its fifth album. Casting off the dated slap-bass funk and pointless nu-metal angst of its early years (well, mostly), Light Grenades is not only a worthwhile follow-up to 2003's A Crow Left of the Murder--the expansive disc many fans consider Incubus's best--but shows improvements all around. Singer Brandon Boyd has learned to temper the words he plucks out of the thesaurus with genuine heartbreak, ... |
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After the Rain(more) »rank: 1338by: Irma Thomas
:Album Description:Irma Thomas is one of New Orleans' most beloved and iconic entertainers. On 'After the Rain,' the Soul Queen of New Orleans brings her rich and resonant vocals to a surprisingly varied repertoire that spans 75 years of American songwriting, the common thread being Irma's soulful and direct-from-the-heart delivery. Spare and often acoustic instrumental settings by an all-star Louisiana band allow Irma's vocals to shine through on each song. Recorded at rural Dockside Studio in Maurice, Louisiana only months after Hurricane Katrina, After the Rain is a remarkable declaration ... |
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The Commitments: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack(more) »rank: 7555by: Various Artists - Soundtracks
: :Based on Irish writer Roddy Doyle's novel and lovingly directed with admirable restraint by the sometimes bombastic Alan Parker, this quirky 1991 tribute to the enduring and universal power of American R&B took some cynical criticism for its reliance on Baby Boomer-era classics such as 'Mustang Sally,' 'Take Me to the River,' and 'In the Midnight Hour.' But that sword cuts two ways: by casting a motley crew of real musicians, including the guts 'n' gravel-voiced young vocalist Andrew Strong, Parker didn't have to do much coaxing to reveal the ... |
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Los Lonely Boys(more) »rank: 1090by: Los Lonely Boys
: :California's Los Lobos are the reigning kings of Tex-Mex/Rock Espanol. But this debut CD by the San Angelo, Texas band Los Lonely Boys might herald a changing of the guard. This is truly a band of brothers, led by guitarist/vocalist Henry Garza and his younger, bass-and-drum-playing siblings Jojo and Ringo. Like a lot of groups, they had to move away to achieve fame--in their case, to Nashville. But after the release of their EP, Willie Nelson heard them, put them on tour as his opening act, and recorded them at ... |
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Pure Disco, Vol. 2(more) »rank: 1516by: Various Artists
: :California's Los Lobos are the reigning kings of Tex-Mex/Rock Espanol. But this debut CD by the San Angelo, Texas band Los Lonely Boys might herald a changing of the guard. This is truly a band of brothers, led by guitarist/vocalist Henry Garza and his younger, bass-and-drum-playing siblings Jojo and Ringo. Like a lot of groups, they had to move away to achieve fame--in their case, to Nashville. But after the release of their EP, Willie Nelson heard them, put them on tour as his opening act, and recorded them at ... |
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Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman(more) »rank: 6560by: Various Artists
: :For years now, music video directors have had no problem at all making the leap to the big screen to direct feature length movies. The cinematic virtues of this are up to debate, but surely a veteran video director will be able to corral a world-class soundtrack, right? In the case of Diary of a Mad Black Woman, the answers yesand no. The talent is certainly impressive on Diary—Natalie Cole, Angie Stone, India Ariebut most of the songs sound like cuts that were left off an album. India Aries 'Purify ... |
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Greatest Hit Singles(more) »rank: 3332by: Isaac Hayes
: :For years now, music video directors have had no problem at all making the leap to the big screen to direct feature length movies. The cinematic virtues of this are up to debate, but surely a veteran video director will be able to corral a world-class soundtrack, right? In the case of Diary of a Mad Black Woman, the answers yesand no. The talent is certainly impressive on Diary—Natalie Cole, Angie Stone, India Ariebut most of the songs sound like cuts that were left off an album. India Aries 'Purify ... |


DVD features
Yes, the unrated edition of The Dukes of Hazzard has nudity... but no, it's not of Jessica Simpson, but topless sorority girls. There are also two sets--"PG-13" and "unrated"--of deleted scenes and bloopers. The four minutes of unrated deleted scenes (supplementing the 25 minutes of "PG-13" deleted scenes) include more sorority girls and a menage à trois for Johnny Knoxville . The five minutes of unrated bloopers (the same amount as the "PG-13" bloopers) feature a few more girls but mostly bad language. Featurettes discuss the Daisy Duke short shorts (and show how you can make your own), car stunts, and the making of the movie (narrated by a cast member of the original TV series). --David Horiuchi