The best of the new R&B sounds

I don’t know why, but I still have not warmed up to the new R&B sounds, the way I instantly did to rock. Must be the generation gap, rap or hip-hop evolved from R&B in the ’80s, a time when I had already pretty much firmed up my music tastes. Maybe it’s also because this music is truly American. Unlike rock, which easily adapted itself to a Pinoy version, the most successful we came to adapting hip-hop was with the departed FrancisM. Still I cannot help but admire the talent that goes into creating these sounds.

This music is an exciting blend of art and technology. Check out all those elements that go into the recordings. And the writing is not only the most personal, this can also be insightful and brilliant. Just think. The song New York, New York is nice and fun. But have Jay-Z and Alicia Keys come in with Empire State Of Mind and we are swept off our feet. Hip-hop can affect people that way and here are examples of the best from these past few months.

Thanks to the Taylor Swift episode, Kanye West is now known as a guy lacking in good manners. That does not mean though that he is also wanting in talent. In fact, if breeding were measured by the quality of somebody’s artistic output, Kanye will outrun a lot of people by miles. Fearless, imaginative, honest and gifted with a flair for words, he is one artist whose works I closely follow. He just keeps on improving and his latest, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the best of his five CDs.

I think we can also call it the best of the recent batch or maybe it’s one of the all-time greats because Kanye has created a symphony or better yet, an opera with this album. Take note of how it is sequenced beginning with the soft tones of Dark Fantasy and ending with the message filled Who Will Survive In America; how he uses musical arrangements to enhance his rap like the guitar track in Gorgeous featuring Kid Cudi & Raekwon and how the famous turned up to join him in an all-star jive for All Of The Lights.

I will not be surprised if Kanye harvests trophies for this one but I will be surprised if he takes losing in the awards derbies with sportsmanlike grace and not with dissing the judges or the other winners. Also included are Monster featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver; So Appalled feat. Jay-Z, Pusha T, Prynce Cy Hi, Swizz Beatz & The RZA; Devil In A New Dress feat. Rick Ross; Runaway feat. Pusha T; Blame Game feat. John Legend; and Lost In The World feat. Bon Iver.

It is obvious from the contents of this album that Ne-Yo is now moving towards traditional R&B. His trademark songwriting is better than ever with pretty melodies and well-thought out lyrics performed with his usual easy sophistication. That does not mean though that he has settled into a rut. Libra Scale is Ne-Yo’s most experimental work to date. While Kanye unconsciously provided music for a hip-hop musical in his new CD, Ne-Yo actually created one.

Made in collaboration with comic book legend Stan Lee, the beautifully illustrated Libra Scale tells the story of the first R&B superheroes, The Gentleman. These are three garbage men given superpowers and all that they want on the condition that they will use these for good and that they must not fall in love. Of course somebody falls in love and that is how the conflict begins. The songs tell the story.

It is not far-fetched to think Ne-Yo’s music will soon be on Broadway in the production of the musical The Gentleman. But whether this happens or not, Ne-Yo already has two hits out of the album, Beautiful Monster and One In A Million. Don’t make the mistake of downloading this CD or buying one of those pirated copies. You need the illustrated comics to fully enjoy this one and you only get that if you buy the original album.

Not to be missed, a retrospective of the work of a master of the genre, Jay-Z. CD is The Hits Collection, Volume One. This album is good for those who just want the hits and new fans as it contains his most popular releases. Hopefully there will be better, well- annotated collections because Jay-Z’s music deserves to be studied in depth. Not just his music, but also his life. This guy grew up in poverty and ran drugs as a kid but look at how great an artist he turned out to be. Hip-hop did that.

Included are Run This Town featuring Rihanna & Kanye; ‘03‘Bonnie & Clyde feat. Beyoncé Knowles; Encore; I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me); Izzo (H.O.V.A); D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune); 99 Problems; Empire State Of Mind feat. Alicia Keys; Dirt Off Your Shoulder; Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem); Show Me What You Got and Roc Boys (And The Winner Is).