A More Open Music Thread

After my post on Mos Def, my book editor, the brilliant Chris Jackson, sends along the following note. He loves the new Mos, and urged me to pick it up:

...you're still wrong (and also comping apples to oranges) - trust me: I was studying up on white folks music while you were still swearing to Van Sertima and trust me, YYY's, meh, Mos Def, awesome. "Priority" kills anything on that YYY album, Casa Bey and Quiet Dog have more compressed energy and intelligence and musical risk-taking than any of the YYY's white-girl lullabyes. And the lyrics are really not even worth getting into a comparison because it would be so crazily unfair. YYY's = snooze. I rock Jasper to sleep w/it!  Seriously.  If you want white-girl lullabye music, try Cat Power, at least she's weird and occasionally complex and unpredictable.  If you want Brooklyn-style rough-edged post-everything dance-yr-ass-off music, check for Santogold. And Mos kills 'em all --That is All.

Hah!

All jokes aside, this is good time to hear what everyone's listening to. That Passion Pit album had some bangers, but it was all highs. I would have liked some variety. Also, we were talking about Sam Cooke's Live At The Harlem Square Club album a few posts down. Here's a sample. Everyone should own it. I love the live versions of the old soul joints. This and Wilson Pickett's "Live And Burnin" version of Midnight Hour are great.

The part at the end where Sam's talking about how he has to go, is really stirring, giving how young he died. I hope Ben Bradlee is listening...

Having A Party - Sam Cooke