Black Yankee Rock

Chocolate Genius | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 11, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Commotion Records
• ASIN: B000B6TQZS
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,115 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Beginning of Always

2. Amazona

3. The Yes Eye

4. Tomboy Rock Star

5. Chasing Strange

6. Down So Low

7. Rats Under Waterfalls

8. It's Going Wrong

9. Cry

10. Forever Everyone

11. Same Time Tomorrow

Editorial Reviews

AllMusic.com

"Thompson's following his own instincts...he always manages to pull off something as valuable as anything by Eels or Beck."

Product Description

The incomparable Chocolate Genius Inc (Marc Anthony Thompson) is back with his highly-anticipated Black Yankee Rock. This eclectic collection of well-crafted tunes captures the true essence of the singer/songwriter’s genre-bending talent, featuring the insistent opener "The Beginning Of Always," the deliciously quirky "Chasing Strange," the poignant and deceptively anthemic "Forever Everyone," and "Same Time Tomorrow" (an ode to marital bliss that boasts accordion from the legendary Van Dyke Parks).

Brilliantly produced by the superlative Craig Street (Producer on recordings by k.d.lang, Norah Jones, Cassandra Wilson and Me’Shell NdegéOcello, as well as co-producer for Black Music), the eleven tracks on Black Yankee Rock further cement Chocolate Genius Inc’s reputation as one of the most accomplished and original artists around.

An amazing all-star line up of musicians was enlisted for the album, including Van Dyke Parks, Marc Ribot, Roy Nathanson, Stephanie McKay, Abe Laboriel Jr., Oren Bloedow, Toshi Reagon, and Me’Shell NdegéOcello.

Chocolate Genius Inc describes the album as the third and final installment of "a narrative that looks at family, faith and future in a way that is as personal as it is universal." Asked to illuminate the intention of Black Yankee Rock, he dips into his bag of metaphors: "Black Yankee Rock has always been synonymous with Shangri La, Xanadu, Utopia, Atlantis, Bakersfield and Hoboken or even Fort Greene, Brooklyn (20 years ago) all rolled up in one. It’s a destination – more than a sound or a statement. Where hair extensions are halos. Heaven without a Golden Gate. Everybody gets in. All the ashtrays are clean. The wine won’t hurt you because the Grapes have no Wrath."

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If "black radio" wasn't so narrow-minded to begin with..., November 13, 2005

By 

Manuel (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Yankee Rock (Audio CD)

Marc Anthony Thompson is quite an artist. I currently have all three of his albums under the Chocolate Genius moniker and NONE of them have failed to move me in some way, shape, or form. Even more surprising was that upon further research, it turns out that Thompson actually came on the scene back in the mid-'80s with a self-titled debut that wound up landing on deaf ears (the same going for his critically acclaimed '89 sophomore release Watts & Paris as well). He's basically a peer of the likes of Lenny Kravitz and the artist "formally known as" Terence Trent D'Arby, except he's managed to outlast both of them with better material and an utter lack of blatant egotistical tendencies. The kind of music Thompson excels at is something for which the terms "genre" and "categorization" no longer apply. Instead, it's the sheer emotional resonance of his singing and songwriting coupled with sympathetic backing from well-respected sidemen like frequent collaborators Marc Ribot and Abe Laboriel Jr. that truly show what he's all about in that regard. Unfortunately, it's this open-ended approach to the music that has pretty much kept him from becoming a household name up to now. Personally speaking, Thompson's the type of artist the music industry should be rallying behind for the sake of preserving whatever credibility it has left as an industry.

As for the meaning behind the title in my review: for anyone who knows how hard it is for a black artist to get anything played on those stations that isn't tailor-made for the musically "dumbed-down" hip-hop/R&B crowd, Thompson's certainly no exception here. Hopefully the day will come when such tight-fisted conservatism is thoroughly vanquished in light of true diversity and freedom of expression in music. In the meantime, treat yourself to some Black Yankee Rock. Just because you never heard of it DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT GOOD!
>;-D

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Instant Classic, October 12, 2005

By 

Guinnessbelly (Winston-Salem, North Carolina United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Yankee Rock (Audio CD)

Can something already so good get even better? Apparantly so as Marc Anthony Thompson returns for the third Chocolate Genius Inc. record "Black Yankee Rock". CGI fans already aware of the "genius" of Marc's lyrics and the wide range of auditory soul food (different styles) available on the Chocolate Genius menu will dig right in from the opening groove of Beginning of Always all the way thru. New fans (and given a listen I don't know how anyone wouldn't be) will certainly dig back thru the CGI catalog after they fall in love with Black Yankee Rock. Some familiar titles (Tomboyrockstar, Forever Everyone, The Yes Eye, Same Time Tomorrow) take on new vibrant lives...and for the real Hope Is a Muscle old schoolers (Yuka Honda and Dougie Bowne) Amazona and Down So Low. The Chocolate Planet rolls with a supporting cast which includes the amazing Meshell Ndegeocello, Stuart Matthewman (Sade, Sweetback, Cottonbelly), Roy Nathanson (Jazz Passengers), Marc Ribot, Toshi Reagon, Glenn Patscha and CGI stalwarts Abe Laboriel Jr. and Oren Bloedow - and did I mention Vinia Mojica (de la soul, tribe called quest, cibo matto) - Vinia is like the icing on the cake.

Chocolate Genius Inc. has made perhaps a perfect record. The whole CD flows and it is hard to pick high points relative to something with no real low points - but standouts for me are It's Going Wrong (co-written with Moby) and CGI's Chasing Strange - which Marc wrote and also appears on Lizz Wrights Dreaming Wide Awake CD, released earlier this year (a second MAT penned song is on that album as well). As if all of this were not enough - the album is produced by Craig Street (Norah Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Lizz Wright, etc..)

But at the core of it is Marc Anthony Thompson and classic Chocolate Genius Incorporated. A severely overlooked and underappreciated artist whose impressive resume has spanned 3 decades. I have been anticipating the release of this album for over a year - and you know how sometimes it is so hard to live up to the bottled-up hype? Well on this one - I was even more impressed then perhaps I had even expected. Thank U MoeTee and Chocolate Genius Incorporated. Roll on chocolate planet and EVERYONE - please give it a listen - the planet is always accepting immigration applications to have you leave your world of boring and predictable and join the CGI-Party.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black Yankee Rock...An Incredible Purchase, October 14, 2005

By 

Amy B. Birnbaum - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Yankee Rock (Audio CD)

An unequivocal myriad of sound, color and taste, Black Yankee Rock re-introduces its listener to the roots of rhythm. With soul-stirring tracks, inflective, lyrical poetics and melodic riffs in abundance, this cd is in a category of its own. Appealing to the avid listener and music enthusiasts alike, Black Yankee provides a fine juxtaposition of hard-driving songs (The Beginning Of Always) and saddened anthems (Chasing Strange). It is so rare that we find an artist who seamlessly blends the use of fine-tuned instrumentation and vocal prowess. A classic album that will leave an indelible mark on music history and have you hungry for more...