Customer Reviews

Black Yankee Rock

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
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2 star:		(1)
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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

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.

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...

There is no voice quite like Marc Anthony Thomson's. It is a deep, sexy, uncannily intelligent voice that hits a listener in three places at once-- the head, the heart and the tip of the tailbone. The song he might be most well known for is a cover of, "Julia" from the film I Am Sam. There are not many people who can take on a Beatle song and make it both their own and wonderful, he is one of them. In this, his, I think third album, he sounds great. His ability to take a person right next to him, to make a person feel that they are living what he is living along with him is amazing. The opening song, The Beginning of Always shows, in his Black/White rocky way, what a mess he is and we all are and how its going to be all right anyway. A later song, Down So Low, is what is needed when you know its not going to be all right, but there ain't nothing nobody can do about it. It is a song that might well make a cold cynic believe Billie Holiday has been reincarnated into a strong male body--after listening to Jimmy Hendrix.

The title of the Album , "Black Yankee Rock" cracks me up!

The wait for this Chocolate Genius release has been very much worth it. He has returned in fine form with Black Yankee Rock, serenading us with poignant lyrics and memorable tunes as he did in his Godmusic and Black Music CDs, yet doesn't fail to pleasantly surprise with his originality on this album. Soft melancholy songs, as well as catchy upbeat ones pulse through album, and he expertly melds together several genres of music, sprinkling creative instrumentation throughout. "Chasing Strange" and "Forever Everyone," in particular, will have you still humming long after the CD is over. Grab this one.

This is very deep music with a great variety of style from track to track. My wife has a fairly basic taste in comparison to my own, and she immediately immersed herself in this record. That's a good sign for what this record has to offer the current state of our music atmosphere. This sounds incredible on my Sennheiser headphones!

A perfect record for a drive in the rain or a roadtrip.

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!Wonderful lyrics and beautiful music. Chocolate Genius has an incredible voice and every single song is worth listening over and over again!

I'd heard that Chocolate Genius was great, but never actually heard his stuff until I got a copy of Black Yankee Rock. The album defintely lives up to the expectations! Soulful, passionate and smart - it's definetely worth checking out. I can't wait to hear his other albums.

Was urged by a friend to buy it. Didn't know anything about the guy. Though the name was pretentious.Then listen and WAOOOO. Blown away. It is Fantastic, smooth, mature and well balanced. I am now pushing my friends to buy it............

I really expected better. I heard one song and decided I needed the whole CD and it really isn't so great. It seems inconsistent at best.