Customer Reviews

Shades of Blue

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Everyone familiar with Madlib's work will probably be approaching this album with Yesterday's New Quintet on their minds. And that's natural, as it's the only other widely distributed jazz-takes-the-center-stage long player that Madlib's put out, i.e. it's the one that most of the people are most familiar with. The jazz influence is obvious in a lot of his work, but on these records jazz is the dominant theme.

As compared to YNQ, the hip-hop element seems more apparent here, which may make it more accessible to anyone that YNQ didn't quite click with, should such people exist. Still, Madlib's solo efforts have always struck me as being more for the heads---musician's musician type stuff, and though a lot of people have given him the time and attention he deserves, I still feel Madlib might take getting used to for some folks. On this record About half of the songs are "remixes" of old blue note recordings while the other half are "remakes," performed by Madlib, his alter egos, and various other personnel. Still the jazz/beats thing, but now there's cuts and rhymes coming into it (not too heavily, but they're there).

Though it makes for a more obvious wedding between hip-hop and jazz, the great thing for me is that Madlib's music doesn't turn into some silly hybrid. This isn't an electronic musician doing his best to approximate a certain sound that he has come to associate with the idea of "jazz," and it's not just a saxophone loop and a beat, either. the fact that he understands and feels this music comes through---the music develops and changes, flows in and out of itself and maintains this for the length. It doesn't get pretentious. He's paying respect to a label, a sound that he loves and has grown with, and though it comes across as pretty personal to me, it's also a good way to get someone on a jazz vibe who might not have gone that route ordinarily---this is still music for everybody.
If you like madlib, you'll still like him. If you don't know his stuff and don't have a strong feel for jazz but are still interested this is maybe a better intro than YNQ, though it's hard for me to say that with conviction as I like it all. Give it a chance, at least, if you don't like it now you will eventually, so long as you trust me and give it the effort it deserves.

Jazz labels recently realized that most people under 30 hip enough to appreciate jazz were not listening to it, but listening jazz being reinterpreted by enlightened underground DJs and producers instead. They said, "hey, if these guys were working for us instead of pirating all our classics, it would be a win win situation." And theoretically, they were right. Blue Note has been doing novelty pieces with hip hop producers for over half a decade, and Verve has done their Remixed thing on more of a dance/electronica tip. I think Blue Note's stuff has been a little stronger than it's been given credit for, but still not that great.

Enter Madlib. He has a pretty good following for someone with so many alter egos and spotty if incredibly promising work. He uses old jazz samples better than most, so Blue Note pays him to do a whole album by himself. Some of the tunes he chooses are predictable; Mystic Brew, Montara, Song For My Father, and Footprints are very nice tunes, but overdone. Some of my favorites are Please Set Me at Ease, Stepping into Tomorrow, and Peace/Dolphin Dance Madlib's reworking is according to his established but always hip trademark; there's nothing here YNQ fans won't expect, maybe a little less than they will expect. Even though the atmosphere of the album is thick and effective, the whole thing feels a little half baked. Like he knew he was good and just didn't put his everything into it, or maybe he tried really hard and just wasn't feeling things. In any case, at least he doesn't play keyboards too much like on Stevie (which is worse than this), and when he does on Dolphin Dance, it sounds good.

If you don't already have Angles Without Edges, slap yourself and buy a copy. If you cant get enough of the mad blunted sound, then buy this. But Madlib is best when he doesn't shackle his style to reinterpretations like here and the YNQ album Stevie, and even better with people besides himself to rhyme over the beats (check out Madvillain).

Madlib has a nasty, scratchy, loose feel to his production. A producer that enjoys the space between each element used. There is space between his dry snares, cymbal washes, cow bwlls, and kitchen sink atmospherics. I love his work, but this release is not all its made out to be. A friend of mine who produces cuts said that he would have spent about 5 years in the blue note vault with an MPC and a mr.coffee before even a peep was put on wax. It seems that the project was rushed in an attempt to make a profit off of the cred. lib has among people in the record buying world. A world that has never been smaller. The best cuts are already solid blue note classics Re: "mystic bounce" -( already man handled on an old ass tribe cut), "stepping into tomorrow" - and "slims return"- (which Chief X cel used on an early Blackalicious side). The sinkers on this piece are the tracks Madlib plays keys on. I will never know what possessed him to play a keyboard on top of Hancocks "Dolphin Dance", but its kind of like drawing on a Reid Miles cover. Bad news son. So someone tell Lib to lay off the rhodes, and stick to making esoteric bangers. Peace.

i was wildly impressed with this for the first couple of tracks...
and then just mildly impressed...
and then i was like "ehh, it's aight... "

the only problem for me was that all of the remixes began to sound the same to me... it felt like i was hearing madlib over-enforce his sound onto the original recordings and he began overshadowing the fantastic pieces he presented instead of rightly complementing them...
and tho i truly like much of this, it's the 'UNTAINTED' version of these songs that has my head in the clouds...
props to madlib tho... as a jazzfan, i thank him for his enthusiasm... i'm just glad to see true hip hop heads still lobbying for the cause of the jazz experience!

peace.

This album is a good gateway to Madlib projects like Yesterdays New Quintet. Before letting the next few reviewers get you all worked up about Madlib stealing people's music, consider that alot of hip-hop guys throw mix albums together the same way madlib's done here. As well as some mediocre, re-worked soul-jazz classics, there are some covers by madlib minions like Sound Directions and Yesterday's New Quintet (YNQ's electrified cut of "Footprints" by Wayne Shorter works out well here). I like the re-do of "Stormy" here, but all in all, this is a gateway, nothin more. I do recommend you put it in your collection though, and once you've got your toes in the water, pick up the record "Untinted: Sources for Shades of Blue" which contains all the originals.

When I first heard about this project, I was pretty excited about the prospect of a well-respected hip-hop artist getting into the archives of Blue Note to mix things up a bit. I wasn't disappointed with the results. This album is a satisfying blend of hip-hop beats with a solid jazz sensibility that make for top-shelf background music at a laid-back gathering of friends, or a good way to relax and chill as the focal point of your lounging on a lazy afternoon. The album rolls along for nearly an hour, and the excellent back-half of the album (track 10 and beyond) leaves me wanting more--I'm always a little bummed when the record's over.

If there is anything that detracts from the enjoyment of the album, it's the tendency for the drum loops on a couple of the songs to be a bit too repetitive: a few of the tracks don't display any variation at all. This is fine for a couple of the shorter pieces, but it's underwhelming for couple of the longer songs. Don't let that stop you from buying it, though. The majority of the tracks on the album are outstanding. Enjoy!

The Kool Keith of beats is at it again, and this time somebody messed up and let him loose in the stacks of Blue Note. Yes, Blue Note. Where his mind is free to wander among the grooves and tempos of this lovely garden of sound. The bass roots run deep and tap into the earths magnetism, the essence of sound and motion; Giving nourishment to the delicate chimes and colorful vibes painting this landscape of sound. M@dl:b is the ill bumblebee cross-pollinating grooves creating new species of organic rhythms to further express the beauty of sound in nature.

ener75293

Few remix artists/producers have a record collection - or an appreciation for what it can glean uner the right set of circumstances - than this particular normally hip-hop producer.

Madlib is a hip-hop producer out of Cali known for mixing up a pretty weird-yet-catchy beat. He did a rap record under the nom de plum "Quasimoto" which was fascinating in its risks and
music choices, then did an album ("Angles without Edges") as a jazz "group" - the made-up "Yesterday's New Quintet", and now this joint, which is essentially him remixing a bunch of old Blue Note jazz standards (and some not-so standards). It has a decided underground hip-hop feel, but still keeps much of the
original, intended groove in the tracks to be listenable as more than a beat record. It's a great record for people who like their jazz contemporary, but not smooth. It isn't as solid as the YNQ record, but it works. More like a 4.5.

When the multi-ego'd, self proclaimed "Beat Konducta" Madlib is grantet access to the golden vaults @ Blue Note Records, the end result is sheer brilliance. Although each song is uniquely in variance to it's origin, Madlib some how holds congruent to the original pieces. Tracks like "Stormy" & "Montara" are funky and invigorating... A dusty show of retrospect, brought into the light of the twenty first century by the only one who obviously could do so.

now i can't imagine why anyone would give this less then 4 stars, i gave it five. Now some people who badmouthed this album are obviously not madlib fans cause this album is incredible. Now if you want the origanal blue Note rocordings then go find them(untinted) but this is Madlib's interpratation and just like YNQ stevie album it's a dope hip hop recreation of classic tracks. hands down a must have for madlib fans