Customer Reviews

Star Kitty's Revenge

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

sista joi is proly what p-funk woulda sounded like had they collaborated with some millie jackson or barbara mason...this is some of that funky ish...you can tell that miss joi been hangin out in the dungeon with her husband gipp and them other dungeon family cats...even raphael saadiq comes thru supportin his lucy pearl partner with his creative skills...maaaan, yall dont know how i needed this...this is some of that love fareal, especially if yall be diggin on sista badu and maybe even some res...forgive me while i go indulge in this some more...

(check out that one girl, rebekah...she got a disc called 'remember to breathe' - it aint funky like this but she on some completely different ish...)

take it easy now...
bruh ron.

First let me say that I've been a fan of Joi ever since I saw her perform with Fishbone and open for De La Soul way back in the day. Her voice and stage presence grabbed me. I bought the Pendulum Vibe and even managed to get my hands on a copy of her never-released sophomore album The Amoeba Cleansing Syndrome (if you're a fan I strongly suggest you track this album down). So of course I waited with baited breath for the new album, anticipating even more wild innovation and genre bending experimentation and what I got was. . . well. . . a pretty good R&B album.

Is it a step back? Compared to Amoeba Cleansing Syndrome, yes. Gone are the ridiculously funky grooves and hard rocking tracks. In their place are more traditional vocal and musical arrangements seemingly designed for some sort of mass appeal. That's a shame because what originally made Joi stand out was her willingness to go agaist the grain and create something totally new and fresh. While her first album was slept on and the second never released, other artists (Kina comes immediately to mind) kicked similar yet inferior styles but managed to get some rotation.

Erykah Badu's excellent "Mama's Gun" was a step in the right direction and proved that there was an audience for a more experimental sound in soul music. Joi has the talent to push the envelope but just as it seemed the industry was ready to handle someone of her caliber, Joi scrapped the cutting-edge attitude in favor of a more mainstream sound. I can't clown her for that, though. It's hard to try and make a living as an unrecognized artist. I just hope her new direction is a genuine reflection of what she wants to do as an artist and not a last ditch attempt to get her music hear outside of her small cult of fans.

So, in essence, I'm not dissing the new album; it is a good listen and still stands head and shoulders over the competition but anyone who has heard her previous work knows what I'm talking about.

Joi is back as fly and funky as ever. It's been almost eight years since "The Pendulum Vibe" and about 5 years since "Amoeba Cleansing Syndrome" was shelved by the diabolical EMI Corporation. But thankfully Joi has found her way back to us. The music is a Sly Stone/Betty Davis/P-Funk/Prince/Nona Hendryx-blues-funk-rock amalgam, the woman is a once-in-a-lifetime original. She can sing as sweetly as Minnie Riperton on the verse and then wail as ferociously as Chaka Khan on the chorus.

Of course, greatness breeds great expectations and "Star Kitty's Revenge" is a mixed bag that doesn't necessarily meet those expectations. There are definite flashes of brilliance - "Missing You" is a breathless, mid-tempo funk jam with some tripped-out lyrics and is the best song you will never hear on the radio this year. "Jefferson St. Joe" is Joi's ode to her father that is never sappy or sentimental but will make you weep nonetheless. "What If I Kissed You" is a slinky come-on, and "It's Your Life" is Joi's typically idiosyncratic anthem of self-affirmation. But then there are some seemingly superfluous oddities ("Techno Pimp" chief among them) that could have been cut to give the CD more cohesion.

Joi is a progressive, uncompromising artist, and has little in common with her derivative, overly-hyped contemporaries even though she will very likely be shoved into the banal "neo-soul" sub-genre. Of course, that insult to her artistry would be worth it if urban radio would actually give Joi a spin. The parental advisory sticker on this CD is no joke, Joi can be raunchy at times but it is never gratuitous, it is a true expression of who she is -- Joi may shock you but she ain't trying to, she's just being her freaky ole self.

Hello there!... so you want some funk in yo life? Need a lil energy boost, or just want to get buck wild, but than you want to chill... cool down??? Well SKR is the right thang for yah!!! LMAO But for real though, Joi Gilliam is one of the greatest female artists of this generation, she mixes up funk into r&b and adds a lil bit of rock into the mix, creating music that can soothe the savage beast, make you feel like your dazed and floating on a soft cloud, or turn you into a beast... funky and sweaty. But don't be fooled by Joi's beauty and amazing voice, she is as much an artist as she is a singer, Her voice is huge, imagine Chaka Khan but with a younger sounding tone, and than add a lil feline in the mix... although that would be a great reason to love Joi, no way! I'm a fan of Joi because she is an awesome Artist, she goes everywhere with this album, taking giant leaps over barriers and traveling to distant lands inviting you to join with her tantalizing voice, making you feel as if your there with her all the way. The writing is soo soo thoughtfully developed and interestingly curiously amazingly hmm hmm good lol, and the instrumentation is just too vibratious, too yummy, hypnoticly stimulating, and it takes over your body... so it's clear... you need SKR in your life!!! Right??? Well, when it finally comes in the mail, and you are able to sit down and get caught up into it... listen to it the whole way through, that's the best way to travel, nice and easy, unless your the hulk and can jump great distances??? Well, I guess that's about it, so I'll go ahead and tell you my favorite tracks... which are "ALL OF THEM," I have a favorite track for each of my different moods, which I'm sure you will too... also, I don't want to make any predictions but... this is an album that you will not want to put down, so be sure that you also get Joi's "Pendulum Vibe" album to even out the playing field lol. Ok, well take my word for it. YOU NEED SKR, it's for the true funkateer. Peace & blessings.

-chris

So funky she stank. So honest it hurts. While she may get comparisions to Macy Gray or Kelis, don't expect her to sound like Jill or Amel or Res or anybody else. She doesn't attack social issues directly, but rather shares stories and expierences that force you to think through her infectious funk. If your a fan of the dungeon fam (Outkast, Goodie, etc.) then you'll most likely enjoy joi. But don't buy her expecting to be able to place her right on the shelf with you L Boogie album. Her inovation avoids definition, and like Lauryn, Larrieux, Scott, and Res, she deserves an open mind with a heart for music. Her lyrics are honest and her delivery is effortless and natural. If your looking for the latest fad, then stay away, but if your looking for thoughtful lyrics engulfed by funk, you've found the right album.

Well, (sigh) I am Joi Fan from the first album. This album does have allot of funk and originality but it does lack luster in some areas. Its so hard to say what is true, when Joi is such an awesome being, but whats real is real & what's real w/t Star Kitty's revenge is that not one track really stands out above the other, none of the tracks are horrible but its hard to identify one from the next. Also she has a truely incredible voice and vocal range, which she uses only 25% of the time on this album. Allot of it is this parched dry throat Sly & The Family Stone syle of sing/talking. I would have liked to hear more variety, instead of the consistent down tiempo electro funk she rode through out the LP. With that being said, this ablum is awesome w/t originality of style and honest lyrics. Joi was not afraid to spk her mind and say things most wouldnt and for that, I will remain a Joi fan. Keep Space Age Pimp'N.

This Joi cd was a delightful surprise to me. I had never even heard of her until she became the lead for Lucy Pearl. My sister is the one who originally bought it for me and she knew who it was. Being skeptical I was like aight let me see what she got. One thing to say is that it does have a different sound then most stuff out right now. Joi brings that type of soul and funk that the Dungeon Family delivers. Rightfully so, since she is from the South (ATL Shawty!) and is married to Gipp from Goodie MoB. They have a little duet `Munchies For Love' which is one of the tighter songs on the cd. This cd features production by big names like Raphael Saadiq and Sleepy Brown from Organized Noize. This cd bumps very nicely for a soul cd. The most dynamic songs are It's Your Life, Munchies for Love, 17' of Snow, Lick, What If I Kissed You Right Now etc. etc. Vocally, I can't really think of the person she sounds most similar to right now but her style is very refreshing and she has got the skills to blow up. Overall there isn't really any garbage tracks, but one problem with this cd ( like most other cds); one too many skits. These skits are not totally stupid and pointless like most but after a few listens they start to irk you. I would recommend this Joi cd, it wil stay in my cd player for a good while and it is one of the better releases of the year.

The one thing to remember with Joi is she doesn't write music by the usual verses, chorus, verses, bridge, chorus, ad-lib fade out methodology. Having been one to appreciate that about her in the past, this time I couldn't fully get into this CD like I had hoped.

Upon learning that Joi was a recorded artist I've searched high & low for her CDs. I've been a fan from way back, growing up in the same church with her in Nashville. Therefore, I've heard her voice in probably its most pure form. I have recognized Joi's vocals in Outkast songs. I watched Lucy Pearl on Jay Leno so I had some idea of the adult maturation of Joi's voice. Having written all of that, I couldn't wait for Star Kitty's Revenge. With the past difficulty in obtaining one of Joi's CDs I hoped this one would be the one that revealed what she could do since it seemingly reached more listeners. This CD just doesn't reveal the full breadth of what Joi can do with her voice. In first hearing the intro to "It's Your Life" I thought Joi was going to take us on an enjoyable mystical ride reminiscent of Deee Lite. However, beyond the intro I wasn't very interested in the song anymore and, admittedly, I fast forwarded to "17 Inches of Snow," which was a lyrical disappointment. There are too many unenjoyable flashbacks to 80's synthesized sounds on the CD: "Techno Pimp," "Crave" and "Lick." "Techno Pimp" is has got so much going on in the background vocally that it

About midway the CD onward there are some musical reminders about why old fans like me buy Joi's music. I enjoyed listening to her brief rendition of "Munchies for Your Love" with her now ex-husband Gipp. Her lyrical candor and vocal edginess that I've come to know in her adult voice is evident in "You're a ..." For a moment Star Kitty did show her return. My favorite track on the CD is "Missing You," which sounds as if it's a Prince cut. I was very into her rendition of "I'm a Woman." Joi's rendition of "Agnus Dei" reflects the angelic quality and the sense of somber reflection she can achieve. This is how I remember her from years ago. I think it was an appropriate prelude to "Jefferson St. Joe" in memory of her father who was one of the first African American NFL quarterbacks.

An explosive, fantastical, mezmerizing, innovative, magnificent, disgusting, deliciously explicit, terrifyingly original, ferocious, enthralling, stupendous, severely wonderful album. If you thought no one but OutKast could bring it to you like they did on Stankonia, then you are sorely mistaken. If you'll forgive all my adjectives, then I will tell you that this is the best record to be released in 2002. While most may think it's Norah Jones, or Queens of the Stone Age or Jay Z, then they have obviously overlooked this phenomenal release. While the mentioned are indeed great albums, this one takes the cake, and should've been as hyped as one could have been hyped.
I enjoyed this album thoroughly because I had no idea that so much action, pain, love, hate, and beauty could be contained into one round disc.

The best tracks include:
3. 17" of Snow (haunting)
5. Techno Pimp (explosive, incredibly exciting)
7. Munchies for Your Love (classic)
8. Lick (sexy without being over the top)
11. Get On (encouraging)
16. Missing You (lovely)
17. Agnus Dei (gorgeous)
18. Jefferson St. Joe (sad but beautiful)

In conclusion:
If you don't have this album, and you probably don't, you are missing out on some quality stuff.

I was Excited about Hearing Her Coming Back but this Album overall is far Safer than I Expected.Her Debut "Pendulum Vibe" was tight.Her&Dallas Austin Created a Tight Album there.in fact Madonna enjoyed that Album so Much She went looking for Dallas after that Album.Joi was Badu but with Far More Edge.But this Album on a Whole is Safe Territory.She still Has Edge here&there but overall She is in a Different Area in Her Career now&It shows with the Overall Production&Direction.She is One of the Few Acts over the Past Decade that I'd Say keep a Ear on but Hopefully She gets back to More Edge on Her Next Album.