Customer Reviews

Tortoise & Hare

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'll never forget when I was talking with a co-worker about music and she said, "What!", you've never heard of the Jazzyfatnastees?" She brought the CD to work and I recorded the CD and 2 weeks later, I went to purchase my own copy of "The Once And Future". The Jazzyfatnastees had a classic on their hands but unless you heard one of their songs on an urban contemporary radio station or heard from word of mouth, you never would have known they were out there. Songs like "The Wound", "Breakthrough", "Sail The Seas", "Related To Me" and my favorite, "Unconventional Ways" were always in my heavy rotation. As time went on, since I didn't hear anything else from the Jazzyfatnastees, I wondered if they ever would release anything else. To my luck, I checked amazon and I saw that they were releasing "The Tortoise And The Hare" in September. "The Tortoise And The Hare" is a nice follow up to their debut CD. The disc starts out with the refreshing "Something In The Way". This is definitely the best song on the CD. Tracey and Mercedes sing about a man that isn't typical of the man that they may have been looking for, but he has qualities that they are feelin'. From there, Mercedes puts you in a trance with the Spanish laced, "El Medio" and then with track #3, the Jazzyfatnastees display some attitude and spunk with "All Up In My Face". Tracks like "Four Lives" and "Adolescent Blues" remind me of why I liked "The Once And The Future" so much. They have a way of writing about real life issues and you can almost picture what they are singing about actually happening somewhere around you. "Compelled" is reminiscent of "Free Your Mind" by En Vogue because of its rock and roll tone to it. In the middle of the midtempo song the beat switches to a more uptempo club track and will surprise the listener when they first hear the song. This track reminds me of when I was at a Maxwell concert and he performed the slow jam "Fortunate" and then switched to a club beat and performed the song over again to the new beat. It is a nice concept, just like what Jill Scott did with her "He Loves Me" (Illegal Mix) from her "Experience" double CD. After hearing the instrumental to the title track,you will wish that the ladies would have added some vocals to all of the ad libs and women will love "Give A Dog A Bone". The Jazzyfatnastees are not a victim of the sophomore jinx at all. These two ladies are very talented and it is just a shame that they don't receive more pub. Scott Storch, who produced the majority of their debut CD, is limited to only one song on this CD, "Tumbling". This is probably the only thing that is missing from "The Tortoise And The Hare", which is why I would rate this CD a 4.5 instead of a 5 like their debut. Randy Bowland, who produced all of Gerald Levert's new CD, "The G Spot", with Gerald Levert and Anthony Tidd who produced "Sail The Seas" and "The Lie" from "The Once And Future" handle the majority of the production this time around, along with the Jazzyfatnastees. The writing gets an A+ as usual. Tracey and Mercedes just have a way with writing and presenting their words. If you liked their debut, there is nothing wrong with "The Tortoise And The Hare". You should add this CD to your Jazzyfatnastees' collection, if you haven't already...

The Jazzies are one of, if not my absolute favorite, musicians around. I bought their first CD "The Once and Future" and was blown away. The new CD "The Tortoise and the Hare" is equally fantastic. I saw them in concert (one of the best live performances I've ever seen) and have their CDs on constant rotation at home, work and in my car! These ladies are gifted singers, talented writers and excellent performers! The standout songs on "The Tortoise and the Hare" are "Something In the Way" with it's soulfull 70's groove and romantic lyrics, "El Medio" (sang in Spanish I believe) though I only speak and understand English and don't understand a word of this song, it sends chills up and down my spine when I hear it...I can think of only one word to describe this song - SEXY! "All Up In My Face" - the one song that actually gets some radio play, and the always Jazzy, definately phat and consistently nasty "Give A Dog A Bone." Mercedes and Tracy truly put their heart and soul into this album - keep up the good work girls! Your number one fan!

I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this album more than their debut cd "The Once And Future". That isn't to say that their debut was a bad album, but it just seems as if the Jazzies have grown with their current release. While the album is a little more mellow than the first cd, the lyrical content and music arrangements are very tight. It seems that the ladies (Tracey Moore & Mercedes Martinez) got more introspective with the songs this go round. While I love the entire album, standouts are "ADOLESCENT BLUES", "TORTOISE AND THE HARE", "COMPELLED", and "SOMETHING IN THE WAY". The beat change on the song "COMPELLED" from Betty Davis-esque rock & soul, to disco, back to rock & soul is a TRUE showing of innovation. "SOMETHING IN THE WAY" gives the listener a sound reminiscent of early RUFUS featuring CHAKA KHAN. If you want to hear an album that's short (10 songs....less IS more)and DEFINITELY sweet, pick up "THE TORTOISE & THE HARE". Your ears will love you for it, and your mind will be taken back to a time when an artist put their heart AND soul into their music.

Just like their debut, "The Once and the Future", Jazzyfatnastees' sophomore album, "The Tortoise and the Hare" is only limited to ten tracks. And just like their debut, it's "short but sweet". The flawless production itself literally smacks you in the face with its fresh-sounding diversity. The vocal harmonizing by Tracey and Mercedes is still instantly intriguing. The album is very consistent, despite the variety of sound types and different subjects. The Latin flavored "All Up In My Face" is a song about backstabbers, basing the story of the song by making biblical references to "Judas". "El Medio Del Misterio" (which translates to "The Middle of the Mystery") has a certain "mystique" in the beat and is about confusion. "Four Lives" is a song that exploits secrets of each family member in a "modern-day picture-perfect" family ("...The love, the hate, the irony/They're living, but they can't be..."). The opening song "Something In The Way" has an old school R&B vibe to it while "Compelled" is in inbred that fuses rock with disco, with the result being a surprisingly catchy song. Though I like pretty much all the songs on the album, my favorite is the "Once and The Future"-esque "Adolescent Blues". It's funny how sometimes the most simplistic track becomes the most liked one; the beat is straightforward and easy to flow to and I can personally relate with the lyrics, which is mainly about how adolescents mentally struggle with problems including drugs, finding their identity, and finding love:

Here I am stuck in this place
I don't know how I got here
Woke up one day
And there I was stuck... waiting
Tryna make a move on what I should do...
I should do?
I've fallen and I can't get back up...

One of the few minor problems I had with the album is that they tended to be repetitive with the hook (like towards the end of "All Up In My Face"). Another is the title track "The Tortoise and the Hare". I understand they were going for an "atmospheric" thing, but I personally think they wasted a good beat with the song consisting of only two lines. But in general, the album is both musically and lyrically exceptional. Calling Jazzyfatnastees underrated artists would be an unfortunate understatement since they have yet to have disappoint, evident with this album.

Through a long and trial filled road, Tracy and Mercedes, collectively known as the Jazzyfatnastees return with the follow up to their outstanding debut "The Once and Future", with "The Tortoise and the Hare". The Jazzys do not disappoint on this album. Continuing with their trend of giving the fans a solid album with 10 songs (no fillers here) tracks like "Four Lives", "Adolescent Blues" and the bass-heavy title track showcase Merc and Tra's versatile writing styles, and their ability to harmonize over their beats. Production gets 10 stars on this album. GREAT JOB, Merc and Trac....go platinum this time!

If you have heard of these ladies, just wondering what they're all about...Come on in! The sophomore LP is everything their name represents, jazzy, fat and so nastee!

The opening track, "Something in the Way" is a smooth ballad about holding on to love for a reason you just can't put your finger on, but you can't let go. "All up in my face" represents the hating phoniness many of us see all the time in our everyday lives. "Adolescent Blues" is just that- blues for a person striving to be free to be herself. "Compelled" starts with a rock beat then switches to a quick dance tempo, keeping you wired from start to finish. The dark "Show your face" is haunting yet intriguing in the sense that the singer may be a little too confident for her own good. One of the best dancehall, hip hop fusions for energetic folks is "Give a Dog a Bone" We've all been there. This song must be played repeatedly. For those more mellow sessions, "El Medio", "Four Lives", "Tumbling" and the title track are perfect.

This album has something for everyone, especially listeners who love soul, jazz and soft ballads. Listen to it from start to finish- it is a rare treat.

I absolutely love this CD. I heard them live in Philly and they were awesome. I just happened to be in philly and decided to go to the 5 spot. I love the energy of the music. It has soul, hip hop, and a bit of rock. They have a unique sound. I was a little late hearing about them but I'm glad that I have been introduced to this interesting and refreshing music. Only one track is so-so- MEdio.

What type of category would you place the Jazzyfatnastees in? Could it be Soul, Neo-Soul, Hip-Hop, or Rock. Well, the answer to that question would be all of the above, since the Jazzyfatnastees, which consists of two beautiful women (Tracey Moore & Mercedes Martinez), seduce the listener with a combination of lush vocals and musical dexterity, that freely allows the listener to fully grasp and appreciate their extraordinary talents. These two women display continued progression and growth on their sophmore album entitled, "The Tortoise & The Hare," much like their debut, "theonceandfuture," captures what many other groups lack, honestly and truth in each narrative. To the cool mellow tempo of the Tracey Moore, Richard Nichols, and Ben Kinney produced track, "Something In The Way." Or documenting sorrow and pain among a disfunctional family, "Four Lives," to the wonderful instrumentation in tracks like the J.Swift produced "The Tortoise And The Hare." This is an album that transcends past the conventional formulas of so called "radio/pop" filler that is prevalent on almost every radio station. Wouldn't it be nice to have more albums that are as thought provoking and musical as "The Tortoise & The Hare?"

On their second album, the Jazzyfatnastees doesn't fail to disappoint. Their best song has to be the very first one, "Something in the Way", where they sing about loving a man who doesn't deserve it. I can tell that they were trying to expand their musical horizions by adding reggae beats ("Give a Dog a Bone"), salsa ("All Up in My Face"), and old '70s soul ("Something in the Way") to their smooth harmonies, and it works well. No one wants to be mere neo-soul artists any more. Overall, they sidestepped the sophomore jinx with The Tortoise and the Hare. I only gave this four stars because it's pretty hard to top their first album, The Once and the Future.

This album is great from beginning to end, its a real treat. The girls vocals are flawless,the song writing is impeccable. This album has a real mood to it. This album is so hot, it sold out the first few days of its release in my town. And I live in a major college town. If you like Jill, Maxwell, India, Angie, and Musiq you will love this album. This album is delicious. If you don't have the first album, pick up "Once and Again".