Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The irony of love!, June 11, 2005
Esthero is sure to win the hearts of disgruntled music fans everywhere, in the opening moments of the EP, "We R In Need of a Musical ReVoLuTIoN!" It opens with the announcement, "I'm so sick and tired/of the s**t on the radio/on MTV they only play same thing/no matter where I go, I see Ashanti in the video/I want something MORE!" Well, who can disagree?
It takes a certain amount of guts and flair to successfully harpoon the flaws of the music industry, or to demand to know why "a grown-ass man can videotape a little girl/but we still see his mug up on our video screens." Alas, the rest of the album isn't quite as riveting or as bold. But the Toronto singer's jazzy-funky-trippy-retropoppy sound is colorful enough to keep listeners stuck there.
Things get a bit softer from there on, with a medley of sweet love (or loss of love) songs, such as the romantic jazz-piano ballad "Everyday is a Holiday (With You)," which seems ideal for some future Zach Braff movie, the mournful "Gone," the sweet farewell "This Lullaby," softly trip-funky "I Drive Alone," and the airy, ambient "Amber And Tiger's Eye," which shows off Esthero's vocals to best advantage."
The second half of "We R In Need of a Musical ReVoLuTIoN" errs on the side of trippiness, rather than emphasizing the soulful jazz-trip-funk that makes up the first couple of songs -- as well as her forthcoming "Wikked Lil' Grrrls," which also contains those first couple of songs. In other words, it has one foot in her debut, one foot in her new album.
But this EP does show Esthero to her best advantage -- she can do gently trippy pop in the Portishead and Mazzy Star vein, and then can flip the coin and do jazzier, energetic dance music. Her husky, throaty voice can manage either style, and neither kind of music overwhelms her singing, no matter how many synths, drums or horns are packed in.
"We R In Need of a Musical ReVoLuTIoN" is a good transition EP, moving from her smoldering electronic debut to the newer soul-jazz-flavoured "Wikked Lil' Grrrls." Not quite a musical revolution, but a delight anyway.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
We R In Need of a Musical Revolution..., February 4, 2005
...and I say AMEN TO THAT! For the longest time I've been curious to hear what Esthero has to offer, and albeit I still don't own her debut 'Breath From Another' I decided to order her latest EP based soley on the awesome message the album title conveyed. I am now extremely eager to buy everything she's ever released/contributed to up to this point in her career. I haven't been able to stop listening to this since the moment it arrived in the mail about a week ago and I am not the least bit disappointed. So your probably wondering why I gave this a rating of 4 stars then, right? Well, she's definitely not to fault here. It's more like my problem. Some of the styles she chose to work with really just aren't my thing. Therefore I can't seem to get into every song. I usually find myself strictly playing the title track, "This Lullabye", "I Drive Alone", and "Amber & Tiger's Eye" while skipping the other two. But by no means am I implying that they're bad (just not my thing, as I said before). Also, I wouldn't exactly say that she's treaded into untouched territory here because she doesn't reach any new levels with me. However, it's always nice to hear an artist experiment with their sound and explore many different genres (hence the reason for most EP's, right?), and I love her voice. The closest I can come to describing her flavor is perhaps a hybrid between Jem, Nelly Furtado, and a smidgen of Emiliana Torrini. You'll hear influences from bossa nova, smooth r&b, lush chillout and melodic trip-hop. And the opening lines, which she sings acapella but in a robust kind of way, will immediately grab your attention: "I'm so sick and tired of the s--t on the radio / MTV, they only play the same thing / No matter where I go I see Ashanti on the video... I WANT SOMETHING MORE... We're in need of a musical revolution... We're so tired of the same old same old."
I am very impressed and, once again, I close with AMEN!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mad Props from an Underground head, January 20, 2005
This girl can do no wrong. She's been ill since Breath From Another. Many thought that since Esthero and Doc went their separate ways she would fall off or something, but she's proven through O.G. B_____ and this EP that she's as Original as ever and here for the haul. The title track is so true that it just screams to get banged at high volume. Everyday is A Holiday reminds me of this Kostars song probably because they both feature Sean Lennon, either way, It's tight. Gone is just sick Period. Cee-lo and E sounded great together on the Slam soundtrack (she's the only reason I bought the soundtrack,even though the movie was gravy). This Lull-A-Bye is mad mello and showcases her voice well. Actually the whole EP does that quite nicely. I Drive Alone and the bonus track are more of the same that I've come to realize is the genius of this woman. She's Beautiful too. Doesn't hurt to be easy on the eyes (I can say that right?)
Like I said in my title I'm an Underground HipHop Artist myself who listens to Aesop Rock and the Def Jukies, Living Legends, Little Brother, Rhymesayers, Weightless, Sage Francis, Hieroglyphics, and Immortal Technique. My musical tastes transcend all boundaries which is why I'm truly feeling Esthero, Goapele,Bjork, Emiliana Torrini, Kostars, Luscious Jackson, and Jerzee Monet. Esthero has been chilling in my top 3 since her first album.
You GOTTA peep this if you like originality in this new age of recycled plain popcorn. Also, check it out if you're feeling anyone that I mentioned above.
My only question is who was she talking about for the O.G. B---- single? She was heated on that one.
Peace
Raesho
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