Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More Than Words..., August 24, 2006
J Dilla is the man. I say is because he lives on since his beats are still going to be released thanks to Dilla's mom and his best friend Karriem Riggins, who helped throw this CD together. Riggins and Dilla used to get into beat making contests together, so you know this CD was in the right hands.
The production is classic, but some of the emcees leave a little to be desired. The exceptions are Guilty Simpson, MED, Pharoahe Monch, Dwele and Black Thought. Common, D'Angelo and Busta Rhymes don't do what they're capable of doing and I wish Madlib did some Lord Quas on "Baby," even though the track is fire enough as it is. This CD should get more play time than Donuts due to emcees being on it, but Donuts is a better album. They even recycled the beat from the track "Bye" on "So Far to Go," which feels weird because this is a short album as it is and surely there was an unreleased beat that could have been used for this track instead.
All that said, this is a classic CD, the best of the summer. "Love Jones," "Baby," "Body Movin," "Love," "Jungle Love," "Over the Breaks," "Dime Piece" and "Love Movin" are some of the hottest tracks you'll hear, and you gotta dig Dilla's emcee work on "Won't Do." I wasn't impressed with Dilla's work on the mic on the Jaylib joint Champion Sound, but after hearing this and "F*** the Police," you realize Dilla had potential to be a great emcee. If he had the same dedication to emceeing that he did to beat making he could have been one of the great lyricists. But obviously that wasn't going to happen, Dilla loved the MPC 3000 a lot more than the mic.
All that said, no words are needed to explain this. It's Dilla. He's the best. This album doesn't confirm this, it just re-affirms what Welcome to Detroit and Donuts and his other work already established. Get this, and then be on the lookout for Jay Love Japan and other works in the future. Dilla shines on.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hip Hop produced with extra attention to detail, February 14, 2008
This album is fantastic. The first track is awful, as many have mentioned, but most of the rest is top notch and seamlessly blended. "The Shining" satisfies the desire to hear unique, lovingly produced Dilla beats on an album that is more approachable than his other solo work. Unlike "Donuts", which is great in it's own right but too weird for most occasions, you can put on "The Shining" at a party - starting on track #2 - and let it play.
The Shining is a perfect introduction to J Dilla for people with various musical tastes. Plus there are wonderful guest appearances by Common, D'Angelo and Pharoahe Monch. See for yourself by sampling tracks 4 and 6.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Highs and lows, January 25, 2008
The Shining presents me with a dilemma. It's a good record, it's Dilla, and it releases just a few short months after his death. Most reviewers will opt to praise Dilla's legacy as much as this particular album. It's sort of like when actors get Oscars for the movie after the one you know they really should have won for.
This album is good, but it's not as good as people will tell you it is. One of our editors said that you could tell which songs were going to be good on The Shining by looking at the list of guest vocalists. He's right. There are songs with Common, Pharoahe Monch, Madlib, D'Angelo, and Dwele. You expect Dilla to work well with those artists and create memorable songs and he does.
Common's guest spots bookend the best stretch of this album, a five song span that starts with "E=MC2" and ends with "So Far to Go" where D'Angelo joins the party as well. For these five songs ("E=MC2", "Love Jones", "Love", "Baby", "So Far to Go"), Dilla is making simply beautiful music. The vocalists provide perfect accompaniment and there is absolutely nothing lacking. It's love music, which is always what Dilla made best. Hip-hop music that made your insides feel good.
Quick bits on some of the other noteworthy songs. Dwele appears on "Dime" and the pairing works well. "Jungle Love" is a head nod special. Straight forward, simple beat, that is perhaps as hard as anything you will hear. Perfect fodder for riding around with your boys and looking hardcore in an underground sort of way.
There is really exceptional music on The Shining. There are songs on this album that showcase Dilla at the heights of his power. It's not as good as people will tell you it is, but it's still damn good.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
album The Shining 
