Madlib - Shades of Blue

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Music reviews of Shades of Blue

Music Review: if you already know madlib, then you already know it's good.
Rating: 5 Stars

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.

Description of Shades of Blue

Dance & DJ CDs

• Music > Styles
• Jazz
• Pop
• R&B
• Rap & Hip-Hop