Another solid act from Houston's fertile hip-hop scene, Grit Boys carry on the spirit of their mentor, HAWK, with their debut album Ghetto Reality in Texas, a cold blast of hood stories and rebellious, sometimes reckless, rhymes. Besides HAWK, the crew has name-checked Public Enemy in the past when asked for influences, and while nothing here is as revolutionary as PE's words and production, there is that hunger for positive movement forward. Of course, Chuck D and his crew never spoke...   [ read more ]

CD $17.08

If All Night Long was a great electric blues portrait, this sophomore release, given more widespread distribution via Fat Possum's deal with Capricorn, is an extension of the portrait, but with a lot more grit and grind thrown in, given a darker, deeper sound by a change in location (still Kimbrough's joint, but a different building). The vocals are further back, buried in the thick, heavy electric mix -- some of this music here is Southern electric blues sounding about the way it might when the apoc...   [ read more ]

CD $9.48

The boys of Maroon 5 have certainly come a long way since their days in the indie outfit Kara's Flowers. After the band's demise in 1999, frontman Adam Levine surrounded himself with New York City's urban hip-hop culture and found a new musical calling. Maroon 5 was born and their debut album, Songs About Jane, illustrates an impressive rebirth. It's groovy in spots, offering bluesy funk on "Shiver" and a catchy, soulful disposition on "Harder to Breathe." "Must Get Out" sl...   [ read more ]

CD $18.03