The other day I was showing my TOTALLY ADORABLE new shoes to my old man, and I asked him, “Aren’t these the cutest shoes I own?” And he said, “I guess, but don’t you say that about every pair of shoes you buy… ?” Hmmph! My man clearly does not understand the shoe relationship cycle.
I’m kind of like that with music, too - whatever I’m listening to right now is just about the banginest cut I’ve ever heard. Until the next one. Anybody remember Unklejam? me neither.
But this time, it’s different! I think my relationship with UK MC Estelle will be long-term. First of all, she wasn’t born until 1980, but she’s got mad respect for classic soul older than her. She runs her own label, and she rolls with John Legend, Kanye and Swizz Beats. Also: her grill is straight wrecked, and I kind of respect that.
Folks are comparing Estelle to Lauryn Hill, and I guess I can see that - she’s got a husky voice and she’s the stylistic antidote to Beyoncé. But Estelle seems more authentic, and more importantly, she’s not dressing like a clown or rambling batshit nonsense to interviewers.
Estelle 1980 The 18th Day, 2004
Estelle’s first big UK hit.
Musiq Soulchild Featuring Estelle People Everyday Meet the Browns OST, 2008
About TIME somebody started remaking the REAL classics by the REAL masters, like Milwaukee’s own Arrested Development!
Estelle Wait A Minute (Just a Touch) Shine, 2008
The first single, kind of made up of crazy shit mashed together that works really well. That “OH.” gets me every time. Borrows liberally from:
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins I Put A Spell On You 45, 1969
Yikes! This song scares me, no lie. Put this on and I will run out the room.
and:
Slave Just A Touch Of Love Just A Touch Of Love, 1979
Disco classic with a nasty bassline.
Estelle In The Rain Shine, 2008
Oh god, this is so girly. It’s all summer storms and movie soundtrack. Sounds suspiciously like:
Love Unlimited Walkin’ In The Rain With The One I Love Love Unlimited, 1974
Written, produced, and arranged by the late Barry White after a conversation (and frenching) with the lead singer.
When was the last time you heard a decent cowbell in a song? Of course, you can hear your run-of-the-mill “Low Rider” and “Hey Ladies” any damn day.
But a well-placed cowbell is really a gift. Deceptively tinny and deceivingly lowbrow, the cowbell is a creeper instrument. It starts out with a little tink-tink sound - you barely know it’s there - often growing more pronounced until folks are shaking asses up, down and all around without even knowing what got them there.
However! The cowbell can also be an instrument of evil. Beware the cowbell’s unnatural power over weddings and bar mitzvahs, as evidenced in Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music” and the most wretched of all cowbell songs, Tone Loc’s “Funky Cold Medina.”
Let’s get to the awards: here are my five all-time favorite cowbell joints, in ascending order.
5. Master Jay & Michael Dee T.S.O.B. 12″, 1980
Perfect, perfect. So perfect. Master Jay & Michael Dee spit over the Sound of Brooklyn, which I guess is a couple of hot boogie breaks, a kick, a snare and a cowbell the size of Madison Square Garden.
4. Sugarhill Gang 8th Wonder 8th Wonder, 1981
Cowbell use here is almost under the radar, creating the unconscious funkiness. But still: Woo-Hah! They got you all in check.
3. Michael Jackson Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough Off The Wall, 1979
Nothing much needs to be said here, except DAMN, MIKE! If you were thinking right, you woulda spent all that surgery money on a time machine and a week of Quincy Jones’ production. You coulda been somebody again…
2. Quincy Jones Sanford & Son (The Streetbeater) 45, 1973
And speaking of Quincy, how could such a fine-ass man write such a nasty, funky TV theme? It sounds like a LeMans with no muffler, Fat Albert and a rusty old cowbell.
1. Sergio Mendes Brasil ‘88 I’ll Tell You Magic Lady, 1979
This has got to be the hottest cowbell song of all time. It has everything: handclaps, growling female vocalist, and the lyrics make no damn sense. It’s like somebody poked their head in the studio to ask for directions to the Piggly Wiggly or some shit, and Sergio said, “Write zees down! Eet’s a song!” or however you say it in Brazilian. And then he brought out the cowbell and it was ON.
So what about you? What’s your favorite cowbell song? Don’t act like you don’t have one.
After years of toiling, I’ve finally hit the big time. I’ve been selected as a finalist as one of America’s next Top Hot Messes!
But now it’s up to you, readers. Can you make me and Morris Day stars? I have to be honest, the competition is top-notch - not sure how I could ever compete with #11, but I’m gonna try.
Vote for hot mess #5 here! And in honor of all the messes, a song from the year this picture was taken:
Hey my people. Just wanted to drop a line and let you know I’m still here - I guess my real life (I mean the non-ridiculous one where I have a job and a family and talk about other stuff besides obscure boogie and frenching) has been keeping me away from my bloggy blog lately.
But I haven’t forgotten about you. I’ll be back in the next few weeks…
Until then, enjoy a couple joints I can’t stop with these days:
It’s Valentine’s day today, and here at Morebounce Publications, that means just one thing: lots of love. We may come across as hardened old goats, but deep down inside, we’re softies. And we got love for you, dear readers. If you were here right now, we’d french every one of you. That’s how much we feel in our hearts today. Yes, we’d get tired, and we’d run out of spit, but if that’s what it took to show our love, we’d put in that extra effort.
But keep them meat hooks to yourself, cause I got a man and I don’t get down like that.
Anyway! In honor of our deep and tender feelings on this day: six of the deepest and sweetest joints of all time. Happy Valentine’s day.
Bahamadia Real Love Good Rap Music, 2006
We love Bahamadia, don’t we? Remember how we used to make out to Kollage all the time?
Lionel Richie Love Will Conquer All Dancing On The Ceiling, 1986
Do NOT front with me and act like you don’t bump this on the downlow. We are in love, which means I know you better than that.
D’Angelo I Found My Smile Again Yoda: The Monarch Of Neo-Soul, 2007
I thought I’d spice up our relationship with some straight hotness, personified in D’Angelo. I do not care if he’s fat or a smack fiend; I would french the hell out of him any damn day. What’s that? No, of course he’s not hotter than you, silly. C’mere.
Quincy Jones Feat. James Ingram One Hundred Ways The Dude, 1981
Learn it.
Force M.D.’s Tender Love Tender Love, 1985
The best harmonizing from the best r&b group of the ’80s. The BEST. Remember that honey hanging out the window in the video? No? Let me fresh your memory:
The Thriller video is 25, y’all. Happy birthday to one of the most seriously bangin joints of all time, with the most seriously sick choreography. Don’t act like you don’t know it in your damn sleep, people.
And don’t act like you don’t have an original leather Thriller jacket hanging in your closet. Oh wait. That’s me.
Look, I knew what I was getting into when I moved my ass back to the Midwest. Football, freezing winters and casseroles. For real, did you know you can feed six at a potluck with not much more than a can of cream soup and some Tater Tots?
But this winter has gone too far. The temperature has been below zero all weekend, nobody’s car is starting, and my skin feels like dust. I can’t take it any more. There are only so many pairs of socks a girl can wear until the Air Force Ones don’t fit!
I need summer back. But until then, I’ll have to settle for a couple of these warm, sunny jammies. With a nice hot casserole, of course.
Bar-Kays Too Hot to Stop Too Hot to Stop, 1976
Filthy funk; if this doesn’t make your ass sweat, your ass must be broke. Or you’re not looking at the picture above closely enough. Thank God for this song. Nobody’s asking you to stop, Bar-Kays.
Leon Ware Why I Came to California 12″, 1982
Motown producer and Detroit native Leon Ware knew how to do it. Knock out a few masterpieces for Marvin Gaye like “After the Dance” and “I Want You,” then get your shit out to the West Coast, where you’ll never scrape another damn windshield. Write a song about it.
The Sun Sun Is Here Sunburn, 1978
Oh lawd, The Sun! These poor freezing boys from Dayton, Ohio knew what it was like to wreck a pair of gators in the snow. What to do? Write this heater to fight off the elements, of course. Sadly, this was their only hit, so they’re probably still in Dayton in front of the radiator right now.
Big Daddy Kane Warm It Up, Kane It’s a Big Daddy Thing, 1989
Nobody warms it up like the Kane. I heard he never gets cold.
Lupe Fiasco Sunshine Food & Liquor, 2006
Lupe’s from Chicago, so not only does he have deep knowledge of the cold, he’s withstood the crazy gale force winds they get down there. This joint’s so pretty, you almost forget it’s off an album named for the corner stores all over Chicagoland. Stores Lupe probably walked through the blizzards to get to. Ooh, look at me, I just made a circle!
I woke up this morning and it was 2008. What the hell happened to 2007? It went faster than Fu-Schnickens over a ghettotech beat!
There were a grip of songs that made all of us at Morebounce Publications take notice, though. Some were on fire, some were straight crazy, and others made us wonder what we did to make the gods angry. But either way, we’re here to share them with you, the readers who carried our lazy asses through 2007.
So here’s to you, readers! 2007’s most notable cuts:
Grand Pubah Let’s Go Top Shelf 8/8/88, 2007
Turns out that Top Shelf album wasn’t from 1988 at all, but a meticulously crafted throwback project. It was hot to death, though, and this is my favorite joint. Throw your hands in the air, if you wit it, let’s go!
Kinfolk Kia Shine Krispy Due Season, 2007
Do you know anybody in 2007 who (1) didn’t refer to their shoes/hair/game as “krispy,” or (2) announce that they were through buying Bapes, since they got “errrrrry purrrr?” Me neither. The song itself is ridiculous, but damn. It had reach this year.
Mary J. Blige Just Fine Growing Pains, 2007
Ooh, Morebounce loves us some Mary J. This single for her new album is crazy infectious, and it makes us happy.
UGK Feat. Outkast International Players Anthem Underground Kingz, 2007
Damn shame Pimp C. left us last fall - we need about 40 more of these jammies this year. It’s sublime.
Fantasia Hood Boy Single, 2007
I won’t front on this one, it’s nothing to call Kanye over. But I’m just happy to see li’l Celie keep her grind going.
Chamillionaire Feat. Slick Rick Hip Hop Police Ultimate Victory, 2007
Nice to hear a song that’s actually about something. Slick Rick works that patch up in there!
Funkdoobiest Hip Hop Music Single, 2007
Now, I know I’m heavily biased toward anything that sounds as old school as this. But dayum. There’s a reason folks go crazy for the ’80s!
Pop It Off Boyz Crank Dat Batman Single, 2007
Stop it. Makes me want to take to my bed.
Jason Fox Feat. Hood Presidents Aunt Jackie Single, 2007
Dumb, but fun. I’m not mad at young Jason. I think this made some nice ringtones out there…
Kevin Mega Always Be Your Girl After 2 Nite, 2007
I’ve got to give some love to Milwaukee’s own Kevin Mega. I love this cut right here, with its rolling basslines, laid back rhymes and shout outs to both Redroom and Malcolm. Cop the whole album on iTunes.
Hey there, >bounce/oz readers! I’m AaronM, a new addition to the site. You may know my writing from Metal Lungies, the blog of the Sound of Young America, Maximum Fun, or my own blog Canned Thinking. Anyway, enough self-promotion for now. Let me set into my topic for today.
Well, the titular instrument at the top of this post is what I’m covering today. I was reminded of the strange power of the talkbox when I saw the fantastic music video for Snoop’s new song, “Sensual Seduction“. The video pays affectionate tribute to the low production values of late ’70s/early ’80s music videos, complete with Zapp & Roger-esque costumes and split images ala “When Doves Cry.” Snoop spends most of the song singing through a talk box to produce that vocoder-sounding singing.
Of course, one of the most famous instances of talkbox use was on the song this blog takes its title from. Zapp’s “More Bounce to the Ounce” is a funk classic and has been heavily sampled in hundreds of songs, including EPMD’s “You Gots To Chill” and Snoop himself on the self-explanatory “Snoop Bounce.”
Wikipedia also has a nice writeup of the basics of the ‘box, along with a short, interesting history. Definitely worth a read.
A talk box is a musical sound effects device that allows a musician to modify the sound of a musical instrument. The musician controls the modification by changing the shape of his or her mouth.
The effect can be used to shape the frequency content of the sound and to apply speech sounds (in the same way as singing) onto a musical instrument, typically a guitar (its non-guitar use is often confused with the vocoder) and keyboards.
Here are a few more recent talk box classics. Whether on the hook or used for main vox, the talk box is always a welcome addition to any jam.
Chromeo Fancy Footwork Fancy Footwork, 2007
An irresistible jammie by fellow Jewish Canadian electro lovers. Encourages men to impress girls by dancing to “show her that you’re not that shy.”
Daft Punk Digital Love Discovery, 2001
A really sweet ballad, with a catchy backing track sampled from synthesizer guru George Duke’s
“I Love You More.” Love songs are sweeter when sung through a talk box, it’s true.
Kool G Rap & Capone-N-Noreaga My Life (Remix) Soundbombing 3, 2002
CNN pay tribute to the Kool Genius in a nice collaboration. The remix, done by VIC, has some lovely pumping horns on the beat and a SMOOTH talk box chorus by someone named G-Wise. A nice summer jam for partying gangsters and wiseguys.
Snoop Dogg Sensual Seduction Ego Trippin’, 2008
I think you already know.
Do you know what December brings out in me? No, it’s not my Christmas Tree earrings. It’s my hella rude attitude. I know I should be rockin the Santa hat and baking you some damn cookies, but honestly, all I want to do is drink with some of my folks, and hear some Christmas-free joints.
So for you, the Morebounce crüe, here are the most anti-holiday jammies I’m bumpin right now:
Missy Elliot The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) Supa Dupa Fly, 1997
Dark, bass-heavy and a little confusing. Has nothing to do with Santa or fruitcake.
Public Enemy I Can’t Do Nuttin’ for Ya Man Fear of a Black Planet, 1990
I am actually not a Public Enemy fan. But the thought of Flava Flav in any capacity puts me in just the right no-holiday spirit.
Statik Selektah Bam Bam Spell My Name Right, 2007
Not really sure why I love this right now. It’s not really anything different from anything else out there, but one thing I know for sure: it doesn’t have Paul McCartney or a single jingle bell in it.
Riskay Smell Yo Dick Single, 2007
Not only does it have absolutely no references to trees, snow or ice skating, this song is brilliant in every way. I will listen to it well into the Easter season.
The other day I was showing my TOTALLY ADORABLE new shoes to my old man, and I asked him, “Aren’t these the cutest shoes I own?” And he said, “I guess, but don’t you say that about every pair of shoes you buy… ?” Hmmph! My man clearly does not understand the shoe relationship cycle.
When was the last time you heard a decent cowbell in a song? Of course, you can hear your run-of-the-mill “Low Rider” and “Hey Ladies” any damn day.
Hey my people. Just wanted to drop a line and let you know I’m still here - I guess my real life (I mean the non-ridiculous one where I have a job and a family and talk about other stuff besides obscure boogie and frenching) has been keeping me away from my bloggy blog lately.
It’s Valentine’s day today, and here at Morebounce Publications, that means just one thing: lots of love. We may come across as hardened old goats, but deep down inside, we’re softies. And we got love for you, dear readers. If you were here right now, we’d french every one of you. That’s how much we feel in our hearts today. Yes, we’d get tired, and we’d run out of spit, but if that’s what it took to show our love, we’d put in that extra effort.
Look, I knew what I was getting into when I moved my ass back to the Midwest. Football, freezing winters and casseroles. For real, did you know you can feed six at a potluck with not much more than a can of cream soup and some Tater Tots?
I woke up this morning and it was 2008. What the hell happened to 2007? It went faster than Fu-Schnickens over a ghettotech beat!
Do you know what December brings out in me? No, it’s not my 
