Old Skool Joint of the Week #5

Whitney Houston - "My Love Is Your Love"

You know, Whitney's had a pretty rough couple of years. She's spent a good chuck of this millennium being the punch line to quite a few jokes, and giving Maya Rudolph endless material to work on Weekend Update. I'm pretty sure she's never going to live down that "crack is wack" Diane Sawyer interview, but hopefully most people have forgotten about Being Bobby Brown by now.

In case you somehow forgot, Whitney used to put out a hit record, and I'm not just talking about that song from The Bodyguard. This one is definitely one of my favourites. Nothing like a laid back jam about love that'll endure anything the world can throw at it.



Whitney's got a new album set for release this coming fall, and I really hope she's got her shit together now so this one works out for her. Pop music could always use more people who can, you know, actually sing. If you're worried about how her voice has held up over the years, don't. As Jane Fonda reassures us, her voice "remains strong." Plus, how fucking 90s would it be to have new records from Whitney and Mariah drop practically back to back?

"And the nude colored one was just... a little... nude color...for me."

Jennifer Garner, in the season finale of The Rachel Zoe Project, you are so right. The nude colored one is sooo nude color, and it (and all variations of said color) is most definitely all I am craving right now.

Sure, maybe I'm a little behind on this, but I can't help but proclaim all things nude color being equivalent to gold. Maybe it's because I'm slightly partial to my friends at Stella McCartney (SRTW09) and Chloe (FRTW09), and ladies like Kate Bosworth, Chloe Sevigny (who despite, being horrifically ugly, remains in my style inspiration book [obvs]) who, when wearing clothing of nude color, make my heart stop just a little, but I think it goes a little deeper than that...

Gawd. I miss this time. Inspiring. [Perhaps, not so much clothing-wise, but definitely color-wise].

Note: This obsession might explain why I have been, reluctantly, sitting in the sun with a low SPF sunscreen. I can't possibly step into nude colored outfits, being as white as the background of this blog (that is not a joke. I am this color.)

Source: style.com

Old Skool Joint of the Week #4

Before I get to the song, I'm adding a little regional nostalgia that won't mean shit to most people so the rest of you can probably just skip ahead. You see that up there? That's an old as hell bus transfer that I found at the bottom of my highschool memories box (which, by the way, is full of embarrassment, but that's another story for another day). I don't have anything so old that it has "BC Transit" stamped on it, but that thing reminds me of a simpler time. Back when a bus driver might accidentally give you an extra 15 minutes, or might not notice you're short a dime, and it didn't take 5 minutes for 10 people to get on because they keep inserting their card the wrong way. Also, a time when it didn't cost $2.25 to go one damn zone and when they realized vinyl seat covers was the way to go in a city where it rained this much.

You know what else used to be a little bit better back when bus transfers were made of newspaper? Janet Jackson. Now, don't get it twisted, I'm not saying homegirl isn't still fierce as fuck (because she is), but her last couple records have been lacking a certain something. I'm going to blame Jermaine Dupri for that, and no, I don't have any rational reasoning behind that so don't ask.

I'm going to be honest, it's been a while since I really listened to any old school Janet and I almost forgot this track even existed. Thankfully, today's episode of Ranked! on MuchMoreMusic played it and all the good times came flooding back. I thought this video was dope as hell, I mean, who wouldn't want Janet to show up at their house for a party, even if it was all a dream? I'm also pretty sure I sat in front of the radio listening to Z95 waiting for this song to come on the Hot 6 @ 6 so I could tape it. There was no HypeMachine back in '98.

So, enjoy...

Janet Jackson - "Go Deep"

Old Skool Joint of the Week #3

What's this? A new post two Fridays in a row? I'm on a roll here.

Picking a song to highlight this week was actually pretty difficult. Thanks to a trip down 90s R&B memory lane led by my fellow poster on this blog nobody reads, I was overwhelmed with Darkchild produced tracks to choose from. Should I go with Brandy? Monica? That Tatyana Ali song? So rather than pick one of those, I decided to go with a little late 90s/early 00s female Hip-Hop:

Eve Feat. Faith Evans - "Love is Blind"

Eve sort of fell off after she let her hair grow out and got that show on UPN. Musically, she's spent most of the past six years guesting on other people's records and releasing that annoying as fuck (but totally catchy) "Tambourine" song. Back in '99, she was just breaking out as the "Ruff Ryder's First Lady." While she was running around with DMX, she released this track about getting revenge on a friend's abusive boyfriend. It's a shame that I mostly remember this one as the soundtrack to every 14 year old girl's "troubled" relationship, because it's actually got some powerful lyrics. But you know how it is, shit can get real tough when your boyfriend doesn't call you right after you page him.

Old Skool Joint of the Week (Redux)

Remember how over a month ago I said that I was starting a new feature on this blog to try and generate some regular content, except it was a complete and utter failure? No? Okay, well that doesn't matter. Point is, I'm going to try that one again by bringing you another shot of 90s nostalgia:

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - "The Impression That I Get"

With their ska beats the Bosstones had more than a few kids skanking in their Doc Martens with their plaid shirts tied around their waists. The horn section also helped hundreds of band geeks believe there was a place for them beyond the half-time show of their highschool's football games. The band also scores major 90s points for appearing in one of the greatest teen movies of all time, Clueless. I'm also pretty sure there's some Sabrina the Teenage Witch connection to this song, but I'm blanking right now. Anyway:





Fun Fact: I almost missed the Bosstones' set at the first Warped Tour I went to because some guy wanted me to listen to his band's demo on a discman he brought. Times sure were tough in the days before MySpace.