MWE = Music Writer Exercise. A challenge created by a writer on Twitter (@noyokono) the whole month one must listen to a new album they’ve never heard and do one single tweet/review about that album. Here’s what I listened to for the first week.
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
#MWE Day 1: I’ve definitely heard pieces of music from this album before. Maybe from a film/tv. Feel like Lupe Fiasco sampled something. This is that clean the crib on Sunday music. Real jazz, abstract. Long songs where all musicians get to showcase their skills.
Prince - Purple Rain:
#MWE Day 2: An album soundtrack to a film I’ve seen a couple scenes from. Listening to this I can hear where Andre 3000 and Pharrell may have got inspiration for their work. Funky, alternative, soulful, pop. Oh yeah sexy.
A Tribe Called Quest - People’s Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm
#MWE Day 3: Solid debut from ATCQ. Surprised to hear Q-Tip alone on a lot of the songs. Was looking forward to hearing more from Jarobi since he left the group after the first album. Listening to this shows how much they grew artistically and lyrically.
Death - For The Whole World To See
#MWE Day 4: Sounds like the blueprint to punk rock. Punk before Punk existed. 3 brothers who are black and from Detroit. Formed in 1971. Before Bad Brains. Before Fugazi. It’s crazy that they’re not known to the masses!
Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
#MWE Day 5: Always knew her classic hit “Fast Car” growing up. Thought she was a one hit wonder but no the album is good. Strong songwriting. Soft rock/folk vibes. Smooth and soulful.
Westside Gunn & Mr. Green - FLYGOD is Good…All The Time
#MWE Day 6: If you heard a Westside Gunn project then you know what to expect. Fly beats, slick street talk, and ad-libs. I really like the choice of beats Gunn chooses to rhyme over. Something for the backpackers and street dudes. Short and sweet.
Santigold - I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions
#MWE Day 7: Santi mixes reggae and dancehall with indie pop. A real nice vibe. Angelic voice. The songs all blend together as if a dj is playing a set at a club, party or on the radio. In an alternate universe santi would be a mainstream star off this project