RE: the spoken word/4 hero/The Angel

Mark Allerton
Fri, 17 Apr 1998 06:49:54 -0700


"Loveless" has been in my personal top ten ever since it came out on
that "21st century soul" comp a way back. I love spoken word stuff and
like Rucker's other work, but this track really seems to me to be taking
things to the next level. Gives me the shivers, anyway. 4Hero just seem
to be getting better all the time, and I can't wait for "Two Pages" to
drop...

Other good 4Hero stuff - "Hero" with Chris Bowden. The Jacob's Optical
Stairway LP (4Hero in disguise). The Tek9 "It's not what you think" LP
(Dego - or is it Mark Mac - can't remember which - with King Britt and
others in mostly hip-hop setting.)

On the spoken word front - noone's mentioned the Me'shell NdegeOcello
yet. Though obviously she sings and raps, a lot of her stuff definitely
fits into the spoken word category - especially on her first LP, which
is surely destined for classic status in my book. Still a regular on my
CD player over three years in...

-----Original Message-----
From: Kurt Iveson [mailto:kiveson@coombs.anu.edu.au]
Sent: Friday, April 17, 1998 12:49 AM
To: acid-jazz@UCSD.Edu
Subject: Re: the spoken word/4 hero/The Angel

Yep, I agree, some of the stuff on the 4 Hero "Earth Pioneers" EP is
amazingly good - the Ursula Rucker track ("Loveless") and "Planetarium"
are
both very lush. I actually also dig her stuff with the Roots, and of
course she appears a couple of times on the new King Britt thing to very
good effect. Only other spoken word that I have I think is the Dana
Bryant
album, which I also really like....

Now, speaking of the 4 Hero stuff, and connecting up with another thread
going on at the moment...

I've been getting into the bits of stuff that I have by 4 Hero and The
Angel pretty heavily of late. Both are apparently scheduled to drop
albums
in the near future, and I can't wait! So, any of you good people care
to
make some recommendations about their best remix work? What are some
essential 4 Hero or Angel bits that I really have to have?

peace,

kboy

>speaking of spoken word vs. hip hop... actually not hip hop at all but
>I'll move on anyway...
>Anyone heard the new 4 Hero EP? It is amazing!!! The track I specifically
>refer to is the one which features Ursula Rucker doing spoken word (NOT
>rapping) over a great drumnbass track. Anyone who owns the last two Roots
>album will recognze her name, as she has done spoken tracks on their
>albums (without music). Personally, I don't like her stuff on the Roots
>albums because I don't like the rhythm she uses in her speech (I could go
>off on that but I'll stick to music). However, on the 4 hero track, it
>feels like the music was made specifically FOR her rhythm, and they go
>together quite nicely. THis is a great track, and it just goes to show
>how little of the drumnbass envelope has been pushed as yet...
>scott