From: Bob Davis (earthjuice_at_prodigy.net)
Date: 2004-06-29 14:54:21
_________________________
This is a band out of Washington DC, that bears some watching.
I have known about them for several years via email.
(yes this is one independent artist who knows how to do email marketing properly)
On their CD entitled "It's All About the Band", OKTBRWRLD takes us on a 70's style trip that
reminds me a little bit of the Brand New Heavies type of thing from the early 90's, but they
go deeper, employing not only a sultry female vocalist (a' la the Brand New Heavies) but they
explore even deeper realms of tha FUNK (even making major use of WAH WAH) and even doing some
major DOO WOP stuff.
In short their CD called "It's All About the Band" sounds like a combination of Sly & the
Family Stone, the Moonglows, Rose Royce, New Birth, Roy Ayres and Mothers Finest.
Big city "Black Boho's" with fake dradlocks will be able to "bob their heads" to it.
"Old Funkateers" will be able to catch the groove, and as long as you just play the music (and
don't tell them the name of the band) they will think that it's probably an old Roy Ayres cut.
They are similar to other artists like Rio Soul, Ascendant, Marvin Tate's D-Settelment, Martha
Redbone, Sonny Boy, Marlon Saunders, Louise Perryman and more who are putting out some great
music RIGHT NOW.
With that as a backdrop, I am sitting here listening to "Raw and Natural" and it's blowing me
away because of course it is so different...
(they really get DEEP)
And just in case you as the listener don't have the time or the energy to actually listen to
the lyrics, some of the songs have a SERIOUS "spoken word intro" as an additional aid to help
the listeners who don't quite get the message, to "get the message"...
OKTBRWRLD
"Raw and Natural"
(the unplugged collection)
1. Come Into My World A. Spencer, N. Lane 1:52 (The meaning of OKTBRWRLD)
They come up with a definition of their sound that sounds an awful lot like....
GREAT BLACK MUSIC FROM THE ANCIENT TO THE FUTURE
(so that made me smile)
It's really an updated version of Sly & the Family Stone's "Dance To The Music" or Graham
Central Station's "The Jam" or even Archie Bell & the Drells "Tighten Up", where the band.
"The month of October is the beginning of fall the season of harvest when you reap the harvest
of all of the previous months..."
All of this is done to a slow and FUNKY groove that wouldn't be out of place in the movie
Superfly!!!
2. Elnathan's confession :35
This is really the intro to the next song...
3. Sundays In Autumnland E. Starnes 3:54
Any song that starts off with the words...
"On the cross these thorns I wear..."
Is going to be deep and this one is probably my favorite on the CD
4. Adwoa ...??? :28
5. Attention E. Starnes 3:48
In today's world with us all being bombarded with so may different kinds of information,
coming from so many directions, getting focused is often the first step towards gaining the
clarity that is required in order to make the correct deacons about what direction to take.
Everybody is competing for ATTENTION...
6. Nina on "Sexxy" :32
7. Sexxy E. Starnes, N. Lane 5:54
This is some SERIOUS hard core BLUES, on the female tip. This lady is running it down to her
man on the real side, and she does it in a way that Eryakah Badu only dreams about being able
to do. This song would be a hit song if it were to be played in rotation at a commercial radio
station, even though it's "BLUES". Although 'm certain that they would deny it, this song in
my
mind represents a challenge to artists like Eryakah Badu that they had betta "up their game"
if they REALLY want to talk about the whole "black man/black woman thing".
"Sundays in autumn..., come on and suck on THIS bone"
8. Oumar's pulse :50
9. Step In Line- E. Starnes 4:15
This song contains one of the most effective uses of the "human beat box" that has been heard
since the height of 80's hip hop
"everything is just GROOVY baby,,,"
10. Nina's Inspiration :50
11. Calling E. Starnes 12:10
This song is going into Minnie Riperton territory.
If you put this song on the LP "Adventures in Paradise", it would fit right in.
Now that is a pretty tall order for a "new artist" to fill, but that's where it belongs.
And at over 12 min, it's obviously not meant for radio airplay, where it would surely flop,
based on the limited attention span. However it's SLAMMIN
12. Adwoa's surrender :38
13. Let Heaven Be A. Spencer 5:00
14. Adwoa defines "passion" :51
15. Passion A. Spencer 6:37
See, what cha do with this song is pair it up with Calling" and turn this badd boy into a "18
min. plus EP" that can be marketed to the "URBAN KNEE-GROES". The "URBAN KNEE-GROES" will not
know what hit em. They will think that they have discovered this great new group that's cool
to put on while you are trying to seduce your new lady, while tooling around town in your new
BMW, Lexus or some other similar vehicle. In fact the "URBAN KNEE-GROES" won't realize that
this "Trojan horse" will end up having the effect of giving them a 100 percent PURE SHOT of...
"GREAT BLACK MUSIC FROM THE ANCIENT TO THE FUTURE"
And who knows, after absorbing the purse sensuality of this music may just be turned from
KNEE-GROES into BLACK PEOPLE without them even realizing it!
(now wouldn't THAT be a wonderful thing to occur????)
16. Sundays Remix E. Starnes, A. Scott 3:59
Overall, I think that this is great album, from a group that if all things were equal, would
become a HUGE commercial success. However on Soul-Patrol we already know that "all things are
NOT equal"?
This is a band whose sound is diverse yet familiar, up to date yet retro, introspective yet
danceable, accessible yet far out.
Obviously we will be playing some of this music on Soul-Patrol.Net Radio in the near future.
This music fits our "format" of "GREAT BLACK MUSIC FROM THE ANCIENT TO THE FUTURE".
It uplifts, empowers, it educates and it's entertaining.
However it doesn't fit the "format" of any of the "nationwide network of knee-gro radio
stations" that I am aware of.
I don't know ANY of them who are the least bit interested in uplifting, empowering, educating
or entertaining.
They are ONLY interested in continuing to brainwash black people by providing us with bad
music, poor information and of course LOTS of commercial, all dictated from corporate
headquarters.
It's VERY likely that relatively few people will EVER hear this album.
Black people are a strange lot.
Often times we are our own worst enemy.
OLDER PEOPLE WILL TELL ME:
"Bob that's really nice that you are giving those younger people a chance but I really wish
that you would write more about the good old days..."
YOUNGER PEOPLE WILL TELL ME:
"Bob that's really nice that you are writing about something other than some old scratched up
records from the 1970's but these guys will never make it, they don't cuss on any of the
songs, they don't talk about killing anyone and worst of all they talk about stuff that makes
my head hurt..."
Yet at the same time BOTH groups of people will tell me that there is ...
NO
GOOD
MUSIC
OUT
THERE
The reality is that we have not only permitted ourselves to become brainwashed, but we are
actually happy about it
Hence the dilemma of 2004 Knee-groe race...
_________
Bob Davis
earthjuice_at_prodigy.net
<a href="http://www.soul-patrol.com/convention"> 2004 SOUL-PATROL EAST COAST CONVENTION</a>
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_________________________
**2004 SOUL-PATROL EAST COAST CONVENTION
3 PAGE DETAILED FLYER
Film Festival, Seminars/Panel Discussion Agenda, Past/Future Legends Of Black Music Awards
Categories, Cabaret Details & Trade Show Details.
http://www.soul-patrol.com/convention/2004_detailed_flyer.pdf
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---------------------------------------
_________
Bob Davis
earthjuice_at_prodigy.net
<a href="http://www.soul-patrol.com/convention"> 2004 SOUL-PATROL EAST COAST CONVENTION</a>
<a href="http://www.soul-patrol.com"> SURF THE: SOUL-PATROL.COM WEBSITE</a>
<a href="http://www.soul-patrol.com/newsletter"> JOIN THE FREE BI-MONTHLY: SOUL-PATROL
NEWSLETTER</a>
<a href="http://www.soul-patrol.net"> LISTEN TO: SOUL-PATROL.NET RADIO </a>
<a href="http://www.davisind.com/spnetwork"> GET FREE: SOUL-PATROL NETWORK CONTENT FEEDS FOR
YOUR SITE (UPDATED EVERY TWO WEEKS) </a>