Staff Album Review - Mark

Snoop Dogg - Ego Trippin'

In his laid-back world, Snoop continues to remind us that it's good to be a gangsta'

Snoop Dogg has released another album entitled "Ego Trippin". It is hard to believe, but this is his 9th album! Snoop has been in the industry for 16 years and he definitely keeps his pimp status entact with his latest release. For this record Snoop chose to have the music produced by legendary producer Teddy Riley and DJ Quik. If you need a refresher, Teddy Riley had a major influence on Hip-Hop and R&B music of the 80's and early 90's. He has worked with artists like Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Keith Sweat, Whitney Houston and Micheal Jackson. DJ Quick who put out seven albums of his own, has produced music for artist like Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, Ludacris,Chingy and Dr. Dre.

It is a major accomplishment to stay in the music industry for almost two decades, and Snoop Dogg has certaintly shifted from his hardened gangsta rap days to a more chilled out state of mind. Snoop is still smokin' however, and is still into woman, remaining the "King of Cool." With twenty one tracks to listen to, "Ego Trippin" is full of music that'll keep you entertained. What stands out about this album is the throwback to 1980's synthesized electro. You can hear futuristic twists to old sounds, which propels pop music production ands keeps it fresh. This is most important to anyone keeping an ear on the sounds being released from year to year. The best example of this is Snoops first single "Sensual Seduction". Called "Sexual Eruption" in the explicit version it provides bright, heavenly gusts of string instruments atop deep and broad pulsing electronica. The great part is that it's carried by one of the best usages of a flute I've heard in any song in awhile. The production of this song is genious and Snoop actually sings on this track. The radio version "Sensual Seduction" broke into the Top Ten on the charts.

To this fan's surprise. Snoop has a country song on the album too called "My Medicine", which he dedicates to Johnny Cash. I'll give you one guess what "My Medicine" is about. . .
Snoop continues to have both jazzy and r&b tunes on his albums. This works well for him because of that laid back, yet formidable flow he has. The style is perfect for ridin' in your car somewhere in warm weather with the windows rolled down. Although much of the lyrics continue to talk about a lifestlye of being with woman and havin' it all, Snoop Dogg shows a more sentimental and uplifting side in "One Chance (Make It Good)," "Can't Say Good Bye," and "Why Did You Leave Me?" Snoops ability to stay forceful in pop culture is extraordinary. Imagine nine albums and having the same appeal? Snoop Dogg is one of those guys who will still have it even as an old-timer. The production of this album is the key component that catapults it from being just another Snoop Dogg album to being one worth purchasing. As a Hip- Hop album "Ego Trippin" makes a great addition to your music catalog and I give 4 out of 5 spins.

Why we are in this business - Part 1

Cage and Aquarium has had very good year and we are fortunate that our company is striking a nerve in Chicago. Sometimes I wonder why that is, and then I read quotes like this one from an article about a deejay named DJ Wes in DJTimes magazine...

"At weddings, during dinner, I will go around and perform up-close, slight-of-hand magic for the kids....it's a great icebreaker and the adults enjoy it just as much as the kids."

Really DJ Wes? Really? There are adults who still enjoy magic tricks? Where do you find these people? I guess the point I am trying to make is that normal, socially interesting people get married too. And there needs to be a company that represents individuals who are capable of enjoying more in this world than magic tricks. Here is another quote that explains why Cage an Aquarium has been a popular choice amongst urbanites...

"I'll lead everyone in the Chicken Dance as a way to get people out of there chairs..."

If you have been searching for a deejay online lately, you know where the rest of this quote is going. For every person you show me who wants a deejay leading the "Chicken Dance" at their wedding, I'll show you ten who would rather do anything else but that on one of the biggest days in their lives.

New Album Review - Tyler

Old 97's - Blame It On Gravity

Dallas rock stars attempt the impossible: The attention-grabbing status quo?

In preparation for this inaugural album review from Cage and Aquarium, I was doing a little research. I found that Blender Magazine has a write-up on the New Old 97’s effort. I then noticed they had written the exact opposite of my thoughts on this record (for instance, their two favorite songs are my “skip tracks”), so I figure I must be doing something right. - Touché Maxim moguls.

The album kicked off with “The Fool” and I have to admit my initial disappointment. There is nothing worse than a  great band phoning it in on a new album after four years of nothingness. But I noticed, as I forced myself through some of the early tracks, the album grew on me. After listening to Blame it on Gravity for the mandatory third time, I became comfortable with my conclusions, and ready to write the first of many Cage and Aquarium staff reviews.

First and foremost, this might be the most lyrically interesting Old 97’s effort to date. They have some corny rhymes (i.e. telecaster and train disaster), but there is a nice message underneath the hard-to-handle forced poetry. That is not to say this album does not have verbal stinkers, because it does. “She loves the Sunset” is a song that proves this point.

Although some songs fall very short lyrically, I like that the Old 97’s took some risks on this new album. “Here’s to the Halcyon” is a sarcastically religious track that leaves a lot up to interpretation. But my favorite verbal menace is the reference to Dallas, Texas as “big D-little, AKA the city of hate…deep in the big black heart of the Lone Star state.” So many times great bands from Texas get defensive when you point out true generalizations about the state of Texas and the people who inhabit it. I’m talking to you Bob Schneider.

My second observation is that Murray Hammond saved this record. Old 97’s fans might remember him as the quirky bass player with the novelty songs on any given Rhett Miller fronted collection – see “Crash in a Barrelhead” from Fight Songs, and “Coahuila” from Drag It Up. Playing Cosmo Kramer to Miller’s Seinfield has worked in the past, but it seems Hammond is tired of being typecast. He has written some amazing songs here. “Color of a Lonely Heart is Blue” is a chilling song that deals with the different types of tragic loss experienced throughout a lifetime. To show his emotional diversity, he also penned “This Beautiful Thing” which is a very sweet love song that captures the amazing way a relationship begins. And to top it off, he wrote the chorus to “My Two Feet” which is the best all-around track on BIOG.

I remember listening to Hitchhiker in Rhome my junior year at Joplin High, 1994, wondering "where can this band could go from here?" It has been an up and down 14-year battle, with some Rhett Miller solo records thrown in the mix, but I am happy with the present. Somehow this band has managed to keep it interesting without changing their root sound too much (not an easy task...ask Radiohead). I give Blame it on Gravity 3 out of 5 spins.

Love these: My Two Feet, Color of a Lonely Heart is Blue, The One
Skip these: The Fool, She Loves The Sunset