Stevie Vol.1_音乐专辑
Stevie Vol.1
表演者: Yesterdays New Quintet
发行时间: 2002
出版者: Stones Throw
条形码: 6934563300137
专辑简介
Those of you from the 80s may find this hard to believe, but there was a time when Stevie Wonder couldn't be touched. If you don't accept this as an irrefutable fact, turn off Ghostbusters, put down your New Coke, and go buy Innervisions, Fulfillingness, and Songs in the Key of Life. Believe me, you won't be disappointed. If you're already familiar with these classics, then you can imagine the uproar caused when word leaked out of the Stones Throw camp that hip-hop/jazzbo extraordinaire Madlib had covered 14 classic Stevie Wonder tunes.
It all started innocently enough; recorded between 2000-2001, Stevie was never intended to be officially released. After Madlib, who was then recording under the guise of jazz band Yesterdays New Quintet, realized that he had an entire album's worth of Stevie instrumentals, he compiled them onto a single CD and presumably set them in the same stack as his other 12 unreleased Yesterdays New Quintet albums. Close friend and Stones Throw guru Peanut Butter Wolf saw the disc, made a copy, and passed it around the Stones Throw office. Within a week, clothing line Triple 5 approached Stones Throw about doing a limited pressing of unreleased material for promotional purposes, PBW handed over these tapes, and the hype steamrolled from there.
Although it would be nearly impossible to replicate the soul-tagging genius of Wonder, in part because no one has a voice like Stevie's, Madlib is able to add his own special twist to the songs. His success can largely be attributed to his understanding the strength of the source material. There are minor electronic touches, but Madlib has too much reverence for Wonder to butcher his songs with unnecessary hip-hop pyrotechnics. In fact, while hip-hop does inform Madlib's interpretations, he sprinkles the mix with a dab of jazz fusion, a pinch of samba, and just a touch of lounge to make this a slinky, 70s-infused affair. For "Too High", Madlib digs into the track's ultra-funky opening groove before dropping the chorus' familiar keyboard riff. On "Superwoman" Madlib busts out the vibes, pounds away at the keys, and tweaks the beat, resulting in a sublimely spacy breaks fest that's going to have loop diggas salivating until 3k.
Although Madlib pays mind to the tracks' melodies with some pretty stellar key work, the focus of almost every track is the rhythm section. "Visions", which is the track most significantly altered, is given a funky rev up and would sound at home in a Melvin Peebles movie. Other highlights include scorching versions of "Superstition" and "You Got It Bad, Girl".
Unfortunately, when the compositions are slower and more involved, as is the case with "Send Out Your Love", Madlib stumbles a bit and the music tends to meander and drag. And also be warned: the album has a mellow vibe, and if you're the type who's repelled by anything that even approaches being 'smooth,' you probably won't dig this much. These are minor complaints to me, though, as I find these tracks to be interesting reinterpretations of certified classics. Stevie Wonder has long been an inspiration to hip-hop, and his repertoire has been sampled by numerous producers. Hopefully, this album will make the connection explicit and turn an entire new generation onto the man's sweet sounds.
曲目
1. Prelude
2. Superstition
3. Visions
4. Superwoman (Where Were You Last ...
5. Interlude One
6. Rocket Love, Pt.1
7. You've Got It Bad Girl
8. Interlude Two
9. Send One Your Love
10. Too High
11. I Am Singing
12. Interlude Three
13. Golden Lady
14. Creepin', Pts. 1-2
