Noise From Tha Hood (The Very Best Of Street Vibes)

Member Name: basil40

Product:	The Very Best Of Street Vibes
Date:	07/02/05 (369 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Varied stuff, Some good tracks

Disadvantages: Not "street" enough (erm, Elvis?), Disjointed and patchy, Odd choices

WHAT'S THIS THEN?
It's the culmination of the nine Street Vibes compilations released between 1994 and 2003. Effectively the SV series tried to encapsulate all that was good about black music at the time, be it rap, soul (RnB), reggae or dance. Some of the music has dated, and some has remained as pristine as the day it was released. Some, however, defies belief that it can even be called "Street"......

THE TRACKS
Disc 1 (The Soul/Rap Side)
1. Mis-Teeq - Can't Get It Back
A nice, light buzzy start to the album as the trio from North London ease their way through a cool vocal workout. This mix included here still sounds fresh and it's great that a British act kicks things off.

2. Justin Timberlake - Like I Love You
Oh dear. Michael Jackson falsetto, faux-Spanish guitar and whispered nothings abound as JT talks us through his first solo outing. It's midtempo in pace with breezy rap in the middle. Not bad.

3. Wayne Wonder - No Letting Go
The first bit of reggae on the album, and quite a disppointment considering they had about 360 tracks to choose from when compiling this album. Not bad, but we need an Usher......

4. Usher - Pop Ya Collar
Hurrah! I thought Usher was all washed up and certain to be one a hit wonder after U Make Me Wanna hit the top of the charts. But he came back a couple of years later with this storming soul cut and the rest is history. Not as good as U Remind Me, though.

5. Destiny's Child - Bootylicious
With an intro sounding like it was nicked from Eye Of The Tiger, this is a fantastic follow up to their Independent Woman single of early 2000. Driving funk and mad guitars rule as the girls (literally) sing their arses off.

6. B2K - Girlfriend (Pied Piper remix)
Little bit of a dance version of this old favourite. If I'm right, B2K are the P.Diddy affiliates. The sing appears here in UK Garage/2-Step form. Great remix of an average tune.

7. Big Brovaz - Favourite Things
Take one imaginary rap collective and one song from The Sound Of Music. What do you get? Don't ask......

8. Craig David - 7 Days
The "took her for a drink on Monday"song for the uninitiated. Still sounds good although a little bit naive and corny. Good for a singalong, though hardly "street".

9. Jennifer Lopez - Play
Maracas and flamenco guitar are all over the place here as J-Lo pre-empts Timberlake's little bit of nonsense from earlier. Not a bad track, but I'd like to see J-Lo given some meaty material to tackle. She'd sink without a trace.

10. Ms. Dynamite - It Takes More
A lovely lilting song from 2002's Estelle. A nice line in nasal singing followed by some beefy rapping and all tied up in a bow marked "bastard". Wouldn't like to be the bloke on the receiving end of this little ditty.

11. Liberty X - Just A Little
Grrrrrr!

12. Will Smith - Gettin' Jiggy Wit It
Nicking the funky guitar from Sister Sledge's He's The Greatest Dancer, Will virtually phones in his contribution to the album. It sees him going through the motions over a great pop hook. He's done a lot better than this though.

13. Mary Mary - Shackles (Praise You)
A daily staple of Capital FM and Heart here in London, this track from 2000 is a gospel-dipped slice of praise to God. The beat is awesome and the chorus is ridiculously simple. Great stuff, even now.

14. TLC - No Scrubs
This was TLC's last great single before Lisa Lopez died in that plane crash in 2002. The funkiest of beats with a real street attitude laid down by the girls. An uplifting chorus and brilliant vocals ensure we have a true, genuine classic in our midst.

15. Outkast - Ms. Jackson
Before Roses and Hey Ya! came this track from 2001. It's about Andre's ex-girlfriend (soul singer Erykah Badu) and is a plea to her mother for her forgiveness over the breakdown on their relationship. The rap is watertight and the chorus is instant and memorable. Great stuff with a fab video.

16. Santana - Maria Maria
Violins aren't "street". And neither are 60 year olds with pencil moustaches enjoying an Indian summer.

17. Blu Cantrell - Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)
Oops indeed. A pre-Breathe Blu Cantrell goes through the motions on this track too. Not great and a plethora of famous rappers can't save this stinking RnB reject.

18. Lisa Maffia - All Over
The fourth British act so far. Lisa Maffia (real name) was the girl who sung the vocal hook on the So Solid Crew's 21 Seconds. Here she makes her solo debut but it's ruined somewhat by a male shouting her name in the background. Otherwise, a catchy tune from another great British hope.

19. Alicia Keys - Fallin'
Talk about leaving the best two to last. This is the girl who's permanently stuck at her piano giving it some on her debut single. Beautifully executed 70's style soul and a real diamond in the rough. Soaring vocals, lovely instrumentation, all round perfection.

20. Macy Gray - I Try
Her gruff voice was a breath of fresh air to a soul scene in 1999 otherwise plagued by hot pants and overproduction. Fabulous song with a rousing chorus. Apparently Macy didn't speak her first word until she was 11, hence the gravelly voice. Yeah, right.

Disc: 2 (The Dance Side)
1. DJ Pied Piper & The Masters Of Ceremonies - Do You Really Like It?
This song was huge in the summer of 2000. "Do you really like? We're lovin' it, lovin it lovin' it", it went. Fantastically frenetic and upbeat, it had a great rap in the middle and cartooon-sized members of the band. Catchy, summery and wicked.

2. So Solid Crew - 21 Seconds
The London rap/vocal collective's debut single featuring Lisa Maffia. The idea was that each one of the 20-plus collective get 21 seconds on the mic to do their thing. As it turned out, a few bleeps some half-arsed rapping and a fine turn by Maffia later, it went to number one. Some of the band went to jail or reality TV and the UK Garage scene they helped create felll apart, but not before.....

3. DJ Luck & MC Neat - A Little Bit Of Luck
....this fab UK Garage track had a go at the spotlight. This was huge at the beginning of 2000 and I remember this and a host of other UK Garage tracks being on the radio constantly at the time. Lots of ad-libbed rapping and some singing in the background. Brill.

4. Artful Dodger & Romina Johnson - Movin' Too Fast
Oooh. Great track from the guys who discovered Craig David. Yeah, thanks for that. Again, uptempo but a brilliant xylophone-like melody and top drawer vocals from Romina.

5. Jaimeson - True
Real, soulful house music seemed to die a death in this country until Jaimeson came along. This a top hi energy/house track with some amazing sexy vocals from an artist called Blu.

6. Lonyo (Comme Ci Comme Ca) - Summer Of Love
The worst track on here. Has insipid novelty written all over it.

7. The B15 Project feat. Crissy D & Lady G - Girls Like Us
Brilliant ragga-style chatting over a cool UK Garage beat. The chorus is very catchy and Crissy and Lady sound like characters in a Guy Ritchie movie. Very strong song.

8. Doolally - Straight From The Heart
I remember when this first came out on whgite label in about '95. This is a remixed version of a house classic and deserve its position on this album. Sticks out like a sore thumb though. As does....

9. Elvis vs JXL - A Little Less Conversation
....what's this doing here?

10. Rui Da Silva feat. Cassandra - Touch Me
The acceptable side of Euro-dance/trance music. That kind of holiday vibe with weak yet uplifting vocals and a synth riff that sounds like giants farting in a round. Great, cheesy stuff.

11. Milky - Just The Way You Are
Do-do-doob. Another cheese-fest. Very catchy, simple melodic dance pop from the superbly named Milky. Again the vocals are wafer thin, but the track still sounds good three years on. Nice.

12. Jamiroquai - Deeper Underground
This track heralds a receding of pace on the album. Taken from the soundtrack of 1998's Godzilla film, it still sounds great with it's exceptionally heavy funk bass and JK's stuttered vocals. Brill.

13. Wu-Tang Clan - Gravel Pit
I love the Wu-Tang Clan and this track, whilst not their best is certainly welcome here. It's a rarity in their cannon: an uptempo track and it samples Cameo's 80's monster, Back And Forth. Some smooth female lyrics and harsh rappping round the track off.

14. Britney Spears - Boys (Co-ed remix feat Pharrell Williams of N.E.R.D.)
Britney Spears. Jeeeeeez.

15. Bomfunk Mc's - Freestyler
Straight out of Finland here come the Bomfunk MCs. Even five years on this is a surprisingly great track, full of energy and exciting stop-start rhythms. Still fab.

16. O-Town - Liquid Dreams
RnB boy band? No thanks.

17. Pras - Blue Angels
The underapppreciated member of the Fugees weighs in with this early solo effort. This was the guy who did Ghetto Superstar, a track much more welcome that this routine slice of pop-rap.

18. Pink - Get The Party Started
Fancy putting a song about getting a party started at the end of disc two! This is Pink in all her aggressive pop-glory. A fine uplifting track that suits me fine.

OVERALL
Street Vibes? What? Music that the kids in ghettos and inner cities throughout the UK and beyond are listening to? Tunes that are so happening and hot that they're fashionable for a millisecond before the next "grime"-influenced fad comes along. With Justin Timberlake, Liberty X , Will Smith and Jennifer Lopez appearing here I hardly think this is the hottest collection of soul, rap and dance. However, for 30-somethings like me who still (genuinely) love rap and soul and need a catch-all compilation of the past five years, it's a half decent primer. In places, when it really matters, this is top stuff. Elsewhere, the watered down pop element lets it down quite drastically.

Thanks for reading.

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