Is It Hard To Recall Where You’ve Been?

Lady Sovereign “Random” – “Everybody get random!!!” is a great party chant, if just because its nonspecificity implies such absurd possibilities and encourages a total lack of selfconciousness. Of all the UK hip hop that I’ve heard recently, this song seems the most plausible in terms of potential US crossover success. Missy Elliott is the most obvious influence here, but I think it’s more like a love letter to contemporary US radio hip hop in general. Lady Sovereign’s rhymes are playful and engaging, but the greater draw on this track are those drunk synths and that killer chorus. (Click here to buy it from the Cantaloupe Group.)

Bill Fay Group “Sam” – This selection is from a collection of recordings dating back to the 1970s which are only just now being released for the first time. Better late than never, I suppose – this song is astonishingly good, and I figure that the world is just a tiny bit better for it being out there. “Sam” is a stately ballad accompanied mainly by the extraordinarily melancholy sound of a church organ. The song is a bit on the maudlin side of things, but it’s tuneful and heartfelt and would probably feel absolutely devastating if you heard it under the right circumstances. (Click here to buy it from Other Music.)

Note to Mozilla/Firefox users: All you need to do is left click/save to disc. The mp3 links definitely work, believe me.