For those of you who were a little worried these aren’t all going to be drum & bass tunes. I’ll still happily listen to dnb 24/7 but my tastes have broadened quite a lot this year, not to mention I’ll always respect and love any good piece of music. So, number two…
Aloe Blacc – I Need a Dollar
I hadn’t heard of this guy before early this year- this was the first song I heard from him, and what a tune it is. The bouncing piano instantly grabs your ears and doesn’t let go, it’s very much a walking-down-the-street tune. Then the bluesy vocal kicks in and regails you with a tale – it harks back to many classic rhythm and blues tracks where there is a seemingly personal interaction between listener and artist. I don’t have to comment on how perfect the hook is. If you throw in a brilliantly progressive brass accompaniment you have a perfect pop song.
There are two really striking points about this song. Firstly HOW FRESH & DIFFERENT DOES IT SOUND NEXT TO EVERY OTHER POP SONG!? In this era of absolute bollocks being churned out at an alarming rate, the fact that a tune like this can grab a nations musical consciousness >almost< restores my faith in pop music. Which leads me to my second point- UNIVERSAL APPEAL- the fact I love it, and a lady I work with in her 50s loves it, and my bosses teenage daughter loves it is surely something Mr Blacc should be very proud of.
Finally I have to big up the whole album because its a super piece of work which transcends from dark to joyous- indeed there are better tracks than this on there. It deserves your attention.
