Intelligent Hoodlum - Back To Reality (CJ Mackintosh Mixes) - (1990)

A&M Records, AMCD 598

Not so sunny here in North London today, but I thought I'd post another BBQ classic regardless.

I'm not sure really how well you'll receive this one, as it's not soul as such, but a nice, chilled out slice of Hip-hop, reminiscing about simpler times.

Intelligent Hoodlum (born Percy Chapman, although he would later switch to the monicker "Tragedy Khadafi") is an extremely eloquent rapper from Queens, New York. His first, self-titled album was a politically charged affair featuring the excellent Arrest the President, and a whirl of other contentious tracks.

However, amongst the anger and social commentary on his debut there lurked a rather good party jam, the Soul II Soul sampling Back To Reality - no surprises for guessing what sample was used there, huh? ;)

On its release in the UK, Back To Reality was given a suite of remixes by one CJ Mackintosh. The pick of which for me is CJ's Drum And Bass Mix (nah, not THAT kind of Drum & Bass), which cranked up the Soul II Soul elements, added nice piano chords and strings stabs, and made a great summer vibe kinda tune out of it. The Ragamuffin Version is also pretty dope (love the strings), but for me, it's all about the Drum And Bass Mix.

Hope you dig this as much as I do. If you don't know it, give it a try and tell us whatcha think.

- Kymba :)

• Back To Reality (Drum And Bass Mix)
• Back To Reality (Back To Basics)
• Back To Reality (Ragamuffin Version)
• Back To Reality (Ragadub)

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Back To Reality (Maxi-Single).zip File size: 28 MB

Jodeci - Let's Go Through The Motions - (1993)

Uptown/MCA Records, UPTDM-54636

Jodeci were the heirs apparent to the New Jack throne vacated by the disbanding of Guy. A little tougher, perhaps. A little more street, definitely. A little more gospel tinged, too. They'd already enjoyed good success with their 1991 debut album, Forever My Lady, which more or less passed me by thanks to the awesomeness of Guy's The Future, released the same year, which stole all the limelight, as far as I was concerned... but that's another story (and another selection of posts).

However, forward on two years to '93 and Guy had gone their separate ways. Good timing then for Jodeci to drop their much harder, more "gangsta" 2nd album Diary Of A Mad Band, which (deservedly) blew up in a huge way. There were no filler tracks, save for Jodecidal Hotline, which was a skit anyway, and only three ballads, and then, a gradual slide into dirtier, and funkier territory with each track after that. It was a real tour de force.

The album served as a launching platform for such greats as Timbaland (who was an understudy of Devante), Missy Elliott (heard rapping on two of the tracks) and Ginuwine - they were all members of DeVante's Swing Mob team at this point.

And what do you know? Before the year was out, from H-Town to Kreuz, every R&B band and their dog were sounding like Jodeci.

That same year, Jodeci contributed an upbeat party jam to the excellent Who's The Man soundtrack album (I've still never seen that film, but I always loved Ed Lover and Dr Dre on "Yo! MTV Raps") called Let's Go Through the Motions. It wasn't one of their bigger hits, but remains a club smasher. It was a new track, not culled from Diary..., although later editions of that album would include Let's Go Through The Motions, and their cover of the Stevie Wonder classic Lately as extra tracks.

I love this track, hope you do too.

Enjoy!

- Kymba :)

• Let's Go Through the Motions (radio)
• Let's Go Through the Motions (instrumental)
• Let's Go Through the Motions (intro radio)

• Bonus - Let's Go Through the Motions (album version)

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Let's Go Through The Motions.zip File size: 22.5 MB

PS - I've also included the original full-length track from the Who's The Man album, in addition to the three tracks on this CD single.

Maxwell - Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder) - (1996)

Columbia Records, LCD162

Another track taken from the excellent Urban Hang Suite LP, Ascension was one of my fave tracks on that particular album, however, the Tribute remix (presumably in "tribute" to the SOS Band's brilliant "No One's Gonna Love You", which was plundered to provide a brand new backing track for Ascension) really pushed it up a notch, and is much one of my favourite remixes.

(Mickey - we don't have any SOS Band on here, do we?)

There's also an extended "Uncut" take of the album version of Ascension, as well as a track called Reunion, which is a sexy ballad as only Maxwell can do them, but it is just the album version, so nothing special or new there.

Really though, you'll be wanting the Tribute mix. It's brilliant. There's also a nice instrumental version included as well in the form of the Tribute Unsung mix.

- Kymba :)

• Ascension (Uncut)
• Ascension (No One's Gonna Love You, So Don't Ever Wonder
  The Tribute Uncut)
• Ascension (No One's Gonna Love You, So Don't Ever Wonder
  The Tribute Unsung)
• Reunion

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Ascension.zip File size: 22 MB

Nuyorican Soul featuring Jocelyn Brown - It's Alright, I Feel It! (1997)

Talkin' Loud/PolygramRecords, TLCD 22

This is a killer track from the M.A.W. boys I had to add to The Soul Vendor. It's brilliant in every aspect, and I know Mickey is also a huge fan of the Masters At Work duo, "Lil" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez.

Here we find them with the lead single off their Nuyorican Soul album, featuring R&B power-vocalist Jocelyn Brown on lead vocals, live drums recorded and then sampled & chopped, a great piano riff, and enough energy contained within the song to surely move even the most adamant of non dancers.

There are not enough superlatives for this song. It's pretty much perfect - which, of course, is a cross to bear for those who had to remix it. Lucky, then, we have two heavyweights in the shape of Armand Van Helden, who gives us a darkly dubtastic House-cum-Garage remix in theshape of his Live from Da Darkside of the Moon remix, and Roni Size, at the height of his powers back then in '97, and right on the back of his New Forms success, giving us a brilliantly reconstructed Drum & Bass version, which contains all the character of the original, but re-encodes it in a Drum & Bass styley. Yum! He must've worked his socks off to reconcile the extreme BPM difference between the original and his version, but it pays dividends.

For me, the pick of the tracks is the M.A.W. Remix, which is essentially just an extended version. I also really love what Roni Size has done on his Drum & Bass version.

- Kymba :)

• It's Alright, I Feel It! (Edit)
• It's Alright, I Feel It! (M.A.W. Remix)
• It's Alright, I Feel It! (Live from Da Darkside of the Moon)
• It's Alright, I Feel It! (Roni Size Remix)

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: It's Alright, I Feel It!.zip File size: 46.4 MB