A grunge girl's R&B picks

Although, like Remy Nicole, I prefer rock and roll, every once in a while a hip hop or R&B song catches my ear, and as much as I'd like to disdain it with all my alternative might, I can't deny the love. As part of my catharsis, and at the risk of losing all street cred that I may have as a suburban, church-going, middle class mom, I'm going public. After all, I did do a report on The Temptations in 8th grade. That makes me a pseudo-expert at the very least. Here are some of my top R&B/hip hop picks, plucked right from, yes I admit, my personal collection. Enjoy.

You Don't Know My Name, Alicia Keys. My first Alicia Keys song. The background vocals provide a right-on Motown throwback feel, and the piano is positively heavenly.

With You, Chris Brown. The kid can sing, yes, but he can also dance like nobody's business. Indeed, Mr. Brown is bringing dancing back (with a little help from some highly rated television talent shows).

Rhymin and Stealin, Beastie Boys. An unprecedented blend of hip hop and caucasian-ness, with a twist of rock guitar in there for good measure.

Thank You , Boyz II Men. I'm a 90's child, aren't I? And I'm known for my loyalty. With its feel good beat and message, this song has seeped into my DNA, forever to stay with every other album that made the top 40 while I was in middle school.

Party's Goin' On, Busta Rhymes. Must be the opening line: "Ever since Jimmy cracked corn / Rockin' on ever since the day I was born."

Dreamlover, Mariah Carey. Ever since I was in grade school, Ms. Carey's voice has utterly enchanted me. It inspired me. How is that upper, upper register opener even freaking possible for a human? Astounding. It's been sad to watch apparent plastic surgery do the opposite of what it's supposed to do in her case, but I'll die a fan, no matter how glamorized and self-absorbed Mariah becomes with each passing decade.

Chante's Got a Man, Chante Moore. The counter attack to man-hating feministas, this slow jam features Chante's soulful voice melodically explaining to her luckless friend that she's sorry that the friend's boyfriend is cheating on her, but "there's good men around" and she's got proof: "she's got a man at home." Love the gospel choir near the end, too. Come to think of it, the next song on the album talks about making her man breakfast and says "Loving you is easy." Men could use more chicks like Chante, and less like Carrie Underwood (see "Reverse Sexism" blog below).

Rollin' With My Homies, Coolio. I just keep thinking of Brittany Murphy (pre mind blowing makeover) doing the little hand jive on Clueless. Classic.

I Wanna Know, Joe. One of my husband's and my songs. The chorus lyrics are a little trite: "I wanna know what turns you on" sounds more like infatuation than long lasting partnership. But the music is top notch.

Doo Wop (That Thing) One of the few that I can still actually rap every word to. Of course, I don't think I'm in the minority, since this song was EVERYWHERE when it came out. It's downright tragic that Lauryn Hill is no longer making award show headlines like she was in 1998. Something in this world would be missing if The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill never happened.

It's All Good, R. Kelly. I have no clue what "Trackmaster" means, and I firmly believe that Mr. Kelly should be locked up for a very long time if he has had inappropriate relations with underage girls. Regardless, this song is groovin'.

Bag Lady, Erykah Badu. So authentic, it's ridiculous. I cannot physically stand still when this song comes on. It transforms me into a soulful gospel singer. Yeah, it's that good.

Dual Meanings

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that about 99% of songs out there are dedicated to lovers. From "Baby Love" to "Bizarre Love Triangle" to "Lover Lay Down," romantic love, with its ups and downs, has inspired more poetry set to music than any other emotion. However, some songs are special in that the lyrics allow for dual interpretations. My sister, Rachel, came up with three examples of songs that, upon first listen, are presumably romantic love songs, like all the rest. But a closer analyzation reveals lyrics that could be sung to any loved one. The first is "Our Last Night" by Better Than Ezra. It's pretty obvious, after listening closely, that the song is about a father losing his child. Listen here:

http://www.last.fm/music/Better+Than+Ezra/_/Our+Last+Night

The next song is much more familiar. In fact, I'd be surprised if anyone hasn't heard the Grammy-winning song whose lyrics invite the listener to stand under the crooner's metaphorical umbrella, a beautiful message meant for anyone, especially considering the "I'll always be your friend" bit. Instead of the obvious choice, here's Marie Digby's take on the already classic tune:




From classic to classy, "No One" embodies the word more than Miss Alicia Keys. This woman is nothing short of a miracle of music. Besides sharing a birthday with yours truly, she actually has many other accomplishments, including awards galore and a staggering 25 million albums sold. And she deserves it all. The beauty of Ms. Keys' success is that she has reaped all these rewards based solely on her talent (her good looks don't hurt, though). Devoid of publicity stunts to her name, she saves the tabloid covers for her contemporaries and focuses on producing celestial music, and I hope it never ends. As if I didn't love her enough, she went and brought out my man, John Mayer, at the Grammys. The event tied with Foo Fighters' operatic performance, for my favorite Grammy moment. This song, as with the others mentioned above, gives voice to anyone feeling protective over a relationship of any kind.