fire

so we finally welcome a new writer into the fold. it was my intention from the start to have a few of my friends chime in over time and my buddy josh has been on the top of that list for some time. i don't think i've met anyone who spends as much on import records as he does. always a good sign if you ask me.


Before I get into the meat of this post, I'd like to offer a (very) brief introduction. I'm the second Josh to write here, because one is never enough, but I am not related to the two owners. I first met Jason in college and spent a few years as his electronic music director. Jason ran the music department at the u. of co radio station While I can certainly enjoy a good pop song, I have about a spoonful of knowledge in that area compared to Jason's swimming pool. The result is that any entry you'll see here from me will have a beat to it, and most likely be hip-hop related. Without further blabbering, the first track I'd like to share is Aceyalone's "Fire" from the forthcoming Magnificent City (due Feb. 7th). This song has the quality that will always get a song into my favorites list. "Fire" is one of those songs that whenever I hear it, I want to make a mix album. Granted, I don't always make a mix tape out of songs like this, but the fact that it triggers the thought process is what I like. There's no one song style that has this quality, and it's not something I can even define. Certainly, songs that fit into this category will be different for everyone. In this case, it's the summery funk that gets my brain cranking, for other songs it might be a political message, or some sort of love theme.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the track was produced by one of hip-hop's most skilled producers, RJD2. RJD2 is one of those artists that has infiltrated my collection a bit more subconsciously than other artists. Most of my favorites get purchased on or near release day, but RJD2's albums have all showed up later, and now it's at the point where I realize I own just about everything. Aceyalone is in the category of "favorite artist I haven't gotten around to buying an album of." It's something I'll be fixing in a few weeks, but for now, this will have to do. - Josh N.

Aceyalone "Fire"