Oliver Wang

Kanye's 'Yeezus' Packs A Bite

Oliver Wang — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:04:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuhl6Ji5zHM

Shuggie Otis: 40 Years Later, Still An 'Inspiration'

Oliver Wang — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:25:00 +0000

This isn't the first time Shuggie Otis' masterpiece, Inspiration Information, has been reissued — but that's OK. It's an album that absolutely deserves to be rediscovered every decade or so.

Released nearly 40 years ago, the album became Otis' most acclaimed work, and also his last official release: Otis continued to work and play with other musicians, but a follow-up album has never materialized.

Laura Mvula's Velvet 'Moon' Is A Revelation

Oliver Wang — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:41:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5akYnlwubDo

On Two New R&B Albums, An Old Soul Sound That Glows

Oliver Wang — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:57:00 +0000

It's tempting to describe the voices of Charles Bradley and Missy Elliott. Walker, a Londoner, was classically trained yet released her debut on a Def Jam subsidiary. Both enjoyed early critical success but by decade's end struggled to find a wide audience.

The Kids Of PS22 Take On Tame Impala

Oliver Wang — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:03:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GPGiJCzSK4

Saviors Of Local Soul: The Archival Science Of The Numero Group

Oliver Wang — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:12:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw5HgdHhNhk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rPg7TVTOfY

Ghetto Brothers: Guitars Over Guns

Oliver Wang — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 21:55:00 +0000

The Ghetto Brothers functioned as one of many youth gangs that formed in the 1960s as economic woes and governmental neglect began to transform New York City's South Bronx for the worse. Led by Benjamin "Benjy" Melendez, the gang was originally, literally, just him and his brothers. As kids, they had called themselves Los Junior Beatles, and that Fab Four influence never left.

In 1971, Melendez and The Ghetto Brothers were pivotal in helping to broker a truce between various Bronx gangs. The Brothers channeled their formerly felonious energies into music instead.

Bill Withers: The Everyman Singer With A Poet's Soul

Oliver Wang — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:14:00 +0000

Bill Withers' very first single became a breakout hit in 1971. He would go on to record nine albums over the next 14 years, and all of them are now available on a new box set, The Complete Sussex and Columbia Masters.

It may sound contradictory to describe Bill Withers' voice as "uniquely plainspoken," but this singer and songwriter from West Virginia coal country began his career at the crossroads between folk, R&B and rock. He was neither a showy shouter nor a sweet crooner.