Shot Of Rhythm

[ Friday, January 06, 2006 ]

 

Black and white together

Intriguing song title on a soul compilation I picked up the other day, by New Orleans R&B veteran Bobby Marchan, recorded in the mid-1970s:

"Ain't Nothin' Wrong With Whitey."

Umm...are you sure?

On the box right now: Various Artists, THE DIAL RECORDS SOUTHERN SOUL STORY, Disc 2.

Peace...

Dove With Claws [11:09 AM]

[ Wednesday, January 04, 2006 ]

 

Uggh

So, for those who weren't paying attention last night and this morning, here's a brief re-cap of what happened in what (unfortunately) can now be called the latest West Virginia Mining Disaster:

-One miner found dead
-Mining company president assures families that the other 12 miners are probably alive
-Mining company president then has unenviable job of telling families that "Whoops, we were wrong," and actually only 1 miner of the remaining 11 are alive

Pretty big fuckin' "whoops." I don't want to blame anybody for what they're now calling a "miscommunication," because I honestly don't know who does or doesn't deserve it, but I can't imagine a bigger punch in the stomach. Welcome to 2006, everybody.

I think I'm gonna go play "Dark As A Dungeon"...

On the box right now: Various Artists, CRUNK HITS. Anybody who wants a good one-disc compilation of recent hip-hop hits could do worse than this. Usher, Nelly, Ying Yang, Ciara, Lil Jon, etc.

Peace...

Dove With Claws [1:13 PM]

[ Tuesday, January 03, 2006 ]

 

On disasters

Two bits of bad news, one truly significant, and one pushing the limits of absurdity:

-The story of the trapped West Virginia miners, whose fate looks increasingly bleak, should give us all pause, and remind us of a few things. 1) Mining is still horrible (and horribly dangerous) work, 2) Mining companies still aren't doing all they can to prevent accidents like this, or deal with them when they do, and 3) Much like the situation with the Queecreek miners in Pennsylvania in 2002, the miners in WV would surely be dead already if it weren't for the hard-fought victories of mine unions in decades previous, unions who were violently repressed and are still derided by the right wing. Here's hoping that the miracle that got the Queecreek miners out alive still has some force left over, and that at least a few of the workers in West Virginia can survive.

-I feel somewhat stupid for even linking the previous with the following, but WHO THE HELL LET FLAVOR FLAV HAVE ANOTHER FUCKING REALITY SHOW? "Flavor Of Love," I believe it's called, a "Bachelorette"-type show where twenty young women vie for the "honor" of being Flav's main squeeze. I've already ranted a couple times about Flav's cultural self-destruction, so I'll spare y'all another dose, but the fact remains that he's gone from vanguard of the cultural revolution to one of reality TV's worst jokes in less than 15 years. And that, my friends, is hari-kiri worthy of Michael Jackson.

On the box right now: Tyrone Davis, ULTIMATE, Disc 1. Finally, a good two-disc collection of one of the great Chicago soul singers. Anybody who likes good R&B, and isn't familiar with this guy, should do themselves a favor.

Peace...

Dove With Claws [7:14 AM]