After five years of hiding in the independent scene, 4th Avenue Jones have
released a major-label album. As the album title suggest, the title track is
an ode to the stereo, radio, and the music in general. Between each track is
the thoughts of random people that lead singer Ahmad interviewed about the
above topics. And as these tell, music unifies us and fuels our life. This
disc is one of our latest favorites at cMusicWeb.com, so make sure to check
it out!

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STEREO: THE EVOLUTION OF HIPROCKSOUL - 4TH AVENUE JONES (2005)
by Ben Forrest

The song "Move On", one of the standout tracks from genre-defying collective
4th Avenue Jones' album No Plan B Pt. II (2002) likely had nothing to do
with the band's saga with Interscope Records, but it might as well have.
Over and over was sung words that might well have become prayer in the
coming years: "Don't be comin' with no drama / Don't be comin' with that."

Interscope signed them earlier this century, no doubt enabling 4th Ave. to
share the stage with the likes of Macy Gray, Black Eyed Peas, Sheryl Crow,
even James Brown. But the label kept them in "touring limbo", according to a
recent press release, and never released Pt. 2. They returned to the indie
ranks, releasing another album which featured guest appearances from Dilated
Peoples, Jurassic 5, Pigeon John, GRITS and the Peas' will.i.am before
signing with Gotee not long ago.

Through it all, the band was able to develop a truly original and eclectic
style dubbed hiprocksoul which, as you'd expect, is largely an amalgam of
those three genres. While the band's early efforts focused on Roots-style
hip-hop, their latest effort, Stereo..., finds Ahmad singing as much as he
raps, and the band crafting a sound you've likely never heard before.

The album begins in earnest with "Fabulous Dramatics," in which the singer
struggles with recurring memories of a previous love who simply won't leave
him alone. "Unhappy Birthday" is a wholly excellent track in which Ahmad
pledges unbridled love for Tena, his wife and 4th Ave.'s other vocalist:
"Baby, with you gone / I won't enjoy the food / I won't enjoy the music or
the songs."

"Overloaded" and "Take Me Away" are drastically different in terms of their
sound—one is a smoldering ballad while the latter is a groove-heavy banger
vaguely similar to Tupac's "Picture Me Rollin'". But thematically they're
quite alike—the vocalists in each call upon another—either God or another
loved one—to help them deal with stress and overbearing circumstances.

"Sorry," listed next on our promotional copy of the album, is another
relationship-related song, but together with "Monumental Continental" is one
of the set's weaker tracks. Both are less inventive and certainly less
ambitious than most of the rest of the album and leave the listener wanting.

Stereo doesn't really pick up again until "Rush," which riffs on a number of
subjects before ending abruptly and giving way to "It's Over Now," a coup de
grace and easily one of the album's best cuts.

This latest evidence of the evolution of hiprocksoul is sure to catch off
guard those who know the Ave. only from their No Plan B days, and will turn
a few heads. As a vocalist Ahmad is best when he raps, but seems to know his
band and his singing voice well enough to marry them with success. Tena is
perhaps under-utilized, but the instrumentalists appear to have been given a
larger role and perform extremely well.

All this aside, 4th Ave. is a band to watch in the coming months, and
Stereo… is an album you should probably own.

Read more about 4th Avenue Jones at their official site:
http://www.4thavenuejones.com/


MORE NEW STUFF ON cMUSICWEB.COM

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http://cMusicWeb.com/folk/sandramccracken/bestlaidplans.shtml


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, MAY 10 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

APPARITIONS OF MELODY - KIDS IN THE WAY
On Kids In The Way's debut, the disc was filled with rather juvenile
emo-core tracks such as "We Are" and "Hallelujah". With Apparitions of
Melody the band has grown up a bit lyrically. Expect the similar style of
rock as the first disc, but check out this PICK OF THE WEEK nonetheless.

UNIQUE, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE - DEEPSPACE5
Hip-Hop always has the collaborations of supercrews of artists. The Tunnel
Rats and The Cross Movement may be more well known, but Deepspace5 is
definitely a major contender. Comprised of members of Mars Ill, Ill
Harmonics as well as Sintax, Sev Statik, and more, this is probably the
biggest crew. On this album, each member gets their say and everything gels
well.


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http://cMusicWeb.com/
a different approach to music
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