Instrumental cd in R&B, Hip Hop & Rap Music

"2001 [Instrumental]" (12/28/1999) R&B Dre, Dr., AftermathPersonnel: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Hittman, Kurupt, Nate Dogg, King T, Sticky Fingas, Ms. Roq, RBX, Defari, Xzibit, Knoc-Turn'al, Six-Two, Eddie Griffin, MC Ren, Kokane, Rell, Traci Nelson, Jake Steed, Time Bomb, Devin AKA The Dude, Mary J. Blige, Tray-Dee (vocals); Aaron Harris, Laylow (various instruments); Sean Cruise (guitar); Carl Breeding, Scott Stocrch, Finesse, Camara Kambon (keyboards); Mel-Man, Mike Elizondo, Colin Wolfe (bass); Taku Hirano (percussion); DJ Pen (scratches); Koka, T.Y. Nichols (background vocals). Engineers include: Ted Reiger, Steve Macauley, Alex Sinn. "Guilty Conscience" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance By Duo Or Group. "Forgot About Dre" won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group. DR. DRE 2001 was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. "The Next Episode" was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Personnel: Dr. Dre; Sean Cruse (guitar); Scott Storch, Camara Kambon, Dinky Bingham, Carl Breeding (keyboards); Mike Elizondo, Colin Wolfe, Preston Crump, Mel-Man (bass); Taku Hirano (percussion); DJ Pen (scratches). Engineers include: Richard "Segal" Huredia, Dave Tenhouten, Tom Gordon. "Still D.R.E." was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group. Personnel: Sean Cruse (guitar); Scott Storch, Camara Kambon (keyboards). Audio Mixer: Dr. Dre. Recording information: A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA; Encore; Larrabee West. Editor: Paul Foley. Photographer: Donn Thompson. The Slim Shady LP announced not only Eminem's arrival, but it established that his producer Dr. Dre was anything but pass?, thereby raising expectations for 2001, the long-anticipated sequel to The Chronic. It suggested that 2001 wouldn't simply be recycled Chronic, and, musically speaking, that's more or less true. He's pushed himself hard, finding new variations in the formula by adding ominous strings, soulful vocals, and reggae, resulting in fairly interesting recontextualizations. Padded out to 22 tracks, 2001 isn't as consistent or striking as Slim Shady, but the music is always brimming with character. If only the same could be said about the rappers! Why does a producer as original as Dre work with such pedestrian rappers? Perhaps it's to ensure his control over the project, or to mask his own shortcomings as an MC, but the album suffers considerably as a result. Out of all the other rappers on 2001, only Snoop and Eminem -- Dre's two great prot?g?s -- have character and while Eminem's jokiness still is unpredictable, Snoop sounds nearly as tired as the second-rate rappers. The only difference is, there's pleasure in hearing Snoop's style, while the rest sound staid. That's the major problem with 2001: lyrically and thematically, it's nothing but gangsta clich?s. Scratch that, it's ?ber-gangsta, blown up so large that it feels like a parody. Song after song, there's a never-ending litany of violence, drugs, pussy, bitches, dope, guns, and gangsters. After a full decade of this, it takes real effort to get outraged at this stuff, so chances are, you'll shut out the words and groove along since, sonically, this is first-rate, straight-up gangsta. Still, no matter how much fun you may have, it's hard not to shake the feeling that this is cheap, not lasting, fun. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine With 2001, Dr. Dre has managed to do the seemingly impossible: resurface yet again after a five-year disappearance from the rap game, and shatter all expectations. The first two tracks lull the listener into thinking this is going to be a mellow, G-funk outing, but when the piano loop and beat commence in "Still D.R.E.," it's obvious Dre is still light years ahead of the rest. The seemingly disparate styles of guest artists MC Ren, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem are all unified by Dre's singular musical vision. What makes this record stand out from any other gangsta rap recording before it, however, are the flashes of brutal honesty that pepper the lyrics ("What's the Difference"). Something about Dre's pe

"Platinum Hits: Official Cash Money Instrumental Album" (06/05/2001) R&B Various Artists, Cash Money RecordsPersonnel: Mannie Fresh (keyboards). Recording information: Cash Money Studios; Circle House Studios.

"White People [Instrumental]" (11/09/2004) R&B Handsome Boy Modeling School, Atlantic/ElektraHandsome Boy Modeling School: Dan the Automator, Prince Paul. Personnel: Jack Johnson (guitar, ukulele, kazoo); Mike Shinoda (guitar, piano); Chino Moreno, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, F. Sean Martin, Astacio The Nudist, John Oates (guitar); Dan the Automator (violin); Jim Greer (keyboards); Adam Topol (percussion); Kid Koala, Qbert, Rob Swift (scratches). Audio Mixers: Prince Paul; Dan the Automator. Recording information: The Glue Factory, SF; The Mango Tree, HI; The Stockroom; Wet & Dry. Authors: Chest Rockwell; Nathaniel Merriweather. Photographer: Terry Richardson. Five years after their rightfully revered debut, So...How's Your Girl?, brainiac producers Prince Paul and Dan the Automator return with Handsome Boy Modeling School's a-little-too-smug sophomore release, White People. Like the title, a good third of the album feels too forced. Another third is fair, but the remainder is stunning -- mostly song-based and mostly nonirreverent. Tim Meadows' "The Ladies Man" character and a bunch of narration from Modeling School Central keeps the Handsome Boy concept going, but it's a concept that could carry one album, not two (also of note: "The Ladies Man"'s appearances are often tacked right onto the end of tracks, making the album more difficult to whittle down to a concise mixtape). Minus Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Casual, the rappers on White People sound too aware of their surroundings, too mannered. The mega-talented Pharrell Williams' contribution to "Class System" could have been carried off by anyone, so that leaves it up to people from the pop and rock realm to really bring it to the table. They do, with solid songs that could exist outside of Handsome Boy's heavy-with-concept world. Expect Jamie Cullum and John Oates' pop-solid "Biggest Mistake" to show up on a Christina Aguilera album sometime soon, while Cat Power's track is so well formed you have to wonder what the reaction will be when a Handsome Boy fan encounters one of her indie, skeletal, and spent early albums. Sounding like Paul Simon for the hoody generation, Jack Johnson's "Breakdown" is a surprising success, but just as surprising is that the genre-hopping, always risk-taking Mike Patton can't find the spark. Bringing reminders of a better track on a better album, "Rock & Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This), Pt. 2" is the album's problem in one song. Jumping from one style to another, the song never digs in like How's Your Girl's "Part 1," since ambition overtakes reason and cleverness overtakes everything. There's a killer EP worth of tracks strewn among the album and more than a few signs that Dan and Paul still got it. Stuck trying to re-create the daring excitement, Handsome Boy Modeling School turn in an album that's half as interesting as their debut, and half as interesting as their guest list. ~ David Jeffries Handsome Boy Modeling School's sophomore effort would seem to be a marvel on paper. With contributions from artists as diverse as Julee Cruise, Linkin Park, Pharrell, Mike Patton, John Oates, El-P, Cat Power seemingly performing a Suzanne Vega impersonation, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Deftones singer Chino Moreno, Franz Ferdinand main man Alex Kapranos, comedian Tim Meadows, and host of other famous folks, expectations are sky high. But Dan the Automator Nakamura and Prince Paul drop the ball on a number of fronts. First, for a comedy album, the humor is rushed and weak. Second, the beats and samples show no innovation and are far too often snore-inducing retreads of Nakamura's 1990s output. Third, the hodgepodge of styles and voices don't gel into anything more than a grating mess. "Rock & Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This), Pt. 2" is a perfect example of the album's failings. What would be an interesting classroom history lesson or a master's thesis on hip-hop's importance to modern music hardly makes sense on a comedic album. With the Linkin Park boys alternating between angry and sappy, and old-school hip-hoppers Jazzy Jay and Grand Wizard Theodore spouting condescending tomes about music, the song is a seven-minute warped blend

"The Ownerz [Instrumental]" (09/30/2003) R&B Gang Starr, Virgin Records (USA)This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Gang Starr: Guru, DJ Premier. Additional personnel: Jadakiss, Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe, M.O.P., Boy Big, Uncle Reo, Krumbsnatcha, Freddie Foxxx, Big Shug. Recorded at D&D Studios and Avatar Studios, New York, New York. Gang Starr: Guru, DJ Premier. Recorded at D&D, Avatar Studios, New York, New York. Audio Mixer: DJ Premier. Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, NY; D&D Studios, New York, NY. Editor: DJ Charles. Photographer: Daniel Hastings. Unknown Contributor Roles: C.F. Martin; Keith Elam. Quite a few chart-topping rappers came and went during the five years between Gang Starr's fifth and sixth LPs. So many, in fact, that it's tempting to think that commercial rap had taken a turn for the worse simply because the duo hadn't been back to tend the fires since 1998. Angry and intelligent as they'd ever been, Guru and DJ Premier came right back with guns blazing, ridiculing radio DJs and program directors as "f*cking robots" and proving their case with an album full of tough, kinetic hip-hop that blows away anything on the rap charts. Guru, never the most talented rapper on the East Coast, tightened his flow considerably to match his cutting verse, and DJ Premier only continued waxing lyrical with turntables and samplers. (Compared to his outside productions during the interim, it's clear he was holding back for Gang Starr a few can't-miss productions: "Put Up or Shut Up," "Skillz," the title track.) Guru's wordplay and imagery are vivid, whether he's relating yet another inner-city tale ("Sabotage"), excoriating the record industry ("Deadly Habitz"), or casually making a play for a girl ("Nice Girl, Wrong Place"). Surprisingly, most of the guest features are pedestrian, including the lame guns-and-gangstas posturing of "Who Got Gunz" featuring Fat Joe and M.O.P. or "Capture (Militia Pt. 3)" featuring Big Shug and Freddie Foxxx. Also a letdown is Snoop Dogg's "In This Life...," the return of a favor Premier did for him on two tracks for his Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$ LP of a year back. (The only great collaboration is Jadakiss' full-flowing rap on "Rite Where U Stand.") All the Gang Starr trademarks are in place, from Premier's perfect upchoruses to Guru's reedy voice cutting or instructing, and sounding better than ever. ~ John Bush Working as Gang Starr for over 15 years, Guru & DJ Premier have more than earned their reputation as one of the most skilled, intelligent hip-hop outfits ever to grab the microphone and work the turntables. With Gang Starr's prior release, the underrated HARD TO EARN, seemingly in the distant past (five years), THE OWNERZ reflects the deliberate nature of the meticulous duo. While Premier earned legendary status as producer on some of rap's most enduring records, he seems to do something extra for his home team, and THE OWNERZ may be his tightest work yet. From the Curtis Mayfield-esque opening of "Sabotage" to the deliriously offbeat feedback and horns of "Who Got Gunz," there's not one false note. Add Guru's patented, steady-but-unassuming swagger, and THE OWNERZ is precisely what the hip-hop world expects from Gang Starr, another classic. Quite a few chart-topping rappers came and went during the five years between Gang Starr's fifth and sixth LPs. So many, in fact, that it's tempting to think that commercial rap had taken a turn for the worse simply because the duo hadn't been back to tend the fires since 1998. Angry and intelligent as they'd ever been, Guru and DJ Premier came right back with guns blazing, ridiculing radio DJs and program directors as "f*cking robots" and proving their case with an album full of tough, kinetic hip-hop that blows away anything on the rap charts. Guru, never the most talented rapper on the East Coast, tightened his flow considerably to match his cutting verse, and DJ Premier only continued waxing lyrical with turntables and samplers. (Compared to his outside productions during the interim, it's clear he was holding back for Gang Starr a few can't-miss pr

"Instrumental Icons: Crunkstumentals" (06/21/2005) R&B Various Artists, Fast Life Music, Inc.

"Natty Dread" (03/25/1997) R&B Hunter, Charlie (Guitar), Blue Note Records (USA)On NATTY DREAD, the Charlie Hunter Quartet covers the Bob Marley & The Wailers album of the same title in its entirety. Charlie Hunter Quartet: Charlie Hunter (8-string guitar); Calder Spanier (alto saxophone); Kenny Brooks (tenor saxophone); Scott Amendola (drums). Recorded at Mobius Music, San Francisco, California. Includes liner notes by Dan Ouellette. The is part of the Blue Note Cover series. Personnel: Charlie Hunter (8-string guitar); Calder Spanier (saxophone, alto saxophone); Kenny Brooks (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Scott Amendola (drums). Audio Mixer: Judy Clapp. Liner Note Authors: Dan Quellette; Dan Ouellette. Recording information: Mobius Music, San Francisco, CA (1997). Photographers: Andy Goldsworthy; Giant Steps; Jimmy Katz. Unknown Contributor Role: Andy Goldsworthy. In choosing to record Bob Marley's classic 1974 reggae album Natty Dread track-for-track in an instrumental jazz style, eight-string guitarist Charlie Hunter opened himself up for skepticism. Yet an idea that looked questionable in theory would prove stellar in practice, as Hunter turned Natty Dread -- with the songs sequenced exactly as they were on Marley's original release -- into one of the best CDs of his career. Hunter's customized eight-string instrument and prodigious talent allow him to play simultaneous guitar melodies and basslines, but his Wurlitzer organ simulations and walking bass aren't the only highlights of the opening "Lively Up Yourself." Alto saxophonist Calder Spanier and tenorman Kenny Brooks alternate between swinging leads and supportive harmonies, and drummer Scott Amendola gets in creative solo flurries near the end. Hunter's beautiful intro to "No Woman, No Cry" echoes both Pat Martino and Django Reinhardt; the saxophonists' interplay and Amendola's clever rimshots, tom-toms, and cowbell work lively up "Them Belly Full." The secrets to Hunter's success lie in separate amplifiers for his instrument's guitar and bass portions; great wah-wah pedal work to achieve keyboard tones, and the requisite brain power to play basslines with both thumbs while fretting and fingerpicking the melodies. All are illustrated in readings of the tranquil "Rebel Music," energetic "So Jah Seh" and the shuffling title track. Throughout Natty Dread, reggae is implied more often than played, as Hunter and his quartet portray the fun they had in arranging these pieces with performances both swinging and stirring (even dropping an "I Shot the Sheriff" quote into "Bend Down Low"). Spanier died after Natty Dread's release when he was struck by a car, and Hunter subsequently moved from California to New York and restructured his band. There's no telling what might have come afterward from this quartet of two saxophonists, a drummer, and Hunter, the one-man guitarist, keyboardist, and bassist. ~ Bill Meredith For a lesser artist than 8-string guitar virtuoso Charlie Hunter (who simultaneously plays lead and bass lines on his instrument) to attempt to cover an entire Bob Marley album song-for-song--in a jazz context, no less--would at best be embarrassing, at worst suicide. But in Hunter's hands NATTY DREAD becomes both a reverent homage to Marley and a highly accessible musical revelation in its own right. Hunter and his adventurous quartet organically reshape each track in a way that maintains the original's spirit while completely redefining it. So "Lively Up Yourself" becomes a shuffling soul-jazz shout-along, while Hunter's unaccompanied guitar virtually weeps beneath his sublime ornamentation on "No Woman, No Cry." "Them Belly Full" appears as a hungry bossa nova, and "Rebel Music" soaks in a riotous Hammond B3 organ sound courtesy of Hunter's electronically manipulated guitar. With NATTY DREAD's nod to the venerable past, Charlie Hunter clearly points listeners toward a brighter jazz future.

"Rock Instrumental Classics, Vol. 3: The Seventies" (03/22/1994) R&B Various Artists, Rhino Records (USA)Compilation producers: Gary Stewart, James Austin, David McLees. Includes liner notes by Paul Grein. This is part of Rhino's "Rock Instrumental Classics" series. Audio Remasterers: Ken Perry; Bill Inglot. Liner Note Author: Paul Grein. Illustrator: Ed Fotheringham. Rhino's third rock instrumentals volume covers the '70s, a period that found disco, funk, and fusion joining the formula alongside one-shot concept works and the usual novelty numbers. The 18 cuts include stomping club/funk from B.T. Express and Brass Construction, King Curtis' updated honking sax cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," very stylized material from the Electric Light Orchestra and Deodato, and memorable outings by Billy Preston, Edgar Winter, and AWB. Gary Glitter, Edgar Winter, the Chakachas, Rhinoceros, and Van McCoy offer lighter pop variations, and "Sun Goddess" was a musically adventurous excursion into fusion by Earth, Wind & Fire. ~ Ron Wynn