N' My Neighborhood It's been nearly a decade since MC Eiht came to the attention of the world with "Streiht Up Menace." Since then, MC Eiht has built up a fledgling acting career and released several albums of West Coast G-funk. N' My Neighborhood is more of the same. On "Hood Rats." he rhymes about girls from around the way on a track underpinned by a smooth bassline and '70s guitar. "Hood Is Mine" is a typical piece of West Coast rap, with wave upon wave of synths and thugged-out rhymes provided by MC Eiht an...
N'Awlinz: Dis Dat or d'Udda N'Awlinz: Dis Dat or d'Udda is a very good record, but it could have been a great one. One has to wonder if the idea of having all these high-profile guest vocalists was Dr. John's, Blue Note's, or producer Stewart Levine's, in order to follow the 21st century trendiness of having "celebrity" guests on a session. This is Mac Rebennack's homeboy album, a tribute to his city and its players. He's recorded some in New Orleans, to be sure, but never has he been able to make use of the Crescent Ci...
N'Dea Davenport The soulful vocals of American N'Dea Davenport led the British acid jazz outfit the Brand New Heavies to worldwide success in the early 1990s. Following the release of 1994's excellent Brother Sister, Davenport left the band to embark on a solo career, and N'Dea Davenport surfaced in 1998. Though much of her work with the Brand New Heavies was brilliant, N'Dea Davenport is more daring and diverse, and no less enjoyable. It's a highly impressive debut effort from the eclectic performer. Unlike...
