The I AM DOM JONES blog: A Shift in Focus, A Word from Dom

I'm the artist who loves being an audience member. I love to support, but I also love to constructively critique. That's why I started this blog. I felt that while the Bay had an extremely supportive artistic community, it also had an extremely cliquish group who highlighted who I've often referred to as "The Cool Kids," and never shed light on anyone else, much less admitted a flaw in any member of the aforementioned club. So... I wanted to be a straight shooter. I wanted to include everyone, and be honest about my thoughts of shows, performances, and projects. I wanted this to be a place where natives and non-natives of the Bay could come and say, "I can find almost anyone there... and she'll be honest." There were times when I randomly stumbled upon an artist who I didn't know at all, but loved their project, and said so (see "On Damey's New Release -- Store Run"). There were also times when I ripped apart the project of artists who are like family to me... because I didn't feel it was up to par, and I refused to let our friendship cloud my artistic integrity as a writer or as an artist, with a particular ear for music (see "::ALBUM REVIEW:: Oakland In Blue -- Do D.A.T."). I tried to keep it solid on everything I wrote for this blog.

More recently, I've been trying even harder to shed light on some great talents. The results? The same as they always have been I guess... I've been ignored, shrugged off, had my opinions called all manner of name except, ironically, incorrect... lol. Until now, I haven't minded being the humble and unappreciated blog, who is relentlessly honest and forcefully opinionated.

I think now that I am moving swiftly forward in my own career, with the intention to be grateful for every opportunity, I see how the focus of this blog just may not matter to a lot of people. Hey... maybe it shouldn't... maybe it should only matter to me. Maybe I should say [insert F Bomb] the so-called Cool Kids and keep it pushing, and keep showing them the love that they don't return, but replace with "tolerance" and placating. Not complaining, just saying...

THE POINT IS... since I think I'm so concise (haha)... that this blog will NO LONGER have Bay Area artists at its focal point. I will write about the artistic world at large. A Bay artist will have to strike my fancy in a particular way to gain the favor of my pen/keyboard... musically AND inter-personally. Oh... that's not how the journalism world works? Well, maybe it should. Maybe common courtesy and humility should be things that you can put on your one sheet. For now, this is just another adventure of a lone wolf named Dom. Thank those of you who have shared this blog with me so far, and I hope you will continue to see what my new vision has in store.

-Dom

1-O.A.K Hits a Home Run with album Special Request

There are very few times when modern music finds a way to bring storm clouds into my ears, much less make those storm clouds burst, and a fury run down my cheeks in happiness. Yes, people, I cry sometimes when the music is good enough. Without hesitation, an uninhibited cry when my love (music) is handled with care. So. I could review this album the way I've reviewed other albums, but that would just be... wack. This album isn't like any of the others. Not at all. This album nears perfection, a high ranking project among industry works. I'll prove it. Let's go.

The project starts off with "Me & You," which talks about trying to maintain love with outside noise (gossip, opinions, promiscuous people, etc) clouding the clear waters of amor. I dig this track, for the lovely harmonies (which will be a pattern throughout the project) and for the seemingly tailor made production. "Long Time," a standout on the project is where we begin to see the clear gospel roots that the artist has. The choir-esque hook is very catchy, and again... the production feels tailor made. I wish this track was longer.

"Sweet Memories" continues the trend of a sweet and seamless blend of soul and gospel. The production has a nostalgic feel without being dated. One of my favorite beats and songs on the album is "High Rollers," which takes a stab at describing a gun shy girl, who should take a risk. She won't be disappointed... she'll be pleasantly surprised. Don't we all hope for that. I do. I could relate to this song. 1-Oak croons, "...but the higher the risk, the higher the return/when you're playing with fire, you don't always get burned..." I feel that line. It's about taking a leap of faith.

Stylistically, the next few songs didn't tickle my fancy, production-wise, and we all know how anal I can be about production. I like "Stay With Me" as a song that stands on its own... the production just feels forced outside of the chords, especially the random synth. "Get Up Girl (Do It)" did, in fact, end up feeling dated and not in that nostalgic way. Not to worry, though... "Yaya" brings it back. Here, 1-Oak seems to reach back into his ancestral roots and produce a gorgeous track that begs to be danced to, barefoot in the field. The production makes me really want to hear what this would sound like with a live band. I also love what he does with his harmonies in this song. I want other singers to TAKE NOTE! While most stick to basic minor or major 3 part harmony, this musical brainiac and sometimes pianist, may have thrown some diminished or augmented or @ least 4 part harmonies in there. I love that kind of daring musical integrity.

"Get Right" would have been my favorite track if it hadn't been followed by the last track, and the origin of my tears over this album, "Homerun." How many artists have self doubt? How many artists hold themselves back? How many prepare and spend countless hours on their craft and dream of their names on marquees and try and fail and cry and try again? This song encompasses that gut-wrenching struggle to perfect what you love, to know that there is nothing else in the world meant for you outside of your artform, to feel haters at your back, to realize that you just might be one of your own haters. To stop. To hear the hate drowned out by support. To pick yourself up and begin to run away from fear and towards your destiny. It is what we all go through, artist or not. We search to find the courage to drown out the call to be a follower in our own lives and to lead. To lead. Well, dearest 1-OfAKind, you have led us from the ball park, past the nose bleed seats, above the rafters, beyond the clouds. This album, this work of art is indeed a home run. And musically, you sir, are leading the pack.

For now, you can download this project for FREEEEEEEEE! CLICK HERE.

On League 510's Valentine's Day Project: LoveMeSlowlyTenderKnockinCupcakinMusic

As Valentine's Day approaches, the weirdo within us all inevitably emerges in weird, sometimes cute, sometimes just WRONG ways. It is only appropriate that Oakland's resident hip-hop group from another planet would plan to release a project on this day. Not at all shy about donning this musical endeavor with a lengthy moniker, League 510 embarks on a journey to get lovers in the mood, and singles not to brood. Did they succeed? Let's see.






Let's start with what I enjoyed first. "Hey Love" was a standout track to me, and a sound that League 510 shines in. Normally, I don't enjoy rappers singing (if they aren't also singers by trade), but I really enjoyed KnowItAll's hook game on this track. "All Those Nights" was easily the best track on the entire project, and it was full of emotion. It's about forgetting about the imperfections of love and just being in the moment. It's also about how deep, romantic love may not be possible... maybe something brief, but passionate is all there is... and the residue is friendship. I like this track because it's honest. TK shines as an emcee on this track, as he spits, "...but honestly baby I'm on the grind too... can't fix your heart, no glue/don't have much to offer to you/just a warm body on the other end/familiar voice , a good friend/to break your back or cook you din..." HONESTY. Love isn't perfect, but it has a much better chance of survival if truth is a main component.


The errors in the project came from a couple of things. First, WHERE WAS MONT?! I took great issue with the absence of the third emcee in this group. While TK often brings humor and unabashed honesty and KnowItAll brings great delivery, lyrics, and flow, Mont is the glue, bringing his more mainstream sound, clever quips, and stylish swagger in to balance the group out. His presence was definitely missed, and I hope the group either finds a way to reconcile being without him or finds a solution to have him on future projects. I also was confused about the concept that this project was attempting to execute. Most of the tracks begin with a lengthy clip of an older song (some, I guess could be considered love songs), but they didn't seem like samples, and they didn't seem to have any connection to the League's songs or to each other. I thought this error could confuse listeners, and distract from the project, rather than give a nostalgic feeling. Was nostalgia the purpose?

If we're talking about staying true to form/sound, I would call this project a success. If we're talking about clarity and cohesion, I would stay that there are some missteps. LoveMeSlowlyTenderKnockinCupcakinMusic drops this coming Tuesday, February 14th -- Valentine's Day. Give it a listen, and ask yourself, am I in love, lust... or something else?

Real Music is ALIVE: Three Discoveries in January

I love to come upon great new music (or at least new to me). This month has been especially fantastic, and I'd like to highlight the three women I've found most amazing.

My best friend, Oliver, pummeled me w/ a couple of YouTube videos of Miss Bell about a year ago, which I ignored because he always does that. Then, I got another taste when the Oakland native, Chris Turner (pictured left), invited her up on stage during his show last year. I thought to myself, "What TONE!" If you listen closely, you can hear where Jennah's voice, left untrained, could have gone awry. There's this wild, jazz/funk mixture in the character of her voice that cries out for the control that the best singers have over their instrument. While jamming w/ Chris over a funky rendition of Sly's "If You Want Me To Stay," Jennah piqued my interest in her music, and now... I am a fan! Her guitar hardly ever leaves her side, which I love as well, and she definitely has that vocal control. Check out one of my favorite collaborations HERE, and find Jennah by clicking the pic below.

DISCOVERY ONE: JENNAH BELL

I made this next discovery thanks to the homie, Talia, who has already written extensively on Gwen Bunn HERE, so please check out that blog as well. What I like most about Gwen is that what I've heard from her is self-written and produced, yet none of her material lacks polish. It's clear that she has studied at the Berklee College of Music, but without losing her personal swagger. What strikes me most is Gwen's songwriting. On "Right Now," her language is straightforward, almost conversational, a style of songwriting that I first began to appreciate when Musiq came out with his first project. "Let Me," left me impressed by her production skills. If you're a frequenter of this blog, you know how much I appreciate cohesive production and absolutely abhor sucky production. Dare I say, Gwen Bunn is truly a breath of fresh air in an industry that does not appreciate female producers, nor does it highlight them. I appreciate that from what I've heard so far is an artist stay true to her form, without versatility being negated. Find Gwen Bunn by clicking the pic below:

DISCOVERY TWO: GWEN BUNN

The wonders of Twitter introduced me to Gretchen Parlato, when the twitter homie, Krea, said "Dom, I think you'll dig this..." WHOA. She was absolutely correct. A jazz beast discovered in the music of Gretchen left me breathless and YouTube searching and favoriting everything I heard. What I love, so far, is when classics like SWV's "Weak" are flipped into straight jazz mode. In this case, you can clearly hear the classical training that went on, and I don't mind it. Jazz is a genre that uses classical form to break the rules of music, and Gretchen continues to break the rules in all of her music. It is she I'd much rather hear on the radio, played a gazillion times a day in the rotation. In fact, ClearChannel could put all three of these women in rotation on a consistent basis, if they really wanted to make my day. Also, don't sleep on her version of "Holding Back the Years," a song which is one of my favorites. I am soooooo glad I was put on to this singer's music. The more I read about her, the later I realize I am in knowing of her genius. You should catch up, too. Find Gretchen by clicking the pic below:

DISCOVERY THREE: GRETCHEN PARLATO

The moral of this story is that there is much better music out there than what is on the radio... hopefully, that will change. Here are three examples of music that I may have never found, had it not been for a severe passion for music and the help of equally passionate friends.

On Nu Dekades debut project: ERAgance

I had my own perception of what this project would be like. I thought that it would have fantastic production (I knew they'd be getting beats from the amazing yet underrated Bay Area producer, Will Bracy). I thought that Ryan would carry K.E.V. with her forward flow, and that K.E.V. would find few moments to shine, with his seemingly fierce resistance to embrace any hip-hop existence outside of Rakim's era. Well, I am happy to report that I was right about the former and wrong about the latter. Ryan and K.E.V. find equal partnership on their debut project, ERAgance, laden with the brilliant compositions of Will Bracy.


What I like most about this project is that it addresses social and musical issues without being AT ALL preachy. I tip my hat to Nu Dekades for being the FIRST group in my hip-hop experience to accomplish this feat. I'm going to just talk about my favorite tracks, and let you, the audience, pick yours. There is a lot to choose from, yet ironically, this project feels super quick. "ERAgance," the title track, may very well be my favorite track, since one of my favorite ways for artists to engage an issue is through satire. Musical satire is even MORE wonderful, which is what we find on this track. The two move into character brilliantly, depicting the hoodrat and hoodlum, the suburban raised black kids with blinders on, and the arrogant and pseudo-sympathetic to the African-American plight Caucasian. This track wholly addresses the sickness, the depressing human condition, the many forms we have gone astray from our former glory as a species.

On "Inside Job," Ryan spits, 'We tryna Rockefeller, Morgan Chase the dream they call American/ Merit ain't a factor if you're arrogant..." And you have just found my favorite line on the entire project. On "Obsession," featuring one of our favorites, Siaira Shawn, K.E.V. spits "She got me dreaming for mercy like Peter Gabriel/ She put her Genesis in my career when I played the field..." I like this line because K.E.V. finally comes out from behind his hard exterior to expose some vulnerability (and the line itself is just dope). "Holdin' It Down" is the most cohesive track on the project. The hook game is super pristine on this track, and the duo (or dyad, as they call themselves) weaves in and out of each other's rhymes seamlessly. We all work hard, and this song addresses the struggle we all face, but that we should keep it light. "One Love" is just utter slap... Will Bracy is shining from the background on this track, and I really appreciate a producer who becomes a part of the group by helping them find their sound. Overall, I feel that this is a solid project that will be over a lot of people's heads. Take a couple of listens if you don't catch everything the first time around. It's well worth it. Click the pic below to go to the site.

Chris Turner Turns Oakland Out with the Romantic Movement

As I began to feel that chivalry had not only left the male mentality, but also his music, Chris Turner landed at 201 Broadway on a chilly Wednesday evening to quell my feelings of anguish with his soul, swagger, and showmanship. He gave his home town, Oakland, the gift of his experiences in the form of melodies and harmonies and a falsetto that would make the most bitter woman come to his musical altar for love salvation. He is the descendant and evolution of Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson all wrapped into a smooth, sweet voice that feels like a gentle hand outstretched after the most embarrassing fall. Chris Turner... genius extraordinaire.







Opening for Chris is one of my favorite Bay Area, soon to be New York, vocalists, Siaira Shawn. She was accompanied by her brilliant, albeit impromptu, keyboardist, known simply to me as George. Siaira warmed the crowd with her unique take on Andre 3000's "Prototype." While Siaira and George both engaged the song with an apparent timid hello to each other, their talents shined through, and we moved on to a favorite of mine by Ms. Shawn, "Pocket." This is a cute song that got the crowd rocking, and as Sia and George loosened up a bit, so did we. The set really took flight for me when Siaira performed her new song, "Dusk." While I wasn't too fond of the recorded version, George's chords took Siaira's fantastic lyric and arrangement to another level. The memorable hook, and Siaira's adlibs were a beauty to behold, and so you can only imagine my excitement when Sia ended her set with my absolute favorite song of hers, "Where You Are." By this point, she and George had found their rhythm and this song lifted the room to readiness for entry into Chris's moving, romantic embrace.

I gasped as my favorite Bay Area band, The Park, began playing for Chris. They were just as wonderful as I remembered. Chris began with an in-your-face version of Andre 3000's "She Lives in my Lap." The second song he performed, an original called "All We Need is Love," has been in my head all day today. His simple lyrics were so relatable, and he crooned "All we need is love/All we need is time/All we need is patience/I need you in my life." Who, of us, hasn't uttered those words? Next it was the funky, smoky, "Come Up Off It," which admonished his girl (for the night or longer) to hang it up and give it up. I appreciated that this song didn't come off as demeaning, rather as a plead for affection. More slow tempo, beautifully sang songs (I could be Wrong, Jade and Eve, Lauryn Hill's The Sweetest Thing, Undone) and a cameo from Chris' saxaphone playin', funk brangin' uncle before we came to Mr. Turner's first single, "Liquid Love." I love this single because it gives validity to the comparisons between Chris and the great artists mentioned above. The production is pristine from The Stuyvesants, and the voice has personality and polish. The fact that Chris isn't afraid to vamp a song for 5 minutes, just because he's feeling it, is what I miss from shows. The church girl in me was amped inside, yelling "You betta sing, boy!" Of course... I contained myself. Lol.


The highlight of the night was Chris ending with Sly and the Family Stone's "If You Want Me to Stay." If you're wondering what the answer is, Chris, YES WE ABSOLUTELY DO WANT YOU TO STAY! I digress. Brought up to jam with Chris were Youtube sensation, Jennah Bell, who added flare to the song and piqued my interest in hearing even more of her music, and Chris' brother in The Romantic Movement, Jesse Boykins III. This song was a groove of soulful musicians, and The Park went IN on this, with the keyboardist even hopping on the organ towards the end.




Overall, what sets Chris apart from other wonderfully talented artists? One word. SHOWMANSHIP. When he's up there, you really feel like he's working for you. You want a drink from the bar? He says, "Let me hit this high note to push you closer." You paid a $10 or $15 cover charge? "Come here and let me sing directly to you," he says. I love his forward performance on stage and his humble demeanor off stage. If you missed this show, your best bet is to wish and hope and bug Chris Turner on his Facebook Music Page or his YouTube Channel to return to the movement that he has begun in all of us... more amore.

Town Business: Why "The Motto" video Doesn't Represent The Bay

All you Drake fans be quiet. You probably read the title and instantly thought, "She's a hater." Nope. Listen to my opinion before you make a judgement. Actually... idgaf if you make a judgement. It's my opinion. NOW:

My first problem with the video is that when you shoot a video that you KNOW many will think of as homage to The Bay, you CANNOT simply drive across the bridge, stand in front of the bridge rapping next to E40, and have a screen shot of the sign of Amoeba. REALLY?! To me, this could have been a video for a local artist. This is why I think it's wack. You have all these resources to really portray The Bay Area and show it in the light it should be depicted, and you shoot at what seems like 4 or less locations. WACK.

My second issue is that, I'm all for showing love to label mates, but Tyga wasn't on the original song was he? I mean... if they were going to add a verse, shouldn't they have added a Bay rapper? I personally thought E40 came off like a flunkie they used to gain legitimacy. HELLOOOOOOOO. You're coming to a region whose hip-hop talent is sorely underrated, and you don't put anyone from the Bay on the song? WACK.

My third, and final issue with The Motto (and I'm sure many won't get my point here), is that you come to the Bay Area, which is a place known to be a hotbed of political movement, and you bring this ignorant, albeit catchy, song here without even showing any of what we have going on with the Occupy movement, the mayoral issue in Oakland, the financial issue in Vallejo, the myriad of issues in the city. I realize that Drake is hardly the protagonist in the story of our next political leader, but... when in Rome? I guess not. WACK.

Overall, I found the video cheap. I felt cheated. I'm a town girl. We go crazy out here. Where was the scene of a crowd going dumb to the song? If you only live once, sorry Drake, a clean Bay video has yet to be checked off of your bucket list, homie. Check the video below, if you haven't seen it yet.

Drake ~ The Motto Featuring Lil Wayne & Tyga (Official Video) from OctobersVeryOwn on Vimeo.