I feel you on the Santana analysis. My man asked me about the record and the most articulate response I could give was "It's a Santana record" for good and for ill. He's an incredibly talented instrumentalist and sometimes it's hard to know (from the untrained eye) if he's coasting. I felt the energy he brings (I think that's his biggest talent right there and it's better live) but some of the collaborations weren't that fiya (or is "that fi" I get my gratuitous southern slang wrong sometimes, lol) I actually thought everlast gave an interesting contribution. It made me want to check him out which is good.<P>Meshell really is in hell by the way. She's one of the black artists that is further away from reaching her homefolks that you guys. Sorry.<BR>My only hope is that when someone like Mary delves into some emotional territory that others will become open enough that a song like Bitter or Loyalty can sneak in. I doubt it though. Actually, Mary's LP is my new litmus test about the state of folks minds. Are the folks that got hit with What's the 411 grown up enough and ready to handle where she is now? Can she reach (and broaden) her market without a bonified, Flex-approved tunnel-banger remix? That said, why can't I wait for her to ROCK The Love I Never Had live. Any band with a pulse should rip up a show with that without exposing her vocal er . . deficiencies. <P>By the way, is Erykah feelin' the pressure yet? After Voodoo (my current standard for artistic growth and I ain't even heard it yet) and Mary she'd better be on point. There's lots of Macy Grays/Angie Stones/Greniques out there now. Her media niche has been fucking overrun. It feels like after Brown Sugar when all those clones hit. Chico Debarge is ok (maybe?), but Kedar played that market and him with it. It made me damn glad D' stayed in the lab. I think she needs a Midnight Marauders to set her position straight or I could see her falling a step from the media graces. Afterwards she can lose focus and drop her Beats, Rhymes and Life.<P>as usual,<BR>only love intended,<BR>bc<P>"I draw a crowd like an architect"-Rakim