This album needs its own post.
https://www.topazjones.com

Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma
Topaz Jones
(2021)

01. Mirror (feat. Leven Kali)
02. D.I.A.L.
03. Herringbone
04. Black Tame
05. Baba 70S
06. Amphetamines (feat. anaiis)
07. Sourbelts
08. D.O.A.
09. Who? (feat. Maxo & Phonte)
10. Gold (feat. Floyd Fuji)
11. Rich
12. Blue (feat. Gabriel Garzon-Montano)
13. Buggin'

I'm leery of slapping AOTY labels on releases. Especially in May.
But this is good. Really good.

I can't even really pinpoint a certain highlight of the album
because it all goes together so very well.

I'm horrible at making comparisons on the sound/feel of music,
but I feel like DJ Quik would be proud.
It has a band feel to it that would make hearing this live a must.
This feels like a continuation of Kendrick's "To Pimp A Butterfly".
But instead of Thundercat, you have Carrtoons on bass.
Phonte once again delivers a great feature.

I'm about to run this back again through the headphones
so I can find some more to say about it.

Oh, and to my vinyl folks, you KNOW this album cover is a must have.

And agreed, it needs its own post.

I had those same “To Pimp a Butterfly” thoughts.

Black Tame is the one I always have to play more than once, before continuing with the rest of the album.

Great album.

*************************************

Fuck aliens

-Warriorpoet415

#2dopebrothersandastackofwax

https://www.instagram.com/bobgeorge87

https://www.instagram.com/thirtythree.three/

Shame its pretty slept on, if one of the media darlings with a machine behind them dropped an album like this the buzz would be crazy

I think there are two tracks I don't love but they don't take away from it either and might grow on me.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

It's probably just due to a change in energy and I don't dislike them. I wouldn't skip them.

Need another listen paying attention to names but off the top my fav *might* be "Buggin" -- I love that it's simultaneously goofy and serious, it's genuinely catchy, and the rhymes are just super solid -- reminds me of Lupe's cut about dinosaurs from his EP last year.

Actually, the record reminds me of Lupe a lot.


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

but Black Tame has decided that won't happen today.

Mirror
D.I.A.L.
Black Tame
Baba70s
Who? (phonte once again)
Buggin'

but the second half is really strong as well. I like the way "Rich" and "Blue" run together and they are really strong but they feel a little out of place there. I could probably drop "Gold" and I wouldn't miss it. But still, I don't feel the urge to skip really anything on the record and keep finding new favorite moments.

Is the opening riff at the start of Baba 70s an actual Stevie Wonder interpolation or does it just sound like a Stevie run? I feel like it's an actual interpolation but can't place it out of context and it doesn't look like it's credited.

The beat change halfway through "Buggin" makes me *really* happy for some reason.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

>Is the opening riff at the start of Baba 70s an actual Stevie
>Wonder interpolation or does it just sound like a Stevie run?
>I feel like it's an actual interpolation but can't place it
>out of context and it doesn't look like it's credited.

Hold up, do you have liner notes for this? The website just lists the writer credits but nothing else. And Discogs hasn't even updated the website with the album. I don't think it's a Stevie interpolation, but definitely Talking Book/Innervisions inspired (maybe?).

Also, Carrtoons work on bass is definitely all over this album, I just don't know which songs specifically.


>The beat change halfway through "Buggin" makes me *really*
>happy for some reason.

Ha. This is definitely a case of a song that stands out from the rest, but in a good way.

Alissia was involved in a lot of the production for the Topaz Jones album, I think (she's a bassist which I'm guessing is her feature credit here). This track fits right into that sound and Topaz's feature is really great, on repeat for me this week.

https://youtu.be/-Cro-Vt4qmc

I don't know anything about RickExpress, he only has one other single on Spotify -- anyone know any details?

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

...

anaiis feat topaz jones - chuu

https://youtu.be/4_COmbvwRi4

I've only just heard of anaiis based off someone's recommendation but this song confirms that I want to spend some time with her music. Topaz comes off well again here. (I have no idea wtf this video is though, lol...)

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~