The Crap Stack: Chauncey Black, Dwele, PlayRadioPlay!

Posted on Jun 27th 2008 7:00PM by Adam Horne
Comments

Here at Spinner, we receive more CDs than we can possibly listen to. Sadly, many of them, whether good or bad, get consigned to The Crap Stack, where they languish until they're eventually carted off to become shiny silver landfill somewhere. However, in our version of Musical Lotto, we've instructed a staffer to rescue -- completely at random -- three discs from the pile and give them a proper and fair reviewing. Will the chosen CD be crap-tastic -- or just plain crap? Read this week's entries from Spinner intern Adam to find out:

Chauncey Black: 'Everyday Is Your Birthday' (CD single): If the lyrics to this Quiet Storm slow jam are any indication, then Chauncey Black is the greatest boyfriend alive. The guy knows how to pamper a lady -- describing in full the lavish gifts he is going to buy his special someone. Yet the cynic in me can't help but notice the song's suspicious air of desperation. Black's eagerness to spend, spend, spend hints that he is either making up for having done something really crappy, or buttering up his sweetheart because she might find out that he did something really crappy.

Dwele: 'I'm Cheatin'' (CD single): More proof that the seriously talented Dwele is one of the most underrated artists in R&B. This track shows off the Detroit singer's impressive neo-soul songwriting chops while simultaneously paying tribute to former collaborator, the late J Dilla. The organic head-nod beat has Dilla written all over it, a subtle homage to the man who embodied neo-soul and knew his way around an MPC like no one else.

PlayRadioPlay!: 'Texas' (Album): My first thoughts are that this kid must have a pretty decent record collection. One-man-band Daniel Hunter wears his pop and electronica influences on his sleeve and ends up sounding like a teenage Ben Gibbard playing with Pro Tools. As a songwriter, he shows a lot of promise, but for most of the album, he can't help but retreat to lyrical and melodic pop-punk clichés.