5 Years 5 Albums: Day 1

So this Sunday February 8^th 2015 will mark the 5 year anniversary of Song of the day for me and that’s kind of crazy because 1 5 is my favorite number and 2 that’s 5 fucking years of songs people that’s a crazy idea for me to comprehend that in 5 years I’ve written about all these different songs, artist, genre’s, and articles that I can’t help but try to figure something significant for it considering it’s such an important number to me so I figured I’d be a little classy and rather than writing about individual songs like the websites name suggest I’d actually cover 5 albums that have been really important to me over the course of writing these song of the day’s because in time since starting to write these things up there’s been a lot of great music to come out and I can’t help but feel that these records in particular deserve some praise for really influencing my life as a whole, and with that in mind I figure the best place to start would be with a record that was all the hype in the beginning of this blog so with the first day of 5 years 5 albums I think it’s time to get classy folks…

The Lady Killer-Cee-Lo Green (2010)

Admitedly enough in time Mr. Green’s career kind of didn’t take the path it really needed to and he hasn’t really managed to follow up this record very well which is kind of a shame because this album kind of solidified my budding interest in Rhythm and Blues and Soul music as respectable genres and because of this albums throwback sound I found myself really widening my musical horizons which is kind of amazingly funny considering it all began with one big, “FUCK YOU!”

Yes the surprise hit of the decade in all its bitter heartbroken lyrical glory was the song that sucked me into an album that I’m pretty sure had just about every song on it covered on this little blog of mine and managed to not only crack into 2 different year end best of songs list but also manage to have it’s deluxe reissue have a song that I thought was better than a whole years worth of tunes.

Yeah I praised and rotated this album to death and in time it’s kind of become a lot of things to me but if there’s one thing I can truly credit this album for being it’s that it’s a bad ass collection of smooth retro-grooved rhythm and blues that really should have been bigger than it really was.

Quality Cuts: Wildflower, Crybaby, I want You

The Greatest Song Ever....

Fuck You-Cee-Lo Green

You know the world recently had to add another member to the infamous 27 club in the form of one Amy Winehouse, and really her influence will take time to notice but upon her death I came to some realization that along with her is most likely to come the death of the modern soul movement.

Modern Soul Movement I bet you’re probably thinking that I’m talking out my ass but let me take some time to explain what I mean by that. Whenever one Amy Winehouse hit it huge with her kind of retro-grooved old school inspired tunes I noticed that there was a but if a floodgate that had opened upon her reaching of the peak and all of a sudden the rise of the soul inspired throwback act came to be.After Amy we had artist like Duffy, The Noisettes, Fitz and the Tantrums, and of course Mr. Cee-Lo Greens most recent effort The Lady Killer. People weren’t afraid to sound like a time capsule to the 60’s and the music buying public weren’t afraid to embrace this trend and felt like actually giving these acts a try. The only issue in this movement before I get into things is that like the artist of the bygone 60’s most of these artist in question only really will end up being known for a single catchy tune that’ll in many ways represent the timelessness of certain genres but in many cases its’ ironic because it only further proves that history repeats itself.

Now after taking all of almost 250 words to describe just how influential of an artist one Amy Winehouse was would I be writing a recently released cut not done by her as being the greatest song ever? Well you see here as amazing as she was the only real way I could go as to explain her greatness is by writing about a song that came long after she established this formula and has probably yielded its most amazing result.

"Fuck You," it was the second coming for one Cee-Lo Green Crazy had gotten him out there but nobody was quite sure of who he really was or what he had to offer. It was an unusually spaced out cut that Rolling Stone named the greatest song of the decade and Gnarles Barkely as a group that left as fast as they came, but then during the summer of last year Cee-Lo comes out with this throwback jam and just comes back in ways that no one could ever really comprehend.

Here he was singing about the love that couldn’t be and making that painfully pissed off declaration that we all have from time to time upon being hurt by the one’s we loved, “Fuck You,” it’s a ballsy move there’s no way the mass public could accept something that profanity laden, that raunchy, that upfront and I really didn’t expect it to not only give Cee-Lo yet another top 10 smash hit, a slew of Grammy Nominations, and 15 more minutes in the spotlight but it brought my attention to an album that was more then, “Fuck You,” and a whole bunch of filler tracks it was the most finely crafted series of pop songs that showcase an entire range of an era many consider to be the best, and this song is the thing that brought all of this to the spot light.

Why is this the greatest song ever? Well it’s unapologetic, catchy, upfront, and instantly memorable there’s something in it the whole world can relate to and upon release the world not only did but it wholeheartedly took this man who many had thoughts time had come and brought forth some sense that talent matters again, and I don’t think any of this would have been possible if not for Amy Winehouse making it hip to be old school again.