Old School Players to… New School…(?)

see this is hard. talkin bout these brothers here is like talkin bout my uncles to be honest. but family is family (or fdeluxe..i guess.. *tear*) so i gotta be honest and speak it wit love, right? right.

~

my man’s on facebook just posted the new time (now known as the “original se7en“) video: #trendin. it’s probably best that my introduction to the song came with HD video cuz i might not have listened to the whole thing had it not. no diss to brother morris, (or even to the groove) just being honest.. and i’ll tell you why…

so the song (as you can see by its title) is looking to make use of the current “trend” in microblogging as a means of promo for new music releases. and why shouldnt it? the time’s last album was pandemonium..which was what? 91 maybe?.. and since then they’d split (kinda) to work on personal work, produce other artists, back micheal baisden, cameo in kevin smith movies, and the occasional acting role (usually as a pimp) for mr. day.

   ..so anyway, the original se7en is… back(?), and either by suggestion of their own or an outside “expert”, my guess is they figured: we’ll make the album name an actual trending topic – hashtag included – so you have to type a trending topic to discuss it, NAME it “trending” seeing as it is a current measure of success and as it also plays off of the original notion of the time as a perpetuation manifestation of “coolness”, and hell..maybe even poke fun at the fact that we’re old school cats trying keep pace in a brave new world..

and you know, thats cool to me…even kinda clever (yall peep my fanhood trying its damnedest to fight lol)..but what bothers me is that the mix just aint quite..gettin it.. ya know?

…first lemme make sure to say the groove is ON IT.. seriously, no one with a true ear for a groove can ever argue that jimmy, terry, jellybean, monte, and jesse wont tear that ass up. everytime. and they dont do anything short here. its an updated time sound that manages to both sound new and traditional at the same time. which is commendable and i dont say that lightly.. but 50% of the time’s shtick is camp (heavy handed pryor meets james brown-esq camp at that) and when that camp meets old men (at least approaching 50 if they’re in prince’s age range- wish is a safe bet) talking about twitter and blogs… which we know damn well they dont understand…or even want to for that matter (why should they)?…it just feels….off..

the video works for me (low key, gritty, performance themed)..the whole thing isnt over-produced  (tho it does cut it close) which once again leaves me wondering “why is prince letting the time beat him at his own gimmick?” … i mean this is exactly what you want for a band like the time..its not about special effects, its not about fake club scenes…

we’re here. we’re funky. dance muthafucka.

..but “..ya’ll tweetie pies gon post it in the blog.. “? …nah bruh, it just aint doin it...when i come see the OG’s? i dont wanna see em in skinny jeans tryna swag it out…(and i dont even have nothing against the swag movement)..i want my big homie to tell me I cant stunt like him cuz I wasnt born when “funky worm” dropped…

matterfact scratch that..cuz prince does that corny shit all the time and it makes him sound like somebody grandpa.. what i wouldve wanted is “..we the muthafuckin time..our “badness” dont expire…and bitch dont act like this shit aint fonky when y’know it is..”

~

..but maybe im just mad cuz jerome wasnt at bb kings and they had tables on the dance floor like they didnt know what time it was..

(..truth by told, somebody throw this shit on at a wedding [cuz we know this aint gonna be in no club..and neither will i] i will dance my drunk ass off..”sexy me” face and everything..)

..actually i think the album’ll be pretty good.. (a damn sight better then 20Ten, i’ll tell you that much).. and honestly they can name every track after an iphone app and i’ll still be buyin that shit so uh…i guess what im sayin is..

“..I pledge allegience…to the..”

“..original se7en”

-sah

sb- oh, monte killed that piano solo. and aunt elaine: i miss you.