eddiespageti

#38 – Black Caesar by James Brown

I didn’t realize this was a soundtrack album until about halfway through, but I stand by my choice. James Brown was the man and I have no doubt that any album of his that would choose would be an excellent listening experience. Embarrassing as it is, I was over halfway through the album upon thatContinue reading “#38 – Black Caesar by James Brown”

#37 – Live in 1960 by Sister Rosetta Tharpe

I only heard about Sister Rosetta Tharpe a few months ago and now I feel like I’m seeing her referenced pretty regularly. Listening to this album, it’s easy to see why she’s so influential. In addition to being a fantastic and innovative guitarist, her energy and passion permeate her performances. She’s also considered one ofContinue reading “#37 – Live in 1960 by Sister Rosetta Tharpe”

#36 – 4:44 by Jay-Z

As I listened to this album, which is Jay-Z’s 13th studio album, it hit me just how long he has been speaking out about police brutality and systemic racism. I’ve been listening to his music for his entire career, spanning over two decades, and I can only imagine the frustration that he must feel seeingContinue reading “#36 – 4:44 by Jay-Z”

#35 – This Land by Gary Clark Jr.

I saw Gary Clark Jr. at Coachella a couple years ago, and was impressed both by his collection of classic guitars and his ability to captivate an audience of millenials at the man stage with a set of blues rock that would have seemed perfectly at home in the mid-‘70s. Maybe I hadn’t paid closeContinue reading “#35 – This Land by Gary Clark Jr.”

#34 – King Of The Delta Blues by Robert Johnson

As the quarantine continues and no one really has much variation in their day-to-day lives, there is plenty of time to reflect on any number of things. Obviously, the big issue is the systemic racism embedded in modern American life, so I’m finding myself looking at many different situations, institutions and interactions and trying toContinue reading “#34 – King Of The Delta Blues by Robert Johnson”

#33 – Black On Both Sides by Mos Def

As we begin to see the first steps being taken towards real changes in the style of policing in this country, it’s inspiring to see that the demonstrations have not lessened at all and seem to be here to stay for the foreseeable future. The time has come for us to take a hard andContinue reading “#33 – Black On Both Sides by Mos Def”

#32 – I Can’t Stand the Rain by Ann Peebles

Another weekend of big demonstrations across the country and there seems to be less aggression than in the previous weekend. There’s still no shortage of incidents of heavy-handed policing, but the demonstrations as a whole seem to have played host to fewer large conflagrations. The big moves that Minneapolis has pledged to could provide aContinue reading “#32 – I Can’t Stand the Rain by Ann Peebles”

#31 – Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe

I wasn’t familiar with Janelle Monáe when I worked on a concert film for her back in 2013, but by the end of the show I was a fan. On a day that saw a second Saturday in a row of national protests, it would seem like the state of our nation is pretty dire. Continue reading “#31 – Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe”

#30 – Mama’s Gun by Erykah Badu

With everything going on in the world, it’s pretty tempting to try to disconnect from reality with any number of distractions. Music has always been a great escape for me, so it’s been helpful this week to have a steady stream of protest music by activist artists. It makes for a nice mixture of greatContinue reading “#30 – Mama’s Gun by Erykah Badu”

#29 – Yeezus by Kanye West

The lifting of the curfews across the country is a nice touch, and will hopefully mellow out some of our most enthusiastic law enforcement officers. It was great to see mayors across the country commit to making the crucial changes we need to solve some of our most unjust systemic problems. In Los Angeles especially,Continue reading “#29 – Yeezus by Kanye West”