ESP #LostInMusic Goes Back to '95!

When I was trying to decide on focal points for features, doing something based around the launch date of EricaSharlette's Purview seemed inevitable.

Since LostInMusic is all about getting lost within a musical moment (see the definition above), the more I considered various albums, the more nostalgic I got, and so the idea dawned on me - why not go back to 1995? Slap bang in the middle of my personal favourite musical decade, I could only see an endless list of musical options. How was I going to do this? How was I going to shape this into a piece? Then inspiration struck...

'9 Singles and 5 Albums that Impacted the Music World in 1995'

That was it. That was my angle! I finally figured it out, and instantly began combing the net for the best of what came out that year. Here goes...

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Singles

9. Wonderwall - Oasis

I was never the biggest Oasis fan. Okay; they were talented and had some good songs, but their music was completely overshadowed for me by their hideous, arrogant, childish, lout-like behaviour. Despite all of that, even I couldn't ignore the might of the monster that was this song. The simplicity of the monochrome video in the empty warehouse space. The haunting guitar riff on repeat. Everything about it stripped away the crap, and made it about the music; something that I personally felt they rarely did. It was powerful, and it was moving - it was a solid moment in music history...Until all the clown weirdness started with the showgirl and the saws. But even despite that; the lyrics win out. They are desperate and resounding, and cut you to the core. The pain of a broken heart versus the pride of man are juxtaposed, and you almost feel like that's what all the clown nonsense is there to do - detract from the seriousness of the matter by acting a fool in front of 'the lads'. But hey, that's just my interpretation of it...what do you think?

8. This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan

One of the original party anthems of the nineties, that can still raise a roof today; this monster debut put Montell Jordan on the map. The South Central native was the second artist to sign to Def Jam's newly established label (a baby-faced, 17-year-old LL Cool J was the first). A new jack swing artist, Jordan carried the torch first lit by the likes of Teddy Riley, Jodeci, and Guy, from the early part into the middle of the decade. Developing a reputation as a bad boy for his extra-marital antics, after 10 albums, he went on to become a born again Christian, and has become a Church Pastor. Flashback now then, to when he was the life of the party, when this was how he did it...

7. Freak Like Me - Adina Howard

I found Adina Howard groundbreaking. To my knowledge, not since Millie Jackson in the 1970's, had music had such an outspoken, raw individual, so willing to go to the heart of sexual topics with the same gusto as a man. Never had a woman come out and said that it's ok for a woman to be sexual and say what she wants loud and clear like a man. Young as I was at the time (a chubby teen), I still thought it was an amazing thing to see. Women were allowed to flirt and hint in music, but they were not to be upfront - it wasn't considered ladylike. In my case however; for her bravery if nothing else, I wanted to be Adina Howard when I grew up!

6. Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio

This was a global moment when popular culture stopped to salute Hip Hop in collective awe. Gangsta's Paradise was the lead single from the Dangerous Minds movie soundtrack. Capturing the essence and mentality of black youths in America's inner cities at the time, the song talks of not expecting to have a future outside of the streets, so not striving for one, and the uptight ivory teacher who comes out of nowhere, having no concept of what they have to go through to stay alive. Played by Michelle Phieffer, the film topped box offices around world, as did the soundtrack and single, both going to the top of the charts for several weeks and in some cases, months, at a time.

5. I Wish - Skee-Lo

This song always meant summertime to me. I used to have a red and black double cassette deck (exposing my age takes some bravery). Until I got a proper mixtape with Skee-Lo on the playlist, I used to use the cassette deck to record songs off of the radio, and make my own mixtapes. This definitely appeared on a few of them! It was also the first time that I realised Hip Hop could be lighthearted and funny; it didn't all have to be angry and aggressive. For me, I Wish was a pivotal moment.

4. Fu-Gee-La - The Fugees

The Fugees were the moment when Hip Hop broke through the glass ceiling and joined the respected mainstream. They not only joined the official charts, they ruled it - it was a beautiful time. In addition, the visual, storytelling manner that the Pras, Wyclef and Lauryn had, made them engaging and understood. They painted visual pictures like Picasso. What they said, you could see; and I believe that could very well be the reason that they were so accepted. No matter how good the artist was before them, unless you could get your audience to stop, listen and imagine your picture, then you're not going to communicate with them. The Fugees had the power and the talent to do that - something about them made you sit up and pay attention. The Fugees are interwoven Hip Hop and mainstream - a feat not performed by any other artist until that time.

3. Waterfalls - TLC

Like Hip Hop, R&B had a glass ceiling of its own, that the likes of TLC did more than their fair share in breaking. The universal message shared in the lyrics resonated worldwide, and made history with it's lasting impact. Reaching the top five of the charts and staying there for several weeks. Dealing with the effects of illegal drugs, promiscuity, and HIV/AIDS awareness, the video was praised for its bravery in tackling such difficult subjects, and doing so without causing offence by 'preaching'. Here's why it had such a monumental effect:

2. Scream - Janet and Michael Jackson

Let's forget for a second that this was, and as far as I am aware, still is, the most expensive music video of all time. Let's forget for a moment, all the silly controversy that surrounded the video at the time, that people wouldn't bat an eye about today; 'Ooooh, Janet grabbed her breasts, Ooooh, she used her middle finger'...Can we just recognise the greatest male and female entertainers of all time, coming together for four minutes and forty-seven seconds of sheer musical and cinematic delight? For the first time, Michael and Janet join forces the way I had always wanted them to do, since the day I was born, and they just serve. Anyway you like it, they gave it to you, and they left nobody hungry. Enjoy one of my personal favourite moments in musical history, beyond the year that we're here to celebrate, for yourself...

1. You're Makin Me High - Toni Braxton

My obsession with this song is now 19 years old. It's a massive tune that I remember playing absolutely everywhere. Even my poor Mother knows the lyrics off by heart - that's how often it got spun in my household at the time (...and since). It was a marked turn for Braxton herself. Coming back from her bankruptcy and legal woes with her former record label, Arista; Toni had a brand new attitude. She was sassy, she was sexy, and she was grown, with something to say, finally. Prior to that, with her first album, she didn't speak much, and thus we, as an audience, didn't really get much of a feel for who Toni, the person, actually was. We sure knew by the end of that Secrets album though! Take it away Ms. B!

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Yours Truly in my debating days, circa 1995

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Albums

Looking back at the albums that came out that year, whittling my selection down to only five was by far - no easy task. I even debated slipping a few in there as joint picks, but figured I would end up with at least ten, and so in the end, by sheer mental force, here are my top five albums of 1995 - let's see if you agree with me...

5. HIStory - Past, Present And Future - Book I - Michael Jackson

'HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I' - Michael 

Any promotional tour that requires Tower Bridge to be raised, so that a giant, life-size statue of you can be floated down the River Thames, drawing in such a huge crowd that it makes the 6 and 10pm news, is epic enough (see what I did there music afficionados - Epic Records, MJ's former label?) to earn a place on this list. When you add the new music additions to it, mammoth tracks like Scream (see above), Stranger in Moscow, Earth Song and You Are Not Alone; it's a nobrainer that this should top any list of albums of the year. The only reason I've kept it low this time around, is that we also got a medley of older songs re-released with it. Nevertheless, this album was not only a great compilation, but another huge entry in musical history.

4. R. Kelly - R. Kelly

'R. Kelly' - R. Kelly

Somewhere around the time of his teenage marriage (I'm kidding...it was after that), Kelz found inspiration in his muse, and came out with my favourite album of his. Also around the time that he was writing for Michael Jackson, amongst a few other big names, he was penning tracks like Hump Bounce, Not Gonna Hold On, You Remind Me Of Something, and the incomparable Down Low (Nobody Has To Know) for himself. An unchallenged classic in my humble opinion.





3. Daydream - Mariah Carey

If you were a loyal follower of this blog from 'the early days', then you will know that I consider this lady to be the greatest female vocalist of my generation, since LaDonna Summer herself, in fact. This is not my personal favourite album from her, hence my middle of the road placement, but I include it for two reasons. A) for the obvious - were it not for her secret 'bait and switch' shanannigans with ignorant record bosses when it came to the album's lead single Fantasy, not only would we not have gotten that amazing ODB verse that gave us that iconic line - come on, don't pretend you don't know it, all together now: 

'Daydream' - Mariah Carey

"Me and Mariaaaah, go back like babies and pacifiiiiiahs!" 

But B) popular music as a whole would have suffered a blow - because we wouldn't have the now standard format of singers and rappers blending talents on a track. For me, neither of those is really why this album is important though. What made this album instrumental in my music history, is that this was the moment when Mariah started to find her own voice and speak to her audiences in the way that she wanted to. The RnB influence was there since her eponymous album, but she was finding her voice like a fledgling bird, learning to stand on her own two feet.

2. The Show, The After Party, The Hotel - Jodeci

'The Show, The After Party, The Hotel' - Jodeci

Once upon a time, Jodeci ruled RnB. Debut and sophmore albums, Forever My Lady and Diary of A Mad Band respectively, had set the quartet up as the kings of the genre, and despite being the bad boys that they were, they could do no wrong. So when they came along with The Show, The After Party; the frenzy surrounding them reached boiling point. Freek'n You was stratospheric, reaching No.17 on the UK charts, and remaining in the music scale for six weeks - their most successful single to date. The quality of the collection captured the zeitgeist of popular music at the time, ruling the RnB airways for most of the year. Bring On Da Funk, S-More, Get On Up, Pump It Back and Can We Flo are just some of the reasons that this set will go down in history as one of the greatest RnB albums of ALL time.

1. Faith - Faith Evans

There was no question over my choice for the No.1 spot. A phenomenal breakthrough artist, Faith Evans came out of nowhere with a voice that challenged Mary J. Blige's for the Queen of Hip Hop Soul title, but was content to just settle in her own niche spot. Mesmerising in a way that captured the essence of Soul, with a raspy voice that laid her heart on the line, and put her emotions into everything - this was a debut that had you hooked from the first strains of the Faith intro. No Other Love, You Used To Love Me (with a remix that featured a rap verse from future husband The Notorious B.I.G.), Don't Be Afraid, and of course the exceptional smash Soon As I Get Home, made sure this was an album well worthy of the several award nominations it received. One of my favourite albums of ALL Time - Faith by Faith Evans is my top pick for album of 1995.

'Faith' - Faith Evans

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And there you have it - the first LostInMusic of EricaSharlette's Purview has come to an end! Thank you for getting lost with me, I had a ball, I don't know about you - but I'd sure like to; share your thoughts on my selections below. Have some suggestions of your own? Let me hear them on YOUR stage, down there! There's still more to come today, we have TalkOnCorners, where I discuss Baz Luhrmann's 'The Get Down'; and this week's WaveRunner Sucker For Pain, by Lil Wayne / Wiz Khalifa / Imagine Dragons and more. The Party doesn't stop - it's LAUNCH DAY Everybody! See you back here in two hours!

Until the next...
ES

Heed The WARNING: Tell A Story Like BIGGIE - 'Lost In Music' Competition, March Music in the ESP Spotlight

As mentioned during the Creativity Week introduction, songwriting is one of the major talents that I consider to be a huge part of the foundation of Creating Music - it also happens to be one of the most unrecognised and underrated. The art of creating an alternate reality for circa 3:30 minutes with a composition that comes from your mind, is one of the greatest, most unexplainable abilities I think it's possible to have. Not everyone can successfully do it and unfortunately, popular music has become less and less about that. But in my humble opinion, when it comes to Creating Music, the desire to tell an engaging story should always be your starting point.

One of my favourite musical quotes comes from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. They famously recounted the events that led up to it as follows...Sitting Janet Jackson down for one of their now legendary production meetings in preparation for her '20 Y.O.' album; they began to talk plans and concepts. Since the beginning of their working relationship, every project since 'Control' had an underlying theme or message.

The first thing they asked her was: "What do you want to say with this album?"

Janet answered with words to the effect of: "I'm not sure, I don't think I have anything I want to say right now..."

To which Jam and Lewis replied: "Well then you shouldn't be making an album."

That is one of my favourite musical stories of all time, because I believe it's fully true! It's all very well and great to have what i like to call 'Junk Food Music'; in other words, music that exists for the sole purpose of making you feel good, but offers no value whatsoever in life. But the songs that tell you something, or take you somewhere are the ones that leave a legacy and that's why I've chosen this particular artist for today's 'Lost In Music' Spotlight feature.

BIG Poppa aka The Notorious B.I.G

"He loved it when we called him Big Pop-pa" and us? We just loved it when he rhymed. This weekend saw the 16th (yes, it really has been that long) anniversary of the death of Christopher George Latore Wallace - better known to most as The Notorious B.I.G. One of the most prolific lyricists of our time, I can't say that he held my Number 1 spot in my list of All Time Favourite MCs, but there was one track in particular that definitely made him a contender.

The story told in 'Warning' never quite matched the video - I actually prefer the track version, as there's an element of jest in places, despite the underlying violence of the scenario that unfolds. All about fake friends that make nice to your face, whilst plotting your actual demise behind your back; the rage that follows and the consequences of talking too much to the right and wrong people over the most hypnotic of Hip Hop beats now as infamous as the man himself. This is and will forever be my favourite track of his; the one that showcases his talent for engulfing you in his wave and carrying you along on the crest of it.

Although this is the 'toned down' version of the video and song, please be advised that this track - for those unaware, is not for the easily offended.

Ladies and Gents: 'Warning' by Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie Smalls...

See why it's A Classic? My list of songs that demonstrate this kind of graphic storytelling ability is an endless one - and I'm not even a Songwriter. I do create written pieces from ideas though, and it's a 50/50 toss-up for how easy / difficult that can be. Tell me fellow Writers and Composers - do Artists like BIG inspire your work? If so, how? Share your views in the Comment Box below if you have learned anything that you consider valuable from Artists like these and how their influence is evident in your work.

For the first competition of the week, it's only right that I tribute the other major date from this weekend and so, for today's supereasy question that will win you a FREE #ESPspotlight Review if you enter by 20:13 tonight (Please see terms and conditions below for full entry instructions), answer me this:

What is the name of Christopher Wallace's Mother?

Entries are accepted via email only. Tweet confirmation of your entry to ESP Ltd. on Twitter and LIKE the EricaSharlette Promotions Page on Facebook - that's it! And don't worry if you don't win - you can still claim 50% off orders for ALL EP and Mixtape reviews placed between now and Thursday (usually £12.50) - all you have to do is include the #MarchMusic hashtag at the time of booking!

Yesterday I asked you:

The forename of the designer's show that we attended is shared by a well-loved Scottish Singer  - Name her and her biggest hit...

The answer was: Lulu and her biggest hit to date SHOUT!

Enjoy, share and don't forget to enter!

Until the next...
ES ;)

PS. DON'T FORGET your ABC! It's easy as:

1. email your entries for today's competition

2. Tweet confirmation of your entry using the #MarchMusic hashtag to ESP on Twitter then,

3. LIKE ESP Ltd. on Facebook by 20:13 tonight to be in with a chance!

'Lost In Music' Competition Terms & Conditions:

• Only one entry per person, per day.
• Prize refers to ONE single/EP/Album ONLY.
• Entrants MUST complete all stages for entries to be eligible.
• Answers should be submitted via email, with confirmation of entry tweets containing the #MarchMusic hashtag sent to ESP Ltd. on Twitter.
• Entrants must LIKE the EricaSharlette Promotions Ltd. Facebook Page for entries to be considered eligible.
• All methods of entry should contain the #MarchMusic hashtag.
• The #MarchMusic promotional code must be applied to claim the 50% discount.
• Entry deadline is 20:13 each day, winners will be notified via email within 24 hours.