Fair Shake Review: The Demo - Brail Watson

The Demo - Brail Watson

(Genre: Singer-Songwriter/Soul)

Demonstrate your love for Brail:

Edge of Forever (An early live version)

A Breakdown of We Got Love

A Breakdown of I Love Our Hands

Black and Privileged Campaign

Let's Talk Topeka Interview

BlipMasta5's January 2019 Favorites

Favorite Music Video

She A Dub - Devvon Terrell

My anticipation for this all started with an Instagram post during the holidays. Then came the challenge along with the song inspired by the post. I was ALL for it. Then, the day finally came and in the midst of the Bird Box hype being the concept behind the craze taking over. I loved every second of it. It helped that the song goes hard as well with Devvon's usual catchy melodies and great production. Give it a listen and join the movement...the dance movement!

Favorite Dance Routine

Hope You Do by Chris Brown - Brian Puspos

There are a few choreographers that make me listen to songs I normally wouldn't and Brian is one of them. His slick moves always captivate me as they intricately interpret the lyrics and also hit each beat perfectly. If you're like me and don't really like Chris Brown's music much, it's okay. Brian delivers his prowess on other great tracks, but this month, I have to admit that I really dig this routine. Maybe give it a chance; the dancing's fantastic!

Favorite Song

Mercy B - Brail Watson

This song came out late in December, but the video came out at the top of the month. This song really talks about depression and how the help of others can really help you out. It also touches on how God places those people in our lives as well and how we can appreciate that. This song goes through some really metamorphic phases as Brail flexes his creativity to process the emotions he wrote about. It's a superb piece that anyone who has been down before should spin one time for their mind...although it's actually streaming... Anyway, ENJOY!

Favorite Cover

Simple and Clean - Geekapella

Geekapella is a group that I've talked about before in my convention recaps. I love how they are able to bring nerd culture to one of my old pastimes: choral music. They always put on a great show live, so it's a treat to see them bring their arrangements to the world. I've seen this particular piece done two times and the video does a great job capturing their excellent performance of the classic Kingdom Hearts theme. They timed it perfectly for the KH3 release, so why not indulge in the series in more ways than one. Click above!!

Full January 2019 Favorites: click here

BlipMasta5's October & November 2018 Favorites

Favorite Music Video

TupTim Thai - Brail Watson

One of my favorite songs from Brail's Christ Crunken Commentary, TupTim Thai, finally got a music video. The great thing about it is the fact that it even takes place in the restaurant the song gets its name from! There's a lot of fun being had from this bass heavy tune and sprinkled in social commentary to make you think after you dance. The video then concludes with a quick discussion about the origin and effect of the "N word". Plainly laying out a quick point of view based on his research and leaving you to determine your own conclusion on the word and its usage. I highly recommend giving it a watch, for you will find something to enjoy in it.

BlipMasta5's June & July 2018 Favorites

Favorite Cover

What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life - Brail Watson

This song is a classic! Cool thing about this song, though, is its significance to Brail himself. He was requested to sing this to his professor and his wife and this later became the song Brail serenaded his now wife when they got engaged. This rendition really shows off the incredible versatility of Brail's voice when you compare it to his past work along with the fantastic talents of guitarist Pearce Odegard. Play this one time and try not to be swept away by these breezy performance. I'm sure you'll fail!

BlipMasta5's April & May 2018 Favorites

Favorite Dance Video
Filthy - Ian Eastwood & The Young Lions

Being 100% honest, I had to choose between 3 dance videos this month to share with you guys. This ended up being the one I wanted to go with due to the execution of the concept. I already love the song and since the original music video had a whole futuristic robot vibe, I love how they took that into idea behind this routine. They try to start off robotic, doing a lot of the popular moves of the times for the sake of popularity until it flourishes into more intricate choreography. It's so amazing to watch them tackle this beat with a bit of groove and precision, so I had to pick this one this time. Hope you enjoy!

BlipMasta5's February & March 2018 Favorites

Favorite Rap Song
44 More - Logic

After the heavy concepts tackled in Logic's last album, hearing this song as his next project teaser has me along with others to believe that a Bobby Tarantino 2 seems like it's around the corner. He has already released a music video for another single, "Overnight", but "44 More" captivates me much more. This song shows Logic's ability to deliver an impressive flow along with his positive message and disregard toward what a popular rapper is supposed to prioritize. Do you think this is a proper successor to "44 Bars" from Bobby Tarantino like I do?

Muddy Cult Monthly Favorites - February 2017 Pt. 1

I'm so happy to see that you, our lovely Cult followers, have been enjoying this new addition to Muddy Cult! We shall be continuing with our monthly favorites and this time we have our February favorites. Feel free to leave your comments below about our picks and share some of your favorites with us from last month!

BlipMasta5's Favorites

Anime Recommendation:

Interviews with Monster Girls

I'm watching quite a bit of shows on Funimation this season like Tanya the Evil, Acca, Fuuka, Mob Psycho 100, & more. Yet, I wanted to share this show strictly due to this dub's fantastic scripting. In my opinion, it's last season's Keijo when it comes to writing & acting. The performances are so believable and incredibly hilarious when it needs to be. Otherwise, it's a very heartwarming story about being able to accept the differences everyone has and still being able to find your place in society, especially in the quintessential time of your life when that discovery truly manifests itself: high school. Even in its original sub form this point is well executed, but as discussed in the Sub VS Dub article it's nice to see that it can be enjoyed in both formats that way the work never suffers. I'm looking forward to continuing this with more laughs and smiles expected to come. Maybe you could, too!

My Guilty Pleasure Recommendation:

All things Poppy related

If you haven't heard about Poppy yet, I'm sorry I may have just allowed you to be entranced by this enigmatic figure in the weird side of YouTube. Her channel and music is almost like the social experiment that works all too well, while satirizing what makes pop figures and pop culture so influential in the first place. The music isn't that bad in that it truly is "Poppy", but the content surrounding the popstar itself is disturbing and infectious at the same time. It truly gets you to question how the industry machine affects the stars and who they influence or just leads you deeper into the dark black hole of "what is this and why can't I stop watching?"

Favorite Music Performance (Non-Hip Hop):

Spicy Boyfriend - Shawn Wasabi

I know, I listen to more than Hip Hop and R&B! Haha. I caught wind of Shawn Wasabi through a Facebook video a while back and decided to subscribe to his occasional uploads to YouTube. This video is a great display of why I made this choice. He makes really great happy electronic tunes that make you want to bounce along to! Plus, being able to see him do all the work live makes it the skill more apparent than from a stage where it seems likes a simple button push on a laptop. Yet, that's a whole other conversation about the EDM craft itself. Hope you can enjoy the video, though!

Favorite Dance Video:

Love on the Brain - Galen Hooks Choreo

I have loved Galen Hooks (choreography) for a very long time...even before her days working with Ne-Yo, or the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD), or her cameo in La La Land. I believe it was Janet Jackson's Rock With U that I first remember noticing her. Anyway, anytime I can see something new from her passionate and versatile choreography, I jump at the chance to watch it. This here is a perfect example of how she can take simple movements and still express so much. Check her own channel out for more and I promise you won't be disappointed!

Favorite Live Performance (Hip Hop):

D.R.A.M. (Tiny Desk Concert Series)

D.R.A.M. is one of the many rap singers of this generation of hip hop. Yet there is something that sets him apart from them: his genuine positivity. That energy he brings to his music permeates your soul and just makes you jam along with him. You can tell that he's just like your friend from church singing with a smile on his face. He just now became your friend who makes music you can jam in the car and club too. That's how you get hits like "Broccoli" & "Cash Machine" and their live renditions are just as fun along with his other selections. Hit play and vibe out!!

Favorite Music Discussion
The Needle Drop: Rap's Punk Phase

Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop occasionally does think pieces on music and this one had me thinking. As a big fan of hip hop music and a person raised during the golden era of the genre, a lot of the "mumble rap" has irked me. Yet Anthony's perspective, by way of parallels to rock music, had me second guess if it's really just the growing pains of a genre. I, along with a few of my friends, know that Lil' Yachty gets the brunt of the "mumble rap" hate since he's the most outspoken, but with the game being as flooded with similar artists, it is concerning. But I guess I may be like a rock purist who will have to see if my mentality can outlast a trend or join the new norm.

Best Verse from a Disliked Album:

Big Sean feat. Eminem (Bar for Bar Breakdown)

I know this may be an odd category, but I just couldn't pass up talking a little about this song. Also, I'm sorry YouTube wouldn't let me embed the video here. Now, this song comes from Big Sean's new album, I Decided, that I chose to skip reviewing in depth since it boils down to him still being a mediocre rapper that leans on the corny side. I admit that he's still improving, but he's still has a lot of room for improvement. Despite that, he still managed to get a technically vicious verse from one the best to ever rap: Eminem. I do have to agree with Andre of Lyricology 101, though, in that Em did not fit the song well and Big Sean didn't really slouch on his end. Ultimately, when it comes to the craft of wordplay, Eminem is winning there.

Favorite Release of the Month:

Christ Crunken Commentary - Brail

Brail is my favorite artist of all time. Yeah, I'm not afraid to say it without hesitation. It's just been hard to promote him lately, though since he has released a new full length project in a few years. Therefore, the announcement of his new EP Christ Crunken Commentary was had me ecstatic! That does mean I will give this a Fair Shake Review soon, meaning an unbiased opinion first with bias coming second. Its release is just around the corner as I write this, but should be available by the time you see this post. So I'm going to leave my main thoughts on this artist to that review and leave you with a single from the CCC project to whet your appetite. Be warned: once you go Brail...something that rhymes with that!

Buonaventura's Favorites

Now that I’m up-to-date with the No Sleep Podcast, I find myself looking for other spooky podcasts to fill my time at night before bed. One in particular is The Black Tapes Podcast. I’m hesitant to share it with you for a variety of reasons; it’s kind of a mixed bag.

The Black Tapes is a serial-like mockudrama podcast of a journalist researching a collection of “unproven” paranormal documents owned by a professional skeptic who is offering a million dollar reward to someone who can show irrefutable proof of ghosts. Think of the X-files but if Scully was the optimistic aliens-are-totes-real newb and Mulder was the cynical one. I found that aspect to be really appealing and is the main reason why I’m sharing this with you.

I didn’t like that it was so similar to Serial. I LOVED Serial; it’s what started my foray into Podcasts.  For some reason, I just didn’t like the style here. It seemed too…manufactured and Alex came across as kind of a dick. She is patronizing to the people she interviews and is a bit unethical. Meanwhile, I found myself constantly siding with Dr. Strand, though the show goes out of its way to try to cast him as unhelpful and dodgy.  Alex doesn’t trust his constant skepticism and is frustrated that he has a rational explanation for everything (the horror!) while her dupey self takes everything at face value.  The last thing that made me think twice about sharing is that it is currently on hiatus, until the group finalizes a new podcast they are working on. Boo.

But don’t let that detract you from checking it out. The story is intriguing and creepy and it’s fun to see how everything starts to fit together. The other cast members are believable enough to where you get the itch to google some of the oddities mentioned to make sure they’re completely fictional (like the unsound). Overall, I give it a B.

Fair Shake Review: Christ Crunken Commentary - Brail

Christ Crunken Commentary - Brail

(Genre: Hip Hop/Rap/R&B)

Brail is a artist from my hometown that I've been a fan of since his first project in 2006. He's a versatile musician that sings, raps, and produces across many styles of hip hop, R&B, and pop music. This alone has made him one of my favorite artists, but add the fact that his content has been curse word free (except the "N" word) through majority of his discography is the cherry on top. This is due to his more Christian-minded approach to songwriting, & it's delivered in a way that isn't too preachy to the average listener. Over the past few years since his last album, Brand New: The Director's Cut, released in 2012, he's only released songs sporadically over the net. The announcement of a full-length project was welcome news to fans like myself who patiently waited for the next collection of tunes we could financially support. Christ Crunken Commentary is that album.

CCC is an EP that's goal is to provide music that you can bang to without the idiocy of current hip hop. Hence the production, primarily done by Brail himself, ranges from club bangers, contemporary R&B, trap rap, & dance pop. This broad range of beats match the content that covers how to use catchy music, pursuing true love, taking action against social ills, living a Christ-like life & much more. What's fascinating about the project is not only how it covers so many topics, but how seamlessly he brings them together in the listening experience. Even the featured artists never detract from the playlist as they fit comfortably into each song's themes.

"Waddle" being one of the first official singles speaks on how past experiences with alcoholism affected his opinion of drinking and the environments it can create. Another single "Old School Love" featuring Lindsey Alderman showcases the most soulful vocals about searching for a more mature love than most pop songs would ever discuss. The use of skits like "Handle with Care" & "Reading" invite interest in their following song's topic like the use of the N-word and the positive influence of reading, respectively. Also songs like "All Around the World" lay down an infectious groove, through the help of the Daft Punk sample, encouraging the listeners about the benefits of Christian life from his own experience.

All of these songs are presented with a strong, yet respectful tone that could be a little offsetting, but I believe most people would be able to turn on and play it from start to finish without complaint. I, personally, couldn't love it more with the album truly embracing it's namesake: Christ, Crunk, and Commentary. For example, "Make Me" being a personal dedication to God, "Jump Jeans" praising the womanly figure, & "Frienemies" providing an urgent message to communities to aid each other to do better. I highly recommend this to anybody, because I assure you that there will be at least a few tracks that will be your jams. Brail's talent is undeniable and I must say that heaven-sent gift is a treat for the world of music to enjoy.

If you're feeling Brail:

Christ Crunken Commentary (Intro) (Commercial-like skit)

Jump Jeans (Three Hops, Three Hops...and it's on tonight!)

Old School Love (Like you ain't never had)

Tup Tim Thai (Watch me dance to this!)

Brail Live at the Boobie Trap (The last show I personally saw)

15 Minutes (Brail Live in Spain)

Let's Move (The Berklee Version of the Brand New hit)

Let it B (Live Performance at Berklee Spain)