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PrintableSirPsycho said: i didn't like van at first...i thought the first album was re-hased neo-soul cliches until i revisited years later, but that just goes to show how much i was truly listening....(and for analogies sake, when i first heard innervisions at 12, i thought it was horrible with the exception of "they wont go.." but WE ALL know the what time revealed to me when i truly laid my ear to it)...what remains however (i now own and have consumed all three releases) is the fact that IN MY PERSONAL OPINION van has produced three decent (and, at good moments, challenging) records consecutively, and an adventurous fashion that (again IN MY PERSONAL OPINON) i havent seen/felt since our boy P
I discovered Van through his productions. When I heard Dionne Farris' 'Hopeless' I had to know who was behind that track. When the name popped up again on tracks by Rahsaan Patterson and Joi. I thought to myself when this mofo drops an album of his own, I will definitely be picking that shit up. When the debut, dropped I picked it up solely on the strength of his production work. Then I found out Wendy Melvoin was going to be on some tracks and that just sweetened the deal. Much to my chagrin, I wasn't thoroughly impressed with the debut because I didn't hear what he was doing with those other artists. In hindsight, I wasn't prepared for him to "rock out" Initially, I remember only liking 4 cuts. But when Character dropped, I heard that "it" thing that I felt was missing from the debut. OTJF dropped and I remember liking the majority of it. When I heard Popular in its entirety, everything came full circle. I felt it was a perfect album from start to finish. Van Hunt began to make sense as an artist and it forced me to go back and revisit the debut and rediscover things I missed initially. | |
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namepeace said: There seems to be no middle ground on Van. He's either a brilliant artist in his own right, or he's simply a neo-soul poseur. He's not a master, at least not yet. And any darn fool could see that he's not a legend. But even the legends didn't become legends overnight. They evolved over time, and they formed their own sounds by incorporating their own influences and experiences. It's not fair to judge a newcomer against the standards of more accomplished artists, especially ones who actually had reliable outlets for their creative output.
The namesake of this site was dismissed as a Stevie Wonder/EWF clone until his 3rd album. What if Dirty Mind had been shelved by Warners? Van faces specific issues that the others named in this thread didn't have to deal with. People might have buried him the way they are trying unfairly to bury Hunt now without him having the opportunity to hone his own musical identity. Some of y'all need to hear Popular before you judge. And so do I, for that matter. Based on what I've heard, he does incorporate Sly, Curtis, Stevie, Prince et al. into his sound. But there are hints of Steely Dan, the Cure, and others in his work. An argument can be made (just an argument, people) that he's a more creative songwriter at this stage of his career than Prince was at a similar stage (i.e., his 3rd album). But to me, Van Hunt sounds like Van Hunt, an artist making interesting music while finding his way. He ain't for everybody, but that doesn't mean he deserves snide putdowns. Maybe he'll evolve into a legend in his own right. Maybe he won't. Maybe Popular or a future album could put him on the map as a contender. Maybe not. We don't know. We're hypocrites if we criticize the state of music today and turn around and dismiss someone trying to give us something different. And for my  , Me'Shell Ndegeocello is our neglected legend-in-waiting and heiress apparent. Not Van or anyone else.
[Edited 7/11/08 10:57am] [Edited 7/11/08 10:58am] I don't know why Van threads always go this route especially after that hot thread some time back. But this was a great and on point post, namepeace. Been gone for a minute, now I'm back with the jump off | |
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I really liked his first album a lot and even think that "Welcome to the Junglefloor" is a true masterpiece.Still i find "Popular" difficult to listen to - it's almost like modern art which is sometimes hard to connect to.I think the issue with "Popular" is that there are too many songs on it that in my book aren't really "songs" because although recorded with traditional instruments and all they're lacking melodies and harmonies.With some songs on there it's really hard to identify any chords or harmonic structures that the melodies have been layered over.Of course you could look at it as being art but the thing is, just because something is obviously not mainstream and maybe hard to get into doesn't neccesarily equal "good music".Afterall he's in the music business and not in the art biz and *of course* people have certain expectations coming from his last two albums.So my point is, sure he's free to make artsy music all day long but don't be suprised if people don't understand it.The reason why people (including me) might not get it is, it might be great art but it's not great music really.Or maybe it's just about this album should be directed at completely different target audiences in comparison with his previous albums.
Bottom line: sometimes it's not about the evil record labels or people "not getting it" but simply about the possibility that the music might be sucking. At least that should be an option to be considered from time to time, even by the artists themselves no matter how painful it might be. . [Edited 7/11/08 13:06pm] | |
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namepeace said: An argument can be made (just an argument, people) that he's a more creative songwriter at this stage of his career than Prince was at a similar stage (i.e., his 3rd album).
How old was Prince by his 3rd album? How old is Van Hunt? Just curious.  | |
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Bishop31 said: namepeace said: An argument can be made (just an argument, people) that he's a more creative songwriter at this stage of his career than Prince was at a similar stage (i.e., his 3rd album).
How old was Prince by his 3rd album? How old is Van Hunt? Just curious. SirPsycho said: namepeace makes a great point about the growth of musicians (namely prince) and how soon we dismiss artists before we've seen what they have to offer...since the conception of the "van vs. lengends" trend, i've often wondered how we overlook prince's intial hurdles and fight against comparison...
yes, we know prince was 17, but that was his "legend" to fulfill, not van's [Edited 7/11/08 13:28pm] | |
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Bishop31 said: namepeace said: An argument can be made (just an argument, people) that he's a more creative songwriter at this stage of his career than Prince was at a similar stage (i.e., his 3rd album).
How old was Prince by his 3rd album? How old is Van Hunt? Just curious. At 20 years old, Prince was given the freedom to release an album a year with a label that believed in artist development at the time. You think Van could do that now? The man pretty much resorted to lying about his age just to get signed and get the first album released. | |
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beatz01 said: Afterall he's in the music business and not in the art biz
 Music is art."Whitney was purely and simply one of a kind." ~ Clive Davis | |
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guitarslinger44 said: CosmicDancer said: I think the article is great..and I appreciate you sharing it with us...
my #1 issue is the fact that the Journalist obviously knows nothing..and obviously doesn't get a chance to write too many articles with REAL Badass Musicians..because Van hunt aint all that ! I have every album and the best compliment I can give him is he does a few cute Curtis and Sly impressions. You're gonna slag Van for something the JOURNALIST wrote? Also, if that statement I bolded is in fact true, then it's pretty obvious that while you may have HEARD the albums, you haven't LISTENED to them. | |
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Meloh9 said: why is it that there is always somebody saying I know artist personally that are better blah blah blah. tell these mofos to get out their and put out and album, and if they have a album reference it  | |
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AlexdeParis said: Music is art.Geez, i kow music is an art form.Everyone knows that.I was talking about *artsy* music in the sense of pop/r&b/etc vs. the likes of Philip Glass, Steve Reich vs.Jazz/Industrial etc. My point is, Vans' latest album sounds like he's been trying too hard to make it sound "artsy" and "different" just for the sake of it.I base that on the observations already pointed out in my last post regarding missing harmony structures, melodies etc. . [Edited 7/11/08 14:45pm] | |
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bsk3601 said: I discovered Van through his productions. When I heard Dionne Farris' 'Hopeless' I had to know who was behind that track. When the name popped up again on tracks by Rahsaan Patterson and Joi. I thought to myself when this mofo drops an album of his own, I will definitely be picking that shit up. When the debut, dropped I picked it up solely on the strength of his production work. Then I found out Wendy Melvoin was going to be on some tracks and that just sweetened the deal. Much to my chagrin, I wasn't thoroughly impressed with the debut because I didn't hear what he was doing with those other artists. In hindsight, I wasn't prepared for him to "rock out" Initially, I remember only liking 4 cuts. But when Character dropped, I heard that "it" thing that I felt was missing from the debut. OTJF dropped and I remember liking the majority of it. When I heard Popular in its entirety, everything came full circle. I felt it was a perfect album from start to finish. Van Hunt began to make sense as an artist and it forced me to go back and revisit the debut and rediscover things I missed initially. interesting thing about popular too.....first time i heard "Ur a Monster" was when i saw him live at that same BBKing's show....i was like "WTF is this?" (  )...like i couldn't catch the melody or rhythm of it for nothin.....but now?!?!?.....favorite song off the album...hands down (even tho i've come to love every one of those songs)...
btw...fan to fan... do you prefer... the acoustic version of character or the studio version? 
same question for the night is young  [Edited 7/11/08 14:55pm] | |
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SirPsycho said: interesting thing about popular too.....first time i heard "Ur a Monster" was when i saw him live at that same BBKing's show....i was like "WTF is this?" (
)...like i couldn't catch the melody or rhythm ofit for nothin.....but now?!?!?.....favorite song of the album...hands down (even tho i've come to lover every one of those songs...
btw...fan to fan... do you prefer... the acoustic version of character or the studio version?
same question for the night is young
[Edited 7/11/08 14:54pm] *points index and middle fingers toward eyes* Man, we are here!!! Ur A Monster is my favorite joint on the album. As far as the acoustic versions?
That's a hard decision for me. Well, as far as Character is concerned, it is. I love the album version for the groove, the strings etc. I love the acoustic version for way it's sung so passionately. I was shocked to discover that he actually wrote that one for Lauryn Hill. I definitely prefer the acoustic Night Is Young. I usually don't play the album version. [Edited 7/11/08 15:01pm] | |
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bsk3601 said: SirPsycho said: interesting thing about popular too.....first time i heard "Ur a Monster" was when i saw him live at that same BBKing's show....i was like "WTF is this?" (
)...like i couldn't catch the melody or rhythm ofit for nothin.....but now?!?!?.....favorite song of the album...hands down (even tho i've come to lover every one of those songs...
btw...fan to fan... do you prefer... the acoustic version of character or the studio version?
same question for the night is young
[Edited 7/11/08 14:54pm] *points index and middle fingers toward eyes* Man, we are here!!! Ur A Monster is my favorite joint on the album. As far as the acoustic versions?
That's a hard decision for me. Well, as far as Character is concerned, it is. I love the album version for the groove, the strings etc. I love the acoustic version for way it's sung so passionately. I was shocked to discover that he actually wrote that one for Lauryn Hill. I definitely prefer the acoustic Night Is Young. I usually don't play the album version. [Edited 7/11/08 15:01pm] flip the songs around and im the same way....the full "composition" of the night is young gets me every time (tho i love the acoustic version) and i prefer charcter acoustic...
but i didnt know he wrote that for Lauryn!?!?!?!!!...i would love to see them team up..... man, all of these (aestetically similar) artists should just say "fuck you" to ego, create a super-band and get it over with....even if their albums were solo joints track for track and they only shared backing vocals....i know you know what im getting at... every show would be like chappele's block party [Edited 7/11/08 15:11pm] | |
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Bishop31 said: namepeace said: An argument can be made (just an argument, people) that he's a more creative songwriter at this stage of his career than Prince was at a similar stage (i.e., his 3rd album).
How old was Prince by his 3rd album? How old is Van Hunt? Just curious. Note the itals. . . hence the qualifier You just pointed out the main weakness in that argument, which I recognized while posting that reply . . . 
That being said, Hunt wrote and produced "Hopeless" for Dionne Farris at 20. Good night, sweet Prince | 7 June 1958 - 21 April 2016
Props will be withheld until the showing and proving has commenced. -- Aaron McGruder | |
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did anybody hear the connect set? those acoustic versions are good also | |
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Meloh9 said: did anybody hear the connect set? those acoustic versions are good also
 "Whitney was purely and simply one of a kind." ~ Clive Davis | |
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http://www.accessatlanta....ncert.html
Van Hunt thankful for Georgia scenery Singer-songwriter inspired by strange people, places, things By SONIA MURRAY The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 07/03/2008 THERE ARE Van Hunt songs with pretty obvious origins, be it Curtis Mayfield's '70s soul or Prince's rocking '80s funk. But then there are Van Hunt songs that have come about from odder places. Days before the Grammy winner returned for a two-night acoustic stop at the Apache Café this weekend, he explained: CLAY PATRICK MCBRIDE / Special Singer-songwriter Van Hunt's window-seat reveries led to the songs 'Hopeless' and 'I'm a Star for You.' He appears July 4-5 at the Apache Cafe. Birds and squirrels: " 'Hopeless' [performed by Atlanta Grammy nominee Dionne Farris] probably has the wildest story behind it. It's the one that always comes to mind. But I was living with this guy who owned a studio — Victor Reid. I was basically sleeping on his couch. And one day when he was getting close to fed up of me being on his couch, I got up, and jumped on the Rhodes [piano] and just looked out the window. I saw this bird and squirrel, and at first, I thought they were playing. But they were fighting. And just looking out at them, and you know, just Georgia in spring — I love Georgia in spring — made me come up with the chords for 'Hopeless.' And it was that song, financially, that got me off the sofa. "And you know, the more I think about it, I think that bird was playing and the squirrel was dead serious. It was pretty wild." Airplanes: "Actually, a lot of songs come when I'm looking out the window, but it's usually on the plane. I always have a window seat, over the wing, because some girl told me that was the safest place to be if a plane is going down. So I've been doing that for like 10 years. Anyway, this new song, 'I'm a Star for You,' came on the plane. And I think 'Dust' [from his self-titled 2004 debut] did, too. That's my space, the plane." Lauryn Hill: "OK this is the weird one — maybe even weirder than the bird and the squirrel: Like Lauryn Hill's story really moved me. You know how Lauryn Hill and D'Angelo were hot around the same time? And disappeared at the same time? Well, maybe because I'm a man, and she's a woman, I just felt protective of her. I thought she had the wrong man, and was sabotaging her career. And deep down, I probably had a hidden crush on her, too. I've never even met her. But I wrote 'Character' [from his second CD, 'On the Jungle Floor'] for her to sing. But because she hasn't done anything in like forever, I did it." • THE 411: Van Hunt with DJ Mafioso afterward. $15 in advance at ticketweb.com; $18 day of show. Doors open at 9 p.m. July 4-5 at Apache Café, 64 Third St., Atlanta. For more information, call 404-876-5436 or go to www.apachecafe.info. [Edited 7/11/08 15:36pm] | |
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Meloh9 said: did anybody hear the connect set? those acoustic versions are good also
love that version of being a girl | |
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bsk3601 said: http://www.accessatlanta....ncert.html
Van Hunt thankful for Georgia scenery Singer-songwriter inspired by strange people, places, things By SONIA MURRAY The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 07/03/2008 THERE ARE Van Hunt songs with pretty obvious origins, be it Curtis Mayfield's '70s soul or Prince's rocking '80s funk. But then there are Van Hunt songs that have come about from odder places. Days before the Grammy winner returned for a two-night acoustic stop at the Apache Café this weekend, he explained: CLAY PATRICK MCBRIDE / Special Singer-songwriter Van Hunt's window-seat reveries led to the songs 'Hopeless' and 'I'm a Star for You.' He appears July 4-5 at the Apache Cafe. Birds and squirrels: " 'Hopeless' [performed by Atlanta Grammy nominee Dionne Farris] probably has the wildest story behind it. It's the one that always comes to mind. But I was living with this guy who owned a studio — Victor Reid. I was basically sleeping on his couch. And one day when he was getting close to fed up of me being on his couch, I got up, and jumped on the Rhodes [piano] and just looked out the window. I saw this bird and squirrel, and at first, I thought they were playing. But they were fighting. And just looking out at them, and you know, just Georgia in spring — I love Georgia in spring — made me come up with the chords for 'Hopeless.' And it was that song, financially, that got me off the sofa. "And you know, the more I think about it, I think that bird was playing and the squirrel was dead serious. It was pretty wild." Airplanes: "Actually, a lot of songs come when I'm looking out the window, but it's usually on the plane. I always have a window seat, over the wing, because some girl told me that was the safest place to be if a plane is going down. So I've been doing that for like 10 years. Anyway, this new song, 'I'm a Star for You,' came on the plane. And I think 'Dust' [from his self-titled 2004 debut] did, too. That's my space, the plane." Lauryn Hill: "OK this is the weird one — maybe even weirder than the bird and the squirrel: Like Lauryn Hill's story really moved me. You know how Lauryn Hill and D'Angelo were hot around the same time? And disappeared at the same time? Well, maybe because I'm a man, and she's a woman, I just felt protective of her. I thought she had the wrong man, and was sabotaging her career. And deep down, I probably had a hidden crush on her, too. I've never even met her. But I wrote 'Character' [from his second CD, 'On the Jungle Floor'] for her to sing. But because she hasn't done anything in like forever, I did it." • THE 411: Van Hunt with DJ Mafioso afterward. $15 in advance at ticketweb.com; $18 day of show. Doors open at 9 p.m. July 4-5 at Apache Café, 64 Third St., Atlanta. For more information, call 404-876-5436 or go to www.apachecafe.info. [Edited 7/11/08 15:36pm]  ...see! how can u not love this guy? | |
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Making them both look foolish onstage...on screen..and being more prolific than both combined !
Stymie said: guitarslinger44 said: You're gonna slag Van for something the JOURNALIST wrote? Also, if that statement I bolded is in fact true, then it's pretty obvious that while you may have HEARD the albums, you haven't LISTENED to them. | |
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Im gonna bow out of this discussion because nobody will win this argument...
and unfortunately I see people in this thread that I truly respect, getting a little too close to making me get defensive...so...Good luck on the rest of your lil Van hunt conversation. thanks 4 letting me add my
right on ! | |
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| GREAT ARTICLE!!
I love artists like Van Hunt (...well especially Van Hunt) who insist on growing and changing with every album. It always makes me think of Prince and how he has so many different sounds he has experimented. I mean think about how greatly ATWIAD differed from Purple Rain But the thing is mainstream audiences don't like variety and experimentation, and are rather close-minded. The average listener wants to lump music into neat little genres, and say "oh, I like this type of music, so I listen to this artist" blah blah blah... Thats so depressing! cause it leaves no room for growth or creativity in music Van Hunt feels like he's punk, well dammit give us punk! but nooooo, people are afaid of that....30-something yr old black men don't do punk...just sing some mo soul ballads.... THAT MAKES ME SICK! 
I hate the music industry If you will, so will I | |
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SirPsycho said: bsk3601 said: "And you know, the more I think about it, I think that bird was playing and the squirrel was dead serious. It was pretty wild." ...see! how can u not love this guy?precisely  If you will, so will I | |
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i'm staying out of it
well not really because i'm posting 
but it was a good read and people who doubt should infact listen to Popular i just finished whining up to "the lowest 1" in my underwear. i just thought you all should know that. [...i think i can, i think i can, i think i can...] | |
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sammij said: i'm staying out of it
well not really because i'm posting
but it was a good read and people who doubt should infact listen to Popular i just finished whining up to "the lowest 1" in my underwear. i just thought you all should know that.  thats my MFing JAM! If you will, so will I | |
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thekidsgirl said: sammij said: i'm staying out of it
well not really because i'm posting
but it was a good read and people who doubt should infact listen to Popular i just finished whining up to "the lowest 1" in my underwear. i just thought you all should know that. thats my MFing JAM! who knew how much you can put your back into that song
love it! [...i think i can, i think i can, i think i can...] | |
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sammij said: i'm staying out of it
well not really because i'm posting
but it was a good read and people who doubt should infact listen to Popular i just finished whining up to "the lowest 1" in my underwear. i just thought you all should know that. thank you  | |
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thekidsgirl said: GREAT ARTICLE!!
I love artists like Van Hunt (...well especially Van Hunt) who insist on growing and changing with every album. It always makes me think of Prince and how he has so many different sounds he has experimented. I mean think about how greatly ATWIAD differed from Purple Rain But the thing is mainstream audiences don't like variety and experimentation, and are rather close-minded. The average listener wants to lump music into neat little genres, and say "oh, I like this type of music, so I listen to this artist" blah blah blah... Thats so depressing! cause it leaves no room for growth or creativity in music Van Hunt feels like he's punk, well dammit give us punk! but nooooo, people are afaid of that....30-something yr old black men don't do punk...just sing some mo soul ballads.... THAT MAKES ME SICK!
I hate the music industry You started off so happy in this post, and then it's just went to hell at the end. | |
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How is he hoping to get his record out to 10 million people without a record deal?
Through www.vanhunt.com? Are you shitting me? I loved Popular but I can't help feeling the brotha is shooting himself in the foot. Everybody needs a hit to get a decent following. He shouldn't be too "avant-garde" to appreciate that simple fact. He only needs one big record to get his name known... there's only so long you can maintain a career as an artist whose primary means of self-promotion is there MySpace site. Even if it means he has to sell out and create a shitty record featuring some two-bit shit-for-brains rapper... You can still be an "artiste" and write commercial hits on the side. Prince has maintained these two sides his entire career... and say what you like about him, at least Prince still has a career to speak of. Van Hunt won't if he doesn't compramise. Sad but very true. [Edited 7/12/08 7:32am] | |
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SirPsycho said: sammij said: i'm staying out of it
well not really because i'm posting
but it was a good read and people who doubt should infact listen to Popular i just finished whining up to "the lowest 1" in my underwear. i just thought you all should know that. thank you [...i think i can, i think i can, i think i can...] | |
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