New topic
Printable
LOL!! Right on!! | |
- E-mail - orgNote -  Report post to moderator |
I want to pick this up today! Any special edition versions at any of the stores?? thanks! "Keep in mind that I'm an artist...and I'm sensitive about my shit."--E. Badu | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Nope. Just one version. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Cool. "Keep in mind that I'm an artist...and I'm sensitive about my shit."--E. Badu | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
In my dreams I can sing like Stokely but in reality I sound like total shit...hehe
I can hit most of Stoke's notes.........but not consistently. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Picked it up today....I can say it is a decent Mint release. It is definitely what I expected. It just never reaches the heights of their previous release, 7... Check me out and add me on:
www.last.fm/user/brandosoul "Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." -Bob Marley | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I'm surprised people here aren't liking it as much as 7. I love all the ballads/mid tempos better. Believe In Us is just smooth mid tempo funk. Do What I Gotta Do, Slo Woman, Completely, and Nothin are outstanding songs. Don't laugh at my funk
This funk is a serious joint | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
phunkdaddy said: I'm surprised people here aren't liking it as much as 7. I love all the ballads/mid tempos better. Believe In Us is just smooth mid tempo funk. Do What I Gotta Do, Slo Woman, Completely, and Nothin are outstanding songs. I actually prefer "Music @ The Speed Of Life" over "7..." I might have to rank this higher than "Definition of a Band" (I'll put my list below) The musicianship on this album is way better. I will say that "What I Gotta Do" should've been the first single. And yes "Nothin'" is an outstanding track.. My 2nd favorite track off this album ("What I Gotta Do" is No. 1) 1. From the Mint Factory 2. Livin' the Luxury Brown 3. Music @ The Speed of Life 4. 7... 5. Definition of a Band 6. E-Life 7. Life's Aquarium 8. Meant to Be Mint (1-3 will never change; 4-8 switches on a monthly basis) | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I hear that....... | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
[Ebony Interview] September 17, 2012
After more than twenty years together, the chart-topping band Mint Condition that brought you classics like “Pretty Brown Eyes” and “What Kind of Man Would I Be,” is back with a new single “Believe in Us” off of their eighth album Music @ The Speed of Life.
Members of the Grammy-nominated group Ricky Kinchen and Jeffrey Allen shared with EBONY their thoughts on what it takes to stay together for two decades, whether R&B is dying, and what it’s like to be one of Prince’s all-time favorite bands.
EBONY: You’ve been together over twenty years now, still performing and touring all over the world and writing your own music. What’s your secret to staying together and continuing to be innovative all of these years? RICKY KINCHEN: Well for one, we love music. When we work together we still have the magic. For the group to be writing all of our own songs for this long and having that longevity, like you said, not too many groups have done that. We still get along.
I guess the best way to describe us is this combination of 5 great writers in one band. [We each] have different attitudes and some of the guys are really [musically] educated and polished and some of us don’t have all of that but have incredible lives to draw from. But we need each other and when we come together, we pay bills and get the job done.
JEFFREY ALLEN: We have our challenging times too.
EBONY: What were those challenging times like? JEFF: I’d have to say the first time was probably after Keri [Lewis, keyboardist] left the group [he married Toni Braxton and went on to produce music full-time]. When he left, we had to come up with a different sound because when he was in the group, he was definitely one of the writers that had a signature sound for the group.
We all wrote songs but his sound was one of the more signature sounds of the group, so after he left, [we had to] just try to change and morph into another sound. It took us a little while to come up with a new style that complimented the five artists that we had left.
RICK: Keri was more of a song-writer, producer than a true musician. He would always make reference to how any one of the rest of us could go up and play an instrument on stage alone and he was more comfortable on the production side to begin with. The band offered an opportunity for him to do that, but you also had to go and play the shows and he probably just wasn’t feeling the performance side of it and he wanted to just write and produce.
But, for me, a challenging time was when everybody started downloading music off the internet and all of the record companies started closing and merging and we found ourselves without a [record] deal. A friend of mine had a hook up with Image Entertainment and I grabbed a couple of managers and we hired a couple of crew members and we got back working.
EBONY: And now you’ve got your eighth studio album coming out, Music @ the Speed of Life. What can we expect to hear on this latest album? RICK: We feel great about this album it’s an incredible record. Jeff just stepped up and wrote a few songs that are just unbelievable. JEFF: We all stepped up. The new single ‘Believe in Us’ really shows we’re on a different thing right now. We added a horn section to about five or six songs and definitely added more guitar and that really took our songs to the next level. It’s reminiscent of the more nostalgic bands but with a fresh twist.
RICK: And we’ve got Brother Ali who rhymed on the last song on the album. The job that he did on the album, nobody in the industry could’ve done a better job. You could take the top five dudes in the game right now and nobody could’ve done better. And we’ve got DJ Jazzy Jeff on a song called ‘Girl of My Life,’ which is a song that is written about one of the guys in the group having different women in his life who’s ready to just chill it out like all the rest of the guys that are around him and it ends with a drum solo that’s just the most incredible thing that you’ve heard in your life!
EBONY: We got a taste of your newest single, ‘Believe in Us’ and it’s classic R&B. But as a whole, you can’t really categorize Mint Condition as just one genre, since you all keep it fresh by mixing it up and playing funk, soul, rock and everything in between. But this new single reminds
me of what some people have been complaining is missing from R&B today. Would you agree with some critics that say R&B is dying? RICK: No, I don’t really listen to that talk that R&B is dying. I respect a lot of the folks that are out there doing their thing right now, like Frank Ocean, and I wouldn’t say it’s dying; I think if [artists] want to have dance records, pop records, that’s fine, just remember to stay true to your fans too. That’s what we always try to do, stay true to the fans and give them what they want from us. But we respect everybody and take pieces from everybody. Growing up, my I listened to Led Zeppelin, my favorite band is Radiohead and I’ve got Frank Ocean and Imogen Heap on my iPod. Our inspiration’s all over the place.
JEFF: It’s like you said, we can’t put it in a category. We’re kind of on our own island and we do our own thing. When we do a festival or summer jam tour, we’re normally linked up with Kem and Jill Scott and Anthony Hamilton, but we’re a little more rock-and-roll than those groups.
RICK: But when we come out on stage, we’re going to come out like a rock band and then get mellow and then bring the total energy and if you weren’t a fan before, you will be by the end of the show! [Laughs] We just stay true to ourselves. If you look at Earth Wind and Fire, the minute they started thinking about commercial and hit records, their style changed and that’s when they stopped selling. That’s what we took from the older bands: you have to stay you. Inside the group we have fights; some of us want to be more commercial and we all want that single and that hit record on the radio, but some just want to be able to stay creative. That’s why our albums are so diverse. We’ve got something for everybody and we’re just doing ‘Mint.’
JEFF: But even as independent artists, we still had a song on the charts for like 11 months in the top 5. That proves you can still make music independently, do your own thing and still chart and be successful.
EBONY: Prince has called you one of his favorite bands and even brought you all on his ‘Welcome to America’ tour last year. What was it like working with Prince? RICK: First of all, for him to do a tour and ask us to do it with him, that’s the biggest compliment ever. To perform on his stage, is an unbelievable honor. It was a great show. He’s the man. He’s the guy we all grew up listening to and trying to be like and whenever we come together and play together, it’s great. He’s like our big brother and he’s such a cool cat.
JEFF: He respects the band and we respect his work. He’s a big reason why that’s what made me move to Minneapolis because he’s the one who put it on the map for musicians. People wanted to be a part of that Minneapolis sound. So we’re definitely fans of his and have a lot of respect for him.
EBONY: You’ve been in the game for over twenty years, constantly performing and churning out albums. What do you hope your legacy will be? RICK: I hope not to be looked at as just an R&B group. Just like we did TV On, we can do Jay Leno, David Letterman. I want the broadness of Mint Condition to be recognized. R&B is our home and we’ll never leave that, but it’s more than just R&B. We just want the world to know, whether it’s jazz or rock or R&B, we rock it all. It’s time more people knew how deep we go with our music.
[Edited 9/17/12 10:04am] | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I have another Luxury Brown fan. What I Gotta Do could easily be the next single but right now i find myself diggin Slo Woman a tad bit better. Good interview with Rick and Jeff above.
[Edited 9/17/12 10:13am] Don't laugh at my funk
This funk is a serious joint | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
FYI: Mint Condition are performing at Yoshi's SF on Oct. 26th and 27th.
[Edited 9/18/12 16:39pm] "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." --Plato
https://youtu.be/CVwv9LZMah0 | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
So I have given the album multiple listens for the past week. On the first listen I thought the album was pretty average except the lead single "Believe In Us" and track 4 "Blessed"....But after more listen, it started to grow on me MUCH quicker than the "7" album did. 7 took a looooong time to grow on me. I love every song on "7" except the last one "Twenty Years Later" which is just okay to me.
They really put a lot of musicianship in this one. Not to say that they dont do that often because we all know what they are capable of and what they have done on numerous albums. But the song structure on certain songs, cords, horn arrangements, vocals etc. on certain songs are really nice. They really know how to blend the new era stuff and the old, and still keep it funky while being true to their craft.
The only thing that is missing on this album is that one power house ballad that Stokley is sanging his butt off (Pretty Brown Eyes, So Fine, On & On, I'm Ready, This Day This Minute Right Now etc). Other than that, these guys have done it again. Not many artists that are in the game 20+ years from that new jack swing era, and are dropping quality music these days like these guys... and a band at that.
My Top 3 Favs (at the moment): Believe In Us Be Where You Are Blessed
Least Fav: Girl Of My Life
One thing they need to "stop doing" is coming out with these "life" album titles. (LIFE's Aquarium, Music @ The Speed of LIFE, e-LIFE..."
EDIT: I just check hitsdailydouble and MC is estimated to debut at #47 on the pop album charts with just over 6000 units sold in the first week. http://www.hitsdailydoubl...lescht.cgi This is only estimate so we will have to see the real numbers maybe in the coming days. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
M@TSOL over DOAB? Hmmmm.... I know youre a HUUUUGE mint fan (like me), and follow their blogs, websites, youtube vieos/songs, career etc religiously (again... like me) but I don't know about that one Nickz. lol.
Def of A Band alone is better than some artists discographies.
| |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I was hoping 4 a few solos from Homer..... | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
and at least one ROCK track.
Lol Well for me, I go by if I have to skip any tracks on a album and I cannot skip a track on Music at the Speed of Life, Luxury Brown, Mint Factory or 7....
I can listen to but I will not hesitate to skip: "Let Me Be The One" from Definition of a Band "Here We Go Again" from Meant to Be Mint "Baby Boy, Baby Girl (featuring Anthony Hamilton)" from E-Life "Tonight" from Life's Aquarium | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Slo Woman could be the next single also. "Livin the Luxury Brown" is raw Mint Condition.. The Musicianship on that album is so tight on that album. "From the Mint Factory" will never be replaced. That's what started it all for me at the young age of 4.
| |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
One of my favorites by the band live
Love how they change the arrangements on it from time to time. Don't laugh at my funk
This funk is a serious joint | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Well I do agree with From The Mint Factory being #1. Thats an easy one.... but you skip Let Me Be The One???? Really. Easily one of the best on DOAB. and Tonight? Here We Go Again? These are all great songs. Baby Boy Baby Girl I sometimes skip so I agree with you on that one lol.
I actually think Here We Go Again should of been the uptempo released single instead of Are You Free on Meant to be Mint. There wasnt much 'quality' uptempo on that debut album but that one stood out the most to me. And Tonight should be of been the next single instead of Is This Pain Our Pleasure on Lifes Aquarium.
So what if you are skipping one song on DOAB, and the rest of the songs are lets say 5/5, and you are skipping nothing on M@TSOL, but the songs on M@TSOL are 4's and 5's. Would you still have the same perception on which album is better?
I for example skip one song on MJ's Bad album (speed demon), and kinda skip like 2 songs on Dangerous.. .but I still think Dangerous is a better overall album than Bad is. But thats just me. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
http://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200#/album/mint-condition/music-the-speed-of-life/1686320
Music @ The Speed of Life officially debuts at: -#60 on the Billboard Top 200. -#9 on the R&B Album charts. -#15 on the Independant Albums chart.
Not bad. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
How many units is that? | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Somewhere within the range of 6k - 7K units sold. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Is that good or bad? | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Well these days of course no one sells records as much as before.
But for a band that isn't all over MTV/BET etc, no major hit single, no big time promotion, no major interviews/guest appearances, the change in music industry sales, etc... it isnt bad 1st week at all IMO. They still managed to get a top 10 R&B album debut. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
It's a decent number for a band signed to an indie label, but I think their last album, 7, had better first-week numbers. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I don't understand these so called "fans". They have 172k fans on FB. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Unfortunately, having a great number of Facebook friends doesn't necessarily equate to robust sales. Maybe most of those "friends" illegally downloaded the album. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I get that but that is only 3% of their so called fans. What kind of support is that? | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Justin Bieber has 100+ million followers on facebook/twitter and his album only sold like 1 million in the US. Twitter followings/Facebook friends and the like, don't mean sh!t for just about any artist. It's moreso about who you are as an artist, the quality of your music, your fanbase/market, exposure you receive etc. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Perosnally, I can't give MC or anyone else money right now. Maybe folks are waiting to get paid? We all ain't got it like you MG. [Edited 9/20/12 13:18pm] | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |