okaypimpn said:

Ahhhh! True...

i hope not.
guyz r cuter when they're sober n' vulnerable...

mochalox said:

That's what I prefer to be.

His album is pretty boring. Some good songs, but basic old school soul posturing. He aint no Rahsaan Patterson.

2freaky4church1 said:

You're right! He wrote and produced for Rahsaan Patterson!

Anyway, Imma let my girl, mocha, get you!

Van was actually In Dionne Farris's touring band playing rhythm guitar (David Ryan Harris playing lead)and he also doubled on keyboards. I loved that group!... I hear her in the background on his album, and I know she shows up at some of the venues...but where are the records?!!? Come back ,Dionne...

awww, now c'mon! No need 2 "get 'er." I'll simply post my opinion:
u can't compare VH to RP, first off because their ranges r completely different. If u wanna compare RP to someone, try Stokely. But even then u run into problems b/c RP and Stokely r linked 2. Also VH's work is more varied than RP's. RP has R&B practically etched in his forehead. VH has a little more rom to move, even though he won't "go there" like he could.
>>just my
u take the rest okaypimpin.... i'm spent *back_of_hand_on_forehead* i can't go on...

mochalox said:

You basically took the words outta my mouth, mocha. You can't really compare the two. True, Van has a lot of roots in R&B, but he also ventures into a lot of funk and rock...a whhhhooooole lot and, like you said, vocally they're not even in the same range or league.

2freaky, you're entitled to your opinion, but honestly, what more do you want from music now? The garbage they play on the radio? If anything, this world needs more (as you said) "basic old school soul" because all the new shit sounds alike and there is a serious lack of creativity in music today.

m luv's op...
i luv u sweetie!!!
You're the King of Prince.org!!
(LOL! Sorry, with all of the news today 'bout W & BB, I couldn't resist. did u hear about their reality tv show??? http://www.11alive.com/li...ryid=45125)

Yea, I will take Van Hunt over the awful new Janet Jackson disk.

amen!!!

mochalox said:

I love you, too, mocha!!!

Yes, I heard about that mess. They were talking about it this morning on the Ryan Cameron Morning Show.

Those two just really need to stop.
[This message was edited Fri Apr 2 11:08:44 2004 by okaypimpn]

i heard it on Frank Ski's. I think it'd b funny. Plus, why should Ozzie & Sharon get all of the glory? LOL
[This message was edited Fri Apr 2 11:21:17 2004 by mochalox]

U know the brotha digs on Prince...thus far from what I've seen of him nothings really new or interesting stands out....But if he can say last 5 albums down the road maybe something will stand out fresh.

MrLovesexy said:

I don't think you've heard the album.

okaypimpn said:

Yawn ...seeing him live should count 4 something.

MrLovesexy said:

Like I said, you haven't heard the album. His performance is completely different than the CD.

ok, don't ya'll beat me up 4 this, but is it just me
or are there some artists who are strictly studio artists, and others who are
strictly stage artists? B/c i'm considerin' putting VH in the studio-artist category 4 good.

mochalox said:

You know what mocha, I'm starting to think you may be my long-lost twin!

I feel the same way. Although Van's live performance was good, it didn't blow me away. I left the concert just wanting to hear more of the CD. Not to say it was bad, but it really didn't do anything for me. I think his talent definitley lies in the studio. However, I did dig that first song he came out on (wish I knew the name). Had that Curtis Mayfield-type vibe to it. I was also surprised to hear him sing exactly the same way he does on his album, too.

Ummm, I've heard much of the album but I grade a true artist by what they provide "live"....and the brotha ain't nothing 2 write home about. Look A record durrr is what it is....if U buy in 2 that as what counts... U yourself don't know music...hey its no different then Miss Spears sounding as if she can semi-sing on record but where it counts is live, & she ain't shit....Yes Van is more of a live talent minus his dancing ....yet if U have been 2 shows like me or even know music like me...then U wouldn't let your pussy get so wet so fast over a new comer....I let time & solid product B the true guide B4 I claim a mere "record" being whats holy? Please.... in the studio is where U can fake the funk...but if U don't got it live U really have nothing.....dead issue!!

I guess some folks R a bit hard up 4 the next something....yet I won't B fooled or drool over what may not stand the test of time....let the brotha at least reach a "one hit wonder status" B4 U start getting overjoyed & premature.....

okaypimpin, you are my brother as far as I'm concerned.
I've been thinking about it and discussing it with com eof my okayplayer friends and we all think that there's hope for VH.
We think he needs a hyped up audience to spear him on. If you remember, when he launched into "I'll Do Anything," my friends and I started dancin' up front and then he seemed to loosen up.
Take it from me, it's hard to sing and dance in front of a crowd when they're just standing there staring at you, like you're an exhibit. And it's even harder when the audience doesn't know your material. I sing often enough and it's always hard when you're introducing new songs. If it's a top 40 hit and everyone already knows it, then they're up and jumpin' before you get to the 4th measure. But if they don't know it, they spend half of the song trying to understand the lyrics, and the other half of the time distracted by the crowd around them.

Also, I wouldn't go so far as to compare VH to Broccoli Spears. I don't think anyone here is trying to say that VH lacks singing skills, and when I mentioned him being labled a "studio artist" I didn't mean it in a "manufactured" sense. I simply meant that he would be a great all-around-artist if he'd loosen up and 'wyle-out' a tad. If VH did an all acoustic set, it'd still be great b/c he is a musician. Take away the electricity and click-tracks and Spears would have to cancel the whole show. Plain as day.

mochalox said:

Exactly! You're the greatest, mocha!

That other person's comment is not even worth me wasting my time responding.

okaypimpn said:

also seen online today, regarding VH:
Inspired by a wide rage of artistic forefathers including Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Sylvester Stewart, Prince, Thelonious Monk and James Brown, seeing 27-year-old Dayton, Ohio native, Van Hunt, will be one of the most stirring and memorable experiences of SXSW 2004. “One of the most incredible musicians I know.” — Alicia Keys
http://www.sxsw.com/music.../6049.html

Here's the Rolling Stone Magazine's take on it:

THE ROLLING STONE REVIEW (3 1/2 stars)
Like many of his r&b contemporaries, twenty-six-year-old singer-songwriter-producer Van Hunt models his vocal style on Prince, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye. Unlike his neosoul brethren, he wraps his seamlessly quilted voice around wry, off-kilter lyrics; his skewed views on love and life are wholly his. Against a musical canvas that evokes influences ranging from the Beatles to Muddy Waters to Sly Stone, Hunt sings droll odes to the pain of romance ("What would I do if we were perfect/Where would I go for disappointment?" from "Down Here in Hell [With You]") and then balances them against stark confessionals such as the beautiful ballad "What Can I Say (For Millicent)." On an album with no duds, the highlight is, appropriately enough, the track "Highlights," where Hunt punishes himself with movie metaphors ("Old lovers turned critics curse at you on the silver screen") as he muses on a failed love affair. The bar has been raised.
ERNEST HARDY
(RS 945, April 1, 2004)

And here's another review for you guys to stew on: http://www.musicremedy.co...age&Id=525

Van Hunt: Ahead of the Curve
Capitol Records

One of the stranger paradoxes of America-the-melting-pot is that few black artists have been able to foray into the realm of pop rock with the matched success of their counterparts. But Van Hunt is positioned to break any barriers and silence all naysayers. With his self-titled album, Van Hunt has crafted an intensely melodic journey through the world of pop, rock, funk, and rhythm and blues.

He just may be one of this era's great leaps forward, at least as far as popular music goes. Van Hunt's album is a treasure trove of rich popular songs, drenched with lyrical gems.

On his debut album, the Dayton, Ohio singer/songwriter reveals to his listeners a montage of his life's passages. He speaks with varying degrees of eloquence on the problematic nature of being, and deals straight ahead with that most basic and universal emotion - love and the lack of it. Written, produced, arranged and performed by Van Hunt, these twelve amazing tracks are masterfully layered with richly textured sounds. It is a celebration of life's complexity and mystery, and Van Hunt assures the listener that we are all unique characters who can interpret his creations and adapt them to our own intricate personalities. Surely persuading by example, the existential concerns of "Out of The Sky" speaks an unflinching truth about how we live our lives, and the gushy sound of "Seconds of Pleasure" drips out of the speakers in a harmonic luxe of soul, reminding us to enjoy "the little things." The standout track, "Anything to Get Your Attention" stirs humor and maximum intensity as Hunt engages the listener in the chase of unrequited love. Cuts like "What Can I Say," "Hidden Charm" and "Her December" are examples of sheer songwriting prowess. "Dust" offers insights into self-effacement, while "Hold My Hand" unravels a purely otherworldly experience in both content and style where controversial love is lured from the shadows and then seen "out in the open." American music never sounded so good! This genius collage of work affirms that this progressive song stylist may be an emissary from some avant-garde movement.

Van Hunt belongs to the cadre of songwriters and musicians who only come around every other generation or so and affect stagnation and hackney in the way that the Harlem Renaissance did in the 1920's. And of course he's grounded in the tenets of Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix, Thelonius Monk and Curtis Mayfield. What makes Van Hunt a maverick in this age of ubiquitous popular culture is his commitment to push himself beyond the ornery limitation of what black music represents in today's market.

Van Hunt is an EMI songwriter and Capital recording artist. His discography includes collaborations with many artists. He penned and co-produced the chart-topping hit single, "Hopeless" for Grammy award winning artist, Dionne Farris from the 1997 Love Jones soundtrack. He has written and produced songs for Rahsaan Patterson's Love In Stereo, and co-wrote songs on Cree Summer's Street Fairie album, produced by Lenny Kravitz. Van Hunt is well-suited for the ensuing nascent stardom of his already rooted musical journey.

you can read the rest 4 yourself....
[This message was edited Tue Apr 6 11:03:38 2004 by mochalox]

and one more thing. Check out this page on Rashaan Patterson's fan site: http://www.not-of-this-wo...rodhtm.htm

It says: White Light Productions is the name of the RP's management company. It is headed by Lucille Hunt who has been RP's manger for several years.

things that make you go hmmmm.....