Sometimes no matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to live up to the hype bestowed upon you by others. Drake for me, is the perfect example of this. His first major label release was so anticipated, because of his wildly successful self released mix-tapes, he was almost guaranteed failure.
First album Thank Me Later was a start, Take Care was uneven but not until his third release Nothing Was The Same (Cash Money), has he started to really show his diversity and that the hype was deserved.
Right now there is really nothing new or exciting in hip-hop. So for me, I really need the dynamic and unique voices to take the lead and Drake has that voice. His writing has improved and here again he sometimes raps – sometimes sings, depending on what the material warrants.

Standouts include singles “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” “All Me” as well as “Pound Cake” with Jay-Z guesting and my favorite “Started From The Bottom.”
As we head toward the end of 2013 I’m still kinda shocked that Justin Timberlake has the no. 1 selling CD of the year in The 20/20 Experience. As of September it has moved 2.2 million copies, making it his most successful of his solo career.
Anticipation is high for its follow-up The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2 (RCA), which was recorded during the same sessions as its predecessor and was split into two separate releases.
See Timberlake is an incredible entertainer, for my money there’s none better. So for him to take advantage of the thing he does best, which is entertain, he needs material he can entertain with. He’s a great performer, trust me, I saw in Toronto last summer.

Problem is that after three maybe four sure-fire hits, his albums become very ordinary. I admit, it’s not easy to have an album chuck full of grade A material, so that’s why I’m surprised that it’s selling so well. Nothing’s different here from his previous stuff, same production teams, etc.
That being said, the few good ones are the first single “Take Back The Night,” “Murder” with Jay-Z doing his usual guest appearance and “Drink You Away.”
Last issue we talked about how an artist like Elvis Costello has always moved forward, never resting on his laurels, becoming the guy that has a new album with The Roots. Earth, Wind and Fire back in the day ruled record sales, radio and concert tickets. They tried to change with the times, becoming more hip and trendy, on their last album enlisting producers the likes of will.i.am and Raphael Saadiq, who are incredible talents but maybe not the best for what EWF has to offer. The band has taken the bull by the horns and released a great return to that glorious r&b/funk sound with Now, Then & Forever (Legacy).
Hmm. Maybe it’s OK to continue what you do best, even

if you’ve been doing it since 1969. Gone are original members Maurice White, Andrew Woolfolk, Al McKay and Don Myrick but the spirit of the band is intact.
Man, that EWF horn section that took the funk from The Ohio Players and added the intelligence of Chicago are blowing hard. Original members Phillip Bailey is in great vocal spirits, Verdine White’s bass along with keyboardist Larry Dunn, have done a great job recapturing the band’s signature sound.
Standouts include “”Sign On,” “Dance Floor,” “The Rush” and “My Promise.”
Not very many true American treasures left anymore. One of mine is a true working musician, a dude that straps on his Fender guitar and goes out and plays shows and makes records. Buddy Guy’s Rhythm & Blues (RCA) is two CDs of Guy’s now classic take on the blues.

Born in Louisiana, though always associated with the city of Chicago, Guy at 77 works harder than most any musician today. With over 50 albums under his belt, this one might be his most energetic, though that’s not always the best thing.
If there’s a knock here it’s that with the horn section blaring and all the other musical distractions producer Tom Hambridge throws in, at times Guy is fighting to be heard.

I mean, even the unlikely pairing with country superstar Keith Urban on “One Day Away” makes more sense than a lot of stuff on here. While one CD is called ‘Rhythm’ which features a horn section and the other ‘Blues’, there is really no glaring difference between the two.
I like a lot of music on my CD purchases but not so much that you can judge one song over the other and that happens here. This would make a better single CD than a two-CD set. See I get the acoustic brilliance of “I Could Die Happy” but I really don’t understand it with “Wel

l I Done Got Over It.”
Good ones include “Never Gonna Change,” “Blues Don’t Care” with Gary Clark Jr., “I Came Up Hard” and my favorite on the CD “Evil Twin” that has Guy trading vocal riffs with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.