Wanted to re-watch this video ever since seeing the Queen sing it on VH-1’s “Dear Mama” special. #liveyourlifegirl
Craig’s Ol’ Skool Corner
#JANFAM: “Alrite (KAYTRAFLIP)”
Kaytranada’s remix of “If” is a certified classic. In fact, I recently heard it playing at my fave fast-casual food spot. Here’s his perky take on “Alright.”
Craig Approved Flip: “I Can Love You (Kaytra Flip)”
It’s no secret that Kaytranada is one of my fave electronic music producers/remixers. This is him doing his thing on Mary J’s ol’ skool banger “I Can Love You.”
Craig’s Ol’ Skool Corner: SWV
No secret that SWV is my fave R&B girl group of the ’90s. Yeah, En Vogue was more polished. But SWV gave you hood attitude…
…and lead singer Coko’s vocals on such songs as the No. 1 ballad “Weak” and the gorgeous, underrated “You Are My Love,” from the group’s sophomore album, took you skr8 to church.
And all of this is not to even mention the entertainment value of Coko’s nails.
NAILSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!
NAAAAAAAAAY-ULZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Sidebar: During SWV’s heyday, I once heard a woman ask, “I wonder how Coko wipe her ass with them nails? You know she got some dingleberries.”)
In addition to all of that, SWV–unlike En Vogue–managed to stay together.
In fact, SWV is back with a new album, Still. It’s nothing revolutionary, but I still enjoy hearing their voices. I’ve already written about how much I love the single, “Ain’t No Man.” (There’s a video now.) My new joints are “Miss U,” “Leaving You Alone,” “Love Song,” and the real throwback “When Love Didn’t Hurt.”
Now here’s something cool: If you buy the actual CD (I know, right!) from Target, you get bonus live versions of SWV’s back-in-the-day smashes “Right Here,” “I’m So Into You,” and my all-time favorite “Weak.” (Take a listen to “Weak (Live)”)
SWV lovers should also know that the group’s debut album It’s About Time is about to be re-issued with an insane amount of remixes. Tracklisting below; pre-order here.
From The Vault: Tweet
Tweet is one of my favorite singer/songwriters, largely because of the intimacy of her lyrics and vocal delivery. She often sounds like she’s confessing her deepest truths directly in your ear. You can hear this quality on my all-time fave Tweet tracks: “Always Will,” “Cab Ride,” and “Smoking Cigarettes.” (And if you want proof of her songwriting skills, check out Whitney Houston’s wondrous “Things You Say“.)
I’m still getting into Tweet’s new album, Charlene (her real name). But early standouts include “I Didn’t Know” and “Neva Shoulda Left Ya.”
Back in the day when Tweet was singing about the female equivalent of fapping…
…and also dancing like this…
I interviewed her and she revealed the really tough backstory of her career. Check out this article from the Craig Archives:
March 6, 2002
Singer goes from ‘failure’ to success; Atlanta’s Tweet chronicles struggles in ‘Hummingbird’
BYLINE: CRAIG SEYMOUR
Atlanta singer-songwriter Tweet has a sexy smash: a hands-on paean to self-love, “Oops (Oh My),” that hits No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B chart this week. Her name may evoke a cartoon canary, but most of her music is more “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
The 30-year-old grew up Charlene Keys in Rochester, N.Y., the daughter of gospel-singing parents. She labored as part of the girl group Sugah in the late 1990s. The act had a record deal with Jodeci’s Devante Swing label, but never released an album. Soon, Tweet found herself broke, disillusioned and effectively silenced.
“I became suicidal,” says Tweet. “It stemmed from not actually succeeding in the music business after trying for so long and going home and being looked at as a failure.”
Tweet’s life began a turnabout when she got an unexpected call from another act once signed to Swing: Missy Elliott. The rapper/producer, whose adventurous collaborations with the producer Timbaland made her one of the more successful acts in the business, swiftly added Tweet to the roster of her personal label, the Gold Mind Inc.
“God sent Missy at a time when I was headed for self-destruction and it had to be a miracle,” says Tweet.
The Missy-Tweet-Timbaland alliance produced the song, which takes as its subject matter a subject not generally discussed in a family newspaper. (Think Cyndi Lauper’s “She Bop” or the Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself.”) Now “Oops” is fast becoming a female self-love anthem. “Women love it,” explains Tosha Love, music director of Atlanta’s R&B station WVEE-FM. “Tweet came out of nowhere and the song is through the roof.”
Tweet releases her debut album, “Southern Hummingbird,” April 2. “Oops” aside, it’s a largely midtempo set chronicling her many struggles. “I call it my therapy album,” she says. “I can’t afford a psychiatrist, so I’ve had to write about it. Hopefully I can help someone that’s going through the same situations. There are a lot of people in pain. But if they hear a song that they can relate to, then that’s a relief.”
