oh crap, i'm stranded!

Stephen Barnum is one of my oldest friends. Our parents participated in a clergy and spouse support group when we were in elementary school. While that group met Steve and I, along with our brothers, would entertain ourselves with any other PK’s (preacher’s kids) that showed up. I can still recall the first time I played the video game Frogger-it was in Steve’s bedroom in the Mt. Washington UMC parsonage. Now Steve and I work together and I see him nearly every day. He’s a talented man and one of the funniest people I know. Oh, and he’s a Jedi.

Steve’s Pick: Lemonade by G Love

Oh crap I’m stranded…the circumstances surrounding my stranding would be a large factor in what lone album I would want as a soundtrack. When I asked Jennifer what the situation of my proposed marooning would be she answered with “deserted island”. With that I am going to take the liberty and assume there is no “hatch” or “others” on this island. Nor is there a “professor” or a “movie star” or anyone inclined to smack me with a captain’s hat and call me “little buddy”. My musical perspective is from the standpoint that I am on Captain Jack Sparrow’s island…the one Captain Barbosa left him to die on…minus the pistol…but maybe with the secret rum stash.

Weighing all these options I have come to this conclusion. The soundtrack for my sandy isolation would have to be an album as fresh as the tropical breeze and as relaxing as afternoon soaks in the tidal pool. I need a collection of tunes that accentuate a fresh shell of coconut milk at the breakfast rock and compliment a delicious dinner of bananas and sushi under a moonlight sky. This album needs a hint of funkiness too. I will need some music that puts bounce in my step on the event that I try to weave rope out of my back hair or want to chuck sand dollars at the monkeys. There is but one recording that can accomplish all these feats. The fresh, the funky, the moving, the mellow (nod your head type mellow) the all encompassing Lemonade by G Love!

Now before you diss me and fill the comments section with a slew of hatetasitcal rants, hear me out. I realize many critics may scoff at such a selection due to its sheer infancy alone. The album was only released in August of 2006 but as some albums needs time to become fully appreciated (see Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys) others are instant classics. Lemonade, my friends, is an instant classic.

First there is not a bad song on the album. How many recordings do you own with two or three decent to hit type songs and the rest of the tracks are just filler? Filler tracks are the musical equivalent of what is in cheap hotdogs and bologna. Lemonade is filler free. Every track on the album is a good listen and that is hard to come by these days. “Hot Cookin”, “Can’t Go Back to Jersey”, “Banger” ,”Let the Music Play”, “Free”, “Beautiful”, “Thanks and Praise” and “Rainbow” need your audible attention for sure but I seriously recommend the album in it’s entirety.

Second, as previously stated it crosses the spectrum from kicking it with a cold beverage to body moving dance grooves. You can never accuse G Love of being one dimensional with his music. When you blend Jazz, Hip Hop, Blues and Acoustic you are anything but.

Stephen Barnum can be found on the web at www.myspace.com/stephenbarnum where you can access his blog Big Mac and Chili Milkshake…Incredibletastic. Currently his blog has no posts because he is a cyber d-bag.

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