Search - Aloe Blacc :: Shine Through

Neo R&B, soul, and dance-able jazz

jtherkel | Atlanta, GA | 01/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My friend works for a major media company in the music business, and I picked up this album out of a basket of CDs by the elevator. I had no expectations, but this album blew me away. It's easily my favorite album in the last 12 months. It's a mix of R&B, hip hop, and a little bit of jazz.



"Long Time Coming" sounds vaguely like something a somber, tingly version of the Miami Vice TV soundtrack.



"Bailar" is a beautifully sexy song that captures the desire to approach a beautiful woman at a dance club.



"Patria Mia" starts out with a Carribean feel, but the horns lend it a jazzy feel. I wish my Spanish was better. I think it was inspired by the island of Bocas del Toro.



"Want Me" makes me think of LL Cool J.



"One Inna" sounds exactly like Anthony Hamilton, which would be a bad thing if the whole album had the same sound, but in context, it just shows Blacc's diverse talent.



The 2nd to last song, an untitled track, sounds like an ode to Latin America. He mentions Panama, Cuba, Puerto Rico--pretty much every country there--and builds to a crescendo, declaring with enthusiasm, "Todo el mundo Latino, canto," and that's when a chorus of voices joins him, raising hairs on the back of your neck."

Aloe Blacc really Shines Through Here...

gflah | SF | 11/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dude, what is wrong with ya'll



no reviews on this Great CD???



i didn't even know Aloe Blacc put the solo album out.

i randomly went to Tower Records coz they were goign out of business

and everything was 50% off.

then i saw this record and i knew i had to pick it up without reading any reviews, i simply knew it will well worth my money and MORE.



Aloe Blacc is from Emanon with DJ Exile. their EP, 'The Waiting Room', is also a great album, but Shine Through tops their group effort.



Most of tracks are prduced by Aloe Blacc himself, but also OhNo and Madlib produced some tracks as well. Executive producer was Peatnut Butter Wolf. so you know, without a doubt, the quality is there.



i loved madlib produced: One inna. that song is just too beautiful.

the CD actually has 2 extra tracks that is not listed here. This CD is a pure pleasure from beginning to finish. please support this artist."

Incredible genre skimming record

C. W. Hall | Atlanta, GA USA | 01/25/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I do record reviews for the magazine every month, but I very rarely recommend records personally to friends. Shine Through is an exception. I've talked about this record to anyone who would listen for almost a month now. It is one of those records that cannot be praised highly enough. Aloe Blacc deserves to be heard.



Aloe Blacc is one of those artists who loves music. Not hip-hop, not soul, not any one particular brand of music. Just music. And that's what he makes. He is not an artist of any one genre, rather an artist of any genre he feels at that particular moment. Shine Through has hip-hop, dancehall, folk, soul, and latin songs. Not influences, but entire songs played entirely for their own sake. Whatever section of the record store you see this in, it will be both misfiled and filed perfectly.



The stand-outs are many and mostly depend on what you feel like when you put in the CD. For soul, try out "Arrive", "I'm Beautiful" or the Spanish cover of John Legend's "Ordinary People." You want Latin? We got Latin with "Dance for Life" and "Patria Mia". For stirring folky joints, check "Long Time Coming" and "Busking." For hip-hop, you've got "Caged Birdsong." And then we get to my favorite, which is some part of all this. "Bailar" is a record that makes everyone who hears it move. There is no exception.



I'm not skimming through this review. I realize there are nine songs listed in that last paragraph. What you might not have realized yet is that there is not a song on this album that isn't incredible. If I voted for a record of the year right now, this would be it."