Search - Various Artists :: Unwrapped 3

Great Idea and for the Most Part, Worthy Projects

Raider Jack | San Francisco, CA United States | 11/15/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I just purchased Volumes I, II, & III of the Hidden Beach Unwrapped series and for the most part these are worth notable consideration.



The fusing of the three musical forms, rap, R&B, and jazz is a wonderful idea as one art form contributes greatly to the other; moreover, in most cases, the lines can indeed become blurred, especially if you have a quality artist to exemplify this.



When the collaborations work, you have an amazingly mature level of entertainment. The jazz improvisations coupled with stellar vocal performances and engaging rap lines serve to bridge generational gaps because the focal point here is simply the music. It is most refreshing to have included a solo violinist as an interpreter which makes one long for Noel Pointer who tried fairly successfully to incorporate the violin into jazz in the mid 70s. Since then, violinists seem to steer clear of jazz, R&B, and rap which is unfortunate.



However, when some of the arrangements do not work, (and some of them certainly do not!!) they fail colossally and the listener is left with the distinct impression that improvisation and creative energy was at an all time low. To be sure, the best volumes are I & III.



Standout cuts include:

Tainted (Vol 3)

The Tupac & Biggier Tributes (Vol 3

The Way You Move (Vol 3)

Music (Vol 2)

Still Not A Player (Vol 2)

Crush On You (Vol 1)

Loungin' - Who Do Ya Love? - (Vol 1)

The Light - (Vol 1)

One More Chance - (Vol 1)

So Fresh So Clean (Vol 1)

I Get Around (Vol 1)



I was also impressed with the roster of talent on the Hidden Beach label which includes none other than Jill Scott.



Again, this was an excellent idea and requires astute planning as well as judicious selections to consider for these arrangements. Not all songs lend themselves to this collaboration as some of the songs selected here prove. It also appears that after the first volume, it became more and more difficult to capture that same spontaneity of feel and cleverness of musical arrangements. It would be wonderful if other jazz artists could make similar collaborations and come up with a quality product. Hopefully, these recordings will be the impetus for more of this to follow.









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This is a sure bet!

Tawana Hawkins | Akron, Ohio | 07/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mike Phillips, Jeff Lorber and Larry Dunn of Earth, Wind and Fire. How could you go wrong? You can visit your local music store and find any number of imitators. Hidden Beach set the standard. This project is no exception. The downside of not living in Atlanta is not being able to catch snippets of this cd before it was released.

Even if Rap/Hip-Hop is not your thing, these instrumental interpretations definetly catch your attention. Some of my favorites include, Tainted, PIMP, Beautiful, In Da Club and The Way You Move. I particulary enjoyed the tributes to Biggie, Jam Master Jay and Tupac Shakur. In reading the liner notes I discovered that just about everything to sabotage this cd that could have happened....happened. I appreciate the effort and am grateful that they didn't give up. Pop this one in your cd changer and let the music handle the rest! Excellent!"

Best of the Bunch

Jai | Detroit, MI | 07/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was first put on to hidden Beach by purchasing Jill Scotts Words and Sounds album. Since then they have released quality product after quality product. Unwrapped is right up my alley. Sometimes I don't want to hear the words just the music. Instrumentals are too plain, the Unwrapped series take it to another level. Taking some of the best artists contemporary jazz has to offer and infusing their talent with hip-hop makes for classic material. While people talk about music and hip-hop not being fun and creative anymore this is an album that does just that. Being that I am from Detroit my favorites include their rendition of Slum Villages "Tainted" and Eminem's "Lose Yourself," which by the way Karen Briggs does her "thang" on. But by far Mike Phillips puts it down the best on Outkasts "I Like the Way You Move" and Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)." Bottom line if you love good music, hip-hop and jazz the is a must buy. If this is the first you heard of the project also check out Unwrapped Volumes 1 & 2, Mike Phillips debut "You Have Reached Mike Phillips," and Jeff Bradshaws "Bone Deep." Both of these artists have performed on Unwrapped Volumes 1-3"