My dad had told me it was the iPod of its day. He had told me it was big, but I hadn't realised he meantTHAT big. It was the size of a small book.
Tune in Saturday night, June 27, as 88.1 FM WKNC pays tribute to the most successful recording artist in the history of music, with over 750 millions albums sold, the legendary, the incomparable, Michael Jackson.
Chrisette Michele: Epiphany
Released 5/5/09
4.5/5 stars
For many artists, the sophomore album is a crucial one. If its predecessor was a hit, the bar is set high, but if it was a flop, this album could feasibly make or break their career. Many artists have fallen into the curse that is the "sophomore jinx," but Chrisette Michele manages not only to meet the bar, she exceeds all previous expectations with Epiphany.
With Epiphany, Chrisette's traditional vocal stylings have evolved into a more well-rounded R&B sound, retaining the jazz influences from her debut album, I am, yet adding more of a modern, urban, youthful vibe. Epiphany mainly focuses on the joys and sorrows love brings from the viewpoint of a strong, independent woman, with a fragile heart.
The first single "Epiphany," bearing the albums title, begins with "It's
over." The Ne-Yo-produced piano driven single describes how Michele has
finally come to an important realization and decides that it's time to
leave an unhealthy relationship. It is the perfect opening to a stellar
album.
Following "Epiphany" is the beautifully written ballad "Notebook,"
describing how Michele is afraid to tell a prospective mate that she has
a crush and instead opts to confide in the pages of her notebook.
The album hit's its stride with "Blame It on Me," in which Michele
is at her finest vocally, confessing that she doesn't care who takes the blame
for a failed relationship "as long as it's over."
Next is "All I Ever Think About." Its old school R&B vibe, heavy bass and impassioned vocals make it the album's best, as Michele bares her heart and soul over an imperfect relationship, which in fact is quite perfect.
Epiphany successfully moves from soulful melodies to urban-pop with
the acoustic guitar-ridden "Playin' Our Song" and "On My Own." The
former has Michele convincing herself that she's fine after a breakup, but in reality she's heartbroken, while the latter has Michele acknowledging its time to claim her independence and transform into a woman.
Many of the albums standouts were written and produced by R&B singer Ne-Yo, including "Porcelain Doll, "Another One" and "What You Do." Chrisette is a modern day Billie Holiday on the feisty empowering, "Porcelain Doll", proclaiming boldly that she is no one's trophy. "Another One" echo's the sentiments of the aforementioned, as Michele confesses that she's a "grown woman, dealing with grown woman things". And with "What You Do", Michele makes it clear that actions speak louder than words.
The majority of Epiphany consists of ballads and mid-tempos, but "Mr.Right" and "Fragile", prove Michele she can successfully tackle up-tempo's as well. The Doo-Wop, Hip-Hop and Lauryn Hill influenced "Mr. Right" finds Michele explaining how she has found the perfect person for her. "Fragile" and "I'm Okay" expose Michele's vulnerabilities and express how love has hurt her.
Epiphany encompasses all the qualities needed to produce a classic album, with its colorful production, catchy melodies and complex vocal arrangements, thoughtful lyrical content and unique, edgy vocals. Chrisette Michele has truly reinvigorated the world of R&B music, as Ephiphany is one of the years best.
For more on Chrisette Michele click here.
88.1 WKNC DJ Pick of the Week is published in the print edition of the Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.
How did you end up choosing Illinoise? Did you consider any other albums?
Illinois was the inevitable choice for me. I listened to it in the car on the way to my freshman year of college shortly after it was released in 2005, and it’s been my favorite album ever since. It’s such a complete album, not just a series of singles, and I’ve always thought of it as a beautiful piece of art that deserves to be listened to very carefully. I considered various other albums and artists (The Decemberists, Andrew Bird, even The Beatles, my first love) but I always knew I would end up choosing Illinois.
N.C. State’s student radio station earned recognition as one of the best in the Triangle in Independent Weekly’s annual “Best of the Triangle” reader survey. Kyle Robb, the station’s general manager for 2008-2009, accepted the award during his Jun. 10 radio program.
WKNC 88.1 FM, along with Clear Channel’s G105, received finalist honors for Best Radio Station. WUNC 91.5 FM, the NPR-affiliated station from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earned the top award.
Kelly Reid, known as Mz. Kelly to WKNC listeners, was a finalist for Best Radio DJ. She is one of three WKNC staff recognized as among the Best in the Triangle in recent years. Tom Wharton was voted Best Radio DJ in 2006 and Sam McGuire received a finalist nod in 2007.
Mike Alston, who took over for Robb as general manager in April, thanked the listeners for their loyalty. “We are honored to be finalists,” he said. “We can’t compete with larger stations in terms of resources, but we have a dedicated staff and dedicated listener base.”
“The fact that a group of students can earn this kind of recognition year after year shows the value the student media have to N.C. State University,” Jamie Lynn Gilbert, the station’s advisor, said.
More than 3,000 people filled out the 2009 Best of the Triangle ballot, voting on everything from best pet specialty store to best comfort food.
Independent Weekly voted WKNC Best Radio Station in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The station was named Best College Radio in 2004 and 2005, as well as Best Radio for Music in 2005. WKNC also earned top awards from Spectator in 2001 and 2002.
As someone who has worked more than a dozen on-air fundraisers, practically begging for the telephone to ring, I wholeheartedly agree that the best way to raise money is through a rocking concert. WKNC does it through our annual Double Barrel Benefit and so does Band Together NC, a local non-profit whose mission is "to raise funds and awareness for select charities through events that showcase and support musical talent." Since its formation in 2001, Band Together has raised more than $635,000 for Triangle charities.
Band Together's latest effort took place Saturday, June 6 with Chatham County Line, The Rosebuds and Rusted Root performing on the Lincoln Theatre Street Stage. Band Together alumni HOBEX closed out the evening with a set inside the Lincoln. MyNC.com reports the Band Together committee presented a $108,000 check to the Lucy Daniels Center for Early Childhood just before Rusted Root took the stage.
Chatham County Line took the stage at 6 p.m. I could hear the beginning notes of "The Carolinian" as I rushed to the blocked off area of Cabarrus Street between Blount and Wilmington in downtown Raleigh. The Lincoln Theatre street stage was against the Wilmington Street side, with the Silent Auction area, requisite Budweiser beer line and Southern Season Catering trailer leading to Blount.
With the banjo, mandolin and guitar players crowded around the microphone and the bassist two steps behind, the mic stand could have just as easily read WSM as Chatham Co Line. The Raleigh-based quartet makes appearances on Americana, Blues and Co. as well as during our daytime format, with their album IV. The set list included newer tunes "Chip of a Star" and "Whipping Boy" and older ones like "Route 23." The crowd was a little thin when the band began, but filled in as the set wore on, prompting one of the band members to compliment the crowd for being much better than the one there 15 minutes prior.
Indie pop rockers The Rosebuds were the evening's second act. Guitarist Ivan Howard led the crowd in a sing-a-long on "Nice Fox," encouraging the crowd to yell so loud they could be heard in Fuquay. The decibel level didn't get quite that high, but the crowd seemed genuinely engaged, swaying as they repeated "and it don't mean nothing at all." The Raleigh duo has a sparse performance schedule this summer, but will be at the Duke Gardens this Wednesday, June 10th.
For all of those who love some honky-tonk, punk, and rockabilly, the place for you to be on Saturday, June 6th is Puckett’s in Charlotte. This is the 6th annual Rockabilly BBQ. Not only will you hear great music from local acts such as the Straight 8s, The Bo-Stevens, and The Tremors, you’ll get to enjoy some BBQ and nice cars.
I was able to see Josh Ritter on Saturday night at Cat's Cradle and the show was amazing! The crowd had a lot of energy, and so did he. If you weren't able to catch the show, check out this recording from the Internet Archive.
On Saturday 5/30, I had the pleasure of speaking with Reigndrop Lopes, sister of the late Lisa "Left-eye" Lopes, of the legendary, Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum group, TLC.
Jon Hopkins is a British musician who writes and performs his own music, melody-led electronica. His album Insides is definitely worth listening to.
Today we arrive with some bad news. As many of you have become aware, Daniel has been dealing with severe tendonitis in his hands since 2007. Things have gotten progressively worse and have reached a point where he cannot brush his teeth without feeling pain, much less perform with the rest of the band. As such we feel it's best to cancel all of the remaining shows on our schedule.
Needless to say, this brings us great sadness. We tried to limit Daniel's movements on stage, but it seems that even sitting in a chair and simply singing on stage was impeding his recovery. At the end of the day, we did not feel that it was in the artistic spirit of the band to continue and play shows without him.
It is not clear when we will be able to perform again--some doctors say that a 3 month break would suffice, while others forecast a 2-year recovery period. But in the meantime, we'll be writing new songs and keeping you up to date of our activities. We see this merely as a road bump on the long road that is this band, and as soon as Daniel is able to perform music again, we'll be visiting a town near you.
Our new record will still come out on July 7th, and you will be able to find it at a few select records stores, iTunes, eMusic, Amazon.com, and this very website. We are so excited to share it with the world and are exploring alternative ideas for some sort of release party. For now, we've put up two new songs on myspace: Oto the Bear and So Many Ways to Die. We are also now accepting pre-orders for the record here. Pre-orders will ship from Bombadil HQ here in Durham on July 1.
We are so grateful for the support everyone has shown over the years. Without your ears and encouragement none of this would have been possible. Stay in touch and look out for more updates on the horizon!
-Bryan, James, Daniel, and Stuart
