This Is Book’s Music

This is a very sexy video from Russian pop/dance duo who go by the name of Nikita. I’ll be honest, I’ve seen photos of them before but never heard any of their songs. But you put the tag NSFW next to a music video and I will say. Very attractive, sexy bodies, and a nice song to go with it. Now, imagine if more adult female artists were to do videos like this. Now that The Pussycat Dolls have split up, I would like to call my tita out, Nicole Scherzinger. Hui, we go make beats.

Anyway, this is Nikita. While the video is purposely censored (i.e. there’s no actual nudity), the way the naughty bits are censored is clever and you don’t want to be at work or school and then be questioned for the obvious.

What better way to help create a buzz for yourself than to take part in a music video that’s NSFW? Imaad Wasif did just that for “Redeemer”, a song from his forthcoming album.

A lot of artists have honored the city of New Orleans in some form since Hurricane Katrina, and all of them have been very heartfelt. For Clarence Bucaro, New Orleans has become his home after leaving his native Cleveland, so he has embraced everything this proud city has to offer, including a knack for coming up with some incredible music by being a sponge and magically spicing it up with his own flavors.

The cover for New Orleans (Hyena) features him in a simple sweater, open for all the world to see, and outside of a nude photo, there’s nothing more exposed than that. In a way the photo somewhat suggests him saying “come on in, take a seat, need a drink? I’l get one and we’l'l begin.” In other words, it’s an album that sounds like home, or at least that kind of album where if it was on vinyl, you’d proudly carry to school or to a friend’s house showing off to everyone what you are listening to. Bucaro’s music is a mixture of pop, soul, rock, and occasional hints of gospel, and that’s not just because there’s a great sounding Hammond B-3 on here (courtesy of Mike Burkart). He really takes the emotion of each song and makes it work, never going overboard with it. His voice reveals elements of Maxwell, Andy Gibb, and Dan Reed, so he could easily move in any and all directions but by keeping to his core influences, he’s able to develop a style that becomes his own. The songs are very personal and are said to come from personal experience, which is how it should be, but a lot of artists try to come up with songs that are makeshift press releases. That leads to their artistry turning into a waste of time and effort. Bucaro is someone who has some substance that is worth listening to and following for the duration, and you get a sense that he knows how to write and make music. That might sound odd, but a lot of artists these days end up doing tentative endorsement tunes. This, on the other hand, is fresh and vibrant, and he sounds like someone who would be very welcome on albums by Bonnie Raitt, Raul Midón, or Jill Scott.

New Orleans is his fourth album, so while people will say “third time’s the charm”, in this case I’m hopeful the fourth time will be the one that will turn him into a major force in music. People have been asking for a little bit of clarity in today’s musical muck, and I feel Bucaro is someone that will touch a lot of people with his very sincere songbook.

(New Orleans is scheduled for release on October 13th, and can be pre-ordered through CD Universe.)