Monday, July 11, 2005
There's a Rainbow in My Heart for You
As good as the a-side of I Believe in Atlanta is, the flip just may astound you. The first song, indeed, is probably the best of the lot. “We Got It Good” is a champion. The first side might be totally white-bread, but with “We Got It Good” the producers acknowledge Atlanta’s pivotal role in the R’n’B / urban music world. This song’s smooth, up-tempo funk will obliterate you with its irrepressible good cheer. When that peerless scat begins a minute and a half in, all shit shall surely be lost. This truly encapsulates the spirit of Atlanta in song-form, and I can’t believe we didn’t crank this long and loud at our wedding last year.
On the penultimate "We're Ready To Fly", the album fully reveals its intricately woven tapestry of musical themes and narrative motifs. Yes, Atlanta is absurdly awesome, and the deft, unassuming fashion in which this fine album reminds us of this fact is a truly remarkable feat of intellectual engineering. If I ever did stop believing in Atlanta, this record would act as a defibrillator to my faith.
Seriously, how incredible is this record, and, by extension, Atlanta? Listen closely to "A Place In My Heart". Forty-two seconds in, you can hear the MSN lady saying goodbye. This song was recorded in 1986, a good eight years before the World Wide Web and widespread home internet access. The wizards who made I Believe in Atlanta possessed that technology before it even existed. That is how amazing Atlanta is, and why we should all bow down before her. Atlanta is indomitable, and will one day own all of us.
"We Got It Good"
"We Belong Together"
"We're Ready To Fly"
"A Place In My Heart"
As good as the a-side of I Believe in Atlanta is, the flip just may astound you. The first song, indeed, is probably the best of the lot. “We Got It Good” is a champion. The first side might be totally white-bread, but with “We Got It Good” the producers acknowledge Atlanta’s pivotal role in the R’n’B / urban music world. This song’s smooth, up-tempo funk will obliterate you with its irrepressible good cheer. When that peerless scat begins a minute and a half in, all shit shall surely be lost. This truly encapsulates the spirit of Atlanta in song-form, and I can’t believe we didn’t crank this long and loud at our wedding last year.
On the penultimate "We're Ready To Fly", the album fully reveals its intricately woven tapestry of musical themes and narrative motifs. Yes, Atlanta is absurdly awesome, and the deft, unassuming fashion in which this fine album reminds us of this fact is a truly remarkable feat of intellectual engineering. If I ever did stop believing in Atlanta, this record would act as a defibrillator to my faith.
Seriously, how incredible is this record, and, by extension, Atlanta? Listen closely to "A Place In My Heart". Forty-two seconds in, you can hear the MSN lady saying goodbye. This song was recorded in 1986, a good eight years before the World Wide Web and widespread home internet access. The wizards who made I Believe in Atlanta possessed that technology before it even existed. That is how amazing Atlanta is, and why we should all bow down before her. Atlanta is indomitable, and will one day own all of us.
"We Got It Good"
"We Belong Together"
"We're Ready To Fly"
"A Place In My Heart"
