We are in the middle of our annual #MaxFunDrive! If you like what we do, and are in a good financial spot, please consider becoming a member of the network and supporting our show. maximumfun.org/join Morgan continues the Alphabet Soup series and discusses some of her favorite albums that start with the letter D The Albums J Dilla: Donuts Quincy Jones: The Dude Pastor T.L Barrett: Do Not Pass Me By The Roots: Do You Want More?!!!??! Sade: Diamond Life If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Roc...
Jul 27, 2020•21 min
In 1995, OutKast was booed by an angry crowd at the Source Awards after they won Best New Artist. During his speech, Andre 3000 famously declared "The South got something to say." Nowadays, ATL has a solid place in the history of rap, but OutKast had to fight for a seat at the table. OutKast becomes the newest member of the Triple Crown club here on Heat Rocks and we're talking to professor/scholar Regina Bradley about the duo's smothered, covered, diced, and topped LP, Aquemini. We discuss Andr...
Jul 23, 2020•55 min•Ep. 156
We are in the middle of our annual #MaxFunDrive! If you like what we do, and are in a good financial spot, please consider becoming a member of the network and supporting our show. maximumfun.org/join Morgan and Ali Shaheed Muhammad quickly geek out over Earth Wind and Fire's "All 'n All" If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!...
Jul 21, 2020•12 min
We are in the middle of our annual #MaxFunDrive! If you like what we do, and are in a good financial spot, please consider becoming a member of the network and supporting our show. maximumfun.org/join Public Enemy's debut album Yo! Bum Rush the Show enjoyed critical and commercial success back when it first landed in 1987, especially considering how controversial the album was. In fact, DJ's refused to play PE on the radio because of Chuck D's politics. Chuck and the group started working on the...
Jul 16, 2020•58 min•Ep. 155
Chaka Khan proved she was more than capable of holding her own when she released her debut solo album, Chaka back in 1978. Before that, she was in the band Rufus and stood out from her contemporaries with her powerful voice and ability to swing from one genre to the other while still being unmistakably Chaka. She continued working with Rufus, but started venturing out and doing more solo work, and eventually released her follow up Naughty in 1980. Singer/bassist Adeline sits down with us to talk...
Jul 09, 2020•50 min•Ep. 154
Oliver continues the Alphabet Soup series and talks about his favorite albums that begin with the letter C If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!
Jul 07, 2020•22 min
It's part 2 of our listener specials where we invited fans of the show to talk about their personal Heat Rocks. This time, Phillip Merritt AKA Lost In Williamsburg, comes down with our first official disco album, Bad Girls by Donna Summer. More on Phillip Merritt Phillip's podcast, Lost in Williamsburg Twitter | SoundCloud More on Bad Girls Donna Summer’s Bad Girls Turns 40 (Albumism) BBC's review of Bad Girls Donna performing Bad Girls on VH1 in 1999 Show Tracklisting (all songs from Bad Girls ...
Jul 02, 2020•35 min•Ep. 153
When jazz trumpeter Chet Baker began to sing on his records, his voice received a polarizing response, to put it lightly. At first, critics despised his light and dreamy voice paired with minimal accompaniment. However, audiences loved it, and Chet became a household name. This album, Embraceable You, was recorded in the middle of his success, but wasn't released until 1995, about 40 years after the recording. The label thought it was "too depressing" to put out and is often forgotten about in C...
Jun 25, 2020•51 min•Ep. 152
Oliver and Morgan discuss their favorite father/child songs, whether it be duets, a father's song about a child, or a child covering their father's music. Happy Father's Day! Stay safe and tell us about your dad's favorite records. Show Tracklisting Michael Kiwanuka: Love & Hate Michael Kiwanuka: Rest Michael Kiwanuka: Cold Little Heart Michael Kiwanuka: Father's Child Donny Hathaway: The Ghetto Take 6: Some Day We'll All Be Free Lalah Hathaway: A Song For You (Live @ Singapore Jazz Festival...
Jun 18, 2020•37 min•Ep. 151
Today's episode is the first of two where we invited listeners of the show to talk about their personal Heat Rocks. This week, listener Jason Randall Smith sits down with us to talk about "In Visible Silence" by The Art of Noise. We discuss the prolific use of the Fairlight Sample in this album, the extremely 80s feel of it all, and its questionable placement in a certain ABC made-for-TV movie. More on Jason Radio BSOTS Bondfire Radio Twitter | Mixcloud More on Art of Noise The Making of In Visi...
Jun 11, 2020•44 min•Ep. 150
Morgan continues the alphabet soup series and talks about her favorite albums that begin with the letter B If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!
Jun 07, 2020•29 min
When Black Sheep joined the Native Tongues family in 1989, they brought an irreverent and humorous tone to the hip-hop collective. Native Tongues had lighthearted rappers in the group to begin with, but Black Sheep took it one step further. They were witty, they teased, and they flipped some iconic samples. And oh yea, and they released one of the biggest hits of the '90s, The Choice is Yours (Revisited). Writer Adam Mansbach sits down with Oliver to discuss Black Sheep's debut record, the gangs...
Jun 04, 2020•43 min•Ep. 149
In August of 1991, the LA rap scene was transformed by a trio of Latino rappers from South Gate. Cypress Hill was riding hot off the success of How I Can Just Kill A Man and found a huge audience in LA. DJ Muggs' production fit in perfect with B-Real and Sen-Dog's flow and together they helped create the blueprint for a more laid-back and smoked-out style of gangsta rap, a full year before Dre's The Chronic dropped Professor and author Felicia Angeja Viator sits down with us to discuss the LA ra...
May 28, 2020•47 min•Ep. 148
On this week's bonus beats, Morgan plays her favorite music geek game and talks about her favorite albums that start with the letter A If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!
May 26, 2020•18 min
Professor and DJ Michael Barnes joins Oliver to talk about Sly & The Family Stone’s final album, “Small Talk” and in particular the Time for Livin’ drum break that can only be found on a specific Canadian pressing of the album. Michael also gets into the tiny but significant differences between this version and the mainstream LP. Be ready, crate diggers, this is a deep dive.
May 22, 2020•26 min
When the Wu released their debut album back in 1993, fans were eagerly awaiting every member's solo record. Method's Man's Tical and ODB's Return to the 36 Chambers came out over the next two years and did not disappoint. Raekwon the Chef was up next , but no one was really prepared for what he was about to drop. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx stood out from from the crowd, not only because of the signature purple cassette tape, but because of its influence on mafioso rap, the introduction of Wu-Gambin...
May 21, 2020•49 min•Ep. 145
When Testimony Vol. 1 dropped in 2006, India.Arie was still riding the success of her previous album, Voyage to India , which helped bring neo-soul and acoustic R&B to the forefront. She stood out from her contemporaries with deeply confessional and introspective songwriting. India's lyricism was somewhat polarizing when Testimony Vol. 1 was first released, but something about it hit different, especially for those of us in complicated relationships. Journalist Jarrett Hill (who cohosts FANT...
May 14, 2020•47 min•Ep. 144
On this week's Bonus Beats, Oliver talks about covers that are more famous than the original song and tells us his favorite crate digging story. If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!
May 12, 2020•14 min
The Albums: Erykah Badu: New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) Peabo Bryson: Crosswinds De La Soul: De La Soul is Dead Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: Winter in America Gino Vannelli: Brother to Brother We wrap up our Comfort Music miniseries with picks from you, our audience. Thank you all so much for sending in your picks and testimonials. We couldn't possibly get through every submission, but know we read every recommendation and loved all of your albums. We hope you're staying safe...
May 07, 2020•51 min•Ep. 142
Producer Thes One of People Under The Stairs talks about one of the most iconic samples of all time, "Summer in the City" by Quincy Jones. We discuss why the record is so ripe for sampling, how different artists have flipped this sample to fit different moods, and if that fantastic intro is off limits after The Pharcyde used it. If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!...
May 05, 2020•25 min
Innervisions marked a significant transition in Little Stevie Wonder's career. He began to move away from the Motown romantic ballads and towards a more conscious and experimental sound. He talked about poverty, racism, drugs, and Richard Nixon. It's an album filled with social justice anthems, made almost entirely by Stevie himself at 23 years old. Culture critic and writer Nelson George sits down with us (remotely) to talk about Stevie embracing of new musical technology, the changing landscap...
Apr 30, 2020•44 min•Ep. 140
On this minisode, Oliver goes back to a few of his old reviews and discusses the extremely underrated and overlooked session musician James Gadson. Ask us a question on Facebook or Twitter @heatrockspod and we might answer it in a future Bonus Beats episode! Oliver's archived review of Dilated Peoples The Platform (Wall of Sound) Oliver's archived review of M.O.P's Warriorz (LA Weekly) James Gadson with Bill Withers on Ain't No Sunshine...
Apr 28, 2020•12 min
We continue our Comfort Music series with Oliver and discuss his five favorite comfort albums. We talk about the often overlooked genius of Labi Siffre, the intimacy of Duke Ellington's compositions, and how Tribe helped Oliver get through the tough times. Show Tracklisting: Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: April in Paris Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: Isn't This A Lovely Day? Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: Under a Blanket of Blues Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: The Nearnes...
Apr 23, 2020•50 min•Ep. 138
On this special bonus ep, Oliver talks to writer Adam Mansbach to discuss the weird and wonderful world of reggae covers. They talk about their favorite (and least favorite) covers, why reggae and hip-hop share more in common than you might think, and what aspects of a song lend themselves to a good reggae flip. More on Adam Mansbach Go the F**k to Sleep Check out Adam's archived work on his website Twitter | Website If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!...
Apr 21, 2020•28 min
The Albums: Earth, Wind & Fire - Spirit (1976) Vesta Williams - Vesta (1986) Anita Baker - Compositions (1990) Agent K - Feed The Cat (2002) Braxton Cook - Somewhere In Between (2007) We are kicking off our Comfort Music series this week with Morgan's five comforting albums. We discuss what exactly makes music comforting, Tower Records, and the power of pleasant voices. Show Tracklisting: Earth, Wind & Fire: Spirit Earth, Wind & Fire: Imagination Vesta Williams: Don't Blow A Good Thi...
Apr 16, 2020•39 min•Ep. 136
Oliver answers a couple of questions from fans on this special mid-week minisode! If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!
Apr 14, 2020•12 min
(This episode originally aired 03/28/2019) The Album: Bill Withers : +Justments (1974) Despite the massive success of Withers's first two albums, Just As I Am and Still Bill , label problems prevented +Justments (his fourth LP) from being released on CD until 2010. As such, it's been a sleeper of an album despite how good it is. Withers was never the most confessional of artists but this album, which came about during the dissolution of Withers's marriage to Denise Nicholas (amidst accusations o...
Apr 09, 2020•48 min•Ep. 134
Oliver answers a couple of questions from fans on this special mini episode to get you through the week. If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!
Apr 07, 2020•16 min
After the amazing success of Sade's previous album, Love Deluxe, fans were eagerly awaiting the band's next album. Fans had to wait for 8 long years before Lovers Rock dropped in the fall of 2000. And the wait was most definitely worth it. As the title suggests, the band moved more towards soul, R&B, and, well, lovers rock. Producer/Remixer Trackademicks sits down with us to discuss Lovers Rock on its 20th anniversary. We get into the crazy amount of Sade remixes, (including Trackademicks' o...
Apr 02, 2020•57 min•Ep. 132
Musician/composer/producer/songwriter/music director/legend Patrice Rushen joins us to discuss Minnie's debut solo album Come to My Garden. We talk about the lush orchestration courtesy of Charles Stepney, Minnie's distinct voice, and Patrice's own journey with the album. At around the 27:50 mark, Morgan incorrectly states Lynn Fiddmont's song was "I Love You", when it's actually "U R Loved" More on Patrice "Patrice Rushen Found Success in Jazz and Dance Music. She Hasn’t Been Forgotten" (The Ne...
Mar 26, 2020•59 min•Ep. 131
