ANDY D PRESENTS THE WEEKEND - SONGS IN THE KEY OF MAGIC

As many of you already know, I discovered Andy D when he performed on 'It Gets Hot' by Electric Six and met him when he opened for them during the "Heartbeats And Brainwaves Tour".  I'd already seen him perform on Youtube clips and I was excited to see more of him.  Andy is a dynamic live performer and a genuinely nice guy.  I enjoyed chatting with him and spending time at the show.  I bought his first and second albums at that concert and I felt like the first disc, "Name Your Perversion" didn't quite translate from the live performance to the disc.  But I had great hopes for this album and I wasn't disappointed.  This disc certainly conveys the energy he projects during a live performance.

I don't think it will come as a surprise that most of his songs are sophomoric and over-sexualized.  Sometimes he comes across like a teen boy who's just discovered sex and his lyrics come across as rather trivial.  But that's more or less where Andy D lives.  He's not here to change the world or make a political statement, he's here to party and have a good time.  Once again, the instrumentation is quite minimalist and the lyrics simple and straight forward.  The first song, 'Playground' is an interesting song about oral sex of various kinds.  Um, wow.  'Electric Wilderness' is next and it's got a few funny lines throughout.  It's a pretty good song.  I like the music on this track and I think he delivers on the vocals.  On my CD, Andy wrote "Your magic is real and I believe in you!"  Imagine my surprise when I heard that line appear in the song.  I'm gonna go out on a limb here and tell you, that autograph actually personalized this song for me and made me listen to it constantly.  It's one of my favorite tracks on the disc!  'Hey Tina (Pick Up The Phone)' was probably the track I remember most from his live show.  It was highly dramatic.  And he delivers it here with just as much enthusiasm.  When you actually listen to song you realize the music is actually inspired and borrows elements from George Clinton and his 70's bands like Funkadelic and Parlet.  It's actually quite funky and enjoyable.  If you don't listen to anything else, check out this number.  

'Angels On The Dancefloor' is a song that doesn't offer much musically, yet I love the lyrics on this one.  It makes me laugh everytime and I listen to it a lot.  'Wizard' kicks in with some interesting sounds, but when the tinkling keyboards kick in, it starts to sound like early 80's rap.  Still, it's cool for what it is.  Andy does have an affinity for that older rap and he emulates it with his own material.  'I Wanna Be Your Unicorn' combines some rock metal guitar licks with some funk rhythm guitar.  It's a metaphor.  His horn is of course his "you-know-what" but the tune is catchy.  'Bump In The Nite' is Andy's Halloween single.  Of course, the four letter words strung throughout the chorus means it will never see playtime at kids parties.  If it could, this might have been a breakthrough hit for him.  

'Moderne Romance' is up next and this one uses lots of drum fills and beats to create a frantic pace.  'Alchemy Of The D' is the obligatory "I'm-all-that" track.  Andy proclaims his superiority in many different ways.  'Black Rainbow' is another song with that's highly Clintonesque.  It's got a 70's funk vibe and I like the chorus.  The final track is 'Ragnarock (Viking Lover)'.  This one kinda marches on with a guitar lick playing along with the beat, but it's mixed low in the track.  Based on the title, you'd expect something huge and climactic, but it never achieves that build.

In the end, this is a CD that at the very least lives up to the live performance of this artist.  The live show is unbeatable.  I think it's vastly superior to the previous disc and I'm looking forward to hearing even more.  Andy D is a fun listen.  My final words:  AN IMPROVEMENT WITH THE PROMISE OF EVEN MORE TO COME.

ANDY D PRESENTS THE WEEKEND - SONGS IN THE KEY OF MAGIC
01. Playground
02. Electric Wilderness
03. Hey Tina (Pick Up The Phone)
04. Angels On The Dancefloor
05. Wizard
06. I Wanna Be Your Unicorn
07. Bump In The Nite
08. Moderne Romance
09. Alchemy Of The D
10. Black Rainbow
11. Ragnarock (Viking Lover)

ANDY D - CHOOSE YOUR PERVERSION

I discovered Andy D during a streaming Electric Six concert.  He was the opening act.  I didn't realize it at the time, but Andy D is the rapper on the Electric Six song 'It Gets Hot'.  I love that song!  So I watched his performance and I was completely stumped.  I wasn't sure what to think.  On one hand, he's a sexy bear of a man and he strips during his show.  He got my attention right there.  I was also intrigued by his Electric Six cover.  He played a version of 'Jimmy Carter'.  On the other hand, I thought his music was somewhat juvenile and embarrassing.  Still, when he performs, he loses himself in the music.  I knew I'd be seeing him the next time I saw Electric Six live, so I decided to reserve my judgment until then.

Well, the day finally came and I saw him live at the Urban Lounge in Salt Lake City.  He was amazing!  The show was funny, funky and entertaining from the minute he took the stage to the minute he left.  I had the chance to hang out with him and talk for awhile.  He's nice, intelligent and dedicated to his craft.  I bought both of his albums and he autographed them for me.  My personalized message inside "Choose Your Perversion" is "Let's ride unicorns!"  I loved the experience.  Absolutely wonderful!

Since that night, I've had time to listen to the albums and I'm ready to write a review.  On "Choose Your Perversion" you very quickly realize the music on the disc is quite different from what you heard live in concert.  Andy doesn't come across digitally as magnificent as he does live.  The disc starts out with 'New Addiction'; which is also where the albums title comes from.  Right off the bat, I was shocked.  The music is sparse and sounds like it was programmed on a little Casio Keyboard.  When you think about it, a lot of early rap artists sound similar.  They have those minimal drums sounds you can get on just about any small keyboard.  His flow reminds me of Will Smith back when he was in his Fresh Prince days.  'Rockslow' doesn't change the tempo or add much to the musical diversity of the CD.  The one difference is the inclusion of some drum sounds that were popular with hip hop bands from the 90s.  'God Loves Drunk Chicks' continues the sparse musical arrangement.  There is a nice keyboard motif, but he follows it with a weak line that downplays the intensity you expect.

And then out of nowhere, 'Blow U Away' comes in like a holy roller revival on Sunday morning!  It doesn't do much to improve the beat situation, but it utilizes a guitar sound to create a moody and compelling melody that's quite different from the disc up to this point.  The tune is actually quite good and stands on it's own without relying on adolescent humor or dirty jokes to draw attention.  It's my favorite song on the record.

'Party Werewolf (I Need A Freak)' zaps us right back to that late 80s, early 90s hip hop style.  He even refers to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video.  'Magic Lady' has some updated keyboard sounds, but it's trapped in the ancient drum loop trap the rest of the album has found itself in.  It's not until 'Just Push Play' that Andy seems to break free from those old sounds.  Probably because he relies more on bass drum sounds rather than snares and high hats.  Much more timeless sounding.  There is one bass keyboard line that sounds similar to 'Ice, Ice Baby' by Vanilla Ice.  '2 Inches From Crazy Town' is another old sounding hip hop tune.  'Dirty Boyfriend' has great sounds, but it's still mired in those awful drum tracks.  'Party Nite' is better beat wise.  It doesn't escape the nostalgia of that early rap sound.

Basically, Andy D wrote a record in a style of music he really likes.  And that's cool.  But it doesn't offer anything new or interesting.  Thankfully, his next record shows more promise.  Andy D is great live.  His rhymes aren't always flowing, but he delivers a lot of soul in his performance.  He has some interesting ideas lyrically and as long as he's avoiding cliches, he creates some cool songs.  I think what's missing is access to better electronic instrumentation and a decent producer.  Andy's rap on 'It Gets Hot!' is incredible.  He's got a style, a hook and a look...  Now all he needs is a more original sound.  With the right collaborator, he could have that as well.  And he wouldn't need to take his clothes off to keep people watching.  

I'm glad I bought this disc.  Having seen some of the songs performed live, it's nice to have versions I can listen to at home.  I like Andy enough to keep following him; which is something I can't say for some of the other bands I've seen Electric Six tour with.  I see a lot of potential here and I want to see it go somewhere.  My final words:  IT WAS GOOD,  BUT I WANTED BETTER.

ANDY D - CHOOSE YOUR PERVERSION
01. New Addiction
02. Rockslow
03. God Loves Drunk Chicks
04. Blow U Away
05. Party Werewolf (I Need A Freak)
06. Magic Lady
07. Just Push Play
08. 2 Inches From Crazy Town
09. Dirty Boyfriend
10. Party Nite