Artist: Q-Tip
Album: The Renaissance (2008)
Track: “Gettin Up”

I had a conversation on Facebook with a former English teacher and mentor of mine the other day that prompted me to want to post this album up. Basically, he was lamenting the lack of new Jamiroquai and D’Angelo music and wishing they’d each go on tour (true and true… please). That prompted me to link to a new (?) D’Angelo track that had, as a matter of fact, hit the web a couple days prior. The track is “1,000 Deaths” and it sounds pretty demo-y, maybe unmastered, but hey - any unheard D’Angelo is good by us! My teacher then asked if I had heard the joint he did on Q-Tip’s The Renaissance to which I replied, of course, “What good is a ear if a Q-Tip isn’t in it?”

This album, to me, is severely under-appreciated. It’s super consistent and properly understated in the right ways. There isn’t any filler and the guest spots are… uhh… spot on.

I jammed on this album for several months after it came out on quite the consistent basis and it still finds its way into my rotation pretty regularly.

In my opinion, an ear isn’t that good if a Q-Tip isn’t in it.

Tracklist:

01. Johnny Is Dead
02. Won’t Trade
03. Gettin’ Up
04. Official
05. You
06. We Fight, We Love ft. Raphael Saadiq
07. Manwomanboogie ft. Amanda Diva
08. Move
09. Dance On Glass
10. Life Is Better ft. Norah Jones
11. Believe ft. D’Angelo
12. Shaka