Official Album Review: "The Evolution of Robin Thicke" 2006

What's that sound? Am I the only one who hears that? Oh. Wait. It's the sound of 500,000 panties hitting the ground at the same time.

Alan Thicke's son, Robin, has got it going on in a big way. The smooth-voiced, Orlando Bloom doppelganger has turned out an album worthy of listening to during a late-night romantic rendezvous. This entertaining R&B set is an impressive mix of hot jams, smoking verses and sexy grooves.

It was a great call setting "Got 2 Be Down" as the first song on the album. Right away you're greeted with the classy Ms. Faith Evans breaking it down. And the beat is catchy. It's simple, but catchy. The album's title comes into play as we move from track one to track 16. We start of bopping our heads, popping our fingers and absorbing the sexy complexity that is Robin Thicke. After the Pharrell collab track, "Wanna Love U Girl" we start to slip into a more mellow, funky type of scene ("Shooter" is a terrifically strange song, with Lil Wayne who does a pretty good job). In the end we're listening to sad, slower songs. It's a terrific album.

I get the sense that this is what Justin Timberlake tried (and failed) to achieve with his last offering "FutureSex/LoveSounds". Robin has created a serious R&B album that pushes the lines of tradition, pulls in something new and brings us something we can all relate to. And shake our asses to.

Rock on, Robin!

I give it 4 out of 5 stars

No use crying over spoiled Wine

Yeah. Okay. I've seen the name before. Up until about a month and a half ago I had never heard any of her music. And then, my good friend takes me to a glitter-drag night club complete with fab-oo lipsynchers. One of the girls did the song "Rehab". By the end of that little number my jaw was on the ground. But I couldn't deny that her voice was smokey and deliciously hypnotic. The content, however, was surprising and confusing at the same time.

Fast forward to the middle of July. I can't dream without Amy's "Rehab" single showing up on the damn soundtrack. The potency of my intrigue and interest has been significantly diminished because of the over-exposure. I listened to bits of the album "Back to Black" and I think it's pretty damn groovy. A good purchase for any lovers of this music genre (lots of brass and blues).

The disturbing part comes when you actually look at Ms. Winehouse. She has a quasi-junkie look going on. Her hair is usually matted and wild. And she's dangerously close to being as thick around the middle as a Swiffer Sweeper broom handle. The worst of it comes when you learn that she has a ghoulish habit of spitting. Yep. S-P-I-T-T-I-N-G. The New York Post has the full story here. But this has seriously turned me off from even wanting to fully own one of her albums now or in the future. I mean, I expect this from a 3-year-old throwing a tantrum at the local Pathmark because he wants a box of Frankenberry. Not from a woman who's practically staring 30 in the face.

Pott-head: Harry Mania

It's not possible for me to have a book blog and not mention Mr. Potter. Ahem. I haven't ever cracked the spine on a J.K. Rowling book. I don't know if this is book 5 or book 9. But I've been to Border's and Barnes and Noble and both places have been having Harry celebrations. (WTF is a Muggle by the way?)

I haven't read any Harry Potter because, I'm instinctively averse to things that the general population are in love with. Not because I feel superior or anything like that. But because I like to discover gems, while everyone is showing off their pearls. It's the difference between sand and diamonds. Sand is everywhere. It's cheap and ubiquitous. But diamonds are precious and unique. I'm not saying I'll never read a Harry Potter book. Anyway, since I started reading Jayne Buxton my attention has been captivated lately.

"Hot Fudge Sundae Blues" by Bev Marshall

I’ve never read anything by Bev Marshall, but while browsing in the library I noticed that she has written two other books, “Walking Through Shadows” and “Right As Rain”. My slightly embarrassing admission is that I picked “Hot Fudge Sundae Blues” because I believe in food therapy (sparingly, of course). Especially all things fudge.

“Hot Fudge Sundae Blues” is the story of 13-year-old Layla Jay Andrews, who falsely seeks salvation from the preacher at church. Her dual motivation was to please her very religious grandma and catch the eye of Jehu Albright (the teenage neighborhood version of Steve McQueen). Shortly after her pious display, Wallace Ebert, a young, attractive new-to-town preacher walks into her life. He immediately falls in love with Layla Jay’s gorgeous, untamed and borderline alcoholic mama, Frieda. Wallace and Frieda abruptly marry and settle into a small blue house in town.

When she was a toddler, Layla Jay’s dad died in a motorcycle accident. Growing up, she sensed his absence from her life and clung to forged memories of him and imagined what he was like. So when Wallace marries Frieda, Layla Jay is excited to have a substitute father to fill the void in her life. But very quickly, Layla Jay begins to suspect that Wallace is not what he claims to be. She senses something dark behind the kind and gentle preacher façade he puts forth in church. But try explaining that to the comfortably smitten, oft-drunk Frieda...

Soon Layla Jay's world begins to crumble: Her step-father's true nature comes to light, her only friend betrays her, and the unsuspecting love of her life seems further and further from reach. But when tragedy strikes (twice), Layla Jay learns that it takes more than just a large helping of her mother's therapeutic desserts (hot fudge sundaes from Tastee-Freez) to heal and move forward. She eventually finds solace in forgiveness, faith and love.

I really liked this book. Bev Marshall is a great writer so I found it easy to read chapter after chapter (it was like devouring my very own sundae). Layla Jay faces some very hard decisions, but she handles them rather maturely. In fact, she is often more of a parent than her mother. Throughout the book she makes very adult decisions, but manages to preserve a sweet innocence that rings true with the reader (e.g. praying for breasts). Bev Marshall made her little heroine strong and capable of handling the intricacies and hardships of growing up, and even though I didn’t always agree with her decisions, I kept wishing I’d had a friend like Layla Jay when I was 13-years-old.

Praise(s): The strong little heroine Layla Jay

Complaint(s): Her mom's attitude was infuriating at times.

****4 out of 5

"Diary of an Emotional Idiot" by Maggie Estep

I think many of us know someone like Maggie Estep's main character, Zoe. She's internal and guarded. Looking for something meaningful with a man and yet incapable of holding on to it. She's the kind of girl would would crumple up a 2o dollar bill and throw it out the window just for the hell of it.

"Diary of an Emotional Idiot" is told to us by Zoe, who often speaks in a way almost resembling free thought association. The story starts when Zoe has just let herself into to her ex-boyfriend's house (she lovingly dubbed him 'Satan') and is hiding in his closet waiting for him to come home. In every other chapter we are zapped back in time, to meet Zoe as a child and realize that her home life was less than stable. Zoe spends her teen years having casual sex and trying different drugs right under her parents noses.

While the book has beautiful language and is written in a charmingly cynical New York City style, I was a little turned off by the frequent time-jumping and the occasional lack of chronological continuity. I felt that I couldn't put the book down and come back to it without thumbing back a page and catching up briefly. Most books I read allow you to dive back into the story almost seamlessly.

Still, I couldn't stop reading about Zoe's misadventures. Most of the diary is about her short comings, her failures and her hard times with drugs. I kept walking the line between feeling sympathetic and feeling disgusted by Zoe. In the end however, you feel like Zoe has come a long way. You've watched her grow as a person. You've watched her change up a bit, but she's still emotionally immature (an Emotional Idiot) and she readily celebrates that self-imposed label.

Praise(s): Estep's sense of humor is great

Complaint(s): The occasional lack of a clear time line

****4 out of 5

They Made it into a Movie: The Pearl by John Steinbeck

We all dream of hitting the lottery or inheriting a fabulous windfall or just finding an unmarked bag of money in the bushes somewhere (that last one is mine, actually). We imagine all the wonderful things that will drift into our laps and all the good food and expensive clothes we will buy. "The Good Life" is what we call it.

When Kino, a poor Mexican pearl diver, discovers a huge specimen housed in a big clam he thinks his prayers have been answered. He declares to his wife Juana that she will have shoes and their baby son will grow up to be literate. He believes that life will be good for them, and they have the pearl to thank.

When word of the incredible pearl drifts down to the greedy neighborhood doctor and the local pearl dealers, Kino's troubles begin. Juana's female intuition kicks in and she admits to Kino that she only sees death and unhappiness in the pearl's shiny, cold exterior. Kino ignores her, despite the increasing danger that his family is in as the head pearl dealer closes in on the coveted pearl. Eventually, Kino, Juana and their child are driven into the swamp to flee from this greedy madman. From there it gets more crazy and insane.

It was an emotionally gripping and very suspenseful tale, and I wished that I had read the book (novella) before the movie. My husband has read it and I quote "The book is way better than the movie". Isn't that usually the way?

Praise(s): The lesson of how greed destroys, The lovely actress María Elena Marqués who played Juana is the jewel of this movie

Complaint(s): Kino (Pedro Armendáriz) comes off as a bit of an idiot

*** 3 out of 5

"Cassandra At The Wedding" by Dorothy Baker

Meet Cassandra Edwards. A smart, witty, strong and cynical woman. She has spent her life building up an internal cell block for her and her twin sister/best friend, Judith Edwards. The cell was meant to keep the world at a distance, to protect the twins from outside persuasion. And it worked. But when the unexpected happens and Judith falls in love, Cassandra is beside herself with disbelief and a bit of grief. And then the news arrives: Cassandra is invited to the upcoming wedding for her sister and the man (whose name she constantly confuses). Cassandra packs up her bitterness, some hell-fire and a white dress into a suitcase and drives home to attend the wedding...

I really liked this book. More than anything I felt like I could identify with the feelings of isolation from Cassandra, even though it was more or less self-imposed. I think it was easy for the reader to understand Cassandra’s point of view (whether or not we agreed) and even sympathize with her. I couldn’t say much more about the book without giving anything away, but it’s an excellent read with beautiful language (reading Dorothy Baker is like reading poetry) and a powerful climax. I felt that the book did lag in a few places but the writing is so good the lax parts aren’t a hardship to read and enjoy.

Praise(s): The language!
Complaint(s): The ending. It left me flat.

*** 3 stars out of 5