J Dilla

The Shining

(BBE)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

J Dilla damn near raised the bar too high for himself; his posthumous release The Shining was called “incredibly solid” and “expertly crafted” by one reviewer, who then concluded that it was also “for the most part unremarkable.”  If you ever find this Wonka land where expertly crafted music is so abundant that it barely merits mention, please be sure to send directions.

The maverick producer passed away from lupus-assisted kidney failure on February 10 of this year, just three days after he celebrated his 32nd birthday by dropping Donuts on the listening public.  If his life is made into a movie, it will almost certainly be Donuts, not The Shining, that will be depicted as the Final Triumph and Definitive Statement.  But that isn’t to take anything away from The Shining, which was reportedly 75% complete at the time of J Dilla’s death, and which suffers in comparison to its predecessor only because it is more of a return to the spirit of collaboration (which represented the bulk of J Dilla’s discography)—whereas Donuts, with its brief instrumentals gleefully careening all over the place, offered more of a singular, unadulterated vision…not to mention the triumphant story of an artist staying prolific even when forced to record from a hospital bed.

The Shining begins with a quick and wild hype by a frothing Busta Rhymes—whose pledge to barbecue your motherfucking ass is made all the more convincing given his own headlines this year.  Next up is Common, who shines bright on his two tracks, the hectic “E=MC2” and especially the irresistible romancin’ of “So Far To Go” (where he is perfectly matched with D’Angelo).  The other standout is the slick and garrulous pairing of Madlib and Guilty Simpson on the playful "Baby."  In his liner notes, Ahmir ‘?uestlove’ Thompson says that receiving a tape from Dilla could make him feel like Popeye after eating a can of spinach.  It’s hard to put it any better; the vocalists are a talented bunch, but the beats are what gives The Shining its superhuman strength, from the Motown vibe of “Love” to the sci-fi space-funk of “Over the Breaks.”

Nearly two million Americans have lupus, making it a more prevalent disease than multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis or AIDS.  Lupus is not normally life-threatening, and early treatment often can temper its debilitating symptoms.  Unfortunately, lupus is difficult to diagnose, and, despite an increase in the number of reported cases, has continued to evade widespread public awareness.  Find out more at www.lupusresearchinstitute.org