Enemy: Lyrics

En-en-en-enemy-my-my
Enemy-my-my, enemy-my-my
Enemy, enemy, enemy

Why are you so mean?
Is everything okay?
It just doesn't seem
Like you need to act this way

Enemy, enemy, enemy
Enemy, enemy, enemy

Why are you so mean?
Is it to hide the pain?
Or to separate yourself
So you don't see we're just the same?

Enemy, enemy, enemy
Enemy, enemy, enemy

(Spoken) I see you
I see you walkin' around the job
With your head held high
Like your shit don't stink
Never really paid you no mind
So why you wanna fuck with me?

Why are you so wack?
Is it to hide what you lack?
Better not have a heart attack
I'll keep on walkin' and I won't look back

(Now) enemy, enemy, enemy
Enemy, enemy, enemy
Enemy, enemy, enemy

(Spoken) I keep tryna figure out what I said
What I did or didn't do
You know, I just don't get it
I wouldn't put you through all this
But even if it's over
I can't think of you as...

En-en-en-enemy-my-my
Ah ah ah

Words (and Music) by James A. Allio
Copyright 2009 whitchoc38 music

Lyrics: "Damaged Goods"

By request, I'll be loading lyrics to the songs on my CD, "Second Chance" periodically. Here's track one (all tracks written by me, Jim Allio)

DAMAGED GOODS

Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods
Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods

Got tired of sittin' on the shelf
Got up, went out lookin' for something new
Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods
Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods

And so I brought this on myself
Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods
Damaged Goods, Damaged Goo-oods
Damaged Goods

Don't tell me what I should and should not do
No, no
No, no!
Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods
Damaged Goods, Da-yeah-maged Goods

Can't stop when it feels this good
It feels so good
Fire's too hot when I'm around you
It feels so good
It feels so good

Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods
Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods
Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods
Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods

Can't say I didn't see it comin'
My eyes, my eyes were wide open
Yes they were
Damaged Goods
Uh yes they were
Damaged Goods

Can't stop once you got me hummin'
Don't know if I'm comin' or goin'
Damed Goods, Damaged Goods
Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods
Yeah, ee-yeah yeah yeah yeah

Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods
Now Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods
Damaged Goods, Damaged Goo-oo-oooooooooods, yeah

Don't know which way this thing is gonna go
I can't call it, I can't call it
Don't know what's 'round the corner, down the road
I can't call it, I can't all it

Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods
Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods
Might turn out bad
But it feels too good
It might turn out bad
But it feels too good

Don't call me your victim
I volunteer
I'm Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods
Damaged Goods, Damaged Goods (repeat)

Copyright 2009 whitchoc38 music

KATE NASH: Criminally Overlooked

There's a ton of them out there right now: British blue-eyed soulstresses commanding airplay, record sales, magazine covers, Grammy awards, tabloid fodder. There's Amy Winehouse, of course, and Lilly Allen. There's Adele and Duffy, and no doubt scores of others waiting in the wings. They all mine similar veins of 60s retro-themed turf, bluesy-jazzy fare with Motown and girl group overtones and tres moderne lyrics that push the envelope for what used to be called "girl singers." They're pretty and stylish and have perfect voices leaning to the pop side of soul, but they differ from the Lulus, Sandies and Lesleys and Dustys, Nancys and Petulas, in that their songs are peppered with profanity and sexuality is not alluded to, it's explicitly delineated. This is 2009, after all, 10 years after Alanis went down on an ex at the movies, and the girl-next-door is almost an atavism.

Enter Kate Nash, possessor of a terrific and number-one-in-Britain album, "Made of Bricks," that for some strange reason hasn't achieved the same level of success and notoriety here in the United States as her talented peers. I saw her perform on Kimmel and Letterman and the other late night talk shows when she was over here and her material impressed me as well as her fierce keyboard work. I liked her voice and her presence was attractive. I thought, yep, here's another one of those Brit girls inheriting the Lisa Stansfield mantle and taking it to the next level, it's good to hear new voices walking around in old shoes.

Then I downloaded the album, played it and bam! I fell head over heels in love. Great voice, well thought out but not overwrought musical settings, and the songs! Shit. Nash has a unique point of view, a finely developed sense of humor and is happy to share her self-effacing and wry self with her audience. Her beats, almost uniformly piano based, pulse and pump perfectly with her smartass songs like my favorite, "Dickhead" ("Why you being a dickhead for? Why you being a dickhead? Why you being a dickhead for? You keep fuckin up situations") that make me chuckle and instantly recognize my own sometime interior monologues. No, wait! "We Get On" is my favorite, the "It's My Party" update where Johnny checks out Kate's ass and she gets a little too tossed. No, no, it's "Mariella," about the friend who commits suicide to a steady Chiffons bounce. It's so hard to choose a definitive favorite, because every song, from the irresistible "Merry Happy" and its steadily increasing breakneck pace to the UK #2 smash, "Foundations," perfectly encapsulating a relationship that's flushing down the toilet, is wonderful to listen to, laugh with and sing along to.

Kate Nash fell down a flight of stairs, broke her foot and was housebound and unable to move for a time, so her mother bought her an electric guitar which she taught herself to play and began writing songs. She booked a gig at a local pub, recorded a couple of demos, put up a my space page, hired a manager and then a producer, a savvy blend of young business woman and music nerd, and it's worked for her. She may have been criminally overlooked here in the US so far, but I doubt that will last. She is working on a new record, reportedly more of a punk sound, that should be out by the end of the year. If it's anything like "Made or Bricks," we are in for a real treat.

TIM'M WEST: Godfather of OutHipHop

Poet-rapper-performer-professor-singer-songwriter-speaker blogger-recording artist...Tim'm West is the personification of a post-millennial Renaissance man, an artist extraordinaire who could make a go in any one of those fields but keeps busy in all of them. He is a man on a mission with the courage and hubris to put himself in the public eye as exactly who he is: a proud, complex gay man confronting personal issues in public forums and making enormous headway in opening minds. He also has inspired a couple of generations of young people coming up, and his work provides encouragement and support for his peers and elders.

Years before the expanding gay hip hop movement (or homo hop, as it's sometimes called) was all over the media, West was one of the founding members of DDC, Deep Dick Collective, conscious rappers addressing gay issues and whose gay members were all the way out. Just their existence at Pride festivals and clubs all over the Bay Area, where I first encountered them, was confrontational, and their recordings were avidly circulated in the community. Their joy at being valid hip hop artists dealing with unspoken issues was contagious, and they developed a rabid following. West remained accessible and active in political and gay rights communities while pursuing his musical dreams, and actively supported and advised other artists trying to engage some of the musical areas he and DDC were pioneering.

Then in 2004, West stepped out from the pack he helped create with his first solo recording, "Songs From Red Dirt," a superb melding of conscious rap, beautiful vocals and melodies, and heartfelt stories about Tim'm, his life and experiences. "Red Dirt" catapulted the homo hop movement into the musical stratosphere and proved, once and for all, that a record about one gay man's experiences could be exhilarating, danceable and addictively listenable. It quickly became my favorite record of that year and I can't tell you how many people of various persuasions I turned on to this true masterpiece.

In the intervening years, Tim'm West has continued his multi-hyphenate pursuits, publishing books of poetry, teaching students at various universities across the country, leading workshops, performing spoken word and music all over the damn place. He has released two more solo CDs, "Blakkboy Blues" and "In Security: The Golden Error," which, if there was any justice in what's left of the music industry, would find homes on alternative radio everywhere. They are cutting edge contemporary and remain fresh and vital, as they still deal with issues that mainstream artists shy away from.

Tim'm West, the Godfather of OutHipHop, is perhaps our most important voice. Yes, his singing is beautiful, his melodies compelling, his words clever, funny, from the heart and to the point. Crucially, he is still out there presenting his truth no holds barred, opening doors for others to follow, and pursuing new dreams. He's still a young man. Long may he reign.

You can check out, download and order Tim'm West's music at iTunes. cd baby and amazon. I've said it before: Do not sleep on Tim'm West. You'll really be missing out.

VAN HUNT: Use NOT Only In Emergency

Van Hunt is one of the most progressive, idiosyncratic and unique voices to have emerged from the neo-soul movement of the past ten years. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, his recorded output has been less than prolific. His debut album was superb and introduced a new artist that seemed to have been fully realized, and further work (his second CD; songs written for and with other artists, notably Rahsaan Patterson) revealed an artist who continues to evolve, grow and surprise. It came as a surprise and disappointment when his heralded third record, "Popular," was lost, maybe forever, to record label disputes. Thank God for the internet, where even records languishing in record company vaults sometimes see the light of day!

While working on his next projects, Van Hunt decided to placate his enthusiastic and expanding fan base with a "new" set of rare, unreleased and demo items from his personal vault, "Use Only In Emergency." The result is a surprisingly consistent, cohesive and enjoyable affair, with classic Van Hunt jams like "Sexy" and "Tingle," which evoke Prince and D'Angelo at their best simultaneously; the laid back groove of "Come Tomorrow;" a loping, mellow "Hidden Charm"; and a straight-up love song, "Her Smile." In addition, there are fascinating insights into the artist's creative process. Two versions of "Attention!" are here, both very different, and each works in its own way. A pumpin' "Man of the Year" turns out to be the seed from which "Hot Stage Lights" from the second record was born. And "Saturday Laughs" ("it's a blast from the past") is pure weekend chill, setting a perfect tone for this project.

I've seen Van Hunt perform live at Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco (fabulous venue) and he is as talented and committed a performer as he is a songwriter and recording artist. "Use Only In Emergency" is a welcome return for him, and much more than a stopgap until the next record hits. I recommend using this music at any time, NOT only in emergencies!