I do record reviews for the magazine every month, but I very rarely recommend records personally to friends. Shine Through is an exception. I've talked about this record to anyone who would listen for almost a month now. It is one of those records that cannot be praised highly enough. Aloe Blacc deserves to be heard.

Aloe Blacc is one of those artists who loves music. Not hip-hop, not soul, not any one particular brand of music. Just music. And that's what he makes. He is not an artist of any one genre, rather an artist of any genre he feels at that particular moment. Shine Through has hip-hop, dancehall, folk, soul, and latin songs. Not influences, but entire songs played entirely for their own sake. Whatever section of the record store you see this in, it will be both misfiled and filed perfectly.

The stand-outs are many and mostly depend on what you feel like when you put in the CD. For soul, try out "Arrive", "I'm Beautiful" or the Spanish cover of John Legend's "Ordinary People." You want Latin? We got Latin with "Dance for Life" and "Patria Mia". For stirring folky joints, check "Long Time Coming" and "Busking." For hip-hop, you've got "Caged Birdsong." And then we get to my favorite, which is some part of all this. "Bailar" is a record that makes everyone who hears it move. There is no exception.

I'm not skimming through this review. I realize there are nine songs listed in that last paragraph. What you might not have realized yet is that there is not a song on this album that isn't incredible. If I voted for a record of the year right now, this would be it.

For me, personally, this album is exactly what R&B/Hip-Hop (and to use the term loosely) Rap should be. I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm quite fond of experimental sounds such as this and one of the things that I like the best about this album is that each song is different and unexpected. There is no cookie cutter formula here, and while it's nice to have familiar, each of these songs is so unique in their own right and they flow as a whole in a way that I've not heard from other albums before. Usually I find some song or intro just too jarring and wonder to myself, why the heck is that there, but not the case with anything from Aloe Blacc. THey all flow perfectly together with few exceptions. Most of the tracks on this album are a true five star for me. Buskin, Shine Through and Patria Mia are the only three tracks that give me any kind of pause an I think that's just because they lack the true soul that everything else encompasses. My personal favs. are Whole World, Bailar-Scene 1, Nascimento (Birth)-Scene 2, Want Me and I'm Beautiful. Caged Birdsong is quite poignant in it's own right and should go down and listed as one of the best social commentary tracks of our time. I find all elements, however random and unexpected, enjoyable on this album, the beats all fresh, the melodies lovely and the unexpectedness of it make it the best thing I've bought in months.

Albums like this, and ones by Angie Stone, Jamie Lidell, India.Arie, The Roots, Heather Headley, Remy Shand and my fav. Leela James are all the people who should be garnering the real attention in this form of music and expression. I'm sick of the commerically contrived likes of Kanye West and 50 Cent and their supposed "war" over sales. Whatever, I say. Kanya can't seem to do anything w/o sampling from others, and who exactly is 50 Cent suppose to represent?

This album just flows so smoothy and blends rap, intimate vocals and spoken word with perfection. It's great for so many a mood or scenes, put it on at a party and watch people move and groove, or listen with intent and digest the gems that abound.

For me, personally, this album is exactly what R&B/Hip-Hop (and to use the term loosely) Rap should be. I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm quite fond of experimental sounds such as this and one of the things that I like the best about this album is that each song is different and unexpected. There is no cookie cutter formula here, and while it's nice to have familiar, each of these songs is so unique in their own right and they flow as a whole in a way that I've not heard from other albums before. Usually I find some song or intro just too jarring and wonder to myself, why the heck is that there, but not the case with anything from Aloe Blacc. THey all flow perfectly together with few exceptions. Most of the tracks on this album are a true five star for me. Buskin, Shine Through and Patria Mia are the only three tracks that give me any kind of pause an I think that's just because they lack the true soul that everything else encompasses. My personal favs. are Whole World, Bailar-Scene 1, Nascimento (Birth)-Scene 2, Want Me and I'm Beautiful. Caged Birdsong is quite poignant in it's own right and should go down and listed as one of the best social commentary tracks of our time. I find all elements, however random and unexpected, enjoyable on this album, the beats all fresh, the melodies lovely and the unexpectedness of it make it the best thing I've bought in months.

Albums like this, and ones by Angie Stone, Jamie Lidell, India.Arie, The Roots, Heather Headley, Remy Shand and my fav. Leela James are all the people who should be garnering the real attention in this form of music and expression. I'm sick of the commerically contrived likes of Kanye West and 50 Cent and their supposed "war" over sales. Whatever, I say. Kanya can't seem to do anything w/o sampling from others, and who exactly is 50 Cent suppose to represent?

This album just flows so smoothy and blends rap, intimate vocals and spoken word with perfection. It's great for so many a mood or scenes, put it on at a party and watch people move and groove, or listen with intent and digest the gems that abound.

My friend works for a major media company in the music business, and I picked up this album out of a basket of CDs by the elevator. I had no expectations, but this album blew me away. It's easily my favorite album in the last 12 months. It's a mix of R&B, hip hop, and a little bit of jazz.

"Long Time Coming" sounds vaguely like something a somber, tingly version of the Miami Vice TV soundtrack.

"Bailar" is a beautifully sexy song that captures the desire to approach a beautiful woman at a dance club.

"Patria Mia" starts out with a Carribean feel, but the horns lend it a jazzy feel. I wish my Spanish was better. I think it was inspired by the island of Bocas del Toro.

"Want Me" makes me think of LL Cool J.

"One Inna" sounds exactly like Anthony Hamilton, which would be a bad thing if the whole album had the same sound, but in context, it just shows Blacc's diverse talent.

The 2nd to last song, an untitled track, sounds like an ode to Latin America. He mentions Panama, Cuba, Puerto Rico--pretty much every country there--and builds to a crescendo, declaring with enthusiasm, "Todo el mundo Latino, canto," and that's when a chorus of voices joins him, raising hairs on the back of your neck.

I picked this up after seeing a review in Pitchfork, and what an excellent find this is! In some of his neosoul songs I hear Cody Chestnutt, Martin Luther, Bill Withers, and even Anthony Hamilton on a "Change Goin to Come." He astutely covers a range of styles from latin and hip hop to R&B. The carribean flavor of a couple of the songs surprised me - I'd never heard of an artist intermingling neosoul with latin, but Blacc pulls this feat off with aplomb ease. Not all the songs are consistent throughout, but his beautiful vocals and fine production make this a superb first effort. I really like the song where he is singing about waiting for a bus at the bus stop. This song really displays the honesty and spontaneity of his artistry. Highly recommended!