Scribbler's Throwback of the Week: The Manhattans, "Wish That You Were Mine"

I remember first hearing this song and thinking, "Dang, are all their best songs about messing around?!?!"  (Think "Kiss and Say Goodbye".)  However, that thought was quickly erased as I pressed repeat another two times.  The ever-so-smooth Winfred "Blue" Lovett opens up as always, asking his object of affection, "Baby, can we have the same table like we had yesterday?" Complementing his deep voice as the song moves along musically are the lush and melodic sounds delivered straight from Philly--which is funny since "The Manhattans" actually formed in Jersey City, New Jersey.  Led by the equally smooth Gerald Alston, the quartet delivers beautiful four-part harmony that you don't often hear from R&B groups anymore--especially considering that there aren't many of which to speak.  Taken from their 1973 album, There's No Me Without You, those who are familiar with Bronx rapper Fat Joe's catalog may recognize this sample from one of his often slept-on singles,  "All I Need" featuring Tony Sunshine & Armageddon.  (Ironic that Fat Joe made more of a rap love song that mentions coming home and staying true to one woman, but The Manhattans' song talks about wanting someone that you know you can't have when you already have somebody at home.)  Although I don't condone infidelity, "Wish That You Were Mine" is one song that makes creeping sound oh so good...but also ultimately hopeless.

Dirk's 1st Annual NFL Free Agency Frenzy Wrap-Up



Now that's a money shot.  Amidst so much doubt as to whether you're the franchise quarterback, you go out and play nearly flawless postseason football, win a Super Bowl and put yourself in position to virtually request a blank check during contract negotiations.  However, not every player was in the same position as Joe Flacco when the free agency frenzy began last Tuesday--especially because quarterbacks always get preferential treatment when they win that Lombardi trophy.  Some players tried to gain leverage from what the market dictated combined with their productivity to either be the highest paid or just get more money for their families, fledgling businesses and/or sports car fetishes.  On the converse, many teams had to make hard decisions because they were running up against the salary cap, often letting go of some of their best players.  One thing is clear from this year's free agency frenzy: if you bank on wearing the same uniform your whole career, then plan on being broke.

Scribbler's Highlight of the Week (Part II): Dormtainment.com, "A-- on the Internet"

As promised, this is the second installment of my highlight of the week, but it's something a little sillier this time around.  Although "A-- on the Internet" is over three months old, nothing is truly old as long as your sense of humor doesn't have an expiration date.  I just got a kick out of this jawn.  If my friends and I had a camcorder and YouTube during our college years, we may have done stuff like this.  Major shout-out to Dormtainment.com for providing the funny, and you can also follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook.  Shout-out to Mrs. Scribbler for putting me on to quite a few of their videos, and trust that they'll get some more shine on my blog in the future.  (Now if only most of the music videos on MTV Jams or BET were this entertaining...)

Scribbler's 'Boo This Man' Moment of the Week (Part II): Kanye West

So who naturally to follow in the "Boo This Man" tradition that Consequence has now set than his former employer, Kanye West?  I'm sure that everyone has heard some of his recent rants.  On this post though, it's not about him "not f-----g with that Suit & Tie" by Justin Timberlake and his "big brother" Jay-Z.  I'm trying not to make this about his rant on The Angie Martinez Show and his issues with being No. 7 on MTV's 2012 "Hottest MC in the Game" list.  I feel like without outright dissing him, Yeezy slighted Kendrick Lamar by saying that Lil' Wayne should've been No. 1.  I mean really...Lil' Wayne didn't even have a year like his Young Money "understudies", Drake and Nicki Minaj, but I digress.  (Besides, I think Kanye is just saying that to mask his real outrage that he's not the top gun.)  We won't even get into his insistence that folks just don't want to show him love because of where he's at in life:

Scribbler's Throwback of the Week: Roy Ayers Ubiquity, "Everybody Loves the Sunshine"

Yes indeed...everybody loves the sunshine, and there aren't too many R&B aficionados and overall music lovers who don't love this song.  This is just one of many dope songs from the catalog of Los Angeles native Roy Ayers--this being his most popular song from his 1976 album of the same name.  Of course, 80s and 90s babies are familiar with it as the springboard sample for the title track to one of the best R&B albums of the past 20 years from Mary J. Blige's 1994 My Life album--although hip-hop acts like Brand Nubian, Common and Mos Def have borrowed it as well.  However, with distinct vocals and a beautiful musical marriage of jazz and R&B, it's just a smooth song that makes you want to lay out in a field somewhere on a hill and be one of the "folks gettin' brown in the sunshine".  Shout-out to mom (Mrs. Scribbler's mother) for throwing this one out there on my Facebook page, and I'll be plugging some of the album tracks in the near future.