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One lowlight: A 50-second throwaway called “Freaky Cupcake.” Bad associations all around.
However I am digging: “Outside,” which samples Cults’ “Go Outside,” a song as ubiquitous on blogs last year as “Lisztomania” was among film and TV music directors. Sample-wise, there’s not much contortion going on, but since Bonney’s somehow at his best on an aspirational/inspirational tack, the shimmery toy-piano sounds totally work.
Tabi Bonney – “Outside”
[audio:http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/files/2011/01/13-Outside-ft-Cults-prod-by-Smiles.mp3]
Also great: “Now’s the Time,” produced by Devo Springsteen. This thing just moves, doesn’t it? Pace Andrew Noz, I’m not totally bothered that Bonney seems to rap a lot about fame and being on the cusp of it when he’s not, in fact, famous. Besides, a passage about Beverly Hills is followed by “and I still got a house on Capitol Hiilllll.” Eventually, Bonney’s marquee-gazing will get old. It hasn’t yet.
Tabi Bonney – “Now’s the Time”