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The Headphone Masterpiece [PA] [5016958054229]

Cody ChesnuTT
2 discs

0. DISC 1: VOLUME I:
1. Magic in a Mortal Minute
2. With Me in Mind
3. Upstarts in a Blowout
4. Boylife in America
5. Bitch, I'm Broke
6. Serve This Royalty
7. Seed, The
8. Enough of Nothing
9. Setting the System
10. Most Beautiful Shame, The
11. Smoke and Love
12. Michelle
13. No One Will
14. Batman vs. Blackman
15. Up in the Treehouse
16. Can't Get No Betta
17. She's Still Here
18. Can We Teach Each Other
19. World Is Coming to My Party, The
20. Brother with an Ego
21. War Between the Sexes
22. Make Up, The
23. Out of Nowhere
0. DISC 2: VOLUME II:
1. Family on Blast
2. My Women, My Guitars
3. Somebody's Parent
4. When I Find Time
5. Eric Burdon
6. Juicin' the Dark
7. 5 on a Joyride
8. Daylight
9. So Much Beauty in the Subconscious
10. Daddy's Baby
11. If We Don't Disagree
12. Look Good in Leather
13. 6 Seconds
14. [Untitled]
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): TPLP345CD
Credits

Producer
Engineer Cody Chesnutt
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Personnel includes: Cody ChestnuTT, Craig Waters, Sharif Dumani, Aaron Ebenspurger, Chris Winston, Troy Taroy, Alonzo "Freestyle" Catia.
Recorded at The Sonic Promiseland, Valley Village, California.
Lyricist: Sonja Marie.
Personnel: Tom Talley (vocals, background vocals); Sonja Marie (vocals).
Audio Mixer: Cody ChesnuTT.
Recording information: The Sonic Promiseland, Studio A, Valley Village, CA.
Arranger: Cody ChesnuTT.
The title of this lengthy, two-disc affair may be a bit misleading; it might suggest some sort of Prince-like construction full of finely wrought sonic details and painstaking production. In fact, the opposite is true--it's a raw, minimalistic, lo-fi effort that has the immediacy of home demo recordings. Fortunately, it's that very quality that has endeared Cody ChesnuTT (the weird capitalization is his idea, folks) to a panoply of critics, earning him a spot on countless best-of-2002 lists. Still, THE HEADPHONE MASTERPIECE didn't hit the album charts until 2003, possibly helped by exposure through touring with the Roots.
While this is a genre-spanning affair that incorporates pop, rock, soul, funk, and hip-hop in roughly equal measures, it's a million miles from the neo-soul of a Maxwell or D'Angelo. In terms of sonic context, ChesnuTT is more aligned with mercurial four-track scamps like Guided by Voices, churning out songs and snippets without any grand scheme in mind. Attitude-wise though, he seems to be coming from the hip-hop mindset, as the dominant lyrical preoccupations are world-beating braggadocio and the unabashed celebration of social and personal improprieties of every stripe. Whether you call Cody ChesnuTT pop, soul, or hip-hop, one thing is apparent from listening to the HEADPHONE MASTERPIECE; the man's got rock-star confidence to spare.
Critic Reviews

Rolling Stone (12/26/02, p.104) - Ranked #5 in Rolling Stone's list of 2002's "10 Best Debuts"
Rolling Stone (10/3/02, p.104) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...One of the most emotionally raw albums of the year..."
Spin (1/03, p.73) - Ranked #37 on Spin's list of 2002's "Albums of the Year" - "...Think Guided By Voices on a Remy Martin bender with Shuggie Otis and you're still not there..."
Uncut (01/04, pp.84-7) - Ranked #38 in Uncut's "Albums Of The Year 2003"
Uncut (6/03, p.91) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...Although decidedly lo-fi, this epic, adventurous and mischievous album bears comparison with Prince and Todd Rundgren....This is an album of the year..."
Mojo (Publisher) (9/03, p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...At once engaging and aloof, the record entices you closer yet keeps its distance, its often hamfisted production and errant vocals adding to its ramshackle, rusticated charms..."