If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Travis Shinn Last year Fantastic Negrito released the excellent White Jesus Black Problems, and just last month he released an acoustic version of that album's "Oh Betty." Turns out that was just the start, as he just released an acoustic version of "Highest Bidder" and announced a full album of reworked acoustic versions of the songs from White Jesus Black Problems. The acoustic version keeps everything we loved from the original, just a step slower, more organic, and somehow more funky. It's a deeply personal song from Fantastic Negrito, and this new take on the song makes it even more so. Fantastic Negrito says of his new single: “If you want to take your mind, body and soul on a trip check out the reimagined recording of Highest Bidder through the lenses of my touring band. At the time, I was listening to a lot of African drum patterns, and that definitely influenced this song. I’m trying to convey what I see when I walk down the street here in ...

I absolutely loved Fantastic Negrito's 2022 album White Jesus Black Problems , and especially the song "Oh Betty." It had this great hyped up blues/rock/funk combination that works for me. I'm not usually all in on acoustic reworkings of beloved songs, but most artists aren't Fantastic Negrito. He's just released an acoustic version of "Oh Betty" that changes the original up without losing any of what makes it a great song. It's a little more mellow and toned down, but all of the emotion is still here. This would be the MTV Unplugged version of Fantastic Negrito, if that's still a thing. (I think it might be?) If you loved the original as much as we did, or even if you're new to the joy that is Fantastic Negrito's music, you're gonna love this version. You can listen to the acoustic version of "Oh Betty" below. The song is available as a free download if you sign up for Fantastic Negrito's email list. For more on Fan...

Artist : Angel Olsen Album : Big Time Quick Thoughts : We've been fans of Angel Olsen for some time here, but this new album... wow. It's got a 70s-era folk feel to it that somehow understates the incredible songwriting across the whole album. This is an absolutely brilliant listen, and is one of the better releases of the year and of the week. If you're not on the bandwagon yet, not sure what you're waiting for. Songs of Note : "All the Good Times," "Big Time," "Ghost On," "Chasing the Sun" Artist : S.G. Goodman Album : Teeth Marks Quick Thoughts : I know I listened to S.G. Goodman's debut when it came out a few years ago, but Ken sent over this follow-up and holy crap is it good. It has hints of indie and alt-rock singer-songwriting, and the overall pastiche makes something truly memorable and ultimately sets it apart from a lot of other music. Another brilliant listen in a busy week, and one I'm looking forward...

One thing we've noticed about the singles off of Fantastic Negrito's upcoming album is how different they all sound. They've been different blends of rock, blues, funk, soul, garage rock, roots, and even disco. His latest, "They Go Low," is more of a soul/blues/gospel hybrid. This song is slower than the previous singles, but it may just be the most energetic. This is a ballad fueled by emotion. It's as powerful and emotional as it is just beautiful. "They Go Low" sounds uplifting, but as Fantastic Negrito says, "When people worship money there's no limit to how low they'll go. They'll even sell their own mother." As uplifting as the song may sound, Fantastic Negrito keeps a certain sadness in it that reflects the subject matter. You can watch the video for "They Go Low" below. White Jesus Black Problems is due out June 3 and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Fantastic Negrito, check out the artist's website .

Photo via Facebook Fantastic Negrito tends to move around through genres in his music. It tends to be a mix of blues with varying levels of folk, soul, and garage rock. On "Trudoo," he goes straight up disco. This is first and foremost a dance song with some 70's style funk and maybe even some hints of country thrown in. It oddly sounds like it might be a new song utilizing a sped up disco sample, but knowing Fantastic Negrito this is most likely a song with all original music. Also knowing Fantastic Negrito, "Trudoo" is the kind of song that follows the Public Enemy template of making people dance while bringing a message.  You can watch the video for "Trudoo" below. White Jesus Black Problems is due out on June 3 and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Fantastic Negrito, check out the artist's website .

The latest single from Fantastic Negrito tells one hell of a story. It's about his seventh generation grandparents (Elizabeth "Betty" Gallimore and Grandfather Courage) who cohabitated in colonial Virginia in the 1750's despite the horrific laws against that. "Oh Betty" is a righteous song mixing blues, funk, and garage rock with an absolute punk edge. As someone who has been a fan of Fantastic Negrito for a while, "Oh Betty" is one of his finest songs. It keeps everything you loved about the blues rock that is done in his unique style and just amps it up. If you're late to the Fantastic Negrito bandwagon, there has never been a better time to jump on board! You can watch the video for "Oh Betty" below. White Jesus Black Problems is due out June 3 and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Fantastic Negrito, check out the artist's website .

Fantastic Negrito is just one of those artists that's doing something that feels very familiar but also completely unique and refreshing at the same time. No one is quite doing the whole blues/roots thing quite like he is, and his new single goes even further into his own sound. "Highest Bidder" is still a roots and blues song, no question about that. But it's an amped up version of blues with a ton of funk and soul thrown in, enough to almost overtake the blues base. Fantastic Negrito has this fabulous power to turn the most important social issues into a party song, and "Highest Bidder" does just that. Fantastic Negrito says of the new song: “At the time, I was listening to a lot of African drum patterns, and that definitely influenced this song. I was trying to create the feeling of Africa but filtered through America. I think Taj Mahal talked about the idea of the 'gods of Africa meeting the ghosts of Mississippi,' and that’s what I was trying to...

Photo by  David Domínguez We're about two months late on this one so I almost skipped it, but this song is too great to not bring you, even very late. Fantastic Negrito recorded a song for a fight scene in the Netflix animated series Arcane. It may seem like an odd choice, but considering that "When Everything Went Wrong" is scored to the scene, it fits perfectly with what we'd expect from Fantastic Negrito. He's always had a very unique take on blues, almost like blues with just the slightest hints of indie rock. It's a truly fun song with a modern take on a classic American sound. Fantastic Negrito has always been an artist making music his very own way, and even when he's scoring an animated fight scene it's still distinctly his. You can listen to "When Everything Went Wrong" below. For more on Fantastic Negrito, check out the artist's website .

Fantastic Negrito is just one of those artists that should be much bigger than they actually are. If there is any justice out there, his latest single should propel him to the stardom he deserves. "Rolling Through California" is a rootsy blues song with some modern day groove. It's definitely the grooviest song ever written about climate change. Yes, Fantastic Negrito has crafted an upbeat party jam about climate change. It's the kind of song that will have you dancing long before you pay attention to the lyrics and realize what it's about, much like how classic Public Enemy did. In the YouTube description of the video, Fantastic Negrito explains the meaning of his new song: “It all came together on that fateful day September 9, 2020. Everyone in Northern California woke up to a blood red sun on an orange sky. The air quality was the worst we had ever experienced. It felt and looked apocalyptic. Everything came to mind; climate change, drought, water management. I...

The 2019 Green River Festival was already can't miss with artists like First Aid Kit, Tyler Childers, Angelique Kidjo, Low Cut Connie, The Suitcase Junket, The Devil Makes Three, Rhiannon Giddens, The Suffers, and many, many more. Today they announced four more bands that somehow make this year's festival even better! Please welcome local artists Home Body (who have a blend of electronic music that will be quite interesting along with the other artists), Mapache (who will bring the best kind of pop Americana along with them), Chicago's gritty hip hop meets a brass band stylings of Lowdown Brass Band, and Fantastic Negrito, one of the greatest live artists I've seen in years. He was on my personal wishlist for this year, so I'm thrilled he'll be joining Green River this year! Of course, he's on my list for every local festival, so... Green River Festival will be held July 12-14 at the Greenfield Community College campus in Greenfield, MA. For more info, ...

Photo by Ken Sears I'm a late comer to the Fantastic Negrito phenomenon. I know a lot of people have been insanely into him, but it never quite clicked for me until Please Don't Be Dead  was released earlier this year. I had been toying with the idea of going to his show at The Middle East, but once Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys were added to the bill, I knew I had to check it out. It's impossible to discuss Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys's performance without bringing this up: Earlier in the week, one of the co-owners of The Middle East retired due to sexual assault allegations. This informed the band's performance. They chose to go ahead with their performance while many other bands had cancelled theirs in order to use it as  forum to discuss the allegations. They also donated their guarantee and all merch sales to the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, and each band member had the organization's website written on their arms ( ...