By Mawuse Ziegbe

I recently went back to Boston for a truly mystifying experience: my middle school reunion. Unlike high school or college reunions, it’s too long ago for grudges or festering sexual tension to result in a truly glorious Ricki Lake moment. Instead, I was peering at people who I last saw eating glue and making macaroni art talk about diversifying their portfolio. The Capri Suns and knee scratches have been replaced by Blackberrys and breasts. The girl who used to wear goofy leggings is now dating a mayor. The girl who I used to build forts with is now doing nerdlinger stuff at IBM. The curly-haired boy who used to live for “soccah (God bless those Boston accents),” now owns a landscaping business and looks like a skinhead. Someone brought out a faded lit-mag where booger-picking classmates wrote 5-line stories about the history of pizza. And at one point I heard the unmistakable wail of the Macarena. Even the post-reunion toke-up had that unshakable element of “I’m going to wake up from this foolishness any minute now.”

So let’s ditch my awkward memories for music reminiscent of a simpler time: Raphael Saadiq’s latest album, The Way I See It. Saadiq is having no part of the 21st century and that’s just grand. There are lots of sunny marches and churchy grooves that sound like they come with vinyl furniture and a pair of saddle shoes. I’m all about “Stayin’ in Love” and “100 Yard Dash” and Saadiq’s liberal use of the tambourine. The only handicap is that the songs sound very similar and are mostly distinguished by their relative amounts of tambourine (“Big Easy,” moderate tambourine, “Love That Girl” mega tambourine). But most importantly he still has that earthy sensuality and those magical basslines that really melt my butter.

Sonically, each track on Jazmine Sullivan’s debut Fearless is distinct but lyrically, she’s got the torch thing on lock. Imagine every possible way one could muck up a relationship and Jazmine’s got some lyrics dripping with melisma and “drama with my ex-boo” sentiments. There are speaker-crushers for any occasion: If you’re getting cheated on (“Live A Lie”), if you’re cheating (“In Love With Another Man”), if you want your boo back (“Need U Bad”) and if you’ve just caused sizable property damage (“Bust Your Windows”). A truly versatile record for those who think happy endings are for tossers. The Lauryn Hill comparisons can easily be made (the melodies, Wu-Tang samples, Salaam Remi connection, etc) but for the most part, Jazmine is her own woman. The biggest difference is back in the day we used to dub artists like Hill and Sullivan “Neo-Soul.” Now they’re simply known as “talented.”

Soul singing sensation N’Dea Davenport of the internationally critically acclaimed R & B group, The Brand New Heavies tells us a very personal story about her struggle overcoming uterine fibroids.

Check out N’Dea at: myspace.com/ndeadavenport

Aditya, you’re super!

On October 7, 2008, Dave Eggers, founder of 826NYC (and author of “A Heartbreaking Work By A Staggering Genius” and “What is The What,” both must-reads) will host the annual Revenge of The Bookeaters, a benefit for his organization which helps students, ages 6-18, develop their writing skills. If the line-up doesn’t temp you, the good cause will. Buy Tickets.

More info here: bookeaters.org/

Round Two of The Brooklyn Record Riot
Hosted by Iris Records

The second installment of the Brooklyn Record Riot takes place on Sunday, September 28th, again at the Warsaw in Brooklyn (261 Driggs Ave, 718.387.0505), from 11am-8pm. They promise to bring over 40 record dealers, plus some that didn’t come last time. Phast Phreddie is organizing another crew of stellar DJs. Warsaw promises more food and beer. Early entry (9am-11am) will set you back $20 and regular admission remains at $3.

RSVP to Pete Rock for free here.

The new issue of Wired (16.10) reports that Google Maps “now offers step-by-step instructions for not driving from point A to point B.” From the Google Maps home page, simply click Get Directions, enter point A, enter point B, click Get Directions button and choose Walking from the Also Available bar.

Following in the footsteps of Tina Turner, a-ha, Duran Duran, Madonna, Moby and countless others, Jack White & Alicia Keys have turned in their 007 theme, “Another Way To Die,” for the 22nd James Bond Film, Quantum Of Solace, which opens on November 14. Ain’t It Cool News‘ Merrick with the help of user auddym report there’s an official stream here.

A little over one week after making headlines in a lawsuit brought by the trust which owns the 1942 Cornell Woolrich story which Rear Window was based on, Steven Spielberg is making news again. The Los Angeles Times reports that in a scenario more implausible than most of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Steven Spielberg (E.T.) and Peter Jackson’s (The Lord Of The Rings) new project has been rejected by a major studio.

After reviewing the final submitted budget of $130 million for a 3-D motion capture (see Beowulf) version of Belgian export Tintin, Universal balked. The LAT article reasons, “According to several people close to the project, Tintin would have to rake in $425 million worldwide in ticket sales before the studios could break even,” as “[Spielberg and Jackson] would walk away with more than $100 million before Universal and DreamWorks could make a profit.” At press time, it was unclear who would have played Tintin’s dog, Snowy.

New Yorkers have less than 60 hours to enter the Netflix Movie Watching World Championship.

Eight “lucky” contestants will compete in Times Square, on October 2, at 10:30 AM, to win $10,000 cash, a lifetime Netflix subscription, The Netflix Popcorn Bowl Trophy and, of course, a Guiness World Record Title for .. consecutive hours spent watching movies. The current title holder? Ashish Sharma of Mathura, India, with 120 hours and 23 minutes. You’re going to need one special box of Goobers.