RJD2 – Dame Fortune (Album)
RJD2’s “Dame Fortune” is the 10th album from the noted artist who is currently based in Philadelphia. The 12 track LP was released on his own record label, RJ’s Electrical Connections. Fans of the AMC show Mad Men might recognize Ramble Jon Krohn’s song “A Beautiful Mine” as the theme song to the show, with the track originally released in 2006 as part of his “Magnificent City Instrumentals” album.
The first tune to catch my attention was “Peace Of What” featuring Jordan Brown when he uploaded the song to his Soundcloud a few months ago, as the soul influences and smooth vocals were amazing to listen to with your eyes closed (just try it!). “We Come alive” featuring Son Little was also previewed early and uses jazz percussion and prominent guitar riffs.
“The Sheboygan Left” was the last song to go on RJD2’s Soundcloud last month. The mainly instrumental track opens up with some funky percussion and groovy bass lines. Other collaborations with Phonte Coleman, Blueprint, and Josh Krajcik are also included on the album as well.
As for the influence that Philadelphia had on the making of the album, he says “Living in Philly provided a context for a lot of soul music that I had liked. I didn’t have any cultural context for this music that I liked—it was just music that I had stumbled across as a beat making nerd. Philly was a place where there were enough people who had the same musical vocabulary that I did, which made the music more than something I had just discovered on my own.”
RJD2 – Facebook / Twitter / Soundcloud
Purchase: iTunes / Amazon / Amoeba
Tracklist:
01. A Portal Inward
02. The Roaming Hoard
03. Peace of What (ft. Jordan Brown)
04. The Sheboygan Left
05. A New Theory
06. We Come Alive (ft. Son Little)
07. PF, Day One
08. Saboteur (ft. Phonte Coleman)
09. Your Nostalgic Heart and Lung
10. Up in the Clouds (ft. Blueprint)
11. Band of Matron Saints (ft. Josh Krajcik)
12. Portals Outward