Louisville, Kentucky R&B trio Playa burst onto the scene as part of DeVante Swing’s Da Basement Cru, aka Swing Mob, in the early nineties. While the group’s work with Swing remains in the vault, the group’s 1998 debut Cheers 2 U is easily one of the strongest albums of that year. I plan to revisit Cheers 2 U for Second Listen Sunday soon. However, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite songs, “Incense Burning,” from the group for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
In the spring of 2001, Hip Hop superstar DMX was preparing to star in his fourth feature film, Exit Wounds, which would see him co-starring with Steven Segal. The film’s soundtrack was primarily composed of Hip Hop; however, Playa’s three-part harmony on the slow cut was a great break from the album’s griminess.
“Incense Burning” is a different kind of slow jam, as it is not mainly about romantic love or sensuality. Instead, the song is about self-love and knowing when to take time for yourself. After an opening intro where the group croons “Nowhere,” we are treated to the first verse:
“I leave home early and get home late
It’s an everyday thing around the way
Off to see just what I can get into, maybe play cards at my partner’s place
All this running and all this flirting got my whole body hurting; I need me a break.
My phone keeps ringing, my pager keeps buzzing
Yo, today I’m screaming, “I ain’t doing nothing.”
The chorus then comes in with the lyrics:
“The incense burning and my house shoes on
I’m at home, damn, it’s good to be alone (I’m at home)
And nothing ain’t wrong”.
No matter where you are in life, sometimes you just want to shut the world away and take some time for yourself. As we all know, incense has a tie to aromatherapy, and sometimes the best therapy is just to relax and listen to music. Playa provides the perfect song with their standard three-part harmony when you just need to regroup.
Final Grade: A
“Incense Burning” from the Exit Wounds soundtrack is available on all streaming platforms.
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Unless you’re a music purist, mentioning Randy Jackson from the famous family is likely to elicit a joke. However, any serious Jackson fan knows that Randy had musical achievements long before the punchlines. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had already co-written “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Lovely One” with Michael Jackson.