The House of Good Juju finds multi-instrumentalist pan cultural raconteur James Whetzel wearing his DJ hat. And in his role as DJ Baba James he brings tracks in an eclectic variety of beats. There are tracks like “About Love” that mix North African and West African music with Bollywood, Bhangra, and Hip Hop, and tracks like “International Bossa” that bring Indian and African music to Brazilian electro. Also present is “Space Tekyuman” which re-interprets American swing through the lense of the West African Tekyuman rhythm, and also features clever and timely lyrics. And, in response to an oft expressed demand, you will find on this CD a lovingly mastered version of the popular James Whetzel/DJ Baba James track “Washington State,” which is a break-beat track dedicated to the many cities of the Evergreen state. This CD is not only fresh and funky and ready for the dance floor it's an truly original work of art.
"Only Candy Blystone gets to say “Juju” as far as I am concerned. No one ever told DJ Baba James, though. And on “The House of Good Juju” we are treated to a bunch of programmed stuff. That’s fine.
I like “Sympathy for the 4/4.” I have sympathy for it too. It’s far too structured to be something DJ Shadow would do, but fans of “Organ Donor” would enjoy this one. I would love to be on hold if this were the music playing on the line.
“Washington State” is one of those great pretentious shout out songs. Remember when G. Love and Special Sauce did that song “I-76″? It was a list of things that made Philadelphia great. Well, that is what is going on here. He sings the names of a bunch of cities in Washington, which is welcomed by me. I never knew how to pronounce “Yakima,” and now I do. Good show.
It is not clear to me why the song is called “Kitten,” but I am sure it is obvious to people that pay attention during the song. At any rate, I like it, because it is what Mario would be hearing if he touched a star and a mushroom at the same time. He’d be invincible and big together. It’s not just the Starman music. It’s got something extra. I bet Pee-Wee Herman would like this song too. B+"
Review by Joel Shit, KSCU.
http://joelshitshow.com/2008/10/25/dj-baba-james-james-whetzel-the-house-of-good-juju/
"Crazy like Zappa meets Fat Boy Slim at a party hosted by Massive Attack. Big Beat style drums with many different influences."
review by gonterian, WRUV.
Charts:
The House of Good Juju was #10 on Olympia, Washington's KAOS Radio's top 30 overall for the week of September 23, 2008.
The House of Good Juju was #5 on Toronto, Ontario's CIUT World Top Ten for October 19, 2008.
The House of Good Juju was #8 on Burnaby/Vancouver, British Columbia's CJSF Electronic charts for November 25, 2008.
The House of Good Juju was #2 the top 35 of Houston, Texas' KTRU (Rice University Radio) for December 28, 2008.
The House of Good Juju was one of the top ten albums of 2008 for the Existential Happyhour show on KAOS Radio. http://existentialhappyhour.blogspot.com/
The House of Good Juju was #4 on the top 35 of Houston, Texas' KTRU (Rice University Radio) for January 4, 2009.
The House of Good Juju was #11 on top 35 of Houston, Texas' KTRU (Rice University Radio) for January 12, 2009.
The House of Good Juju was #16 on top 35 of Houston, Texas' KTRU (Rice University Radio) for January 18, 2009.
The House of Good Juju was #11 on top 35 of Houston, Texas' KTRU (Rice University Radio) for January 26, 2009.
The House of Good Juju was #31 on the top 50 of Durham, New Hampshire's WUNH for February 10, 2009.
The House of Good Juju was #13 on the top 50 of Durham, New Hampshire's WUNH for February 19, 2009
The House of Good Juju was #7 on the top 35 of Houston, Texas' KTRU Radio (Rice University) for February, 23, 2009
The House of Good Juju was #4 on the top 35 of Houston, Texas' KTRU Radio (Rice University) for March 1, 2009
The House of Good Juju was #18 on the top 35 of Houston, Texas' KTRU Radio (Rice University) for March 9, 2009
The House of Good Juju was #10 on the top 35 of Houston, Texas' KTRU Radio (Rice University) for March 16, 2009
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