While dancing, Debbie has a coughing fit, causing Julie concern. Going to Julie's, Stuart is introduced to her grandpa and they bond over Mick Jagger. They go sledding and meet Julie's mother, Debbie. Julie reveals to Stuart she got accepted to Columbia and her mom is also deathly sick, but if she delays leaving, she will lose the scholarship. She reluctantly agrees and later has to save him from a group of fangirl cheerleaders. He mistakes her for a fan when she tries to return his phone to him, to which she takes offense, despite his apologies.Īfter the train is stopped by snowed-over tracks, Julie gets off to walk home, Stuart joins her and offers lunch at a local diner called Waffle Town. On Christmas Eve in Laurel, Illinois, Julie Reyes runs into rising pop star Stuart Bale on a train. It was released on November 8, 2019, by Netflix. He has also had parts on numerous TV series, including Van Helsing and Pure, and won the 2013 ACTRA Award for Best Male Performance for his role in the TV series Hell on Wheels.Ĭharlie Rhindress as Carl Cutler - Charlie Rhindress has appeared in several TV shows, including Haven and Trailer Park Boys, as well as films such as Red Rover (2003) and Turning Paige (2001).Let It Snow is a 2019 American Christmas romantic comedy film directed by Luke Snellin from a screenplay by Kay Cannon, Victoria Strouse and Laura Solon, based on the young adult novel of the same name by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle. She has also appeared on TV shows such as Murdoch Mysteries and Schitt’s Creek.Ĭhristopher Heyerdahl as Jakub - Charles Heyerdahl is known for his role as Mayor George Maynard in the Disney movie Togo, starring Willem Dafoe. Joanne Boland as Rose Mallory - Joanne Boland had film roles X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Saw IV (2007), and Land of the Dead (2005). Julian Richings as Phillip Boone - Julian Richings is known for his roles in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and the superman origin film Man of Steel (2013). Glenn Lefchak as Fletcher - Glenn Lefchak appeared in the original Trailer Park Boys series, as well as the spinoffs Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series and Trailer Park Boys: Jail, among other film and television roles. Steven McCarthy as Stephen Boone - Steven McCarthy has acted in over 60 on-screen productions, including the 2020 film Pieces of a Woman and the TV series Mary Kills People, for which he won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a Guest Role, Dramatic series in 2018. Sebastien Labelle as Robert Boone - Sebastien LaBelle has appeared in the 2017 film Black Cop, as well as Trailer Park Boys: Don’t Legalize It in 2014, and the spinoff series Trailer Park Boys: Jail. Michael Hough as Daniel Thompson - Michael Hough appeared in the 2020 horror comedy film Boys From County Hell, as well as TV series such as Game of Thrones and Murdoch Mysteries. He also works as an acting coach, and his clients include The Vampire Diaries’ Nina Dobrev.ĭevante Senior as Able Stewart - Devante Senior appeared in the 2021 TV movie Salt-N-Pepa, as well as the upcoming dark comedy film Big Gold Brick. Guilford - Dean Armstrong has appeared in a few films and several TV shows, including Supernatural and Insomnia.
0 Comments
You can get a Phantom Brigade PC key from our comparator today. Phantom Brigade is currently out on Early Access for the PC. Every combat you face still carries some form of unpredictability and risk. Phantom Brigade is a hybrid real-time and turn-based tactical RPG, focusing on in-depth customization and player-driven stories. If your plan goes awry, you will wind up a smoking slab of scrap. You can possibly mistime when the enemy will perform their actions or take the wrong position on the map. A hybrid real-time and turn-based tactical RPG, Phantom Brigade focuses on extensive customizability and player-driven narratives. In reality, things may not go according to plan. On paper, this sounds like an unbeatable ability. Then you press play, and the combat unfolds like a slick, action-paced sci-fi movie. Phantom Brigade is a hybrid turn-based & real-time tactical RPG, focusing on in-depth customization and player driven stories. You can then move your squad accordingly to counter them. You can perceive a few seconds into the future to know where an enemy mech will go on the map and what they intend to do. Phantom Brigade is a turn-based tactics video game originally developed by Tetragon Works, but currently being developed by Brace Yourself Games after they. As the last surviving squad of mech pilots, you must capture enemy equipment and facilities to level the playing field. Phantom Brigade is a Strategy game developed by Brace Yourself. Each encounter is separated into sections of about a few seconds in length. Phantom Brigade is a hybrid turn-based & real-time tactical RPG, focusing on in-depth customization and player driven stories. Phantom Brigade was the number 945 PC game in April 2023 based on monthly active players. However, Phantom Brigade sets itself apart by employing a cinematic approach to combat. See the future, predict enemy actions, and plot your counterattack on the timeline Outnumbered and out-gunned, lead the Brigades campaign to retake their war-torn homeland. The mechanic seems to mimic tactical games like the acclaimed Into the Breach, which is also about giant robots fighting invaders. Summary: Phantom Brigade is a hybrid turn-based & real-time tactical RPG with an innovative timeline-based command system. Of course, that sounds a little too good to be true. Vouchers missing voucher We dont know about any voucher for this game. However, you manage to lay your hands on a prototype weapon that allows you to see a few seconds into the future, which you think may be all that you need to win each battle. In the game, you are the leader of a squad of mechs who have been driven from your territory by a superior invading force. Human beings naturally struggle with the idea of passively accepting persecution. First, seek to understand their side and try hard to understand where they're coming from. This is a worthwhile act of empathy that anyone can do in any situation. Matthew 5:44 KJV: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use. After commanding believers not to seek revenge in the face of insults, Jesus expands the idea of love to include ones enemies. Putting yourself in your enemy's shoes is one of the most effective ways to show love for them. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Luke 6:27-28: But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Matthew 5:4348 continues Jesus teaching on love and humility, a part of the Sermon on the Mount. Visit the Bible online to search for words if you don’t know the specific passage your’re looking for. 43 You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well. You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'. Suggest a Verse Enter a Verse Reference (e.g., John 3:16-17) You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'Do not murder' and 'Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'. Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them” before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut-when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low- they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets. ESV / 4 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful Many of these are to be found in the modulation section, such as adjustable Attack, Decay and Release curves for the Envelope Generator, a transient detection mode for the Envelope Follower, and the new Slider: a vertical-only variant on the XY Controller. Each filter also now incorporates its own variable saturation circuit, further increasing the character-shaping potential, along with a 6 dB/octave slope option and independent volume and pan controls bring a whole new level of depth to parallel routing setups.īeyond its stunning redesigned interface and versatile new filter types, Volcano 3 is erupting with useful new functional additions, refinements and tweaks. Just like the original trio, these are all highly non-linear for a palpably analog sound, and can be switched through an array of sonic colorations using Volcano's transformative Style settings. Expanding on the already-established High-, Low- and Band-Pass types, Volcano 3 more than doubles the options with the addition of vintage-style Bell, High/Low Shelf, Notch and All-Pass modes. The beating heart of Volcano is, of course, its bank of four analog-modelled filters. The darker color scheme is easier on the eye over long sessions, and when it's time to really get into details, the gorgeous new full screen mode maximizes the filtering workspace. Modulation signals are now visualized at both sources and targets with animated collars, while the source flow area gives an eye-catching overview of all active modulations, and floating slot panels enable collective balancing of all sources modulating the currently selected control. The new filter display speeds up workflow with the selection of multiple filters at once, and presents a unified response curve with stereo separation, as well as a high-resolution spectrum display. With its smooth workflow, no-limits flexibility and dazzlingly authentic analog sound, it's the first-call plugin for creative filtering.īeautiful new interface and improved workflowįabFilter has redesigned Volcano 3 from the ground up to make it more intuitive and immediate, while at the same time introducing a wealth of new features, and dramatically improving visualization of audio and modulation signals. Volcano 3 sees the introduction of a completely reimagined interface, a raft of new vintage-style filter shapes, per-filter saturation control, full visualization of modulation sources and targets, and much more. FabFilter releases FabFilter Volcano 3 filter plug-inįabFilter is proud to announce the immediate availability of FabFilter Volcano 3, the latest version of its award-winning filter plug-in. The film follows Ruby (Emilia Jones), a 17-year-old who is the only hearing member in her deaf family. This movie is worth the big-screen experience, but it’s nice to know you can watch it from home, too. It’ll drop on Apple TV+ globally, but also be released in theaters that same date.ĬODA was presented to critics at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and received the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast, the Directing Award, the Audience Award, and the Grand Jury Prize. Here’s everything to know about the movie. But there is much more ahead for you to check out, HERE.įrom CODA‘s premiere date to what the movie is all about and where you can watch it (besides Apple TV+, of course). Now, it has several original movies and shows under its belt, and the list continues to grow.Īt the top of our list, we recommend Lisey’s Story and Physical, both are Apple TV+’s latest shows to join the service. With the exception of a few shows, such as The Morning Show, the streaming service remained underrated during its first years. The year 2021 has been a great one for Apple TV+. But it’s not enough grounds to write off Kitano just yet - his dark energy needs an outlet, and, as frail as he might seem here, there’s no reason to think that he doesn’t have at least one more killer film - if not another trilogy - inside him.Apple TV+ is releasing another original film, CODA. Will the movie also premiere in theaters? What is it about and who stars in it? Here’s everything we know about the upcoming CODA movie. The fact that the film begins with a single headless body and ends with a row of severed heads is pretty blunt a metaphor for this: There’s a fatal sense of disconnect here. The chaos that ensues is fitfully enjoyable, but - it seems incredible to say this - Takeshi Miike, once Kitano’s cheapo V-cinema rival, has covered this territory before and done it much more satisfyingly. Nobunaga commands his men, including his trusted ally Akechi Mitsuhide (Hidetoshi Nishijima), to hunt down the traitor, not knowing that feudal Japan is a viper’s nest when it comes to internecine intrigue. The inspiration is the real-life “Honnō-ji Incident” of June 1582, which saw the attempted assassination of rapacious daimyo Oda Nobunaga (Ryo Kase), Japan’s would-be one-nation ruler. But where a surfeit of characters in a yakuza movie adds to the rich tapestry of underworld life, in a period movie things can get too complicated, with the result that loyalties get confusing, and so many people die that it’s hard to recall who did who, and why, when the credits roll. Kitano even takes great delight in outing them as hyper-masculine closet cases (“Infatuations between samurai certainly are complicated,” notes one character with glorious understatement). The action is some of his best, the humor some of his very darkest, and there’s a committed attempt to skewer the most ridiculously romanticized notions that surround the classic samurai period. Kitano’s new movie Kubi promises to do the same for samurai movie, and the bad news is that, though it really, really tries, it just doesn’t pull it off. Because then, being Takeshi Kitano, Kitano went the other way, like Fukasaku seeing the yakuza movie as a kind of working-man’s blues, a bleak, brutal lament reflecting the diminishing returns of Japan’s gangland life in the real world as it fragmented and imploded. In retrospect, the Outrage trilogy might have suffered because it followed Hollywood’s co-option of the Asian crime movie oeuvre, notably with The Departed, Martin Scorsese’s lackluster Oscar-winning remake of Hong Kong hit Infernal Affairs. Which is a shame, as, taken together, the three films might arguably be Kitano’s hidden masterpiece, a yakuza epic in the vein of Kinji Fukasaku’s incredible Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973-74). This haphazard scheduling hardly was helpful, so it’s no wonder the three films were never really presented or regarded with any consistency. The first film premiered in Competition (to middling reviews) in Cannes in 2010, the second ( Beyond Outrage, 2012) debuted in Competition in Venice, and the third ( Outrage Coda) was relegated to an Out of Competition slot at the same festival five years later. The collateral damage was his international reputation, which took a hit to the extent that his next trilogy, the Outrage series, generally was received as the half-hearted work of a bored auteur. Cannes Film Festival 2023: All Of Deadline’s Movie Reviews Some people who used popular tax preparers like TurboTax and H&R Block and received a refund on a debit card told CNN that the IRS tool could not confirm the status of their payment when they checked this week. But they eventually received the money by a paper check. When stimulus payments were sent out in 2008, this glitch affected about 20 million people. It may take longer for you to receive your stimulus money if that’s the case. Calculator: How much will I get from the stimulus bill?. Timing: When you’ll get your stimulus cash.Before you file: How unemployment benefits work.What you need to know about the stimulus bill Sometimes this is in the form of an advanced loan. They take out their fees and then transfer the remaining money into your bank account or a debit card. You may not even realize it, but sometimes tax preparers set up a temporary account and that’s where your tax refund is deposited first. Your refund went to a temporary account set up by a tax preparer Tax Day was moved from the traditional April 15 to July 15 this year to give filers more time.ģ. In that case, the payment will likely come later by a check in the mail.Ī new IRS online tool, called Get My Payment, allows you to input new bank account information – but it’s only helpful if the agency doesn’t already have an account on file from a 2018 or 2019 tax return and hasn’t yet processed your stimulus payment.įiling a 2019 return now, if you haven’t already done so, is the only way to update direct deposit information that the IRS has on file from a 2018 return. Some people told CNN that the money was sent to an account they have since closed and that the bank transferred the money back to the IRS. If you didn’t receive a refund in 2019, or haven’t filed yet, the IRS will use the bank account information used to send a refund for the 2018 tax year. The IRS is not using bank account information it may have used to withdraw from your account if you owed money.Ģ. You must have also received a refund in those years via direct deposit to get the money delivered automatically. You didn’t get a federal tax refund in 2018 or 2019Įven if you filed your 2018 or 2019 taxes electronically, that doesn’t mean the IRS can direct-deposit the money into your bank account. Here are five reasons why you might not have received your money yet:ġ. But the agency can only process roughly 5 million checks a week, so it could take months before all of them are sent out. On Wednesday, IRS officials said those checks should start going out next week, according to a Democratic congressional aide. Then, the agency will begin sending paper checks – with President Donald Trump’s signature – to those who haven’t authorized a direct deposit in the past two years. Others, like Social Security and Supplemental Security Income recipients, should receive the payments automatically soon, the IRS said this week. This was anyone who had direct deposit information already on file with the agency because they were due a refund on either their 2018 or 2019 federal tax returns. The Internal Revenue Service started by sending money to the people it could reach the fastest. About 90% of Americans are eligible for the payments, which phase out for high-income earners, according to an estimate from the Tax Policy Center. You’re one of roughly 60 million people still waiting. About 80 million people were sent their stimulus payments this week – but if you weren’t one of them, it doesn’t mean you won’t get the money. as her nemesis Chrishell Stause urges the haters to back off Selling Sunset star Nicole Young says she is receiving death threats. Heartwarming moment performers and tearful fans hold one-minute silence for Tina Turner at West End musical - as show tickets sell out after icon's death Inside Tina Turner's bizarre connection to Cheryl after it emerged legendary late performer followed the British singer's life and career Harry Styles fans' fury after 'restricted view' arena seating leaves them facing a screen for the concert's duration - with the star singing 'sorry about your seats'īebe Rexha says she wishes haters would stop making nasty remarks about her weight gain from PCOS because it 'messes' with her: 'It's tough' Sam and the city! Reality star Faiers puts on a VERY busty display as she steps out in New York after launching collagen brand at Saks Katie Price to 'launch emotional new TV series' to document the 'highs and lows' of her surrogacy journey to become a mum to her sixth child Joan Collins looks glamorous in a leopard print top for youthful new snap - just two days after celebrating her milestone 90th birthdayĮvan Rachel Wood 'hands over primary custody of son, 9, to Jamie Bell due to safety fears after ex Marilyn Manson made threats towards child' Plot to kill the Queen during trip to America in 1983 by man who planned to drop 'an object' from the Golden Gate Bridge onto the royal yacht is revealed Nepo baby 'chef' Brooklyn Beckham promotes new high-brow Michelin app - and admits wife Nicola Peltz shushes him when he goes on about it Tina Turner news LIVE: Latest updates and tributes after Queen of Rock and Roll's death aged 83 'I'm as big as Madonna in Europe': Tina Turner revealed how her career renaissance in the 1980s sparked decision to move to Switzerland in resurfaced interview Three new Gladiators are REVEALED! Weightlifter Sabre, NFL rugby player Apollo and 20-year-old swimmer Dynamite join the line-up for show rebootĭiscover Turkey (Türkiye): Why those in the know are jetting to this beach and cultural holiday hotspot I don’t even know anyone who can wear this shit…or WOULD wear this shit even if they had an ass like that.Cindy Bruna sparkles in a strapless sequin gown with dramatic feathered hem at the amfAR Cannes Galaīrie Larson displays her taut midriff in a crop top and lace maxi skirt at the Perfect Days red carpet premiere during the Cannes Film Festival I start looking through this magazine and I just keep wondering why I get this in the mail. Why yes, I had a good day at work thankyouverymuch. Oh but wait, I get a free tote with my order! I guess when you only get one square of fabric to cover your ass crack, they want you to feel like you’re getting your money’s worth.įor starters, this is the shit I keep pulling out of the mailbox. You can cease with the psychological warfare. Actually, it has arrived several times how many of these do we really need? Reminding me once a year that I’m two chin hairs and a thigh dimple away from being a troll is quite enough.ĭear Victoria’s Secret: You have sufficiently put me in my place. Get ready all you moms out there: The Victoria’s Secret 2014 Swim Catalog has arrived. The new software includes iBooks, which allows users to sync the books they are reading on their iPhone and iPad with their Mac computer. Named after the surfing location in northern California, Mavericks brings a host of new features and apps to Macs, many of which began on Apple's iOS 7, its operating system for the iPad and iPhone. Called OS X 10.9 Mavericks, the software will be available for download through Apple's Mac App Store and will be free for those currently using Mountain Lion, Lion or Snow Leopard. 22, 2013 — - Prepare your Macs! Apple's latest version of its OS X operating system will be available today, Apple officials announced in San Francisco. Questions? Comments? Have a fix? Post them below or e-mail us!īe sure to check us out on Twitter and the CNET Mac forums.SAN FRANCISCIO, Oct. When finished, you can then re-try the Mavericks installation. To do this, reboot with the Command-R keys held down and then either restore your system from a backup, or use the OS X installer tool to reinstall the OS (your data and program installations should not be affected). Lastly, if you reset the system and you cannot boot to OS X again, then you will have to reinstall OS X from the recovery partition. If so, then try running some general maintenance routines, and optionally download and re-apply the latest "Combo" updater for your version of OS X, before attempting the installation again. This unfortunately can be risky, but in most cases should allow the system to reboot normally in the prior version of OS X. If the system has restarted and you are at the Mavericks installation progress with no OS running in the background, then your only option is to force-restart the system by holding the power button. Following this, reboot the system and try the installation again (open the installer in the Applications folder, or re-download it from the Mac App Store). If you are still in your main OS X installation before the system reboots to install Mavericks, then you can attempt to quit the Mavericks installer or force-quit it. If the progress has not advanced after an hour, then it is time to try fixing the issue. Sometimes OS X installations may hit a small snag or two that take a while to overcome, so initially wait it out. If you are able to run the installer but the progress has halted, at first do not try to interrupt it. After any found errors have been fixed, you can then reboot normally and try the installation again. Once the recovery partition has loaded, you can open Disk Utility and use it to run a disk repair routine on your main boot drive. In these cases you can usually clear the problem by rebooting to the OS X recovery partition by holding Command-R immediately after hearing the boot chime at startup. Re-downloading at a later time may clear the issue up.Ī second issue may occur when the OS X installer finds fault with your hard drive and will not install. Since Mavericks is free, at least initially Apple's servers may be a bit taxed, so in some cases connections may time out or otherwise stop working. If your download from the Mac App Store appears to be stuck and no longer progressing, then you can clear it by quitting the App Store, restarting your system, and then re-trying the download at a later time. If these, or similar issues are preventing your installation from proceeding, then you can likely overcome them with a few easy steps. Other times Mavericks might be hung up downloading from the Mac App Store, or never complete its final installation steps. In some cases, people attempting to install the OS are running into a problem where the Mavericks installer claims the hard disk is damaged and needs to be repaired. This organization is hosting a lion dance on January 14 and a Lunar New Year marketplace on January 15. Look for local vendors like Vinason Pho and Cloud & Cream Cakery serving sweet and savory food from Vietnam and beyond. On January 14 and 15, Seattle Center honors the Vietnamese Lunar New Year with performances of opera music, martial arts, an eating competition, a fashion show, and even a spelling bee. This underrated Central District fishmonger and restaurant’s next take-home meal kit has Lunar New Year in mind, with entrees like steamed black cod with black bean sauce and desserts like mochi doughnuts. Know of a Lunar New Year special that should be added to this list? Let us know at Fish Guys You’ll find recommendations for top Korean restaurants, Thai, Japanese, and more in the guide to Seattle’s Asian cuisines. In and around Seattle, festivities will ring in 2023 as the Year of the Rabbit (or Year of the Cat for Vietnamese celebrants) from the Chinatown-International District to Edmonds, with extravagant lion dances, red envelopes full of money, and of course, lucky Lunar New Year foods like long noodles and cakes intended to confer good fortune.īeyond the food-focused events and specials listed below, Seattle has tons of phenomenal restaurants perfect for honoring Lunar New Year traditions whether or not they’re changing things up for the occasion. Starting January 22, millions of people from China, Malaysia, Japan, and many more countries will celebrate the Lunar New Year - also known as Chinese New Year, Tet Nguyen Dan, and Seollal. Bilal’s voice is in a higher key than in Hezekiah’s “Lookin’ Up”, casting an angelic sound over the haunted feeling described by the verses. Something is “lurkin’ in the shadows” and it’s “starin’ through the darkness”, and there are “four walls” closing in on him. This song, though, is what happens when you realize the “reality” is just as bad as your paranoia would lead you to believe.īilal’s hook is embellished by an introduction to the verses, setting the mood with the protagonist’s paranoia (“When I go outside, I feel somethin’ behind me / I’m lookin’ back but nothin’s around me”). “I’m havin’ nightmares,” Bilal begins this song, even before the percussion begins, like a lingering doubt floating through one’s mind before it is anchored by reality. “Nightmares”, Clipse featuring Bilal and Pharrell Williams, Hell Hath No Fury (2006) Bilal’s guest spot absolutely steals the show here, swaying across the track like church folk at an old time revival, as refreshing as a cold glass of lemonade on a sweltering day. “I’ve been struggling for so long,” Bilal sings, “but something keeps tellin’ me ‘keep on lookin’ up’.” Hezekiah, an experienced but underrated lyricist, lets his verses skip across the plodding rhythm and shimmying bassline, his delivery exuding the rays of inspiration his words are crying out for. No, this is about bringing the struggle to an end. Interestingly, it’s not about finding strength from struggle, as is sometimes the message in songs that find resonance in how adversity builds character. Here, the emphasis is on making the best of a bad situation, finding hope amid struggle. There’s a hopefulness to these vocals that simply does not exist in Jay-Z’s “Fallin’.” And why should it? In “Fallin'”, the emphasis was on the downward spiral of greed and excess. “Looking Up”, Hezekiah featuring Bilal (2007)īilal opens this track with a gospel inflection, singing out, fully, wholly, and layered. This is Shawn Carter’s story.” Bilal’s hook drives the point home. About the song, Jay-Z, during the live performance, said, “This is what would have happened if I hadn’t become Jay-Z. Yet, his voice is as embedded in the song as the drum programming, part of the moody fabric woven into Jay-Z’s narrative. “I know it’s gon’ come right back.” Bilal’s sense of doom, evidenced by the line, “But this game I play, ain’t no way to fix it”, is cyclical, and he sings it so that his hook blends into the repeated word of the title, “Fallin'”.īilal’s voice is separate and distinct from the song, rising above the action in regretful fashion, informed by insight that is prescient and foreboding. “I know I shouldn’t have did that,” Bilal sings. The tragedy is brought into sharper focus when Bilal does the hook, his limber vocals accompanied by a slightly faster tempo and a rushing sense of urgency. Jay-Z’s delivery has a sing-songy flow to it, almost like a nursery rhyme, belying the tragedy described by the lyrics. During the performance, he called the song a “cautionary tale”, a story about the “decline” that follows unbridled success. On Vh1 Storytellers, Jay-Z performed “Fallin'”, from his loosely constructed concept album inspired by the Denzel Washington-helmed film of the same name. “Fallin'”, Jay-Z featuring Bilal, American Gangster (2007) Besides Shafiq Husayn’s “Cheeba”, there are other appearances by Bilal that demonstrate his skill. Whether he’s performing a hook to a song or joining in a duet, Bilal is a tough act to follow. Armed with a knack for finding just the right approach to enhance his cameos, Bilal’s collection of features could easily make an enjoyable and standalone body of work, not to mention a pretty mean playlist. Maxwell, Amel Larrieux, D’Angelo, and Erykah Badu (and, to some extent, Me’shell Ndegeocello as well) - these artists are examples of Neo-Soul at its most potent.īilal Oliver also belongs to this elite class, and although his solo work (2001’s 1st Born Second, the leaked and then shelved Love for Sale, and 2010’s stellar Airtight’s Revenge) delivers plenty of material to earn him his place at the table, it’s possible that his guest appearances will long be remembered as the true gems of his career. Marked by a revival of an “old school” ’70s soul aesthetic, Neo-Soul intertwined rap, R&B, and soul into an intriguing mixture of sultry rhythms, creative arrangements, layered vocals, and edgy, eclectic lyricism. The vocalist is the always fabulous Bilal Oliver, a musical innovator from the fabled “Neo-Soul” era of the late ’90s and early ’00s. The song is “Cheeba”, a track from Shafiq Husayn’s 2009 LP, En’a-Free-Ka. Within 30 seconds, a creeping, smoky, almost ghostly voice becomes the centerpiece. First comes a wiry, stuttering drum pattern, and then a series of slinky horn riffs. |