Music
Press
"So many ambitious underground artists try to meld influences from De La Soul to Herbie Hancock, from the Last Poets to the Black Rock Coalition, together in the same stylistic frappe and fail miserably. Square Egg pulls it off, and richly deserve a little bit of attention for the effort!" - Dusty Groove America
The Square Egg - "Songs To Live By"
(Hip Hop)
In 2005 usually when the term hip hop is used, images of guns, violence, ignorance and disrespect for Black America flash thru my mind. I have been listening to the album by Brooklynites, The Square Egg called "Songs To Live By" throughout most of the year and I find myself popping it into the CD player far more often then you might ever imagine that I would with a modern day Hip Hop CD. That's because when listening to it, sometimes it's hard to even believe that you are listening to a modern day hip hop album.
Flashback to the 1980's when a brand new hip hop group from Uniondale, Long Island named De La Soul burst upon the scene with a type of "flower power hip hop." If you can remember that type of hip hop and it brings a smile to your face (as it does mine), then you will dig this album. It's a positive groove that you can easily forget that it's even hip hop.
Late last year I had the chance to meet this group at a bookstore in Philly. They were respectful and knowledgeable about the history of Black music. Put this album on and play it for your kids right after you destroy their 50 cent CD. Show them how cool you are by demonstrating that you actually have forgotten more about hip hop than they will ever know, simply by showing them that there is indeed "another way to go." - Soul-Patrol.com (May 2005)
"The raps are intelligent and accessible..." - Billboard Magazine
"...every now and then, an original voice comes along...a mixture of soul, rap, funk, jazz and the essential intangible appeal that has every critic scrambling to come up with another term for "crossover urban-pop fusion."
"...smooth, gold-soul raps simmered with jazzified funk and right-tight grooves"
- Miami Herald
"The thoughtful lyrics delivered by Square Egg frontman, Lee Williams, are only one facet of what sets this band apart."
"Melodies ebb and flow at the tip of their dexterous fingers as Williams raps excitedly or softly croons in one of a number of original tunes."
"Most important, they obviously enjoy what they are doing, and that fervor is contagious."
- City Search.com
"(Lee) is evolving into an original."
"With his new multiculti live outfit, the Square Egg, churning out the music behind him, he looks fully primed to head off in whatever unique direction he wants."
- Miami New Times
"What's not to love about a man who can deliver a rap smoother than his pate, celebrating the virtues of womanhood while slinking low on the down beat in just the way your mama warned you about."
"All that jazz-funk-hip-hop-blues-soul spooned together promiscuous-like, feeling up your backside, lapping at your ears."
- Miami New Times
Miami New Times Reader's Poll - 2003 Best Of Miami Best Rap Artist and Best Male Vocalist
- Miami New Times
Square Egg are a really great group with a totally unique sound -- and one that we're really surprised comes off so well!
There's a style here that seems to stretch back to the madder side of the Ohio Players and P-Funk of the 70s -- yet which features none of the direct ripoff elements you might expect --
Square Egg is just about the most individualistic project you'll find in the Nusoul underground -- featuring spoken, rhymed, and word jazz vocals by Lee --
It's a tough sound to pin down, with the spoken word interludes, jazzy vocal numbers and righteous rhymes -- but one that's cleverly steeped in disparate influences that still manage to sit well together. So many ambitious underground artists try to meld influences from De La Soul to Herbie Hancock, from the Last Poets to the Black Rock Coalition, together in the same stylistic frappe and fail miserably. Square Egg pulls it off, and richly deserve a little bit of attention for the effort! - Dusty Groove
Quite Possibly the Best of...
Deepness Music; 2006
The release of a best of compilation can be a blessing and a curse for a band. On one hand, it gives their fans a chance to look back fondly on their past successes. But, quite often, it also signals the beginning of the end of their creative output. The Square Egg avoids this curse by breaking the mold. Quite Possibly The Best Of arrives just a year after the bands first two commercial releases, while it also boasts a five song preview of their third album, Things Change.
The format of the album is not the only way the Square Egg breaks the mold. The band, led by frontman Lee Williams, has hatched their own unique sound; a crossbreed of hip-hop, R&B and funk. Formed in 1999 with just three members, the Square Egg was incubated in the warm climes of Miami before growing to ten members and relocating to NYC in 2003.
Williams doesnt sound like a singer trying to emcee or an emcee trying to sing; his vocal style seems to naturally fall somewhere in between. His melodies are informed by a hip-hop rhythm and sensibility, as seen on the album-opening, One Day. Similarly, the more straightforward rap songs, like My Wooden Tongue, have a jazziness to them that most emcees couldnt pull off. Williams has the added advantage of being backed by a group of very capable musicians (especially the three-man horns section), and two talented background singers, Shelby Isaac and Carol Brevard-Stern, who shine brightly on songs like ? and We Can.
Because their catalogue only stretches back to 2004, this album has a cohesive sound that most best of albums lack. The songs compliment each other well and the sequencing does not sound awkward or forced. Still, it does give the band the chance to display their versatility.
With You shows that the Square Egg has the ability to make a radio-friendly R&B song while the infectious Woman (which features Tomas Diaz and Noah Bless) taps into the bands Miami roots with its Spanish-sung hook and Latin vibe. Williams even gives the listener some social commentary on songs like One Day and the amusing Whatever Happened to Crack? Still, the band is clearly at its best making love songs, which they show with tunes like Feels Like Summer, ? and the aptly-titled Our Love Song.
For those that are already fans of the Square Egg this compilation maybe a little redundant, but will be a nice addition to your collection. For everybody else, this album will act as a great introduction to the band and will definitely keep you humming the rest of the day. As their name implies, the Square Egg is one-of-a-kind, not a dime-a-dozen.
Patrick Morales-Doyle
http://www.okayplayer.com/reviews/
- Okay Player.com
Discography
Songs to Live By 2004
The Wooden Tongue 2004
Quite Possibly The Best Of The Square Egg 2005
Things Change 2006
Photos
Bio
Formed in Miami in 1999, the original band consisted of a mere three members and as the band’s sound evolved, so did it’s size. The Square Egg, won a 2003 Miami New Times Readers Choice Award in for Best Local Group in their “Best Of Miami” issue. In 2003, now a ten piece ensemble, The Square Egg relocated to New York, believing that New York’s eclectic audience was ready for their funky sound. Since relocating to New York, the band has performed at some of the city’s well-known spots including Blue Note, S.O.B.’s, The Knitting Factory, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and amassed a fan base as cultural eclectic and racially mixed as the band itself. Their unique sounds stem from Mike Rens (bass player), Woody Quinn (guitarist), Jim Antonucci (saxophone), Russ Kleiner (drummer), Pete Claggett (trumpet), Rick Parker (trombone), Pat Firth (keyboards), and on lead vocals Lee assisted by singers Kristen Maxfield and Carol Brevard-Stern.
Their name is borrowed from a book entitled The Square Egg by British illustrator, Ronald Searle. The cover features an illustration of a bird is nesting it’s square egg while all the other birds look on puzzled. “That’s kind of how we view our music,” explains Lee. "It’s not confined to a specific genre and really follows its own rules." The Square Egg conveys universal ideals that challenge the listener as well as entertain and sometimes not following the rules means creating their own.
“We’ve recorded three albums with some really great music that we’ve sold online, at our shows and on our website, www.thesquareegg.com. We thought it would be pretty cool and actually funny to create a best of album of the music that you’d only have if you purchased the album online.”
Decidedly as eclectic as their name is the selection of songs on this collection. “Quite Possibly The Best Of The Square Egg is a broad spectrum of our sound and style,” explains LEE. There’s the social commentary on ‘Whatever Happened To Crack?’ and ‘One Day’ alongside the more straight ahead hip-hop on ‘My Wooden Tongue.’ “As a songwriter, I draw from life as an inspiration – my idealistic vision of life versus the reality so ‘With You’ and “Our Love” song were added to this collection because they paint a positive image of relationships between men and women,” Lee explains.
The radio single “With You,” features Milah, a finalist from Diddy’s MTV show, Making The Band. Other guest appearances include Geisha Solbarn on “Our Love Song,” and “Hello Sunshine” featuring Antonia Jenae and the salsa-flavored, “Woman,” which features Noah Bless from Lincoln Center’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra and Tomas Diaz of Spam Allstars.
Quite Possibly The Best Of The Square Egg offers a healthy portions of funk, hip-hop, jazz, spoken word, and R&B to satisfy anyone nostalgic for good musicianship. Discover The Square Egg for yourself, you'll definitely be back for seconds. The new album will be released independently November 8th on Deepness Music distributed by Ryko Distribution.
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