Staff Infection: Samples and Seeing the Light:: Right On

(*Editors note: This little lady to the left is named Molly. Molly is the face of Bryan Sanchez. We will continue to pester Bryan to show his face by the time his next Staff Infection rolls around, just to prove we like working with men just as much as other women.)

But for now, let's just let Bryan get straight to it:

The latest album by The Roots features a fantastic collection of new songs that showcases the Philly band blending the realms of hip-hop with incredible new beats. Their guest appearances are far more ranging than before – Dirty Projectors and Monsters of Folk to mention a few – but perhaps the finest guest spot is the sample used on “Right On.” Here is the song:

That sample happens to be the exact same hook that Joanna Newsome wrote for “The Book of Right On.” Here is her original version, as performed on the Jools Holland show:

The former one, which appears on How I Got Over, is the album’s centerpiece and at the heart of the album, it’s perfectly sequenced. Obviously, being the best band on late night has introduced ?uestlove, Black Thought and Co. to a wonderful array of new musicians and they’ve definitely seized that opportunity. But besides that, it’s still one of my favorite hip-hop albums of the year and probably their best album in the past five years.

Other than that, I got to see one of the best current bands, Spoon, two times in the span of three days when they played here in El Paso, TX on Wed. Oct. 6 and then in Austin, at the Austin City Limits Festival, on Friday, Oct. 8. With an immense catalog – one that has been downright exceptional since 1998 – and an impeccable musicianship that beguiles their gritty strength, the performances were surreal. Their new album, Transference, is definitely of the highest quality, here is my personal favorite song off it, “I Saw the Light.”

Each Monday a different Green Light Go staff member will let you in on what songs have infected their ears for the week, while giving you the opportunity to share in the experience yourself.


This week: Bryan Sanchez, Bio-Writer-at-Large