Getting Me Gone

JoJo “The Way You Do Me” – With each new track, Swizz Beatz is beginning to seem like an American equivalent of Britain’s Xenomania production team in the way that his arrangements pound bombastic hooks into the listener with merciless intensity while also coming across as sleek, slinky, and seductive. “The Way You Do Me” is a characteristically efficient machine, and it forces the generally middleweight JoJo to double her efforts on a song that could have just as easily fallen into the lap of a powerhouse like Beyonce. She does a good job, and it’s not her fault that she’s ultimately a secondary presence to Swizz on this track. I’ve heard this song at least forty times since October, and the thing I always remember is not her voice but rather the way the beat accelerates into the chorus like someone chasing a departing bus. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)

Elsewhere: Apologies to anyone who may have their feelings hurt, but Marathon Packs’ year end list is pretty much the only one worth reading thus far in 2006. The list element is besides the point — it’s just great to see the guy nail one record after the next with a remarkable economy of language.

Also: I will be DJing tonight for the Neon Lights party at the Delancey in Manhattan. I will be doing a little bit between the last two bands, and a full dancey set around midnight. The bill includes Olga Bell, Lismore, Thieves Like Us, The Ballet, and DJs Earfarm and Colleen Crumbcake.