Jimmy Edgar “This One’s for the Children”
Jimmy Edgar’s latest, “This One’s for the Children,” sees the multitalented artist moving towards what […]
Jimmy Edgar’s latest, “This One’s for the Children,” sees the multitalented artist moving towards what he called in a recent XLR8R interview “color change… a departure from what I was previously known for.” Yet, despite his claims, Edgar’s latest single isn’t so much a complete departure as it is an evolution that follows in the footsteps of “Hot, Raw, Sex” and “New Touch” towards a tougher and less overtly electro-funk-driven sound.
A three-track affair, the single starts off with the industrial muscle of the titular a-side. Bouncing along with a Nitzer Ebb-style point bass, the song sounds like it belongs on some obscure Farley “Jackmaster” Funk mixtape. Sizzling claps explode over a brew of percolating electrical tones. It works beautifully until Edgar adopts a Prince-like voice and declares, “We don’t like television/We don’t like new wave/We don’t like celebrities/We just want what we crave.” This, followed by a string of disconnected rants, turns the track into something of an acquired taste. Far better is the included instrumental version, which drops its human element in favor of greater focus and maximum club impact.
Rounding out the single is the excellent “Switch Switch,” which stays close to the future-funk that defined Edgar’s early material. Showing off his production acumen, it’s a lightning-fast cruise through a network of motifs that might be best described as a hybrid between an ’86 Cutlass convertible and Edgar’s classic “I Wanna Be Your STD.”