Ernie Hines – Our Generation
Ernie Hines – A Better World
Ernie Hines – Electrified Love
With my 20th anniversary in radio coinciding with the first government shutdown in 17 years, the 1990s have definitely been on my mind of late. “Our Generation” is an interesting song, one that seems a little ironic, given what the “generation” of the time period where the song was released is doing, especially in politics, but as an overall sentiment, much of the song still rings true in the present time. When I first owned this record, I didn’t feel too bad about parting ways with it, because I felt it was a “one-tracker.” Coming across it a second time, I’m not too sure that my opinion has really changed, partially because “Our Generation” is such an amazingly fantastic piece of work. I do dig on “Electrified Love” and also like the socially conscious aspects of tracks like “A Better World,” so it’s highly likely this copy will stick around for a while. One thing I did not notice the first time around, but it explains quite a lot about why I dig the sound of “Our Generation” so much, is that Dale Warren, the mastermind behind one of my all-time favorite groups, 24-Carat Black, and New Orleans legend Wardell Quezergue both played a part in the production of this album. Another thing that I couldn’t have possibly appreciated when I had it the first time around was that song essentially ends up by calling out two of the places I’ve called home in succession, Atlanta and Los Angeles (before inexplicably closing with Omaha, Nebraska?!?!?!! Do we really need to straighten out Omaha???).
And just for those of you who didn’t know or just want to remember once again, here’s the classic “Straighten It Out” from Pete Rock and CL Smooth, using Ernie Hines’ “Our Generation”:
Cheers,
Michael