i was a little late to the Esthero bandwagon--jumping on right before the release of "Wicked Lil Grrrls." i am very geeked about hearing some new songs from her.

i don't know what to say about VIBE. i just don't feel that sorry for the folks over there. maybe if they hadn't so blatantly moved away from what made them initially great, they wouldn't be having as hard of a time now. way before these financial woes hit, the quality dropped off considerably. back when i had a subscription, i eagerly awaited a new VIBE . . . now i rate that ish just above Us weekly. it's just pretty hard to be a monthly music magazine when the world has gotten so easily acquainted to Internet speed. monthly periodicals are best off sticking with exclusive, in-depth articles, interviews and other cultural commentary. because when it comes to news and rumors, blogs and other sites have it sewn up.

i'm just sayin'!