Jessica Riddle
Key of a Minor
Hollywood
Sampling. It’s the backbone of hip-hop, but has had limited impact on pop music, apart from providing melodies for rappers. Recently, pop artists have been dabbling in appropriation. Britney Spears has used snips of other artists in her songs, most recently using Barbara Streisand’s “Woman In Love” on her new single “Oops…I Did it Again.” Young singer/songwriter Jessica Riddle extensively samples Jean Knight’s signature song, “Mr. Big Stuff,” on her song, “Symphony.” Riddle uses the samples quite well, and the song is interspersed with inspirational sprinkling from Lou Reed and Diana Ross. The song is quite engaging and a fun listen. The problem is that “Symphony” is the lone bright spot on an otherwise uninteresting and forgettable record.
