They’re always asking for feedback, so here goes…

I’m somewhat old school when it comes to listening to music in the car. And by old school I mean that my Sirius XM subscription ended back in August, so I’m back to listening to the radio… And you are rarely  introduced to new radio stations, especially in Boston. Sure one channel might jump to another on the dial, like how 98.5 used to be Mix, but now it’s the Sports Hub. So it was exciting to get a brand new R&B (some Hip-Hop) radio station back in Boston. All I’ve heard about the last time a station was dedicated to R&B in Boston, it was only on after 10pm, so I’m welcoming this one with open arms.

Where else can you find a place that you’ll hear the likes of Teddy Pendergrass, Dazz Band, Lauryn Hill & Boyz II Men? The answer is no where. BUT, like any other radio station, it has its faults. While they advertise variety, they definitely play some songs A LOT. Such songs are ‘Cruisin’’ by Smokey Robinson and ‘Love, Need And Want You’ by Patti Labelle. Not that there’s anything wrong with these songs, but I have heard them both no less than 4 times on the station. And I don’t even listen that much.

I’m still liking what I’m hearing because they really do play some deep cuts, but another set back I’ve found was while driving to work in the mornings. To put it simply: the two hosts are kind of brutal. I’m sure they’re great people, and perhaps they are some old DJs that I don’t know about, but I feel they lack real chemistry. A friend put it best – she said, “It’s like they gave someone’s cat daddy uncle and auntie a way to keep busy before the Divorce Court block…” Still though, I have hope. At least the DJ in the afternoon is decent. Shout out to Chris Malone on the ride home!

Their mix of hip-hop is interesting. They’ll play Montell Jordan’s ‘This Is How We Do It’, but only an instrumental and chorus of OutKast’s ‘The Way You Move’. I can’t figure that one out. And for a while I don’t think I heard a song released after 2003, even though R&B is still going strong. But now you’ll occasionally hear Beyonce or The Weeknd, which is definitely progress. I’m not sure how many people under 30 would be listening if they couldn’t hear at least some of today’s hits.

Overall, it’s absolutely a station worth checking out if you like R&B. But honestly, even if you don’t think you would know much of the songs played, I bet you will be surprised. Many hip-hop songs sampled old hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s, hell even Bruno and JT are still doing it today! So enjoy The All New 97.7 and let let me know what you think!