The Music of Mad Men: Aceyalone

Have you ever wondered what the title song is for Mad Men? I have. Turns out it's the instrumental version of "A Beautiful Mine," by Aceyalone, off his 2006 collaboration with producer RJD2, Magnificent City. Aceyalone's been in the game for over a decade but I've never heard of him.

It's odd to hear those familiar notes followed by Aceyalone's abrupt, earnest lyrics (A beautiful mine/turn water into wine...).

Magnificent City is a pretty cool album. One of my roommates received a burned copy randomly from a friend and thought I'd like it, given my love of Mad Men. It's an interesting mix of beats laced with Aceylone's lyrics - downright eloquent relative to the mainstream glam/booty/gangsta ish out there (cf. Luda's "One More Drink," hilarious and catchy but hardly poetic). The opening track - one of the best, "All for U" - starts off with a few smoky jazz notes, then a beat kicks in and keeps the tempo moving between scratching and horn hits throughout. "Fire" has a funky '70's vibe to it. "High Lights" is an impressive tribute to marijuana, overflowing with slang and pop culture references to the narcotic, its associated paraphernalia, activities, and aftereffects laid over smooth, slow beats. "Soloman Jones" is the eponymous ballad of one night's barroom antics of "big, bad Soloman Jones." "Disconnected" and "Here & Now" are the remaining highlights among a few other mediocre tracks.

Worth a listen.