CODY CHESNUTT’S
HEADPHONE MASTERPIECE
Cody Chesnutt first came
to Los Angeles to work
for Death Row Records,
but found himself stuck
in a corner when his funk
rock band the Crosswalk
was dropped by its label.
Undeterred, he set up a
recording studio in his
bedroom he dubbed “the
Sonic Promiseland,” cutting
everything to a four-track
cassette recorder. Chesnutt
performed all the vocals
and instruments himself
minus saxophone, using a
single microphone and a
pair of Sony headphones
for monitoring so as not
to disturb his roommate.
The resulting Headphone
Masterpiece is a 36-track
sprawling double album of
neo-soul, synth pop, and
hip-hop dub.
Certain tracks are mastered
too hot and Chesnutt’s
vocals are sometimes be
off-key, but there’s a wry
playfulness to his lyrics
26
TONE TALK //
that made the album
endearing to listen to.
Chesnutt also became a
pioneer for internet releases
when labels rejected the
album, feeling it was too
unpolished. Though it only
properly charted on the
Billboard for a single week,
the Headphone Masterpiece
sold 25,000 copies and
paved the way for Chesnutt’s
career which continues to
this day. Flaws and all, the
Headphone Masterpiece
is a lo-fi classic and shows
what one man with a drum
machine can do.
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