Viva Los Angeles (2013)
Singer/songwriter and guitarist Kevin Sandbloom is an artist who has a light musical footprint. Anyone who listened to his 2009 album Under Pink and Bourbon Skies knows that the Los Angeles based artist’s music will never be called over-produced. Sandbloom remains true to form on his latest recording, Viva Los Angeles. Sandbloom takes a less-is-more […]
System Overload (2013)
Mic Murphy and David Frank were ahead of their time. Murphy was the vocalist and Frank the keyboardist for the 1980s R&B/dance/techno band The System. The group is best known for their 1984 hit “You Are In My System” and their 1987 mega smash “Don’t Disturb This Groove.” The band was distinguished by Murphy’s smooth […]
Private View (Special Souvenir Edition) (2013)
Since their first record in 1986, Swing Out Sister have consistently and commendably blended a classic soul bottom with lush, jazzy orchestration—topped with R&B and pop-sensible melodies. Initially formed as a trio, the core unit providing this ideal melange since 1989 has been the duo of vocalist Corinne Drewery and pianist/keyboardist Andy Connell. On the […]
Silver (2013)
Few male singers over the last quarter centuryhave maintained the consistency of Will Downing. The charming stylist has built a devoted legion of followers since 1988 with a steady stream of conceptual albums that blend the best of smooth soul with light jazz nuances. From a vocal standpoint, the Brooklyn native initially established a deep, […]
Lover’s Playground (2013)
“Lover’s Playground,” the title track on Laurone McLendon’s new album, is the kind of song that can either be a mature erotic fantasy or a juvenile mess. Considering the treatment that many tunes in this subgenre of R&B receive, I admit that I worried that I’d be stuck with the latter. That worried me because […]
Gates Wide Open (2013)
Jazz musicians, whether they play fusion, be-bop or big band, are known for reimagining and rearranging the popular songs of the day. Part of the beauty of jazz music is the way that an imaginative musician such as Charlie Parker can both introduce and reintroduce a tune like “Embraceable You” to the music fans everywhere. […]
A Time For Love (2013)
In 1983, Linda Ronstadt released the album What’s New, surprising her fans by recording a disc filled with remakes of pop and jazz standards. It became an unadulterated smash, topping the charts for several weeks and leading to two sequel albums by Ronstadt. It also began a three decade (and counting) run of aging pop […]
Go Get It (2013)
Introspective and eclectic, Madia is probably as far from the typical ‘R&B chick’ as one can get, thanks to a strictly-upheld moral compass (by way of years of choir experience in her Seventh Day Adventist church), her paternal West African roots and a winding path of songwriting and self-discovery that was set into motion years […]
Love, Charlie (2013)
In a pivotal scene from 1998’s hit comedy, The Wedding Singer, Sammy (Allen Covert) warns a jilted Robbie (Adam Sandler) to avoid the misguided Casanova moves he once adapted from fictional TV characters. “You know what happened to Fonzi and Vinny Barbarino? Their shows got canceled….because no one wants to see a 50-year-old guy hitting […]
Return to the Center (2013)
It must be a wonderful feeling for a vocalist when he or she has earned a place in history with one of the most prestigious families in gospel music. De-Ann Lott is one of many vocalists who participated in the Love Alive recorded series with the well-renowned Love Center Choir from the church founded by […]
