She Motions (2013)
Folks tend to lament the market that confronts artists such as Ms. Monique. However, when people like me wonder why a performer of Ms. Monique’s gifts can’t get more shine in today’s youth oriented market, we engage in a little bit of selective memory. If Ms. Monique had been active in the 1970s when I […]
My True Story (2013)
Aaron Neville is a music legend who has probably forgotten more about the art and craft of song making than most other performers will ever knew. Neville brings more than talent in the form of his buttery soft tenor; he also brings his family history. In addition to his work as a solo artist, Neville […]
High (2012)
I think that the ballad is the most underappreciated musical style in mainstream R&B today. It’s not that artists are not making slow songs; they are. It’s just that too often those songs become a platform for somebody to brag about their sexual prowess or to objectify women. Not that I’m a prude. I just […]
The Pledge (2012)
After a 14-year wait, Corey Glover fans can rejoice and dig into his second solo project, The Pledge, now available with ten stellar songs and the rocker’s ageless, powerhouse vocals. Released through Pledgemusic, an online Direct-to-Fan/Fan-funded music platform, fans are offered a wide-range of incentives and exclusive content as a pledger, depending on your budget. It is but […]
Pineapple Now-Laters (2012)
Regardless of your faith walk, you’ll be hard-pressed not to be moved by “His Pain II” (featuring Kendrick Lamar) on this sleeper superstar-in-the-making from the Windy City. Minimalist ghetto art with all the earnest worship of a young choirboy, the hoarse refrain of “I don’t know why he keep blessing me” gets under the skin […]
Woman to Woman (2012)
For Keyshia Cole (Gibson), there’s a delicate balance that must be maintained: being in love and happy as a wife and mother, yet not forgetting the tortured tales of love gone wrong (and the ‘Mommie Dearest’-esque mayhem) that catapulted her to a larger audience in the first place. After cleaning house personally and professionally, Keyshia […]
It’s About Time
The voices that touch us most in song are quite often attached to persons who have endured the most trying of situations in life. Contrastingly, years of practice and performing experience may sometimes result in technically glowing performances devoid of substantial feeling. It’s About Time, the debut album by Bobby Brooks Wilson, is proof of […]
Life & Favor
What makes gospel music truly tick is witnessing the transformation of an artist from their humble beginnings to their maturation process in bearing much fruit throughout their unique ministries. If ever there was an intriguing story that definitely shouts testimony, John P Kee’s pre-gospel days fits the bill. The North Carolina native’s childhood was filled […]
Girl on Fire (2012)
Thanks to those estrogen-fueled anthems, a soaring soprano and that around-the-way attractiveness and accessibility, Alicia Keys has firmly entrenched herself as a force to be reckoned with as far as longevity and artistic flair. For three consecutive releases, the native New Yorker resisted the temptation to sex it up and dumb it down, churning out wrenching […]
Prologue, Vol. 1
With a name like AB, the Cleveland native could easily be mistaken for an up and coming Midwest rapper rather than a soulful musician and vocalist. But that’s the point for AB: The singer/songwriter is one who does everything for a reason, and that also includes his rather different nom de plume. AB has built […]
