The Recipe of Life
In recent years mainstream artists such as R. Kelly, Beyonce and Raphael Saddiq all released original songs that sounded like they could have been made in the 1960s or 70s rather than in the first few years of the 21st Century. Ironically, what the mainstream identifies as a novel new trend is nothing of the […]
David
Some things just make you scratch your head and ask why. The fate of David Ruffin’s 1971 self-titled album is one of those things. Ruffin had embarked on his solo career after an acrimonious split from The Temptations (a separation likely accelerated by Ruffin’s drug-induced erratic behavior). There were Ruffin’s assertions that he should be […]
Love Out Loud (2012)
There are certain things that you can count on when listening to an Anthony David project. There is that rich, soulful baritone voice and his well-crafted lyrics and the signature duets with a who’s who cast of female vocalists such as India.Arie, Algebra and Julie Dexter. It’s also a sure bet to expect the unexpected […]
Floacist Presents: Floetry Rebirth
Although hopes were dashed and spirits were crushed when the women of Floetry parted ways in 2007, the couplets-creating part of the duo, Natalie “Floacist” Stewart, forged ahead with her mission to continue dropping melodies on the masses with soliloquy and song. The success of her 2010 debut, Floetic Soul, demonstrated more than friends in […]
Everything Changes
Detroit native Laura Jane may look like an ingénue, with her luminous complexion and mass of coiled hair piled high on her head, but she truly is a woman of the world, having traversed the globe from South America to Japan, both as a soloist and backing singer, working with such luminaries as Taylor Dayne, […]
Never Leaves You
The advent of house music during the late 1980’s gave way to the rise of many prominent club DJ’s as sought-after producers and remixers. Frankie Knuckles, David Morales, and the late Larry Levan are just a few players whose contributions to the genre remain relevant today. Aside from the unique musical and engineering components of […]
Fly
There is a childlike enthusiasm about Choklate that just shines through her live performances and halos her studio recordings. When focused and surrounded by the right musicianship, a harmonious Choklate on the right beat is a celebration of life, for however long the song lasts. With that sense of youthful wonderment, a creamy alto and […]
Landing on a Hundred
Soul rocker and singer/songwriter Cody ChestnuTT has been aiming at this for a minute, and alas it’s here. ChestnuTT has finally delivered his Curtis Mayfield’s Curtis, his Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes’ Wake Up Everybody, his Sly & The Family Stone’s Stand! and his OJays’ Message in the Music. Like his former Rebel Soul […]
What Christmas Means
Let’s just keep it real, ladies and gentlemen: While it’s a given that most people enjoy music and Christmas, combining the two in the form of a holiday-themed CD can garner results that are not unlike a badly-made fruitcake, where the effort is pain-staking and well-intended, but the results are a cloying and super-sappy mess. […]
Truth Of The Matter
He’s not even 25 years old yet, but when you look at, listen to and become familiar with the back-story of Antoine Dunn, it’s clear that he’s an old soul. Born in Cleveland, raised in the church and cultivating a professional rep as a commissioned songwriter practically right out of high school, Mr. Dunn already […]
