Volume 1 (2012)
Now that’s what I call a band! No fewer than 90 musicians representing about 50 different bands came together to create the funk outfit The Big Ol Nasty Getdown and their debut album Volume 1. This massive undertaking was the brainchild of bassist John Heintz of the band Trulio Disgracias, multi-instrumentalists John-Paul Miller and Derrick […]
Lights On (2012)
If Curtis Mayfield ever had a chance to record a full-length album for Playboy Jazz After Dark, Pete Belasco’s Lights On would be the eventual culmination. It’s not an absurd idea since Mayfield on a number of occasions unleashed the expressions of his sexier side (“The Makings of You,” “When We’re Alone,” “You Mean Everything […]
Revised, Edited & Flipped (2012)
The truth is this: there are few artists who’ve surfaced from the independent soul scene over the last decade who merit a career retrospective so early in the game. Angela Johnson isn’t a typical artist, though. A quadruple threat, she’s nurtured her singing, composing, playing, and producing talents ever since emerging as one-half of Cooly’s […]
Once Upon a Dream (Reissue) (2012)
The Detroit quintet Enchantment broke out in a big way in 1976 with two smash hits that rose near the top of the R&B charts, “Sunshine” and the quiet storm ballad, “Gloria.” Both songs highlighted what was best about Enchantment: Solid group harmonies, a sense of drama and the chilling falsetto of lead singer, Emmanuel […]
False Faces (2012)
Where do listeners look to find evolution in the music of a consistently stable artist such as Ty Causey? For my money, the evolution comes in refinements in Causey’s songwriting. Listeners will hear the growth when listening to False Faces, the latest project from the Fort Wayne native. The lyricism on Causey’s latest is tighter […]
Crayons (2008)
All hail the queen! Donna Summer has broken the curse. For far too long, record companies have lazily saddled established artists — black female singers, in particular — with “covers” projects. Diana Ross, Natalie Cole, Dionne Warwick, Patti Austin, Deniece Williams, Gladys Knight, Miki Howard, Patti LaBelle, and Vanessa Williams have all released albums comprised […]
Real Love (2012)
Despite his critically-acclaimed releases, a pair of Grammy nominations and owning one of the most explosive and energetic voices this side of Otis Redding, Ryan Shaw has bubbled just under the level of mainstream recognition that his talents and tenacity so richly deserve. A soft-spoken Son of the South who blossomed inside his Pentecostal church’s walls as […]
Feels So Good (2012)
Judging from the title of his most recent release as one half of the duo Impromp2, Johnny Britt is the kind of artist who likes to “put it out there” and leave it up to the listener to assign the label. The title of trumpeter Britt and Sean “Sean E Mac” Thomas’s 2009 album, It […]
Retox (2012)
After reviewing or listening to new projects by artists such as Soul Cycle, Esperanza Spalding, Robert Glasper and Gregory Porter, one fact remains inescapable. The days when a contemporary jazz, smooth jazz, jazz-fusion, post post-modern jazz, or whatever label critics place on artists who play improvised music, can get away with releasing an album filled […]
From Bunny With Love & A Little Soul (2012)
The first track on Bunny Sigler’s From Bunny With Love & a Little Soul, “Sweet Lorraine,” sports a title straight out of the Great American Songbook. I hear that title, and the first thing that comes to mind is Nat King Cole tinkling the ivories as he leads his trio. Knowing a bit about Sigler’s […]
