A Beautiful Soul (Music Inspired by the Motion Picture) (2012)
In the various styles and formats Deitrick Haddon has tackled in the name of Christian music, he has usually set a high creative bar while taken many risks along the way. When the Detroit-based mega-gifted vocalist and pastor entered the industry two decades ago, he nearly turned the urban gospel market upside down with his blazing […]
A Pocketful of Purpose (2012)
It seems like every time I listen to Conya Doss, her voice has more depth, soulfulness and maturity. I’ve had a chance to review her last three records – Still, Blu Transition and now A Pocketful of Purpose. I also believe that the songwriting on this project is tighter, so Doss and her team continue […]
The Space Between (2012)
Bashiri Asad’s The Space Between gains momentum as it progresses. The album combines classic soul lyricism and vocals with contemporary production techniques and decisions, such as the choice to open the record with the spoken word piece “In The Air.” The cut features fellow Hoosier, guest poet Tasha Jones. The piece, which uses food as […]
New Life (Deluxe Edition) (2012)
“It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day. It’s a new life for me, and I’m feeling good.” No, Monica doesn’t make us endure another stab at what is a Nina Simone classic, but has since become a weight loss punchline for late night talk shows. Mercifully, she doesn’t try to out JHud, JHud and […]
Betcha By Golly Wow: The Songs Of Thom Bell (2012)
Producer, arranger and conductor Thom Bell is one of the most influential figures in soul music history. Part of the Big Three (along with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff) who made Philadelphia the center of popular music for a portion of the 70s, Bell helped create the lush, orchestral sound that would both succeed Motown […]
So Good (2012)
Since graduating from college, all that Rev. Dr. Forrest James Robinson has been familiar with is the business of healing. For over twenty years, he practiced medicine in his native Chicago. When he switched careers, he felt a calling to serve God full time at Chicago’s Bellevue Baptist Church. Robinson eventually furthered his ministry by […]
The End of Me (2012)
In an industry where successful artists adopt alter egos and media-crafted images even as they extol the virtue of “keeping it real,” Temika Moore is a stylistic and substantive oddity. She has released a string of projects in which the songs are about real people confronting real struggles, expressing real doubts and confusion and seeking […]
Bone Appetit (2012)
Any other year the latest double-disc effort from trombonist Jeff Bradshaw could be the crossover jazz album of the year to beat. But 2012 hasn’t been an ordinary year for commercial jazz, quite the opposite. On the heels of truly creative and sometimes challenging material from emerging jazz stars like Gregory Porter, Robert Glasper, Esperanza […]
Following My First Mind (2012)
PJ Morton isn’t yet a household name. He has lent his work to a number of major artists in recent years, including India.Aire, LL Cool J, and gospel singer DeWayne Woods, among others. He’s also faithfully studied the magic of Stevie Wonder and The Beatles, working throughout his catalog to create a bridge between pop-oriented […]
Moving On (2012)
To those who haven’t heard him before, K’Jon might come across as embodying the prototype of a typical R&B crooner, but one listen is enough to recognize that there’s something more earnest and organic going on behind the suits and shades, partially due to his grit-filled, gut-stirring vocals and the near-decade of toiling he went […]
