Supercharged (Reissue) (2012)
In the midst of the disco explosion and fresh off their participation in that genre’s quintessential moment, the movie Saturday Night Fever, the five Tavares brothers broke ranks with their peers and made a conscious effort to move back to their R&B roots on their 1979 album, Madam Butterfly. Produced by Philly veteran Bobby Martin […]
Tuskegee (2012)
Lionel Richie’s “You Are” was playing when I met my wife, so he’ll always hold a special place on my iPod. But his three decade post-Commodores solo career has also been, for me, the source of conflicting emotions. There’s never been a question of his talent, only of his judgment. While Richie has provided […]
God, Love and Romance (2012)
As the Christian faithful matures and experiences life in all its fullness, most gain a deeper understanding of the interconnected relationship among God and the concepts of love and romance, if in differentiating degrees. Accordingly, gospel artists occasionally dedicate thematic focus to all three of these subjects in their ministries. Case in point, Kim Burrell’s […]
The Evolution of Le’Andria Johnson (2012)
Le’Andria Johnson emerged as the winner in the 2009 season of Sunday Best because of her ability to sing classic gospel. As if to drive that point home, Johnson opened and closed her debut album, The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson, with medleys of old fashioned gospel tunes such as “Maybe God’s Trying to Tell You […]
One (Advance Review) (2012)
Since its inception in the New Testament church, singing without accompaniment – also known as a cappella – has impacted many church congregations and various cultures from Jewish to South Asian. As a cappella progressed into the twentieth century, it began to infiltrate various musical genres. Whether it was the swagger and syncopation of barbershop […]
Big Tree (2012)
Candice Anitra poses a challenge for those who rail against the moribund state of R&B music. Part of the reason is that this self-described “left of soul” vocalist can’t strictly be placed in a category such as R&B. Big Tree, Anitra’s second CD that is scheduled to be released on March 27, includes songs such […]
Street Symphony (2012)
Listening to Street Symphony, the latest project from “Studio” Steve Wallace, definitely qualifies as an educational experience. Nearly all of the song titles are in Italian, which would have sent me scurrying to find my copy of Berlitz or Rosetta Stone – if I had studied Italian in high school or college. Nope, I studied […]
Radio Music Society (2012)
It’s a rare thing for someone to start a music review by giving a little love to a musician’s label. However, if I may be allowed to deviate from review etiquette, I’d like give a shout out to Heads Up Records. This comes after listening to Radio Music Society, Esperanza Spalding’s new project. The Cleveland […]
Today (EP) (2012)
Few artists of his generation or beyond are as consistently and succulently satisfying as veteran singer, songwriter and musician Will Downing. So experiencing Today, his second EP in an independently released trilogy, is a tautly-executed and tantalizing tease (since he’s keeping the final set under wraps until June), but well worth the effort to behold […]
Heavenly Body / Me and You (reissue) (2012)
The second half of the 70s was unkind to the Chi-Lites. The group that had been the toast of the town early in the decade, with #1 hits like “Oh Girl” and “Have You Seen Her,” disintegrated in 1975 alongside their record label, Brunswick. Group lead singer and songwriter, Eugene Record, threw up his hands and […]
