Come Through For You (2011)
Javier Colon could write a book about the life of a struggling singer/songwriter. He’s had a level of career highs and lows that few thirty-three year olds can claim. He was the “next big thing” when he issued his Capitol Records debut album in 2003 under the artist name Javier. His first single, “Crazy,” was […]
Breakin’ the Rules
Highly inspired by his parent’s discerning ear for quality music, there were many musicians (Herbie Hancock, Donnie Hathaway) and producers (Quincy Jones, Maurice White) that Rahni Song admired and respected from afar. But it was a particular interview with Melba Moore that struck this multi-gifted talent in a very persuasive way. Transitioning from his day […]
Warm Thoughts / Being With You (Solo Albums, Vol. 6)
The 70s didn’t quite go as planned for Smokey Robinson. He parted with the Miracles while they were still at their commercial peak to pursue both a solo career and an increased role behind the scenes at the Motown label. But while as a solo artist he had some early wins on the R&B charts, […]
Peace of Mind
Alicia Myers has lived a real life since the spotlight from her time as a member of One Way and her respectable career as a singer of tunes such as “I Want to Thank You” and “If You Play Your Cards Right” receded. She worked office jobs, primarily in the medical field – even returning […]
Means To An End
Sometimes Americans sound like we believe that the only legitimate practitioners of soul music live in the good ole’ U.S. of A. Fortunately it becomes more difficult to hold that view considering the number of non-American performers making critically successful records. Still, that canard that artists from a place like Great Britain are somehow less […]
Back to Love
There’s a difference between ‘staying in one’s lane’ and becoming stagnant, and that’s the burden of every artist who wants to evolve and remain relevant in their chosen field. Anthony Hamilton found himself at such a crossroads in 2008, wanting to be seen as more than a melancholy musician and stretching his style with urbanized […]
In The Zone
Born in Scotland, but raised in CA and a fan of classically-composed soul, saxophonist Richard Elliot has built up a quarter-century’s worth of experience alongside some of music’s biggest and brightest performers, including Motown alumni (The Temptations, The Four Tops), the Yellowjackets and even with the Tower of Power as an official member of their […]
Talk That Talk
It seems as if the soul music community has a love/hate relationship with Rihanna. They criticize her underwhelming vocals, gripe about her electro-pop cadence and mock her questionable moral system on message boards. Yet, they sneakily download her songs behind their peers’ backs and champion her club-ready songs in the nightlife as if she’s the […]
Light Up the World
Thank you, Jean Baylor. Thank you for breaking the R&B Christmas album formula (you know the one: Grab ten overdone holiday classics, sing your own version of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” and add one mediocre new track, all the while sounding like the disc was thrown together in 24 hours) by providing an album of […]
Fah La La La La The Christmas EP
The Pacific Northwest region has boasted one of the biggest hip-hop communities since the days of Sir Mix A Lot in the early eighties. Seattle, Washington alone has claimed top ranked DJ/producers like Vitamin D and Bean One whose beats have translated into massive underground success. There are also some strong family ties within this […]
