Soulmate Collection
During and between the “New Jack Swing” and “Neo-Soul” marketed eras, there was a vein of lushly moving, intimate soul music exquisitely sung by highly stylistic artists that never quite were able to break out of their quiet storm and urban adult contemporary niches. Artists like Milira, Chante Savage, Desiree Coleman, D’Atra Hicks, Tanya Blount, […]
Live: The Journey
For many church folks, Shirley Murdock was never further away from her spiritual home than when she was a secular artist known for making “relationship” songs like the 1987 tune “As We Lay.” That’s one way of looking at it. Some might say that in this ying/yang world Murdock simply occupied a place located on […]
Introducing Slim Moore and the Mar-Kays
There has always been a connection between Stax and Motown Records in the minds of hard-core music fans. Both labels played a pivotal role in crafting the sound of the 1960s and early 1970s. Stax and Motown became synonymous with soul and blues music. The artists of both labels went on to become household names. […]
Nuda Veritas
When one musician absolutely clicks with another, a profitable and long-term collaboration usually results. In this instance, the first musician, Rhonda Nicole, is an independent singer/songwriter who seamlessly bridges urban sensibility with rock, blues and pop. As a ‘tween,’ Nicole’s songwriting skills were driven by a steady diet of rock icons like Lenny Kravitz and […]
Fire It Up! (2011)
When VenueConnection formed in 2002, their mission — according to their website — was to “sail the uncharted waters of Afro-American music in Spain.” Original members Javier del Aguila and Fara Alvarez started their exhaustive journey with the slightly unconventional lineup of guitar, sitar and computer programming on their internet-only release, Orange Light in the […]
Where It All Begins (2011)
Comparing Lalah Hathaway to her iconic father, the late soul icon Donny Hathaway, is as inevitable as it is expected, thanks to their nearly-identical doe eyes, apple cheeks and the rich, raspy undertones that their vocals convey. Her smoky, supple alto and ability to embody the emotions of a song, no matter the genre, is […]
From Now On
When brothers Eric and Anson Dawkins left the band of the iconic gospel group Commissioned in 1992, they took more than experience from their time with such singers as Fred Hammond and Marvin Sapp. The Dawkins brothers took their elders’ vocal style and inflections; only the lighter-voiced youngins made the sound underneath even hipper and […]
AppleJac Presents: Playin’ Favorites
By opening with The Baldhead Queen’s spoken word “Monologue,” spit over a modified version of Jose James’ “The Greater Good” from Blackmagic, Apple Jac sets the stage for what’s to be expected from his Playin’ Favorites covers EP: the unexpected. As a world renown DJ and Atlanta-based producer, Apple Jacs’ s underground tributes to jazz […]
Lifesize Mirror
Instrumentalists who also happen to be R&B singers seem to experience difficulty balancing the two sides of their musical identity. That’s really shouldn’t be the case, because if the entertainer has any hopes of becoming a star, that artist knows what part of that dual persona to embrace. The singing side is what will bring […]
Sincere (2011)
A funny thing happens to men as they approach age 40. For some it is the time of fear, of grasping to maintain their youth — or a youth that they wished they had lived. For others, it is a time to put away the trappings of childhood and to fully embrace their essence, whether […]
