(with Ray J) – A Family Business (2011)

Of all the sweet and sultry teen sensations that dominated R&B in the 1990s (Monica, Mya, and the late Aaliyah, to name a few), Brandy’s star shone the brightest. Thanks to a successful sitcom (Moesha), highly-rated tele-films (Cinderella, Double Platinum) and a string of platinum-selling CDs, the McComb, MS native parlayed her cute, yet coy, […]

Soulzophrenic (Personalities of Soul) (2011)

Two SoulTracks readers recently had a short online debate about the term “diva.” One used it as a compliment for a female singer who he felt had classic soul qualities, while the other considered the term an insult that described instead a petulant, self-centered artist.  In either case, the label didn’t quite seem to work […]

The Truth Acoustic EP (2011)

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More than simply the inaugural winner of NBC’s hit vocal competition, “The Voice,” Javier Colon has been making music for over a decade. With one surefire R&B album and one considerably less steady follow-up urban soul project to his credit, one might have thought Colon would end up in the dustbins of R&B history, a […]

Soul UK (2011)

To the SoulTracks family, the name Beverley Knight may sound familiar. Hailing from Wolverhampton in the UK, Knight was one of a group soul singers  who emerged in the 1990s and helped soul music have a presence whilst popular music was all about grunge and alternative rock.  If Omar, Mica Paris, Loose Ends and Soul […]

Dear Friends: An Evening with The Foreign Exchange (CD + DVD) (2011)

With the right look, a functioning larynx and some creative engineering in place, practically anyone these days can have a ‘hit’; but the litmus test of legitimacy comes from live performance, since the indelible moments  that connect musicians to the masses simply cannot be faked. And while there’s nothing wrong with special-effects-laden, larger-than-life stage shows, it’s […]

Welcome To Kopatechnic (2011)

Rodney ‘R.K’ Jackson had a dream to form a group that would fulfill his vision of taking his life long love of dance music to new heights.  With an already proven track record as a multi-platinum producer/musician (Madonna and CeCe Peniston), Jackson was more than familiar in making remix magic.   Now heading up a multi-media […]

Live At The Yale (2011)

The band Bump Kitchen had me raising my eyebrows with interest when I played the bluesy “Told You So,” the first track on their live CD Bump Kitchen: Live at the Yale. By the time bassist Joe Bevens finished his 50-second introduction to the second cut, “Don’t Doubt,” the sextet from the Pacific Northwest pretty […]

Back For More (Reissue) (2011)

Back in 1983 while I was a college student in Michigan, I wandered one day through a second floor loft record store with — as usual — almost no money in my pocket. I couldn’t afford a new LP, so I went to the “cutout” bin, where they were selling discs for 50 cents. I […]

Walk In Beauty (2011)

Sometimes the best way for an artist to stand out is to simplify. With a cognac-laced alto and a matter-of-fact vocal approach to song, the Canadian by way of Haiti soul pop singer debuts a mix of cover tunes and original material that pleases without working up a sweat. Taking on major cultural sign posts […]

Love Has No Recession (2011)

When the money is right, the family is tight and it’s all good in the world, it’s pretty easy to love one another and thrive as couple, a family and a community. But when the pink slips go out, illness arises or there’s a personal crisis, well ….as the hip-hoppers say, “**** can get real […]

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