Lust, Love & Lies (2010)

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Whether you meet on-line, at a stoplight or in the club, going from stranger to significant other typically involves certain milestones—the handshake turns into a hug, a whisper becomes a kiss, and on it goes.  When in the wrong hands, the arc of a love story can be handled in a clichéd and formulaic manner, but […]

America’s Most Wanted (2010)

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As a solo artist, Calvin "Soul Prince" Richardson has been seducing audiences with his silken Southern soul vocals for 11 years. Over those years, Richardson has cemented his image as a younger, sexier Aaron Neville for adoring Magnolia peaches in the Bible Belt. While singing a register or two lower than Neville, Richardson matches the […]

Black Gold

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Back in 2000, I read Drop, Mat Johnson’s novel about Philadelphian who leaves America in hopes of finding a more accepting climate for young upwardly blacks in the London publishing world. In one scene, an editor at the publication where the lead character works dismisses reggae music as a substandard musical genre that only created […]

Color Blind

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The moment I heard Jeff Hendrick sing on Color Blind, his latest album, I instantly thought of Michael Franks. It would be incorrect to say that Hendrick is trying to sound exactly like Franks. Hendrick sings R&B while Franks’ sound has more of a jazzy vibe. Yet, there are similarities in their phrasing, vocal range […]

Wayout: Portfolio Vol. 1

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Lenny Hamilton is a perfectionist, and once you’ve learn about his background it’s easy to understand why. He’s the son of a coach. His father, Leonard Hamilton, coached the University of Miami Hurricanes in the 1990s. He did a good enough job that he made it to an NBA sideline. He’s now coaching at Florida […]

The Contemporary Soul Songbook, Vol. 3

It is usually a delight to listen to an album from Soul Unsigned Records, one of the few record labels flying the flag for the unsigned talent around the world.  The focus of this particular series of albums from the label is to present a more soulful catalogue of songs, so you will not find […]

Intimacy

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Elegant, understated lyrics; sparce, sultry grooves and a hushed, yet hypnotic tenor—-Kem is such an exact opposite of what many of today’s hitmakers embody, that those who don’t know better may pin him down as predictable. But what he proves with his latest release, entitled Intimacy: Album III, is that one doesn’t have to employ […]

The Paradise Groove

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After satisfying crowds with a soothing mix of jazzy funk and new age disco on their debut, Groovy, the Swedish dance outfit Glam Sam and His Combo returns with another nifty offering for the überbossa nova dance crowd on The Paradise Groove. Mostly instrumental tracks using the grit of a jam session, Paradise Groove focuses […]

Back to Me

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With a galvanizing, gospel-grown, sultry soprano and a fiery, crackling stage presence, Fantasia Barrino is, indisputably, one of the most talented and versatile performers of her time.  She wasn’t the most likely person pegged to win the coveted first-place slot on American Idol in 2004—because, honestly, what single mother and high-school-dropout would be?—but over five […]

Soul of a Woman

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Let’s keep it real: there are some people who, if given the opportunity, would turn back the clock and relive the days of their youth, but for most of us, there’s just something special about being "grown." In the mercurial entertainment industry, the Powers That Be perpetuate the ideas and the looks of being young […]

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