Dunya
For over a century, National Geographic has enjoyed immense success promoting the world of science and world history. More than just an iconic magazine, the now multi-media company continues to educate and entertain audiences through TV, film and their music mogul – Nat Geo Music, whose roster includes French-born Bibi Tanga. The musician/songwriter lived in […]
Six String Theory
Lee Ritenour is probably right to call the guitar the world’s most popular musical instrument. It also wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the guitar is the world’s most misunderstood instrument. Rock music has a lot to do with the guitar being so misunderstood. Genres like classical, Latin, blues, jazz, folk and country all […]
All The Way
It’s hard to believe that nearly a generation has passed since the late 1980s and early 1990s. That means that in the "what’s old is new again" world that is popular music, listeners will be treated (or consigned) to music made in or influenced by that era. This will be something of a treat for […]
Down II Earth (2010)
The music of Ty Causey is musical comfort food. In uncertain times, people eat the foods that they know they like. Why? Well, often the reason is that there are so many points of upheaval in life, a person is going to want to fall back on things that are known quantities. That’s why folks […]
Avery*Sunshine (2010)
There is something edibly scrumptious about the music of Avery*Sunshine. Her lovingly seasoned debut album serves as an inviting introduction to the urban adult contemporary market. With this self-titled LP, Sunshine quickly recovers from an EP that was readily dismissible as just another uninspired neo-soul throwback in a field crowded by Jill Scott wannabes. Interestingly, […]
How I Got Over
In their quest to give hip-hop some more meat to its highly-sampled, computer-generated backbone, The Roots makes sure they keep one foot planted in the heart of the streets and the other in socially-conscious soul. The band from Philadelphia hit it big with 1999’s Things Fall Apart; a moving collective piece that combined alternative rap […]
Bionic
With as many phases and cycles as Britney Spears, the former pop princess Christina Aguilera seems to be more fascinated at how often she can reinvent herself without getting tagged as being a copy-cat. At the same time her pop ballad "Beautiful" was blazing the charts in 2002, she decided to shed her New Mickey […]
Thank Me Later
With only a year in the public’s eye yielded by a blazing hip-hop single ("Best I Ever Had"), Drake still has a lot to prove after becoming the coolest, brightest new kid on the block. Drake’s highly-anticipated debut, Thank Me Later, comes off the heels of his well-received EP, a bold and intelligent mixtape bearing […]
5 Questions the New Journey (Advance Review) (2010)
There was a period in the late 80s and early 90s when Alexander O’Neal was THE MAN. At a time when the solo male R&B singer was in decline, O’Neal stood tall with a slick, gangster look and one of the strongest, most distinctive voices in popular music. And unlike most of the soul lovermen […]
Soul Unsigned The 2010 [Summer] Session
DJ Mike Thompson is the second guest DJ to save our lives in the Soul Unsigned Records series. Some of you may remember Jump Start Music, the first in the series, which came out earlier this year, full of house, jazz, latin and funk grooves; I described it as the soundtrack to your Saturday morning. […]
