The Hard Way (2008)
When James Hunter released People Gonna Talk in 2006, few in the US had even heard of Amy Winehouse. But Hunter was setting the table for her across-the-board success with his authentic, fun 60s rock n’ soul sound. And while his topics were certainly more traditional and his lyrics more subdued than Winehouse, his release was […]
When Love Comes (2008)
Long before he’d be crowned the "New Prince of Soul," Calvin Richardson was on the path to becoming a gospel star, but as in many dark fairytales, fate has a way of intervening. Thanks to a couple of future R&B icons, Richardson’s wouldn’t stay on the path to gospel stardom for long. While singing with […]
The Truth (2008)
A prior shelved CD, a soured label deal—the four King sisters (Neosha, Farrah, Felisha and Fallon of Atlanta, GA) probably weren’t the most optimistic group in 2006, but their debut release, tellingly entitled Unappreciated, garnered over half a million copies in sales and a pair of charting singles, the lovelorn title track and that summer […]
Lyfe Change (2008)
Every artist who cultivates an outlaw image in hopes of parlaying that image into street cred and increased record sales is working from the Johnny Cash play book. Cash is the country singer who wrote songs such as "Folsom Prison Blues," as well as performing a live concert at the prison. The double irony is […]
Here I Stand (2008)
If 2004 wasn’t the year of Usher Raymond IV, then it just wasn’t the year of anybody. His fourth studio CD, the eponymous Confessions, sold nearly 20 million copies worldwide, boasted a trio of Number One on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart and gave Usher a record-breaking first; the highest number of first week male […]
The Message (2008)
Give me that old-time religion! With The Message, L.J. Reynolds delivers a gospel album of rousing, foot-stomping good times and graceful ballads of witness and worship. With a voice of gravel and fire, the lead singer of the legendary quintet, the Dramatics, was ready-made for this traditional gospel material, here done with a definite nod […]
Every Time We Say Goodbye (2008)
The Great American Songbook is music’s version of the beaten path. Nearly every serious recording artist feels the need to walk down the path that takes them into the territory of Berlin, Gershwin, Ellington, Strayhorn and Porter. There’s good reason for that. Those songs fused the elements of great songwriting – witty, conversational lyricism that […]
Loverly (2008)
Cassandra Wilson never had a problem with expanding size and scope of what is considered a standard entry to the Great American Songbook. On a Wilson record, the canon includes pop songs such as "Time After Time," and the blues and gospel songs that Wilson heard growing up in Mississippi. That remains the case on […]
Simone on Simone (2008)
I admit upfront, I’m biased. I first met Simone (then, Lisa Celeste Stroud) when she was four years old: a mere teenager, I was at London’s Heathrow Airport to meet her mother and father on their first visit to Britain. Mother was the woman for whom I had formed the first UK appreciation society, father […]
Rise Up (2008)
Quoting the simple but profound words from Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, "There’s no place like home." In the case of Glen Ricketts, the smooth but powerful vocalist has made himself feel right at home — both in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where he first immigrated when he was a young teenager, and his native […]
