Straight Up Deal (2007)
Sitting in the jazz cafe along with a few friends, sipping Chamomile tea, singer/visual artist Tony Adamo enters the stage offering us a sweet deal. He is offering his latest 14-track fusion CD, Straight Up Deal. What is his recipe? Add a taste of Michael Beck, sample some Santana, throw in the sentiment of Miles […]
Early for the Future (2008)
It’s so good to hear a real band playing real music these days. In this era of Pro Tools and singers who enhance their vocals with software programs, to hear a band like Water Seed is refreshing. This talented quintet from New Orleans has been garnering much praise for their energetic performances and the music […]
To Be Continued (2008)
When it comes to music, I’m a less is more type of guy. That’s probably a function of growing up in the 1970s at the height of the LP era. Vinyl long play records contained 10 or 11 songs. That’s about all a long play vinyl record could hold. Truth be told, 10 songs averaging […]
Phosphene (2008)
Music was extremely accessible as Jalyn was growing up; whether it was witnessing his father directing the church choir, or his exposure to records played by his older siblings — all nine of them. Even though he started singing while still a toddler, Jalyn started flexing musical muscles on a personal concert one Christmas day. […]
Selah (2007)
Some albums call for a full-bodied glass of wine, ambient lighting and a long stretch across a chaise lounger. Singer-songwriter Sharon Musgrave’s debut, Selah, is such an album. Smooth and relaxing, it fills a room and instantly creates a chic atmosphere of refined maturity. Without breaking a sweat, Ms. Musgrave achieves a work that is […]
Discipline (2008)
Like many of Janet Jackson’s fans, I was very skeptical about another Janet album in which producers/songwriters Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were not involved. I didn’t know what to expect from her latest CD, Discipline, and I was even more leery of her move to Island Def Jam, home of Mariah Carey. Considering that her last […]
The Ultimate Weekend (2008)
I spent The Ultimate surprise Weekend with Brent Jones and his latest 17-track enhanced CD, The Ultimate Weekend. This CD is Kirk Franklin and John P Kee meets Roy Ayers and Eric Benet. It has a crossover appeal with an eclectic vibe of urban contemporary, jazz, reggae, neo-soul, gospel, and traditional praise. Brent Jones is […]
Praise & Worship (2008)
You have a personal invitation to Praise & Worship with Vickie Winans on her latest 12-track CD. With a decade of ministry and an incredible following, this CD does not disappoint. Take this remarkable journey of ministry with a compilation of vintage songs selected from her Woman To Woman: Songs Of Life and Bringing It […]
Soul Speak (2008)
It’s tough being a popular artist over the age of fifty. Arguably the greatest generation of rock, pop and soul has been stuck in a changing musical world, still revered for the music of three decades ago but unable to get airplay, or even acknowledgement, of its current output. So artists from Rod Stewart to […]
Reflections of Soul (2007)
Reflections of Soul by Leonard Julien III is an easy album to listen to. Julien is a silky smooth singer who displays a real comfort in singing the mid-tempo love song. And it’s easy to see why nearly all of the songs on Reflections of Soul have that 1980s smooth sheen. That’s a sound that […]
