Natural Vibe (2008)
I left Tammy Harris’ record Natural Vibe in the CD player of my minivan where I had been listening to it in preparation for this review. The family’s down to one car, so me and my wife, Gail have to share the Mazda. She had to get some groceries, and the CD was playing "I […]
Keep It Pushin (2008)
The recent release of singer/songwriter Kipper Jones sophomore project, Keep It Pushin’, eighteen years after his 1990 debut, Ordinary Love, underscores several recent music industry phenomena of note. Jones project highlights how these are the best and worst days for industry veteran artists and songwriters. Best, because the industry’s democratization of music through Internet expansion […]
Fruition (2007)
What has happened to songs of romance, love lost and found, and intimacy rather than not sex? Lori Jenaire’s 12 track CD, Fruition, is the answer. Lori Jenaire showed in her previous work that she is no stranger to quality adult music, and she’s back and in good form on Fruition. This 6-foot Chicago-born beauty has […]
Love & Light (2007)
For American audiences not familiar with the sounds of Count Basic, their latest CD Love & Light is the perfect introduction for a band with 13 years of delivering their jazz flavored rhythms all over the world. Mastermind, composer, and guitarist Peter Legat along with dynamic vocalist Kelli Sae are the soul of Count Basic, […]
Chill Factor (2007)
Someone will listen to Rene Jones’ Chill Factor and say, "she’s trying to sound like Regina Belle." They’ll mean that as an insult – as if being influenced by someone and allowing those influences to be filtered into your work counts as some kind of horrible sin. The fact that Chill Factor has the feel […]
Portraits of Me (2007)
Monica Blaire’s debut album, Portraits of Me, is fun. I know…trust me; I know what you’re thinking. Michael, man, indie soul albums are smooth, seductive even deeply spiritual, rarely are they fun. More than fun, Monica Blaire is the indie scene’s answer to Beyonce, minus all the hypnotic rump-shaking. Feel like dancing, working out, or […]
2nd Chances (2007)
An independent project that sounds as robustly produced and mastered as a high-end, major label project? Nah; couldn’t be, that’s right up there with Loch Ness monster sightings. After all, not every artist can afford Herb Powers. But if 2nd Chances, the debut album of L’Renee, is any indication, the technology and craftsmanship on an […]
Look a Little Further (2007)
Look a Little Further (LALF) is the debut disc from two notable UK artists: beat master and producer Dominique (Domu) Stanton and session vocalist Pete Simpson. Look a Little Further is a sweet modern soul record teeming with the classic UK soul hallmarks all over it — an ample reverence for US soul traditions, up-to-the-minute production values, and […]
Addicted to Life (2007)
Singer Teisha Marie is Addicted To Life. And with her debut seven (7) track CD of the same title, this 26 year old England born/Maryland raised singer, songwriter, and Spelman Graduate, presents an eclectic CD that speaks of life, love and happiness. Addicted to Life hearkens to sitting in your car on a warm summer […]
LIVE at the Blue Note Tokyo (2007)
It’s tough to believe that nearly 30 years into his recording career, Bobby Caldwell has never released a "live" album. Now completely independent and working through his own Starmine Records, Caldwell remedies that situation with Live at the Blue Note Tokyo, recorded during a series of 2007 dates in Japan. But rather than using the […]
