Back to Front (2007)
Five palms open in offering. Five long legs dramatically poised for another effortlessly choreographed step. Masked behind the pop art CD cover are a collage of tenors, baritones, a bass and a lone, haunting falsetto voice waiting to weave stories of love, longing and heartbreak from an unabashedly masculine perspective. The cover of Back to […]
The Essential Hezekiah Walker (2007)
The responsible party saddled with the task of gathering twenty-six songs for The Essential Hezekiah Walker compilation from the Grammy winner’s extensive vault of gems is to be commended. Hezekiah Walker, founder and Pastor of the renowned Brooklyn, NY based Love Fellowship Tabernacle Church has earned the love and respect of millions around the globe […]
Love’s Experience (2007)
If an idealized image for this soul music movement exists, it would probably be the lone artist strumming away on a guitar accompanied by an upright bass and a piano. They might let you get away with using a electric keyboard – provided its one of those old Hammond organs or a Moog synthesizer. Of […]
Popular (unreleased)
Van Hunt has created a substantial body of work over the arch of only three albums. The most recent addition to the oeuvre, Popular, is the most challenging of the three. It is also the most rewarding. The obvious characteristic of the album is that there is no one defining or prevailing musical style. Each […]
A Revolution Not A Revival (2007)
A Revolution Not A Revival by former Commodores member Thomas McClary is musical melting pot of multiple genres to express gratitude, thanks and love for God. This project is about a "Spiritual" Revolution, "Spiritual" Uprising and "Spiritual" Revolt . This 15 track CD is truly surprising in its marriage of urban, R&B, reggae, rock, and […]
This Music Is Life (2007)
In the center of downtown Detroit is a building called The Renaissance Center, but one could argue that a small Tuxedo Street studio is the home of Detroit’s real Renaissance Man, Malik Alston. A singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and actor, Alston has practiced his trade relatively quietly, but has released some of the city’s most creative jazz, R&B and dance music of […]
Colour Me Blue (2007)
Before addressing the artistic merits of Reuben’s Thread’s album Colour Me Blue, I think it’s necessary to confront the 800-pound gorilla in the room. The way the American music industry ghettoizes the work of black artists will pretty much ensure that marketing and selling this CD will be an uphill battle. I specify the "American" […]
Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA (2007)
From the opening bars of their dreamy rendition of the Temptations classic, "Just My Imagination", I take one long, delicious exhale: the Boyz are back. These aren’t the Boyz of recent years, you know, the ones whose recordings were riddled with underwhelming whines and chalkboard scrapping productions. On their Decca debut, Motown: A Journey Through […]
Afro Strut (2007)
Afro Strut is the second release by Joseph "Amp" Fiddler. A Detroit native and multi-instrumentalist, Amp has manage to steadily build a reputation as a musician’s musician, fostering supporting role connections with many Black music luminaries such as Prince, George Clinton, J-Dilla, Moodymann a.k.a. Kenneth Dixon Jr., Fishbone, Maxwell and on and on. Amp Fiddler […]
Professor RJ Ross And The University Of Soul (2007)
Sometimes I wish I had graduated from a University of Soul because my actual degree did me no good at all! Judging by the music on this album however, my attendance at this funky institute would have given me a first rather than the ‘gentlemen’s’ degree that I ended up with particularly with the Professor marking […]
