Collaborations (2015)
Gimmicks, Frills, baubles and bling: for every quality artist on the musical landscape these days, there seems to be at least five more disposable performers that litter today’s musical landscape with momentary sparks but no long-lasting brilliance. For someone to have amassed a couple of decades, however, takes an even-handed distribution of quality, preparation and […]
Twenty+ (2015)
It’s a shame that the quartet All-4-One saw its commercial success wane at the same time that the quartet was just finding its creative legs. So, while the record buying public knew them as a tightly harmonizing group that covered mostly pop songs written and produced by others, such as “So Much In Love” and […]
The Tin Man (2015)
It’s been a few years since Aaron Parnell Brown quietly first achieved local attention around his native Philadelphia performing under the moniker Aaron & the Spell. Then in 2012, his blend of soulful rock reached the ears of the folks at NPR Music, who named him “One of 10 Artists You Should Know.” Unfortunately, […]
Hit Singles & More (2015)
Donna Summer spent the better part of the 1970s being promoted as a sex goddess and the “Queen of Disco.” Summer, who died of cancer in 2012, wasn’t comfortable with the first description that became attached to her after a marathon and orgasmic performance on her first hit song, “Love To Love You Baby.” The […]
Astro Getaway (album review)
In their bio, L.A.-based seven-piece band, Attic Empire, defines their evolving sound as being space funk. It’s a solid and honest description of their bold, unique sound, all highly evidenced on their first EP, Astro Getaway. Inside the four-track effort is a swelling of otherworldly funk fusion collecting a constellation of West Coast soul, funk, […]
Woman (2015)
“I’ve been reading my old journals, checking to see where my head has been/And I’ve been apologizing to some people, some bridges I needed to mend…..”from “Prepared” by Jill Scott, 2015 Four years, especially within the context of the social media era we live in, can feel like an eternity. Memories can fade, attention spans […]
No Limits (2015)
Tracy Hamlin has all of the qualities that an artist needs to achieve the commercial success that will probably instead go the some airbrushed, auto-tuned star. She is classically trained and that training can be heard in her clear-as-a-bell soprano that enlivens every track on her latest project No Limits, as well her previous three […]
Central Heating (expanded reissue) (2015)
Unforgettable songs such as “Always and Forever,” “Boogie Nights,” and “Mind Blowing Decisions” have forever ensured Heatwave’s place in the books of great soul bands through the ages. Nonetheless, their cultural and stylistic impact during the 1970s as a unique and eclectic international soul/funk collective is sometimes overlooked. Nearly 40 years after its initial release, […]
The Light (2015)
If you listen to this thing called soul music long enough, you will hear or see something that is rarely if ever seen. The vision usually entails a vocalist or group with no historical or geographical connection to people who created this music, but who still manage to be a good soul singer. This sight […]
Wildheart (2015)
L.A. singer-songwriter Miguel Pimentel took listening ears on a seductive psychedelic escapade with his sophomore set, Kaleidoscope Dream. From that effort came the success of “Adorn,” a powerful throwback gem that felt like a 21st century “Sexual Healing.” The song was more than enough to transform Miguel into a knightly R&B stud, pushing him past the urban radio-dominated reverberations […]
