Love, Life & Strings (2015)
Diane Shaw – Love, Life & Strings (2015) While a number of artists continue to add merit to their material these days by employing melodic and arrangement elements of 1960s and ‘70s soul, some of such efforts sound half-hearted due to reliance on the modern-day trickery of computer sequencing and lyrics that are far more affected […]
You Shall Live (2015)
It has been a trying few years for Marvin Sapp. He’s had professional and spiritual gains even as he has dealt with personal losses and was almost ensnared in a scandal not of his own making. Yet, in the midst of it all, Sapp continues to raise his children as a widower – his wife, […]
You, Me and Forever (2015)
Najee’s ascent into the heights of jazz superstardom isn’t just about his flair for composition or incomparable sax game, but about trusting his artistic instincts. His last CD, 2013’s The Morning After, was an instant smash that took listeners through the twists and turns of modern romance. So returning in 2015 with You, Me and Forever closes out the cycle, […]
Love Life (2015)
Prim, proper, glossy and sparkling in all the right places: that was the effect of Tamia’s Grammy-nominated 2012 release, Beautiful Surprise. It was the vehicle that secured her in the crowded race as a worthwhile songstress, but for some the title was a misnomer. To be clear, yes the sound was lovely (as per usual in Mrs. […]
Covered (2015)
It is the most soothing and, at times, feels the most personal of Robert Glasper’s recent output. The project returns Glasper to the kind of music that made his name in the jazz circles, before the Grammy-winning Black Radio Vol. 1 and 2 projects made him better known among the mainstream. As an album […]
So Soulful Collection, Vol. 2 (2015)
The best DJ’s are more than the folks who play music at clubs or on the radio. Those at the top of the DJ game possess an abiding love, curiosity and encyclopedic knowledge of music. A DJ will never be satisfied to simply play whatever they receive from a record label. A DJ will dig […]
Tuxedo (2015)
The assimilation of funk and disco found in much R&B of the early 1980s still holds up today because of its purity and finesse. Producers such as Kashif, Leon Sylvers III, and Nile Rodgers expertly blended the high-energy elements of dance floor grooves with rhythmically melodic soul arrangements—resulting in blissful moments of music showing […]
Live Love Fly High
The final track on Live Love Fly High finds singer Sulpacio Jones engaging in a bit of advocacy for independent artists. She implores music fans to support indie artists by purchasing and sharing music and attending live shows. Jones could have started Live Love Fly High with that charge, and her decision to hold the […]
It’s Personal (2015)
“I’ve found out about more and I don’t want to hold onto somebody who I cannot trust…I have been trying, since the very beginning, and you gon’ keep adding people? You gon’ keep adding people? I thought we had a good life just like everybody else watching! I thought we was the ideal relationship just like everybody […]
Look Closer (2015)
Although the names Saun & Starr may be new in the modern world of R&B, the talents behind them are two experienced, longstanding performers with a special understanding of soul singing that comes across immediately—and with exceptional effect—on their debut CD, Look Closer. The ladies bring impressive resumes covering the bases of gospel, Broadway, funk, […]
