Love, Sex, Passion (2015)
Flaming candles and incense, delicate rose petals leading to a candlelit room and ending at a silk-draped canopy bed, where satin, gourmet chocolates and the promise of all-night ecstasy awaits. It’s a blissful scenario on occasion and wonderful for a weekend, but a romance that’s all sweets and no meat is hard to navigate on […]
Hidden In Plain Sight: Vox Maximus, Vol. 1 (2015)
The pure, unaccompanied voice is one of life’s most dynamic musical instruments. It can produce simple or complex harmonies, textured beats, wordless wonders, or emulate brass or guitars. Though a cappella was initially rooted in the early church, this art form continues to gain more ground in popularity and creative evolution. The art form is […]
The Soul Singer (2015)
Gina Carey is on multiple media platforms, and that’s the right place for the modern artist to be because we no longer live in an analog world. Carey is a book author, playwright, producer and CEO of her own record label and the creator of a web video blog entitled Tell My Story in which Carey puts […]
War of Hearts (2015)
One of the interesting things about reviewing multiple albums by a particular artist is that the reviewer has a chance to see how that artist evolves over time. A reviewer can hear how the artist incorporates new ideas into his or her work. Of course, there’s nothing stopping any reviewer from going back and playing […]
Life Lessons (2015)
It’s hard to believe that nearly a decade has passed since DeWayne Woods emerged a fully formed gospel music star as a result of his anthem “Let Go.” Church choirs across the nation performed that tune, and “Let Go” managed to cross the gospel/secular barrier after spending all or parts of three years on either […]
Worthy (2015)
One thing Detroit born and bred veteran interpreter of song, Bettye LaVette, has always been is worthy. Worthy of far more recognition and commercial success than most of her five decades in the music business has afforded her and her stunning vocal talents — with almost peerless phrasing, spot-on inflection, and a bone deep blues […]
Revelations (2015)
K. Avett the artist is a bold, beautiful, full-fledged woman with a capital “W,” and every aspect of that womanhood gets explored on her independent soul music debut, K. Avett: Revelations – from her spiritual to her sexual to her romantic. The auspicious indie testimonial also does some minor genre hopping to flesh out the […]
Non-Fiction (Deluxe Edition) (2015)
When Ne-Yo debuted in 2005 with In My Own Words, he filled a sharp void in an urban landscape increasingly permeated by hard-edged, hip-hop-driven R&B in which vocals and melody took a backseat to beats and guest rappers. A twenty-something crooner capable of penning thoughtful lyrics and classic melodies was a breath of fresh air […]
Being Thru The Eyes of a Child (2015)
There once was a proliferation of black and multi-racial bands, and we’re not even just talking in the halcyon ‘70s and ‘80s. Even as late as the early 2000s, a handful of named acid jazz, jazz funk, and soul bands were almost thanklessly holding on. Before we even mention the ‘90s holdovers like Mint Condition, […]
Forever Charlie (2015)
Eclectic, inventive and enterprising, with a flair for communicating with the masses. Followers of astrology may recognize those traits as belonging to Aquarius, the Water Bearer, and many a creative game-changer has risen to prominence thanks to those gifts, including Bob Marley, Sam Cooke, D’Angelo, Rakim….and Charlie Wilson. Heartland roots and humble beginnings aside, the […]
