Soulmate: EP (2014)
How does a singer/songwriter react upon realizing that his vocals and skill set are similar to the gifts possessed by a musical legend? If the singer/songwriter is Frank McComb, you embrace the similarities and while also carving out your own identity. McComb, the artist with the smooth yet soulful baritone that is reminiscent of the […]
Black Messiah (2014)
(December 15, 2014) The year was 2000. The album was Voodoo by Richmond, VA native Michael Eugene Archer better known as two-album wunderkind D’Angelo. It was his second album that was in contention, following the more conservatively soulful, but nonetheless trend-setting multi-platinum debut, Brown Sugar (which celebrates its 20th anniversary next July). A twenty-five year […]
Game Changer (2014)
Easy on the eyes, honey to the ears and blessed with a vocal range that can go from the dance floor to a devotional, Johnny Gill has been an R&B mainstay now for three decades. Whether he’s crooned alongside Stacy Lattisaw, buttressed the adult era for New Edition or enriched the cool carnality of LSG, […]
Christmas Goes Gospel: ‘Tis the Season (2014)
After years of listening to various holiday compilations, I have come to a fairly simple conclusion: Compilations have run more rampant than ever, especially during the Christmas season with the WOW series (Christmas: Red & Christmas: Green) and the Now That’s What I Call Christmas collection, each an infomercial’s delight that usually produces platinum sales […]
After Dark (2014)
It’s been 35 years since singer and songwriter Bobby Caldwell took the world by storm with “What You Won’t Do For Love,” arguably one of the most perfect pop/soul confections of all time. And while initially he may have been viewed as “another guy who sounds like Stevie Wonder” — though different because the tall, […]
Soul Brothers (2014)
Blues and southern soul men Johnny Rawls and Otis Clay are two self-aware artists. Both men have been in the music business for a long time, and they’ve seen a lot of performers come and go. Rawls titled one his recent projects Soul Survivor and another honored his mentor, the great vocalist O.V. Wright, who […]
The London Sessions (2014)
She’s been needing a win badly in recent years where one album after another has managed to be consistently polished but middle of the road, and nobody wants a middle of the road Mary J. Blige. Blige is fire, grit, and urban passion born from pain and triumph. At least she was from What’s The […]
Foreign Land (2014)
A parent would be proud to have one child follow in their footsteps. David and Delores Winans saw their many children and grandchildren have successful careers in gospel music, and use their music to become effective ambassadors for Christ. The vocal quartet The Winans and the brother sister duo BeBe and CeCe Winans are family’s […]
Incomparable
It happens with the best of them: artists who once took great pains with a distinct sound that earned fans and acclaim get mired in minutiae (professional or personal), lose focus and find themselves spinning wheels instead of dropping hits. Some crooners tumble into obscurity or find themselves scrambling in the “throwback circuit” while others get […]
I Will Trust (2014)
For more than 30 years, Fred Hammond’s ministry has been his music. Hammond, who has released his latest album I Will Trust, used music to spread the gospel starting from the time he played bass and sang backing vocals with The Winans, through his tenure as founder and member of Commissioned and as a solo […]
