The Best of Merry Clayton (2013)
One of the most constantly present voices of 1960s and ’70s rock and soul—no matter how infrequently acknowledged by name—was Merry Clayton. The New Orleans-born belter cut her teeth as a backing vocalist for Bobby Darin and as a member of Ray Charles’ Raelettes before achieving musical immortality as Mick Jagger’s collaborator on the Rolling […]
Time to Do Your Thing (2013)
The members of the soul and jazz band Zbonics stay busy. Saxophonist, flutist and vocalist Karl Denson recently cut an album with the group that he is mostly closely associated with – The Greyboy Allstars. That album, Inland Emperor dropped in April. SoulTrackers might recall that Denson released a great record, Brother’s Keeper, with his […]
Moore is More (2013)
During the early 1990s, Chanté Moore filled an important void in the contemporary R&B universe. Boasting an angelic tone and admirable phrasing in the classic soul tradition (with a stylish nod to jazz improvisation), she satisfied the musical appetites of both young radio listeners and grown, CD-buying consumers. Slow- and mid-tempo jams like “Love’s Taken […]
Hand Picked (2013)
Since his days as a teen prodigy in Detroit, Earl Klugh has fashioned a surprisingly varied career around his acoustic guitar sounds. He’s had success in duet formats with both Bob James and George Benson, has fronted a seven piece band, led a straight up jazz trio, created orchestral tributes to standards and issued sparsely […]
This Song Is For You (2013)
It’s rare to be such a trailblazing icon that your musical imprint spans over half a century and includes multiple genres, but that’s a true statement to describe living legend Ron Isley. That sleek, fluttery tenor has shaped funk jams, social statement songs and yes, those bedroom ballads for so long that even when he’s […]
Azusa: The Next Generation (2013)
Sometimes artistic liberties are taken for the cause of gospel music, whether to show appreciation for the music that inspired them in their childhood or, even more key, to reel in audiences who normally do not set foot in Sunday church services. Gospel music history documents artists who unapologetically crossed over to other markets without […]
Comfortable (2013)
Young singers will perform a classic song as a way to validate their artistic bona fides. That’s the perception at least. Nailing something from the Great American Songbook is the talk-to-the-hand moment to anyone questioning the vocal chops of a performer such as Tituss Burgess. Burgess didn’t need to make the statement. He could always […]
Forever (2013)
It’s hard to believe that Donell Jones is 40. In 1999, the then 26-year old Chicago native penned one of those songs that goes on to become a summer anthem and continues to be remembered fondly to this day by the people in Jones’ age group cohort. That song, “U Know What’s Up,” was Jones’ […]
En Espanol (2013)
It’s hard to believe that nearly 40 years have passed since a fresh-out-of-college Natalie Cole first wowed audiences with the rousing “This Will Be,” a genre-defining soul shaker which was almost as big on the pop charts as it was on the R&B side. At a time when Aretha Franklin was the primary female soul […]
Caution (2013)
Andre Ward’s fourth album, Caution, works best when the title isn’t a description of the music. In the instance when the saxophonist exercises caution, the project falls into the trap of playing into the perception of contemporary jazz as elevator music. But when the talented Ward goes off the smooth jazz script, the disc shines. […]
