Bionic
With as many phases and cycles as Britney Spears, the former pop princess Christina Aguilera seems to be more fascinated at how often she can reinvent herself without getting tagged as being a copy-cat. At the same time her pop ballad "Beautiful" was blazing the charts in 2002, she decided to shed her New Mickey […]
Thank Me Later
With only a year in the public’s eye yielded by a blazing hip-hop single ("Best I Ever Had"), Drake still has a lot to prove after becoming the coolest, brightest new kid on the block. Drake’s highly-anticipated debut, Thank Me Later, comes off the heels of his well-received EP, a bold and intelligent mixtape bearing […]
For All We Know (With Jeff Neve) (2010)
Jose James is one of the most exciting male artists to come along in a decade, and that’s of any genre. Confident and assured without being boastful, this baritone balladeer never has to stoop to crass suggestions to ooze sexuality or that elusively defined "swag." His last two projects, The Dreamer and Black Magic, have […]
Signed, Sealed, Delivered (2010)
I’ll be the first to admit loathing the multi-platinum Craig David of old. I found his teen brand of two-step soul/pop on songs like the international hits "Fill Me In," "7 Days," and "Walking Away" cloying and calculated to a fault. But he was, essentially, a child then. Since then, Craig has certainly left behind […]
Backatown (2010)
Like the angel Gabriel, when Trombone’s Shorty blows his horn much is revealed about the young musician’s once dreamlike native home and its uneasy future. The legacy of both pre-and post-Katrina Naw’lin’s can be heard far beyond the referential titles like "Hurricane Season," "The Cure" or the title track, "Backatown." Through the energetic Shorty, the […]
Let’s Come Together (2010)
When Kevin LeVar Gray first recorded "Good Things," the gospel love song was a regular staple on radio stations throughout his hometown of Washington , DC . So he thought that a record deal was imminent. He thus took a major career risk by leaving his long time lucrative day job in the public school […]
Bom Tempo (2010)
As I look back at pop culture during the sixties, I listened to the soul stirring grooves from Motown and Stax Records, the British Invasion led by The Beatles and the Southern California-style rock of The Beach Boys. There was also a unique sound injecting Latin flair with pop sensibility, which produced several top forty […]
Amazing (2010)
Rafiya is living proof that singing with soul doesn’t require overwrought vocals, barely-there attire and bombastic, auto-tuned tracks that seem to be created only to become a ringtone, not a long-lasting or meaningful hit. In fact, if the cover doesn’t offer enough of a hint, she’s practically the polar opposite. Amazing is an eloquent, acoustic collection of […]
Through My Eyes (2010)
Gabrielle Hurtt gets inspirational on the first third of Through My Eyes, her new CD. She asserts her independence and individuality on the funky "Shine" and tells the nosy folk to mind their business on "Don’t Judge Me" because with help from above she’s going to always be heading in the right direction. That is […]
Carry Me Home (2010)
Keeping with the latest renaissance of updating proven music traditions with a pinch of pop, the Chicago-based band, The Right Now, isn’t afraid to also get down with a little soul. On their new album Carry Me Home, they surround themselves with live instrumentation, a juicy organ, bluesy guitar plunks and a sweet horn section […]
