Nuda Veritas
When one musician absolutely clicks with another, a profitable and long-term collaboration usually results. In this instance, the first musician, Rhonda Nicole, is an independent singer/songwriter who seamlessly bridges urban sensibility with rock, blues and pop. As a ‘tween,’ Nicole’s songwriting skills were driven by a steady diet of rock icons like Lenny Kravitz and […]
Fire It Up! (2011)
When VenueConnection formed in 2002, their mission — according to their website — was to “sail the uncharted waters of Afro-American music in Spain.” Original members Javier del Aguila and Fara Alvarez started their exhaustive journey with the slightly unconventional lineup of guitar, sitar and computer programming on their internet-only release, Orange Light in the […]
Funk in a Mason Jar (Reissue)
The name Harvey Mason means different things to different music fans. Some listeners associate the drummer with the group Fourplay due to Mason’s two-decade stint with the group. Others might yell out the name Headhunters or “Chameleon” in honor of the 1970s era jazz-fusion band he played with and the classic tune he co-composed with […]
Goin’ Places
Fans of contemporary jazz and instrumental funk know Curtis Harmon from his work with the band Pieces of a Dream. The self-explanatory album Goin’ Places finds Harmon stepping away from Pieces of a Dream as a part of a duo called New Foundation that is collaboration with Bennie Sims. Longtime Pieces fans will hear much […]
As Muddy Wallace Jr. – Justified
The blues, for many people in Steve Wallace’s generation, could not be any less relevant. And no matter how much us old folk try to tell the kids that the DNA of the blues courses through the blood of the R&B and hip-hop that they love so much, it’s hard to convince them to give […]
Promises
With his integration of classical music dynamics and mass choir intricacies, Richard Smallwood is one of gospel music’s groundbreakers. Since he first led and recorded the Richard Smallwood Singers in the early eighties, the composer/pianist has remained faithful to his signature praise and worship style. Hymns like “Total Praise” and “Center of My Joy” are […]
Here I Am
Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland is growing up before our very eyes. Now embracing thirty, she is making some drastic changes in her career after dropping her longtime manager Mathew Knowles. Of all the extravagant transformations documenting her third studio album Here I Am (including a shift to Universal Motown), the most obvious and drastic […]
Welcome To Kopatechnic (2011)
Rodney ‘R.K’ Jackson had a dream to form a group that would fulfill his vision of taking his life long love of dance music to new heights. With an already proven track record as a multi-platinum producer/musician (Madonna and CeCe Peniston), Jackson was more than familiar in making remix magic. Now heading up a multi-media […]
Platinum (2011)
The name Headhunters brings back some good memories for fans of pure, unadulterated fusion. The band collaborated with the great Herbie Hancock to take jazz/rock/funk fusion to the next level. The Headhunters found a way to create long form music that merged electrified jazz with influences from Africa, the Caribbean and pop. The cuts were […]
The After 2am Sessions EP (2011)
Ahmed Sirour is one of the most exciting young producers in independent music today. His productions of newcomer Cleveland Jones (a dynamic vocalist of devastating precision) on their single “Sensitive,” the downloadable freebies of Little Dragon’s elegiac “Twice” and a tour-de-force cover of “Nature Boy,” one that may be the new definitive cover of Nat […]
