Don’t you hate it when artists you once loved seem to lose their way? I don’t know if Robin Thicke has gotten all the way to that point with me yet, but I must admit that a good chunk of the appreciation I had for him during the Beautiful World and Evolution days has dissipated. Could be a little jealousy because the rest of the record-buying audience has caught up. Could be the fact that his last album, Sex Therapy, […]
Posts tagged "Mary J. Blige"
Blerditorial: Who is the Real Queen of Soul?
You can’t mention Aretha Franklin without hearing the term “Queen of Soul”. It’s a term bestowed upon her by fans and peers alike and it has stuck to the point that she believes her own press. Much as I love Aretha, though (and I really do), I don’t know that she is far and away the undisputed Queen. I’m certainly not gonna throw anyone obscure into the conversation. Diana Ross is more of a pop vocalist than a soul vocalist, […]
Award Show Sundays: New Jill Swing Edition
Even back in 1993, it might not have been the greatest idea to have CeCe Peniston and Mary J. Blige sharing a six-minute stretch on the Soul Train Music Awards. But it happened, and we have proof! When this segment aired, CeCe had just been anointed as the new dance diva. Her hit “Finally” was all over the radio at the end of ’91 and beginning of ’92, and her debut album’s third single, “Keep on Walkin’” helped the diva-in-training […]
Award Show Sundays Special: The 2011 BET Awards Live Blog
It’s been a minute since we live-blogged an awards show around these parts. I gave some consideration to doing some commentary on the Billboard Music Awards, but got pulled into another direction-a move that turned out to be a wise one (since all of the clips I saw from the show and all of the commentary I saw on social media was lukewarm.) I have a love-hate relationship with the BET Awards (to say nothing of my largely HATE relationship […]
The Viewfinder: “Someone to Love Me (Naked)” by Mary J. Blige
What the hell is Mary J. Blige doing? Sure, her record sales are in decline-so’s everyone’s! Just when you thought the Queen of Hip-Hop soul had learned her lesson after her first Diddy-related fiasco, 2003’s Love & Life, she’s re-teamed with Mr. Combs for “Someone to Love Me (Naked)”, a slight revision of a track that originally appeared on Diddy’s Last Train to Paris CD and is the first single from Mary’s upcoming My Life II set. You know there’s […]
Moonlighting: Raphael Saadiq on Popdose (Plus a Playlist!)
A Twitter conversation that began when I posted Raphael Saadiq’s new “Radio” single a week and a half ago led me to promising Popdose Grand Poobah Jeff Giles that I would complete a guide to Saadiq’s music. These guides are a lot of fun to do, but they’re a lot of work. I can’t say that I remember every single song in anyone’s discography, so over the next few days I listened to all of my old Tony Toni Tone albums (and […]
Blerd Briefs 1/4/11: R.E.M., Lil Kim & Lady GaGa
In the news today: Gaga’s new album, the Nicki/Kim beef, and songs from R.E.M.’s upcoming album.
Spin Cycle: Quincy Jones “Soul Bossa Nostra”
The fact that “Soul Bossa Nostra” even exists is a bit confusing to me. Like, did this album need to be made? After all-it basically amounts to a huge slap on the back for Quincy Jones. Not to say he doesn’t deserve props-the man was at the top of his game for the better part of forty years and is an integral part of music history, let alone black music history. But I question the wisdom of letting a who’s […]
The 5ive at 5: Five Reasons Not to Hate will.i.am (#5)
I hate will.i.am. Don’t get it twisted. The founder and leader of the Black Eyed Peas is the textbook definition of a sellout. He found his sweet spot creating dumbed-down pop-oriented tunes, creating dark spots on the careers of artists like Kelis and Usher (seriously? How did “OMG” end up being a #1 single?). Wait a second, though. The most frustrating thing about will’s musical exploits is that there are times when he proves that he’s quite talented. There have […]
Award Show Sundays: Hot Mess Moments at the VMAs
The MTV Video Music Awards is tonight. The show, which has been broadcast since 1984 (although MTV probably doesn’t want you to know that as it would make them seem very old to their target audience) is usually a pretty entertaining watch, although lately it’s been more for the train-wreck factor than for…you know, good music. I will be sitting this year’s broadcast out! Normally, I’d be up in front of the TV with some beer and popcorn live-blogging my […]