Bruce Springsteen sings “we take care of our own,” but it’s obvious that when he does so, he’s not talking about young soul musicians in reference to older soul musicians. It’s not often that you hear today’s soul and hip-hop musicians (with the exception of someone like Questlove) lending a hand to the older generation to bring the music that inspired them to perform to a younger generation. It’s often left to rock musicians to bring artists like Solomon Burke […]
Posts tagged "soul music"
Spin Cycle: The Robert Glasper Experiment’s “Black Radio”
Want an excellent album of jazz-inflected soul with some left-field stuff thrown in? Look no further. Robert Glasper’s “Black Radio” is your album and we’ve got the review.
Blerd Appreciation: Don Cornelius
We’ve gotta stop and give props to one of the most influential men in pop and soul music history-Don Cornelius.
The Singles Bar: John Legend’s “Tonight (Best You Ever Had)” featuring Ludacris
Missed John Legend? Well, he’s back, and he’s brought Ludacris on board for his brand new single.
The Singles Bar: D’Angelo’s “Black Hole Sun”
Here’s how much we’re fiending for new music from D’Angelo. We are posting a poorly-recorded remake that’s two years old. Seriously. Anyway, as rumors of a new album from D continue to float around, his version of Soundgarden’s classic “Black Hole Sun” just surfaced on the interwebs. It doesn’t hold a candle to the original, of course, but Mr. Archer does a pretty good job of making the song almost completely unrecognizable. It’s definitely got a strong stench of purple […]
Spin Cycle: Anthony Hamilton’s “Back to Love”
A lot of times when I write reviews, I like to explain how I first came into contact with the artist’s work. With Anthony Hamilton, it was at a 2003 convention headed by L.A. Reid and the folks at Arista Records. Amid songs, interviews and performances with the likes of Usher, Pink and Outkast, they also introduced a handful of their developing artists-including a soul singer by the name of Anthony Hamilton. With a voice that recalled Bill Withers and […]
TVOne Announces New Subjects For Season 6 of “UnSung”
TVOne’s documentary series “UnSung” is gearing up for season #6, and a 10-episode run is scheduled to begin right after we ring in 2012. If you are a fan of soul music, you need to be watching these excellently crafted documentaries, which concentrate on artist that haven’t really gotten their just due. Here’s a rundown of the latest group of subjects. Each episode promises to be filled with drama, tragedy and some fantastic music. Vesta Williams (January 2) A mainstay […]
The Viewfinder: “Woo” by Anthony Hamilton
So, after pretty much an entire year without a halfway decent R&B album (thanks Rahsaan Patterson, Raphael Saadiq and Marsha Ambrosius for providing something for soul fans earlier in 2011,) December promises to be flush with albums by some of the genre’s leading lights. Mary J. Blige has already led the way with My Life II, Trey Songz (who’s got skills) just released and EP, we’ve got Robin Thicke on deck (who has hopefully learned from his Nicki Minaj-assisted disaster) […]
The Singles Bar: “Following” by The Phenomenal Handclap Band
Sometimes it takes a bit of peer pressure to get you to hear new music. At least I hope I’m not the only person who still needs a kick in the ass sometimes to get rolling on music I’m probably gonna end up liking. Such was the case with The Phenomenal Handclap Band, an outfit that’s been on my radar for quite some time. These guys are definitely a thing in their home base of New York City, and the […]
Who The Hell Is: Larry g(EE)?
Every now and then, something pops up in your mailbox that makes it worth digging through all the stuff you DON’T want to feature on the site. One such reward comes in the form of Larry g(eEE)’s “Yo Mama”. Larry is a singer/songwriter from Dallas whose sound is fully in step with the live-band soul revival that’s taken place recently, bringing national attention to artists like Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. The […]
Spin Cycle: “My Life 2: The Journey Continues” by Mary J. Blige
Is “My Life 2” a worthy successor to Mary J. Blige’s breakthrough 1994 album? Read Blerd’s review and find out.