One of the better moments during Sunday’s American Music Awards was watching Robin Thicke (who is definitely his father’s son) goof his way through the proper pronunciation of Ellie Goulding’s name while presenting an award. Not sure if the brief appearance on the award show will do anything to promote sales of his upcoming fifth album Love After War, but hell…he doesn’t have to do anything to convert me anyway. The video for the album’s first single and title track […]
Posts tagged "soul music"
Spin Cycle: Mayer Hawthorne’s “How Do You Do?”
It’s a very tricky thing when an acclaimed artist makes the jump from an indie label to a major. Will they retain that spark that drew you in to begin with? Will they be forced to make stylistic compromises to appease the suits and mass audiences? Will they end up as the soundtrack to commercials for Target and get in house play at your local Starbucks? Without delving into a diatribe about the corporate music industry, I’ll simply say that […]
Thirteen Years Since “Hymns”, Corey Glover is Returning with a New Album (and You Can Contribute!)
I can’t say that Living Colour was the band that introduced me to hard rock (Motley Crue owns that particular distinction), but they were the first hard rock band I saw that LOOKED like me, and to a teenager that’s just getting into music, this was extremely valuable when it came to expanding my horizons. I was pretty gutted when they split after 1993’s (EXCELLENT) Stain, but the individual members kept quite busy for the next decade or so before […]
Spin Cycle: Stephanie Mills’ “Feel The Fire: The 20th Century Collection”
Generally, I leave the reissue-oriented stuff to my brother Mike Duquette and his site The Second Disc , but occasionally, there is a compilation or reissue that catches my eye enough to want to write something about it. I’ve got to say, Hip-O Select has been killing it with the reissues of late. Pulling from the archives of Universal Music, the company that distributes (or has distributed) MCA, Geffen, Def Jam, A&M and Motown (among other influential labels), they certainly have plenty of source material […]
Spin Cycle: Sly Stone’s “I’m Back…Family & Friends”
Here’s a question for you. Given all that Sly Stone has been through since his heyday four decades ago-not just the addiction but the general weirdness and shadowy stuff-wouldn’t it have been great for him to make a triumphant comeback? As far as second chances go, it would be pretty awesome. Well, folks, I hate to say it, but I don’t think a comeback’s gonna happen for Sly. The new I’m Back: Family & Friends is a weird mishmash of […]
Diggin’ in the Crates: Rick James’ “Cold Blooded”
Many of us at Popblerd HQ are big vinyl collectors. It allows us the chance to catch up on some of our old favorites, many of which aren’t available on CD (or digitally). With that in mind, we decided to create this here column. Diggin’ in the Crates finds us flipping through our own stacks of vinyl and reviewing some old favorites. Our first entry in this column comes courtesy of the bad-ass king of punk-funk: Buffalo’s own Rick James. […]
The Viewfinder: Mayer Hawthorne’s “A Long Time”
The video for Mayer Hawthorne’s “A Long Time” is an homage to late Eighties Detroit dance staple “The New Dance Show”.
Spin Cycle: Joss Stone’s “LP1”
Two albums ago, in 2007, Joss Stone titled an album Introducing Joss Stone. It was her third record. Two albums later, it’s LP1, another album title (this time her fifth) that implies reinvention. A shame, then, that neither that album or this one actually follow through on their promise of revitalization. Miss Stone famously dumped her raspy, ferociously soulful vocals on the listening public in 2003 by way of her exemplary Soul Sessions record, a debut of surprisingly from-the-vault soul songs, […]
Spin Cycle: Rahsaan Patterson’s “Bleuphoria”
With each subsequent release, the liquid-voiced Rahsaan Patterson edges closer to the outskirts of r&b. Originally lumped in with that group of singers that formed the “neo-soul” movement in the late ’90s and early ’00s, Patterson cut his teeth on accessible (albeit very accomplished) soul throwbacks; his output this millennium isn’t overly abstract or gratingly experimental – far from it – but his willingness to expand outward and expound on his unique sensibilities have granted him immeasurable artistic success. Wines […]
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, […]
