Crisp N' Fresh: Stargazin'

Mr. Hudson's lift off into solo stardom has begun with the video for single, "Supernova". This monochromatic styled visual is a nice introduction to the British vocalist as he teams up with collaborator, Kanye West. It's a safe and somewhat unexciting vid, no doubt, as it just shows Mr. Hudson and Kanye walking around a futuristic hotel and turning into humanized constellation charts. But the sleek delivery and special effects make for a pretty great spectacle which soar the song itself into new heights.

First Impressions: Diana King's Tribute To The King

For those who admire a phenomenal voice and who haven't been aware of Diana King's existence, be forewarned...you're about to get schooled. Miss King is best known for her 1995 track, "Shy Guy" which grew to fame after being on the Bad Boys movie soundtrack. King's blend of Reggae beats with her smooth R&B vocal tone captivated listeners and it has made me a fan for awhile now. Diana has been flying under the radar for some time, but it's quite nice to know that she's still keep on keepin' with her talent. On her Twitter, the Reggae/Soul artist announced that she has recorded a new track and that it's dedicated to none other than the late, Michael Jackson. "MI-CHA-EL (Ode To MJ)" has been, so far, the best tribute piece that has graced my ears. It's sincere and it's catchy, and since it is laced with King's glorious vocal range, it's top-notch. The lyrics are quite touching, as Diana coos about missing Michael and his music, over a lush mid-tempo production. Just perfect. You can visit Diana's official page and download the track for free after you listen to the audio below, and while you're there, check out some other great Diana tracks if you haven't had her locked on your radar by now. A real treat for all.

MI-CHA-EL (Ode To MJ)

Wipe Off The Dust: Tributing Michael Jackson...Correctly

Since Michael Jackson has passed, a lot of long-lost cover songs have come bubbling to the surface not to mention everyone and their mama producing tributes left and right. There have been a few that were done immediately after the announcement (side-eye to Diddy and the Foolish Brigade) and they were less than stellar. Yes, it is tricky to give a tribute to one of the greatest singers of our time, but looking at this from the remakes prespective, the King of Pop has gotten re-done quite nicely by others. We are all pretty familiar with Mariah Carey's execution of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" with once back-up singer, Trey Lorenz. Fall Out Boy did a decent cover of "Beat It" awhile back, as Alien Ant Farm are known for their cover of "Smooth Criminal", and frankly, not much else. Then there was SWV, who were guided by a young Pharell Williams whom decided to mix in "Human Nature" with their hit, "Right Here" for a 90's staple. Also, I mentioned last week, about Chaka Khan just taking it to the limit with her rendition of "Got To Be There", which was criminally not done last night at the BET Fail Awards. As you can see, we've had our fair share of MJ covers, but now that he's gone, the covers seem much more bittersweet as we are reminded of the music he touched us with, and also that even, try as they might, its impossible for the artists to capture the magic of MJ. Still it doesn't hurt to delve into rendition bliss, as there are a few MJ covers that have caught my attention and need to be mentioned. As there will no doubt be a surge of cover material concerning MJ over the next couple of months, I'm going to take the time to highlight three MJ covers that I particularly like, and actually would love to hear done live at the upcoming tribute concert that is in planned production at the moment. Here's how to do an MJ cover correctly....

Erykah Badu & The Roots Take Us To "Where You Are": Recently, this has become a favored cover, as Erykah Badu and The Roots performed one of Michael's early solo hits, "I Wanna Be Where You Are" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last week. Head nod to blog partner in crime, Pinboard for introducing me to this piece of perfection that should be on a summer soundtrack in the near future.

Alicia Keys and "Human Nature": Possibly one of my favorite Michael Jackson tracks (you'll hear my gush later...) gets a orchestral homage by the piano princess. I cannot place when and where she did this rendition but that doesn't really matter, what matters is that Alicia does a wonderful job and shows us how beautiful "Human Nature" is classical wise.


James Morrison Looks Into "Man In The Mirror": You know I love James, and that he can do no wrong to my ears. Here's an oldie in-studio recording of him doing the powerful "Man In The Mirror". A monster song in Michael's catalog (penned by the fabulous Siedah Garrett), that James does justice too which makes me co-sign that he and his guitar should be at the upcoming tribute concert.

Audio Vision: Ne-Yo, The Beacon Of Hope...Gulp

The 2009 BET Awards were nothing short of a disappointment as the ceremony, which was hyped up to be a glowing tribute to the late Michael Jackson, failed to rise to the occasion. What occurred were a lot of questionable performances that looked hastily put together, long winded speeches, serious ego tripping and little wiggle room to give tribute to The Gloved One. In short, we, the viewers, were duped by BET's brilliant PR and programming staff, whom made sure that everyone tuned it, and stayed glued to the set, by hyping up the tribute, and putting off on the main course (Maxwell) till the wee end and then squeezing in a tearful Janet Jackson right after a cringing Lil' Wayne and Drake showcase. Yes, what we got was tacky and disorganization. Too many bosses and not enough co-workers. True, the King of Pop's passing wasn't expected, as there were rumors about alot of the night's performers changing their sets to match with the sudden mourning, but it seemed that since these artists are claiming to be such professionals, they would at least have some sort of professionalism to put together something that would be memorable. Thus, we saw something that seemed haphazard as there were too many focuses that night. In addition to the Michael "tribute", there was also the originally scheduled O'Jays homage and then out of nowhere, a New Jack Swing tribute took place when Keith Sweat hobbled and warbled on stage followed by Guy and Bel Biv Devoe. There was so much hasty pudding being thrown about, Lord only knows what the original show was supposed to be. Out of the burning ashes of the show there was a glimmer of hope...and it came from Ne-Yo. Shocked? So am I. Most who know me, know how I harp on Ne-Yo for being the best damn Michael Jackson impersonator to grace the music industry, but last night, he made me completely forget how much dislike I have for him, and actually made me stand up and applause. Dressed like he stepped off the Starship Enterprise, and hat removed (!!), Ne-Yo delved into a touching, and on-point rendition of Michael's classic, "The Lady In My Life", and it was truly the only genuine tribute that night. Now if this had been the attitude of everyone else that night...it would've been a wondrous spectacle, but alas only one soul remembered Michael the non-selfish way.

The Scramble: Michael Monday

*Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough: There might be an opening of Michael's music vault, as there is talk of releasing to the public a 100+ song collection of unreleased Michael Jackson material. 2Pac game proper on the horizon...

*Another Part Of Me: Plans for a tribute concert to honor Michael Jackson are brewing and is rumored to serve as a substitute for the This Is It tour that the singer was to to have done. Big names, such as Madonna, are being tossed around as those slated to perform in place of Michael.

*Childhood: The eternal question--Who will have custody of Michael Jackson's children? The battle wages on.

*Say, Say, Say: Sir Paul McCartney pays tribute to Michael calling him a "gentle soul"

*Jam: In case you missed The Simpsons broadcast last night, they re-aired the popular "Do The Bartman" video in honor of Michael, who was a ghost writer on the track.

*Black Or White: Need to know...Michael Jackson's legacy broke down racial barriers

*Thriller: Head to your local newsstand today, as Time magazine is releasing a commemorative issue all about Michael, with interviews from Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston and others.

*Man In The Mirror: President Barack Obama has sent out his condolences to the Jackson family

*Leave Me Alone: Comedians have a hard time avoiding making Michael Jackson the punchline of their jokes now

*Off The Wall: See stick figures, Legos and Carlton Banks give tribute to the King of Pop

*Butterflies: Janet Jackson gives an extremely tearful tribute to her brother at the BET Awards last night...you'll be hearing more about that travesty of a show later on today

We Will Forever Rock With Michael Jackson: In Memoriam

Today, most of the world is mourning the lost of one of entertainment's biggest and brightest icons, the untouchable Michael Jackson. The sudden outpouring of sympathy and support to the Jackson family has been immense as people were no doubt shocked by the passing of the King of Pop on Thursday afternoon. As the shock and sadness begin to subside for awhile, it's time to celebrate the life and most importantly, the music of Michael Jackson. Jackson's life story is now legendary, as journey to super stardom is well-known; how he went from starting his career at age six alongside his older brothers in the legendary Motown group, The Jackson 5 and then crafting himself into a pioneering pop star. While in later years, Jackson's personal dramas about his childhood, his pedophilia accusations, his physical morphisms and financial troubles seem to tarnish his image, at the end of the day, one thing was always a constant: his undeniable talent. Jackson's talent shone out like a lighthouse beacon, and proceeded to cast onto music's mainland, challenging other artists and setting trends that no other artist were attempting to do. As he was a child star in the early cracklings of his career, Jackson was one of the first musicians that grew up and grew into a wondrously flourishing adult solo career, something that at the time, was rarely seen or rarely accomplished.


The story of Michael Jackson's genius hook-up with composer, Quincy Jones in the 80's and how the two of them crafted three of of the most important albums in music history is truly a fascinating slice of music history. The earnestness of 1979's Off The Wall, the pure artistry that went into 1982's Thriller and the stylish nature of 1987's Bad, all three of these albums, in some way, changed the way the public listened and consumed music. In retrospect, the music industry was affected by Jackson's outpouring as he modernized soul/funk music, segued it with pop and rock elements and altered how the mainstream viewed Black artists and their music. We all can pretty much attest, that without Michael Jackson, Black soul/R&B/funk artists wouldn't of made it onto MTV's once Wonder Bread format. Contribute he did as his music videos were movable works of art, that made the music video format of the latter 20th century a staple in music history. As Jackson influenced the music industry and its occupants, he also managed to influence his listeners.


Most can recall memories of how Michael Jackson's music touched their lives, whether it was intentional or not. To me, this is what made Michael Jackson such a universal artist, whether or not you wanted to listen or watch him glide effortlessly on stage, you ended up being engaged by his voice, his style and of course the videos. This collective package was something that couldn't be ignored. While I wasn't around during the massive Thriller era, and a mere baby when Bad was on shelves, I still was introduced to Michael Jackson at a young age by my parents, who owned his albums and would play them constantly in our house. At about age of four, I was obsessed with the Bad album, and would beg my Dad to play it, all along absorbing it's musical makeup. At the time, I never understood the context of the songs, but the time I spent with my parents singing and dancing along to the music, I will always cherish. By this time, Michael Jackson had become the first artist I truly loved and tried to emulate by unsuccessfully imitating the Moonwalk and the "Remember The Time" dances in our family den. Michael Jackson, for me, introduced me to what music and true artistry was all about, how it was to be executed and delivered, and that molded me into the music lover that I am today. He was apart of my childhood, and today, like others, I feel that my childhood has somewhat vanished. Yet still the memories are there, whenever I hear the lushness of "Human Nature" or see Michael dance fiercely alongside sister, Janet in "Scream", memories my Dad playing domestic DJ and my Mom dancing in the kitchen come flooding back.

While there have been individuals who will use this moment to further grind salt into open wounds today by discussing (and joking about) his odd behaviors and legal issues, I feel those individuals are missing the point, or weren't fully aware of the impact Michael Jackson had on many individuals and their lives. We need to understand that Michael Jackson created a look, a musical niche, a dance style, and a persona all in one go, and that was something that isn't a regular occurrence and sad to say, an artist of his caliber may never cross our way again. To conclude, today is a day that we should take the time to celebrate the music and the legacy of Michael Jackson and tell him thank you for blessing us with his talent and creativity.

We must remember the time...the time of Michael Jackson. May he rest in peace.

First Impressions: Ledisi Goes Thru Them Changes

Sophistication. Ledisi has it and she displays that quality trait in her music. What is to be admired about the New Orleans native is her ability to entrance vocally through song. She casts a spell once again with her new single and once again, she delivers. With a clinking piano and a Gospel backdrop, "Going Thru Changes" is the first track to be leaked in full from Ledisi's highly anticipated album, Turn Me Loose. Miss Ledisi's vocals cascade nicely over this relaxing mid-tempo that has Ledisi choosing between two men, and its perfect summertime tunage. If you dig a true vocalist, then Ledisi is your classy lady of choice. Turn Me Loose will be in stores August 18th.

Going Thru Changes

Remember The Time: Stop The Silly Games And The Attitude

Taking a gander at Vesta Williams' 1986 video for single, "Don't Blow A Good Thing"

• Song is off of Vesta's self-titled 1986 debut, and it's probably my favorite song from her
  
• HAT!
• Vesta, though her voice is reminiscent of Chaka Khan, has some serious pipes...wish I could sing like that
• People are dancing their buns off, its funny, whenever I go to a party/club, nobody dances like this, everyone's always staring at each other with a drink in hand
  
• Vesta is rocking a fierce dress...wonder where I can get the McCall's pattern for it?
• It's all in the shoulders...so much shimmy
• Keep your eyes on the guy in the gray suit, he's the one Vesta's pursuing and he's bringing the most hilarity
• What's with all the pointing?!? Lady in gold dress @ 1:17, what are you pointing at?
• Guy in the gray suit @ 1:22...people are laughing at you
• Those red gloves! Wants!
• Hate stare @ 1:52, Vesta wants that chick in the black dress to back off of her man

Heavenly Choir: Michael Jackson 1958-2009

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson has passed away today at the age of 50. His music and legacy will forever be remembered and cherished.

Tribute post coming up tomorrow...

Cover Smother: Three Faces Of Mariah

Hmm...Mariah Carey showing her three ~emotions~ on the cover for her highly anticipated album, Memoirs of a Imperfect Angel. Lots of Adobe work going on here...and lots of familiar looking poses. Yes, I'm quite critical today...

All The Way Live: The Gold Sparkles

A girl with her mouth wide open and gold spewing out like the river wild, captivated my attention last year. The visual I'm describing is the cover art for Santigold's 2007 debut effort, which clearly spoke a thousand words. The picture was clue enough into what the album was to contain. Something was to be little off-kilter, a little vain and mostly, it was going to be something out of this stratosphere. Most of the hype surrounding Santigold, has been confirmed with her growing fanbase and celebrated by those who were looking for something wildly different. For me, she just kind of came out of nowhere with a eclectic rowdy sound that blended elements of hip-hop, pop, trip-hop and rock. While she has been compared to her best bud, M.I.A, Santigold has truly been of her own accord. On last Thursday, I got to experience Santigold at Dallas's House Of Blues, with BFF Lindsay. Both of us are pretty big followers of Miss Santi since the first bubblings about her, so this was something we had been waiting to see.

As this was quite a brief show for Sanigold only has one album of material to cover, she made the most of it, by churning out sizzling numbers of a bulk of her debutal tracks. Dressed in a emerald satin jacket and gold jumper, Santigold emerged on the stage giving a slow intro to song, "I'll Find A Way". About mid-way through the song, she churned it up and then went straight in her hit, "L.E.S. Artistes" followed by the summery sway of "Lights Out". Santigold's infamous Ray-Ban and gold lame jacket adorned back-up singers stood like erect soldiers one second and then did Running Man-esque dances periodically throughout the set. "Unstoppable" had the crowd go wild and singing along, while the urgency of tracks "Shove It" and "Say Aha" could barely keep you seated. Santigold managed to whip out her version of an obscure The Cure track ("Killing An Arab") on an unsuspecting public, and while most had no clue what she was singing, nobody really cared, being entertained was all that mattered. Santigold's vibe on stage was relaxed and determined, as she dove into each song and . The singer also didn't forget her audience, as she would periodically talk to us and tell us the usual "I love you" spill but sincerity rested there. Nearer to the end of the showcase, Santigold brought fans from the audience on stage to dance along with "Creator" and fun was had by all. In reference to her debut album cover art, Santigold mentioned that "Everything out of my mouth is pure gold!"...well, that night she proved that point loud and clear.

Audio Diva Notes:

• Where are the damn pictures you ask? I'm in the process of divorcing my camera...it's old and it sucks, as it malfunctioned that night. I know, I fail. Hope my words did it justice and hopefully, the next show I go to, I'll have a better camera.
  
• While Santi was great, the audience gets an "F" for failure. Most of the people there wanted to be seen, not take in a musical performance. Ugh. So Dallas, you showed your snotty, self-absorbed colors, congrats.
• In addition to the rude crowd, I also got my shoes wet and my dancing groove messed up by this impatient and silly broad, who thought it was a bright idea to barge in-between me and Lindsay while we were dancing up a storm, which caused her to drop her drink on us. Note: When you see two people dancing and their arms are failing about, go the funkle AROUND.
• Opening act, Amanda Blank is on my radar (you'll read more about her later). She came out in this cape thingy, pranced around like she was doing interpretative dances on the stage, and spit out her rhymes like she was on Ritalin. This girl is going somewhere.
• Opening act (and Santigold's main squeeze), Trouble Andrew brought out props and a guy in a skeleton mask for his set...thus you know he's awful. And truly he was.
• Bought a vinyl of Santigold's debut...30 years from now it'll be a collector's item, as we must remember this was before the name change. Oooo, yay!

The Tape Deck: Week #2

1. Cruel Summer-Bananarama: Oh, so appropriate right now...considering the seasonal conditions. Bananarama are just tons o' fun and their 1984 hit, is perfect on the summer playlist. Hell, almost all of their 80's tunes are summer worthy from "Venus" to "I Heard A Rumor". Still "Cruel Summer" cooks them all with its funky guitars and squishy synths. The heat of this track is so crackling that it burns away any memory that Ace of Base attempted to cover this classic...

2. What's Done Is Done-Marina Chello
3. Heavy Cross-Gossip

4. Driving-Everything But The Girl: Oh, this is a softie...so soft I expect Snuggle the Bear to come out with his fabric sheets to spread fresh flowery goodness on my heart. EBTG are an odd couple, possibly because they were smooth jazz before smooth jazz squiggled out of a saxophone. Very soothing tunes they have. Lead vocalist, Traci Thorn's voice is just mesmerizing as she engulfs this lovely track.

5. Casa Bey-Mos Def

6. Oh No-Chico DeBarge: Where did this come from?!? I usually, don't scope out for the DeBarge family's solo material...yeah, it's kind of bad of me as a soul/R&B music fan, so slap me. I guess it's because I adore the DeBarge clan's 80's hey-day when their hair was all juiced up, that nothing else could compare. While this is no "Talk To Me", it still managed to hit me up the side of my head, and frankly, I'm liking it. "Oh No" is to be off of Chico's newest release, Addiction, which is out this July. Grown man's soul, the way it should be.

7. I Wish You Would-Jocelyn Brown: If you wanna hear a REAL vocal throwdown, tune into Jocelyn Brown's follow-up 1984 single to her massive, "Somebody Else's Guy". Personally, I like this better than "Somebody...", as the stark drum beats and funky bass licks just kind of propel you to a higher funk-disco environment. Plus Jocelyn goes off about mid-song and it's so electric that it could turn light bulbs on.

8. 25 To Life-Jo Jo
9. Stone Cold Sober-Paloma Faith
10. Bad Habits-Maxwell

Audio Vision: Firey Flames Of Fame

In 1990's Madonna had a cone bra. In 2009, Lady GaGa thought that was child's play. So last night at the MuchMusic Video Awards, she decided to make her bustier of choice look like the Fourth of July. Literally. Yes, Lady GaGa continues on her tirade to entertain the pants off of everyone as she did this pretty great performance of her hits, "Love Game" and "Pokerface" at the awards ceremony last night. While I'm not as easily sold as other bloggers and fans on this being an jaw dropping performance but the fact is that this still made me realized that Lady GaGa, no matter what, clearly sticks to her guns...um, no pun intended.

The Scramble: Manic Monday

*Def Jam Pushback Syndrome: Uh, ohs...rumors abound that Amerie's highly anticipated fourth effort, In Love & War, has been pushed back from it's original August 11th due date to Sept. 8th. This is due to the less than stellar performance that single, "Why R U?" is doing at this time on the charts.

*Mama Can You Hear Me?: Don't know whether to drool over Hill Harper or guffaw over the sheer campiness of this upcoming flick....An unofficial trailer wormed its way on to the interwebs over the weekend for Mama, I Wanna Sing!, the movie version of the popular stage musical from the 80's. Ciara stars as the main character with supporting roles by Patti LaBelle, Lynn Whitfield and Billy Zane (??).

*Bookends: Need a trashy tell-all for summer reading? Actress Janet Hubert aka The Best Aunt Vivian on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is breaking her silence about what really went down behind the scenes of the popular 90's sitcom in her new book, Perfection Is Not A Sitcom Mom (out today). Why should you care? She is putting Will Smith on blast, that's why!

*Boom Boom Pow: It's unclear at this point who threw the alleged punch but all you need to know is that the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am and the loathed celeb blogger, Perez Hilton, got into a tiff after the MuchMusic Video Awards yesterday evening after Will.I.Am confronted the blogger about his attacks on band mate, Fergie. What has most people squirming in their seats is that Perez took to his Twitter and asked for 911 assistance from his Twitter followers INSTEAD of calling 911 himself. No heroes in this, just losers all around.

Wipe Off The Dust: Chaka's Lost 1982 Opus

Chaka Khan is a treasure in the music world. With a voice that just booms on arrival, Miss Khan has earned her place as a musical legend since her days as the front woman of funk outfit, Rufus and Chaka Khan. While still on that roll, Chaka released in 1982 her fourth solo effort, and somehow, even with a Grammy win (for the cornucopia jazz track, "Be Bop Medley"), the album evaporated into thin air. It also didn't help that Chaka would release her swan song with Rufus, the mega-hit, "Ain't Nobody" a year later, distancing any sort of association with the project. Thus, Chaka Khan, collected dust and seemed to get lost in the shuffle of bigger albums. At the moment, Chaka Khan is horrifically out of print, and ridiculously costs a whopping $115 on Amazon. Shame, since it is the one of the best, if not THE best, of Chaka's solo career. In truth, I tend to favor Chaka's underdog albums (see 1980's Naughty) for reasons that the packages were better as a whole. This is the case for Chaka Khan, as it features some of the best 80's synth your ears will ever hear. Plus she does jazz, new-wave, funk...and a better than Michael version of "Got To Be There". To restrain from making this a review, a few songs of note:

Tearin' It Up: Probably THE most underrated dance classic of ALL time. Serious. Felony charges are dropped on whoever stupidly passed up a chance to promote this beast of a dance track properly. Heavy as a brick synths mixed with a chugging groove...and all this and more go on for six blissful minutes.

Slow Dancin': The late Rick James duets with Miss Khan on this slinky song. Teena Marie had to have been somewhere eating shards of glass after hearing this, because sad to say, Rick sounded mucho better with Chaka. I know, I will get massive heat for this, but I always found Teena and Rick together to sound like that drunk aunt and uncle who impromptu sing at family functions. It's fun but second hand embarrassment abounds. No embarrassment here, this song should've been a single.

Best In The West: Talk about country-fried funk! It begins with a gun-shooting off and it rides like a speeding horse throughout the rest of the song. Just perfect.

Be Bop Medley: Chaka has a love for Jazz (hear "And The Melody Still Lingers On (Nights In Tunisia)") and this track showcased her going above and beyond anything she's ever done Jazz wise. Incredible track, as it's a collage of great jazz songs from the likes of Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie.

Twisted: Chaka and new-wave rock?! Sounds like an odd combo, but it works. Has a very sinister backdrop to it and it's one of the darkest sounding songs I've ever heard Chaka lend her vocals too.

Artist Watch: Chello Makes Her Enterance

NYC artist, Marina Chello has, at the moment, kind of caught me off guard. Marina, born in Uzbekistan and raised in New York, has been hovering around the music scene as one of Bad Boy Records newest victims disciples. Hopefully, Chello can overcome the Bad Boy victimizing machine as she is one of the better artists they are promoting. Chello has a lovely n' lite mezzo-soprano tone to her voice (she reminds me of a more toned down JoJo and Amerie). Oddly, at times, her voice sounds reminisce of Aaliyah...but maybe that's just me. Marina Chello has a handful of songs floating around (including her first official single, "Sideline") but one track caught my ear and I couldn't end the post without sharing it. The title track to her debut album, "What's Done Is Done" is the type of slick soul mid-tempo, I've been kind of wishing someone would do, due to the lack of slow jams nowadays. Some will probably think this is too bagel plain, but actually what I really enjoy about it is that it doesn't beat you over the head with trying to be overtly flashy. The blend of somber icy synths and acoustic piano, with a bouncy skittish beat is quite engaging. Yes, I'm really feeling this. At the moment, Chello is prepping for her debut release and is promoting single, "Sideline" with a new video. So if you like what you hear then keep this up-n-comer on your radar.

What's Done Is Done

Cover Smother: So Fresh, So Sly

It's the afro and those platform shoes that do this for me. I've read that Sly is actually not flying in mid-air, but was photographed by being sprawled out on a plate of glass. Intersante.
Sly and The Fam's 1973 follow-up to the massive 1971 album, There's A Riot Goin' On. Fresh was a little less abrasive than its predecessor, and it was also the first album not to feature one time Fam member, bassist Larry Graham.

Spin Me Right 'Round: Tough As Nails

Oh, this is literally bleached in late 80's greatness. Though Taylor Dayne looks like one of those disheveled metal hair band video vixens on the cover of her album, Can't Fight Fate, what is contained on the inside is nothing but honest to goodness synth-pop n' soul. Taylor Dayne emerged with the red hot pepper dance classic, "Tell It To My Heart" in 1987, and with her gravely tone she managed to pull herself apart from the usual pop pack. In 1989, Taylor released, Can't Fight Fate, to just as much wild reception to her debut. Fate showed Taylor in a rock-n-blues state of mind, much more so than her debut, and it is welcomed as she seems much more aggressive on this. Hits such as the snarling Blues of, "I'll Be Your Shelter" and brooding "Heart Of Stone", were less polished and sounded quite raw upon delivery. Still Taylor remained true to her pop beginnings, as hit single, "With Every Beat Of Heart" features a flourish of horns and peppy energy in lyric delivery. With Fate, Taylor also scored her first #1 hit with the ballad, "Love Will Lead You Back", a track that was handed over to Taylor when none other than Whitney Houston passed on it (imagine what she would've done with it!). The Diane Warren-penned track is not the songwriters best effort, it's really Taylor execution that makes it something special. She can be quite the balladeer (see "I'll Always Love You") when she gets an opportunity to be, and she usually adds a gritty exterior to what possibly could of been a sugary-sweet ballad. The hit singles are the showstoppers of the bunch, but the filler isn't half bad either. Personally, "Up All Night" is a sizzling dance swiveler, while the Rick Wake produced, "Ain't No Good" grinds the way a solid rock n' soul number should. Bias aside, this is another essential Taylor Dayne recording, and while this album was her last big commercial splash, it's an album that shows Taylor being one of the better acts to come out of the 80's. Far from being a sophomore slump, Can't Fight Fate is for those who like their singer a little rough around the edges, yet still maintaining the sweetness of how soul/pop music should sound.

Rating: 9.0/10

Downtown Julie Brown!..."It's a bra with little sprinkly things"...horns in the song but none here, hmm...Fade at 2:30

Take 5 Friday: Looking Up At The Sky

1. The Art Of Noise: Raheem DeVaughn has done something quite lovely this week. He has released a mixtape as sort of an appetizer for his upcoming album, The Love and War MasterPeace. Usually mixtapes are of the hip-hop persuasion, but Raheem has altered the situation by making The Art of Noise, a soul/R&B concoction, and frankly, I'm loving it already. He has completely changed my ideal about mixtapes, which are things I've always been kinda of passive on. As the music purist in me hollers: "Just make a damn album!", I'm giving a grace for Raheem's tape deck, as I'm about three songs in and it's definitely wetting the whistle for anything new from him. Oh, and Raheem has sweetened the deal by making the mixtape FREE. Cause he knows how penny pinching we all are in this day in age.

2. Like A Material Angel On Holiday: As the Madonna of today, adopts African babies like they are Build-A-Bears, it's hard to imagine how she started in the game of well...music. While Maddie's output lately has been little to desire, this week, I took it back to the 80's by going berserk over on YouTube watching old interviews, seeing her Live Aid '85 set and viewing the crap-ola Madonna bio-pic, Madonna: Innocence Lost. I wasted a good hour and half watching that last piece of mess, as it showed Madonna sleeping in roach motels, dancing to bad Parisian disco and having a bad bout with her wisdom teeth (???). But the rest of my music video/live footage viewing was much more enjoyable, such as her Virgin Tour concert and seeing a bizarre unreleased video for single, "Holiday". To wrap it up, view the montage video for one of my favorite Madonna tracks, the underrated "Angel".



3. Boy Band Fashion: Shiny pants, shades, bleached hair...must be a synchronized boy band walking down the street. BuzzFeed takes a hilarious and truly spot-on look at boy bands from the 90's and early 2000's, and their various fashions and photo shoot poses. From looking at these pics, Boyz II Men were the best dressed guy group, while 98 Degrees and LFO shopped at Backstreet Boys 'R Us retail stores. Oh, and *NSYNC clearly wanted to be "original menz" of the boyband world, as their duds looked like someone went crazy in the satin and glitter aisle at JoAnn's Fabric and Crafts. No wonder they were my favorite boy band, I wore glitter just like them. What cracks me up the most is that about six pictures in the list, where actual posters I had on my bedroom walls growing up. No joke. E-mail/Twitter me if you want to play a guessing game as to what pictures they were.

4. Lupe Makes It Shine: Lupe Fiasco will be doing a Shady Pines proper sometime in the future, as the rapper announced his "retirement" sometime last year. Before he purchases a Hoverround, he is dropping a new album, We Are Lasers, much to my delight. As Lupe is one of few rappers I actually own physical albums too (Yes, I'm a hard sell...), his presence is welcomed. Here on "Shining Down" Lupe teams with vocalist, Matthew Santos (remember "Superstar" from 2007?). While it's pretty much kind of the same formula Lupe is used to doing with its spooky orchestral backdrop and icy synth crawl, I still pretty much like this. But I want to be kind of blown away, and since he's taking a sabbatical, we need something a tad more memorable. But that will come in due time, I feel.

Shining Down

5. Otter Bach: First, Keyboard Cat, now an Dua the Otter is tickling the ivories. Yes, I have a soft spot for animals playing instruments. For some reason, it reminds me of if a Disney cartoon film came to life, like if Sebastian conducted a calypso/Reggae band at Joe's Crab Shack. Erm...bad joke. Anyways, look at his cute little paws go, as he jams on those keyboards. How in hell does T-Painful have a recording contract and this otter doesn't? Boggles the mind.

The Gospel: After The Love Is Gone...The Vanishing Act Of The Big Ballad

Otis Redding claimed that we should "try a little tenderness", but that was almost over 40 years ago, and now tenderness in 2009's musical repertoire symbolizes a SOS brillo pad. The tenderness I'm talking about is the affectionate, sorrowful, conflicting and power found in a soaring ballad. A ballad that gave you chills, made you warm, and torn all in one go. A composition that was sung brilliantly by a vocalist who knew in his or her own way how to dive right in and tug at those heart strings. Think in terms of: Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart", Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work", Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon In The Sky", Seal's "Kiss From A Rose" and Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" etc. What exactly happened to ballads that were so big, that they seemed to engulf the room? Maybe I should be more clear about what exact type of ballads I'm discussing as there is a difference between a ballad and a "slow jam". Ballads, to me, seem softer and tend to grow as the song progresses, some ballads are acoustic delivery, while others have orchestral elements that result in a "big" sound. Ballads tend to be more personal, almost like a diary entry come to life, but in '09, have we stopped becoming all "touchy-feely"? Are people too cool for ballads now? Have we stopped putting our heart's on our sleeve and resorted to slashing it to bits instead? What gives?
For a ballad to capture my attention, its has something special. Something that just gives me that spine tingling chill whenever the vocalist hits a chord or expresses a lyric. There are many ballads that have done so. Janis Ian's "In The Winter" pains my heart, while Diana King's "Still" is getting wedged into my wedding's play list one day, and though John Mayer's personal attributes are detestable, his song "Gravity" touched me like a soft warm hand. Then there are artists like Angela Bofill (see picture), who alongside, Anita Baker, and the late Luther Vandross and Phyllis Hyman built their careers on their ballads, and if whenever the mood strikes, these singers are first to get played. So where have all the ballads gone on the radio? On the charts? I assume they are there on the albums, but why aren't they being promoted like they were years ago? Once again, I have many questions but no definite answer.

Web Salad: Zigazig Ah

A look-see at what's going on in other parts of the music blog-o-sphere!

• Become follower to Melismatic's Rockin' Debuts post project...sometimes we forget about the greatness of "Wannabe" by le Spice Girls
• Muumuse has a bone to pick with people (like myself) upset with Mariah Carey's new "Obsessed" single
• Remaking Fame without Irene Cara? Sheer blasphemy. See the trailer over at Soul Bounce.
• Lily Allen releases "Fuck You" video...yet she is oddly (and cleverly) not given face value. Hidden message maybe? XO's Middle Eight has the goods.
• Bama Love Soul gives us a slice of ReBel Yell's adventures with J*Davey in the studio
• Sophie Ellis-Bextor gets grilled by those jokesters over at Pop Justice
• What is Kelly Rowland doing besides being Issac Mizrahi's side-kick...Pinboard knows
• Pop Nation has reminded me that Rob Thomas's new album, Cradlesong is out...missed that memo somehow...

Remember The Time: Remembering The Timex

1986. Hip-hop meets up with soul, and the prehistoric climb to New Jack begins. The Timex Social Club were a odd group, in the sense of that they were only around for a blip second and that they were named after, of all things, the watch manufacturer. Comprised of musicians from Berkley, California, the Timex Social Club graced the charts with their lone big hit, "Rumors". The song charted at #8, and gave the group quasi-fame. In less than a year, the band morphed into Club Nouveau. "Rumors" sorta gets lost in the shuffle nowadays, which is a shame, as it is a very original tune about gossiping folks and one of the best R&B tracks from the 80's. The video embodies cartoon characters that resemble drawings from the Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love" video and lends you to focus on why "Tina is much too loose" and why "Michael sways that way". Whoever those people are.... It's quite cute, but saying that about a rap video is an instant stripping of street cred, so I won't cuddle it any further. In honesty, I know every single word to this song. Don't ask me why, I just do and maybe one day it will come in handy. You know, like whenever I'm on that Wayne Brady lyrics game show or something.

First Impressions: Case Of Possession 'Obsession'

Who is this hang-nail that continues to aggravate Mariah Carey? Why, its none other than rapper, Eminem and she's letting it be known through song that she has the nail clippers in hand on new track, "Obsessed". Mariah bites back at the consistent rapper on this up-tempo synth laden club track that physically exposes Mariah, oddly, taking about three steps forward from "Touch My Body" of last year, and five HUGE steps back from anything she has ever done. We feared it, but Mariah Carey, like Mary J. Blige last week, has resorted to the laziness of auto-tune. Shame. Honestly at this point it's clear that Mariah and MJB are hustling to keep up with the young in's. Thus, they are conforming to "what is hot" and not being the trendsetters that they used to be of their generation. Their once solid artistry has become cheapened and predictable, and that's what leaves a sour taste in my mouth. "Obsessed" is perfect for a new 20-something rising R&B/Poptress, but for Mariah, it's almost down-right generic. Yet, I have no scruples that the public will lap it up and it will chart, possibly to #1. As the singer consistently claims she is "eternally 12 years old", it is splashed out here, as she rockily rides on this Tricky Stewart and The Dream produced track. Yes, I'm quite disappointed, Mariah has one of the best voices in the industry, and it should be used, not manipulated like some damn machine. As someone who has been a fan of Mariah's music and style for many years, it pains me to write this, but I'm not showing bias, I'm telling the truth. For someone who used to set trends, "Obsession" shows Mariah clearly being the follower.

Listen: Obsessed

Artist Watch: Gotta Have Faith

Who is Paloma Faith? A chick with a kick-ass name that's what. Gotta hand it to the Brits, they are surely churning out the most vibrant music these days and giving us Americans a run for our money...there must be something in the water. Whatever the reason, Paloma Faith and her band of funksters are an interesting bunch. The sound of Paloma is kind of that grungy back-alley soul, the kind that you wipe your hands in and don't mind that they are dirty. It's fun, harmless, and you feel like a rebel. It's quite engaging to say the least. Add in a little fashion savvy, that seems ripped out of Carrie Bradshaw's closet, and Paloma becomes one of the luxe artists to latch onto in '09. Paloma's debut album, Do You Want The Truth, Or Something Beautiful, will be dropping in stores, September 21st of this year. From the gurgling hype surrounding Paloma, it sounds like Paloma is well on her way to some success. Though I can hear the Amy Winehouse comparisons flying out of yapping traps everywhere, let's just forget Winehouse for the moment and just enjoy Paloma's gravely vocals and pixie meets wild child nature. In the meantime, take a stab at the video for single, "Stone Cold Sober", which was officially released yesterday on iTunes. I truly like the sound and look of this...it's seedy Soul with a little dusty Hollywood sprinkled over it. Nice.

The Scramble: Tuesday Tag...You're It

Olan Mills Studios: Fantasia looking all kinds of radiant during a photoshoot with famed photographer, Derek Blanks.

Collaborations: The Roots' drummer, ?uestlove and newbie soul duchess, Melanie Fiona are double teaming as they are working on a new mixtape. Oh, and to add on that plate of awesomeness, all the songs on it (which are tracks from Melaine's upcoming debut, The Bridge) are live interpretations. Intersante.

Unsolved Mysteries: Le gasp! Shakira is filming the "She Wolf" video, and the single is to drop on June 29th. The mystery is unfolding...

Circle Of Friends: Whitney Houston will be going back to her 80's dance roots for her new release, let's hope she brings the silver foil bow from the "How Will I Know" video along with her. Other news about the album has surfaced...Alicia Keys has written and produced a track on the upcoming comeback record along with Swizz Beats. Houston is also in good company with ballad experts, Diane Warren and David Foster contributing. And if you were wondering where Akon's "Like I Never Left" scuttled off too...it's been polished up and will be on the new effort.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: Gym Class Heroes have a breakfast plate at Denny's for the restaurant's second installment of their Rock Star Menu. The plate consist of: hash browns on Texas Toast, with a fried egg, red peppers, cheese, bacon, onions and gravy. Oh, and a side of hash browns, just in case you didn't get enough the first time. In other news, my arteries clogged up just by typing that list of ingredients.

Cover Smother: Melanie Crosses That 'Bridge'

Simple, yet quite picturesque. It almost feels like a cover from back in time. Still, this cover tells us one thing: Melanie Fiona has arrived. The Canadian vocalist's debut, The Bridge, will be in stores, August 18th. Definitely one to watch.

The Gospel: Mary, Mary, Why U Buggin'?

Hmm...Mary J. Blige's Princess points are close to being stripped of To Wong Foo style with the resurfacing of a new track called, "Stronger", which has her collaborating with the alleged Rihanna abuser, Chris Brown. While this issue seems a little...well, trite, Jezebel brought up a great point today to make me rethink things. The question was: Why is Mary J. Blige collaborating with Chris Brown, on a track, when we all know that Mary J. Blige has suffered from physical and emotional abuse herself in the past? It really is a great question, which leads into my other inquiry: "Is a musician's personal vices ignored in the light of selling records and being an talented artist?" Well, duh. If we can back track for a moment, Mary has discussed the abuse that she viewed in her household growing up, and later she would become victim when she was involved in a volatile relationship with Jodeci's K-Ci Hailey. Mary went as far to describe their relationship as "The Ike and Tina of the 90's." So why work with Chris Brown, who we all know is being charged with domestic abuse? "Selling of records" come to mind, but I'm thinking that someone forgot to turn their ethical cap on. Still this isn't the first time that this has happened, as we also know that some domestic violence cases get a blind eye, especially if you bask in the glow of celebdom. We could spend all day naming abusive celebrities, but by the end of the day, we don't think about it because we look at the person's body of work, rather than what they do behind closed doors. Still for someone, like Mary, who has always been vocal about abuse, it's sounds like she's doing the track just because she needs it to hype up the release of her upcoming new album (which was confirmed to drop in November of this year). There are many holes in this tale, as "Stronger" mildly features Brown's vocals, but he is a major writer of the track. The track was also written before the whole Rihanna business and was a song opportunity meant for the former couple. So this now sounds like Mary got some leftovers and has probably no idea what she just stepped into. On the other lighter hand, this is just a rough cut with no confirmation if it will actually appear on the new album, plus the song promotes strong and positive relationships, so maybe it's not all shady as it seems. Still my moral compass is pointing the direction of "do the right thing", hence why I'm not so keen as to embrace this, if this track becomes official. So if Mary is receiving this kind of backlash, she should drop the song like a bag of hot coals and rethink her musical selections and who she works with in light of her personal beliefs.

The Tape Deck: Week #1

Newbie adventure! Pretty much songs I'm feeling at the moment.

1. Casa Bey-Mos Def: I'm not too hip-hop savvy, but I usually get by. So whenever I do get a chance to soak in a rhyme or two, there are certain floacists who perk the ears up a bit. So I got a chance to dive into Mos Def's newest album, The Ecstatic, and came away with loving the daylights out of, "Casa Bey". Love the weaving of 70's jazz fusion in this cut. Smart and summer ready.

2. 25 To Life-JoJo

3. I'm Getting Used To You-Selena: The San Antonio native in me kind of slinked out this past weekend, when boredom drove me to watch Selena for the millionth time. Of course, that led to me pulling out Selena's Greatest Hits, and dancing around to "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" and other Tejano/Cumbia jams. Still I prefer Selena's R&B and Pop ventures that she recorded a couple of years before her death. This Diane Warren cut is just perfect and feels like a relaxing soul samba.

4. Borderline-Madonna
5. Bad Habits-Maxwell

6. Heavy Cross-Gossip: True Fact: Beth Ditto can sing her ass off. She may not be an Aretha, but her soprano bluesy tone complements Gossip's punk-pop sound effectively. It's odd, actually, as you would think two and two could never be together, but the Washington based band make it work. "Heavy Cross" is a great funky rock number, and has instantly become one of my favorites for the year. I'm also predicting that Gossip's upcoming, Music For Men, might also be an album to obsess over in '09 as well as production is done by seasoned producer, Rick Rubin. Check out the recently released vid for the track.


7. Supernova-Mr. Hudson ft. Kanye West
8. Shove It-Santigold
9. Box N' Locks-MPHO

10. Friends-Shalamar: Jody Watley + Howard Hewitt + Jeffery Daniels + questionable outfits + Some English dance show= Mind Blowing.

Album Watch: Shakira To Unleash The Beast

There's something afoot in Shakira Land. Something that is quite mysterious and unexplainable. For the past couple of weeks, there has been jabber about the Colombian hip thruster's new English album and that the rumored first single is to be entitled, "She Wolf". While that sounds all hunky dory, I'm a tad befuddled at the Blair Witch Project-esque campaign that is swirling around the new single. Viewing the promo video was a bizarre experience, a very bizarre experience indeed. On viewing, it's all quite anticipating, especially since this thrown together site cryptically explains what the hell is going on. There's a lot of wrap your head around, but still I'm highly curious as to what ghoulish things are in store. Also, since the new album is getting an October release, it sorta explains the direction why a rampant "she-wolf" is being used. Halloween anyone? Whatever the case, it sounds like this is building up to be something worth checking out. Shakira's as-yet-untitled effort is to be featuring productions by Wycelf Jean, RedOne, and Pharrell Williams. "She Wolf", the single, will be making an appearance come later this month.

First Impressions: JoJo Resurfaces With '25 To Life'

JoJo hasn't been a happy camper these past few weeks. She is disgruntled with her record label, Blackground Records ,and most recently had to announce that some recently leaked demos weren't exactly "ready". The 18-year-old vocalist, has been quietly prepping her third album, All I Want Is Everything, and finally a new legit track has gotten a leak. "25 To Life" is its name and catchy is its game. The song was originally performed by former Floetry member Marsha Ambrosius, and this time 'round its groomed to be much more radio friendly and fits in with JoJo's musical niche. The track is insanely infectious with crazy good tempo changes that transform the song from a mid-tempo R&B jam (which oddly sounds like the Ashanti and Robin Thicke duet, "Things You Make Me Do") into a pop up-tempo. I like this, I do, I do-hoo. No word on if this is the first single choice for the upcoming project, but whatever the case, "25 To Life" sounds like a real winner for JoJo to get back on the charts.

25 To Life

Album Watch: Ledisi To 'Turn Loose'

Summer just got a little steamier, as the soulful sounds of Ledisi are coming your way this August. Blog partners in crime, Soul Bounce have reported that the New Orleans native will be issuing out her fourth album, the saucily titled, Turn It Loose, which will be the follow-up to her stellar 2007 Grammy nominated, Lost & Found. Heavyweight producing champions, such as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Chucky Thompson, will be handling the project that is to be in stores on the confirmed, August 18th. Sounds like a winner already! No word on when the first single will be dropped, but if you follow the lovely Ledisi on Twitter, she'll probably surprise fans with her status messages with clues about anything fresh that we should keep our ears open for.