News and Music Reviews

RIP: Fayette Pinkney of The Three Degrees

administrator — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:05:09 -0400

Fayette Pinkney, one of the original members of the Three Degrees, known around the world most prominently for their hit "When Will I See You Again," has died at age 61 of respiratory failure at a hospital in her native Pennsylvania.

Whitney Houston returns with "I Look To You" in September

administrator — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:12:57 -0400

Russell Taylor to release "Confessional"

administrator — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:55:39 -0400

July 1, 2009 (NEW YORK, NY) - IndigoBlue Music announces the sophomore release from Progressive Soul and R&B artist RUSSELL TAYLOR, entitled Confessional available August 11, 2009.

Lisa McClendon - Reality

jeffr — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:10:18 -0400

In the song, "You Gotta Have Heart," the motivational and pivotal moment from the Broadway musical Damn Yankees, one particular lyric stands out: "All you really need is heart, when the odds are sayin' you will never win." Yes, these lyrics applied to a struggling baseball team trying to win the pennant. Yet, when it comes down to those thought-provoking lyrics of the spiritual heart, Lisa McClendon simply tells like it is, often singing about surviving the trials and tribulations of everyday life.

Glam Sam and His Combo - Groovy!

jeffr — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:41:07 -0400

There is a lot of music on Groovy! the debut CD by the Swedish group Glam Sam and his Combo. And I'm not just talking about the fact that the record sports 18 songs. That's modern music and I might as well get used to it. What I mean is that these songs are long. In a way that's not surprising. Glam Sam's hybrid of jazz, funk, disco, rock, techno and hip-hop is dance music, and dancers and DJ's aren't quick to let go of a good beat. Groovy! has plenty of good beats. In fact, I can see a rapper laying some nice rhymes over these beats.

Susan Marshall - Little Red

jeffr — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:44:22 -0400

Little Red, the album by Susan Marshall will probably be considered a rock album. However, there is more than a little element of the blues in rock, and Little Red seeps with the blues from its opening track to the last tune. Marshall's voice is suited for this record because the Memphis native has distilled the blues and soul that came up from the Mississippi delta, as well as the country music that came over from east Tennessee and Arkansas.

Howard Dukes visits 2300 Jackson Street

administrator — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:55:21 -0400

This is a reflection by SoulTracks senior writer Howard Dukes, who is a Gary, Indiana native and visited Michael Jackson's childhood home on the evening of MJ's death.

Various Artists - Playing for Change

jeffr — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 12:34:59 -0400

Playing for Change is producer Mark Johnson's brilliant idea of uniting over 100 musicians across cultures to raise the banner of Bob Marley's rich "one world-one love" philosophy of social change through music, while focusing attention on the music education works of the Playing for Change charity. Within four years, Johnson and his crew traveled across the world to film and record musicians from a great range of backgrounds as they sing and perform several timeless rock/pop standards in their native environments.

Tributes to Michael Jackson flow in

administrator — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:43:43 -0400

The tributes have been flowing in upon the sad death of Michael Jackson. Here are some from SoulTracks writers and others:

Reprint: "Thriller" is 25 - What it means to us

administrator — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:19:10 -0400

This is a reissue of an article we published in 2008 following the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's seminal album, Thriller.

Michael Jackson Dies

administrator — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:56:48 -0400

At 2:26pm on June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson, The King of Pop, was pronounced dead by UCLA Medical Center at the age of 50. Reports claim Jackson died of cardiac arrest experienced at a home he was renting in Bel-Air, though at press time the cause of his heart attack remains unexplained. Toxicology reports are currently under development.

Fantastic Motown video tribute released

administrator — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:50:06 -0400

(June 24, 2009) Last night I had the privilege of attending the wrap up party that was held in Detroit to celebrate the video tribute to Motown's 50th anniversary, as created by the Detroit Free Press. Led by Free Press writer Brian McCollum, videographers/producers Romain Blanquart and Marcin Szczepanski and Executive Producer Kathy Kieliszewski, the event highlighted a series of fifty incredible short videos, each chronicling a specific aspect of the great Motown story.

Shae Fiol - Catch A Ride

jeffr — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:30:00 -0400

I am a YouTube junkie. Certifiably addicted to the website. I'm just glad the Internet wasn't available to the public in the 1980s. Because if it was, I'd still be living in my mother's house looking at old Earth, Wind & Fire videos and watching Saturday Night Live clips. Since I'm all grown up, I'm disciplined enough to pull myself away from YouTube long enough to get some work done. As a matter of fact, YouTube videos often come in handy when I have to review work by an artist with whom I am unfamiliar. Shae Fiol is such an artist.

SounDoctrine Prepares Release of "Inspire" - Free Download!

administrator — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:02:39 -0400

Ohio based Originalternativefunkjazzfusion band SounDoctrine prepares to re-enter the funk arena after an 18 month hiatus with a new project entitled "INSPIRE."

Vote for the Best Gospel Albums 1970-2009!

administrator — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:12:06 -0400

Ledisi to return in August - hear a sample!

administrator — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:16:47 -0400

Soul singer/songwriter Ledisi promises a to keep it "raw, spiritual, uninhibited, and aggressive, and tell it all" with her new album 'Turn Me Loose' (out Aug 18th on Verve Forecast).

Concert Review: Joe and Chico Debarge

administrator — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:00:12 -0400

Joe and Chico Debarge
B.B. King Blues Club
June 15^th, 2009
by Ann Marie Collymore

Toni Redd - "N" the Key of Redd

administrator — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:24:12 -0400

Sometimes nothing feels quite as fresh as a pleasant blast from the past. The 1980s were arguably the halcyon days of female urban adult contemporary vocalists. The emergence of Anita Baker, Miki Howard and Regina Belle along with 70s carryovers such as Phyllis Hyman and Patti LaBelle brought solo women to the forefront of "adult" soul music and created a iPod full of memorable songs that still stand up in 2009. It is out of this mold that Toni Redd arrives, more than two decades after UAC's peak.

Nikki Yanofsky - Ella…Of Thee Swing

jeffr — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:41:52 -0400

Fifteen year-old Nikki Yanofsky is precious. She's precious in the way that all barely adolescent voices with grown-up talents are, coaxing smiles and sweet applause out of precocious imitations of their elders. Michael Jackson did it by imitating Jackie Wilson and James Brown. Little Stevie Wonder did a killer Little Jimmie Scott impression before his voice changed. A 19 year old Aretha did a particularly fine Dinah Washington.

Bishop Oscar Wilson, father of Gap Band's Charlie Wilson, dies

chrisr — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:21:41 -0400

Los Angeles, CA (June 17, 2009) - The P Music Group is sad to announce the passing of Bishop Oscar W. Wilson father of the funkadelic brotherly trio, the GAP Band. Bishop Wilson was a servant of GOD for over 74 years. He died from complications resulting from prostate cancer.

Teena Marie scores top 20 with "Congo Square"

chrisr — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:12:31 -0400

TEENA MARIE'S CONGO SQUARE A TOP 20 ACHIEVEMENT

R&B Icon's Stax Records Debut a Commercial and Critical Hit

Yolanda Johnson readies new album

chrisr — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:47:55 -0400

(LOS ANGELES, CA) MetaMusic Recordings will release Yolanda Johnson's first full-length album entitled Breathing, on September 8, 2009. The album is the follow up to her critically acclaimed EP Violet Flower.

PJ Morton releases new book

chrisr — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:42:04 -0400

Atlanta, GA June 15, 2009 - Grammy, Dove and Stellar Award winning writer and producer, PJ Morton, is releasing his debut book, Why Can't I Sing About Love? The Truth About the "Church" Against "Secular" Music.

Laura Izibor - Let the Truth Be Told

jeffr — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:51:08 -0400

With its melodic soars of Lauryn Hill's "That Thing," the cute piano arpeggios of "From My Heart to Yours" whispers of neo-soul's second coming. With the major media blitz surrounding Ireland's Laura Izibor, the new R&B singer/songwriter sensation has already established her as the latest R&B version of Lauryn Hill. Yet, if you move the single aside and dig deeper into Izibor's debut, Let the Truth Be Told, what you hear are the slight glimmers of a warm, easy-going project.

Alex Nester - Rattle the Walls

chrisr — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:15:52 -0400

There are many skilled vocalists who have the right ingredients: proper technique, lung power, and perfect pitch. Yet even those admirable attributes sometimes can not replace heart, soul, and a natural ability to deliver the goods in several genres.

U-Nam - Unanimity

chrisr — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:56:55 -0400

Nimble with the strings, varied in his influences and dynamic in his delivery, it has barely taken two CD's for jazz guitarist Emmanuel Abiteboul, better known as U-Nam, to establish himself as one of today's most exciting artists, producers and musicians. Elastic in his approach and eager to incorporate differing musical styles into his tracks (pop, funk and soul), U-Nam, as expected, follows up 2007's Back From the 80's with---what else?--- another delicious fusion of funk, pop, and contemporary soul.

Teena Marie - Congo Square

chrisr — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:30:52 -0400

Thirteen albums since the debut of Wild and Peaceful, Teena Marie has the distinction of being the only female blue-eyed soul artist whose career is still vibrant and kicking thirty years after her auspicious launch. Originally mistaken for a sister of a different shade when Rick James first introduced her angelic pipes to the world, an error slyly promoted in black communities for more than a year by her Motown Records label, Marie has made it a point to be down with black people from jump.

Spyro Gyra sets chart record

chrisr — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:19:15 -0400

New Smooth Soul Survivor - Hurry Up This Way Again

jeffr — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:20:59 -0400

"Hurry Up This Way Again"
[Song Written by Dexter Wansel and Cynthia Biggs]

Kevin Sandbloom - Under Pink and Bourbon Skies

jeffr — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 12:26:26 -0400

It would be an understatement to call Kevin Sandbloom's Under Pink and Bourbon Skies minimalist. Sparse might be a better word. Much of this record is totally acoustic with nothing more than Sandbloom's guitar and his expressive voice. Under Pink and Bourbon Skies is kind of like Raul Midon's State of Mind, only a little more intimate.