News and Music Reviews

Raul Midon - Synthesis (Advance Review)

administrator — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:38:51 -0400

Incredible amounts of advance buzz as well as appearances on several major television shows greeted the major label debut of singer/songwriter Raul Midon in 2005. His concerts were well known by that time and led Blue Note Records, still flush from its success with Norah Jones, to sign Midon and to pair him with legendary producer Arif Mardin for his debut. The disc was a moderate success, but neither it nor its 2007 successor album, A World Within A World, fully captured the magic of Midon's live presence.

Carl Anderson - Protocol (Reissue)

administrator — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:02:28 -0400

During the 1980s, Carl Anderson's immense talent was only matched by the wild inconsistency of the music he released. His debut album, Absence Without Love, was a major disappointment for fans who had waited nearly a decade after his seminal performance as Judas in the blockbuster movie Jesus Christ Superstar.

Jana Mashonee - New Moon Born

administrator — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:14:03 -0400
New Moon Born, Jana Mashonee's new album, is an earnest, serious and passionate work. Reading the statement that appears on the final page of the packet of liner notes totally explains the appropriateness of my use of those three adjectives. Mashonee, who is Native American, uses a portion of that page to introduce listeners to Jana' Kids. The group aims to encourage Native American children to believe in themselves and reach their goals.

Efficacy Video Series: Meet Monica Blaire

administrator — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:50:17 -0400

Inspired by the video web series '120 seconds' on friends we Love http://www.friendswelove.com/ produced by DJ Moni and Mike Vargas, Efficacy is a web series created by The Bloom Effect's Fiona Bloom.
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Tekitha - The Prelude

administrator — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:49:29 -0400

Tekitha, the in-house vocalist for imperial East Coast rap group Wu-Tang Clan and the occasional voice fronting club jams by UK electronica wizard Armand Van Helden, is prepping the release of her debut album. Until then, she's delivered The Prelude, a seven-track introductory EP showcasing Tekitha's taste buds for an unusually wide range of genres including pop, rap, rock and soul.

YahZarah and The Foreign Exchange offer free download

administrator — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:18:40 -0400

Critically acclaimed R&B vocalist YahZarah returns with her long-awaited album "The Ballad of Purple Saint James," dropping May 4 on The Foreign Exchange Music. The 13-track set, overseen by Grammy-nominated production duo Nicolay and Phonte of The Foreign Exchange, represents her brightest, most complete work to date.

YahZarah is offering a free download of her new song, "Why Doncha Call Me No More" to her fans:

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Hear new Toni Braxton music!

administrator — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:08:39 -0400

Hey All! Toni Braxton is releasing her newest album, Pulse, on May 4th, but you don't need to wait to hear it. Toni has leaked the new song "Hands Tied" for her fans to listen to...and it sounds good to us. Want to hear it for yourself? Just click below.

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Chestnut Brothers sing to "Stop the Violence"

administrator — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:31:26 -0400

"Stop The Violence" (Evolution Remix) is the blazing new single by The Chestnut Brothers. Their passion for social change has always been clearly reflected in the music they have been actively promoting with their world peace agenda and this third incarnation of their theme song is a masterpiece.

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NY's B.B. King blues club celebrates 10th Anniversary

administrator — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:18:56 -0400

[New York, NY - March 12, 2010] - 42nd Street's renowned music venue, B. B. KING BLUES CLUB & GRILL, is celebrating a milestone birthday this summer. With a month long celebration in June, including performances by music legends PATTI LABELLE and CHUCK BERRY, B.B. Kings is gearing up to show New York City exactly why it has been one of the premier music venues this past decade.

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New Interview with Nick Martinelli

administrator — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:18:13 -0400

Nick Martinelli's unequalled production credits speaks volumes, boasting the names of some of the most gifted vocalists in music, including Diana Ross, Phyllis Hyman, Regina Belle, Teddy Pendergrass, Loose Ends and Gladys Knight . What makes Nick unique is his diverse experience in every aspect of the entertainment industry, specifically in productions, publishing, sales, promotions and distribution.

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Nominate the Best Soul songs of the 80s!

administrator — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:47:11 -0400

Hey SoulTrackers! We're moving on decade by decade to pick the greatest soul music of all time. Last time you came out in force to choose the Greatest Songs of the 70s, and now we're looking for your choices of the Greatest Soul Songs of the 1980s. This was a great decade for soul music, with changing styles and some new superstars.

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Dira - Something About the Girl

administrator — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:52:02 -0400

One thing that can be said about Jean Paul "Bluey" Maunick is that he knows talent. Scores of talented vocalists and musicians have performed with Incognito, Bluey's best-known group. They include more than a few great female singers such as Jocelyn Brown and most notably Maysa Leak. Leak and Brown have the kind of biographies that are instantly familiar to soul music lovers. Brown is from North Carolina and Leak is from Baltimore, and both spent time singing in their local communities before embarking on careers as backup vocalists and eventually lead singers.

FLOetic Lara - Jus Let It Flo

jeffr — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:01:26 -0500

In London , we like to believe that we have a vibrant spoken word and music scene which could hold its own against the likes of those in Atlanta , D.C. and the Tri-State area. Packed with artists full of promise, and eager to make a name for themselves either by getting a record deal or becoming "discovered" as the next best thing, there is one who has soared above the rest and whose debut project I have been waiting for, for a long time. She can sing and rap; she writes poetry and has stage presence; she can scat, sing about God and she rocks an afro.

Final Results! Greatest Songs of the 70s

administrator — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:42:54 -0500

Hey SoulTrackers. Thanks for voting in our poll of the greatest songs of the 70s! Thousands of votes came in on what was one of the closest polls we've ever had. And here are the results. By any measure, this is a killer list of some unbelievable songs. We hope you love it!

To see your choices of your favorite songs and albums of other decades, CLICK HERE.

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Rok - Born 2 Sing

administrator — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:58:10 -0500

Harlem-based singer Rokeem Pough (a.k.a.

Uh oh...Quincy Jones to create new album of remakes

administrator — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:19:36 -0500

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Mighty Clouds of Joy - At The Revival

jeffr — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:28:40 -0500

Linking quartet gospel to soul music is easy. Before becoming a pop sensation and birthing the earliest of soul, Sam Cooke first led the Soul Stirrers through big hits like "Jesus Be a Fence," "Be With Me Jesus" and "Touch the Hem of His Garment." Cooke was not alone, Lou Rawls and Bobby Womack crossed paths with Cooke while traveling gospel's chitlin' circuit before exiting gospel to pursue rhythm and blues. Whether you're a big fan of the traditional quartet gospel sound or not its influence remains great and unshakable.

"Professor Bootsy Collins" opens Funk University

administrator — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:50:15 -0500

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 11, 2010 -- It began with a simple message on Bootsy Collins' twitter page to his more than 400,000 followers, which simply read "If You Build It, They Will Funk." Fans had no idea he was referring to the upcoming debut of Bootsy's Funk University, an online bass school for players around the planet to study under his direction.

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Redbone co-founder dies

administrator — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:04:09 -0500

Lolly Vegas (a.k.a. Lolly Vasquez), one of the co-founders of the 70s R&B group Redbone, has died of lung cancer at age 70. Redbone was the most popular Native American R&B band, and topped the charts in 1974 with the monster hit, "Come And Get Your Love."

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Joyo Velarde - Love and Understanding

jeffr — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:51:25 -0500

Sometimes hip-hop intense record companies surround their mostly male-dominated rosters with soulful female vocalists. Back in the day, there was Michel'le for Death Row Records and Faith Evans for Bad Boy. Then there is Joyo Velarde, a frequent vocal collaborator with Quannum Projects (originally known as Solesides), founded by the underground rapper Lyrics Born in 1992. Her superlative vocal skills are absolutely worthy of hip-hop royalty. Ever since Velarde joined the California Bay Area independent company, she has provided sweet-sounding hooks for many of the Quannum Projects

Randy Muller - Unreleased - Vol. 1 (1978-85)

jeffr — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:37:16 -0500

The songs Randy Muller put on his latest compilation album have never been heard - hence the title Unreleased-Vol. 1 (1978-85). In a sense, these tunes are very familiar. Muller wrote nine of Unreleased's 11 tracks for other groups and individuals he worked with at the same time he was producing hit records for B.T. Express, Brass Construction and Skyy.

Nona Hendryx presents Res and Russell Taylor at SOBs/UnFiltered

administrator — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:12:37 -0500

Nona Hendryx presents monthly, cross-genre music series featuring independent artists at S.O.B.'s in Manhattan.

Res, Russell Taylor, JohnnySwim & special guests on March bill.

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CD Giveaway Winners - The Very Best of the Dramatics

administrator — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:26:18 -0500

Here at SoulTracks we're mourning the death of our good friend Ron Banks of the Dramatics. One of the great falsetto voices of the past four decades, Ron was one of a kind. And we've heard from a lot of you what he and the Dramatics have meant to you.

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Ron Banks of the Dramatics Dies

administrator — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:22:52 -0500

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Maxwell and Jill Scott to Tour Together - Dates set!

administrator — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:51:53 -0500

UPCOMING TOUR DATES (as of March 4):
Fri-May-21-10 / Cleveland / Quicken Loans Arena
Sat-May-22-10 / Detroit / Palace of Auburn Hills
Mon-May-24-10 / Indianapolis / Conseco Fieldhouse
Tue-May-25-10 / Chicago / United Center
Sat-May-29-10 / St. Louis / Scottrade Center
Wed-Jun-02-10 / Seattle / Key Arena
Fri-Jun-04-10 / Oakland / Oracle Arena (on sale 3.13)
Sat-Jun-05-10 / Los Angeles / Staples Center
Tue-Jun-08-10 / Dallas / American Airlines Center
Wed-Jun-09-10 / Houston / Toyota Center

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Vote Now! Greatest Songs of the '70s

administrator — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:31:24 -0500

Hey SoulTrackers, It's that time again!

For the last couple of weeks you've been inundating us with nominations of your favorite songs of the 1970s and now we're ready to put it to a vote. As we did last month with the 60s, here is your chance to help us choose the 100 Greatest Soul Songs of the 70s.

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New interview with the Stylistics' Russell Thompkins, Jr.

administrator — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:51:31 -0500

As the lead singer of the Stylistics for more than 30 years, Russell Thompkins became of the most recognized vocalists in the world. His smooth falsetto was the key to great songs like "You Are Everything," "Stop, Look, Listen" and "Betcha By Golly Wow."

He now fronts the group Russell Thompkins Jr. and the New Stylistics and continues to impress audiences around the world.

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Kindred to create reality series with 6th child

administrator — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:25:08 -0500

March 2, 2010 (Philadelphia, PA) - Aja & Fatin Dantzler, known to music fans as Kindred the Family Soul, officially announced today the arrival of their sixth child and the launch of their web-based reality series Six is It!
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Raheem Devaughn - The Love and War Masterpeace

administrator — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:28:51 -0500

He refers to himself as "Radio Raheem" and the "R&B Hippie neo-Soul Rock Star," but the titles don't matter as much as the talents that Raheem DeVaughn can lay claim to.

Hall & Oates bassist T-Bone Wolk dies

administrator — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:52:07 -0500

Longtime Hall & Oates guitarist and former Saturday Night Live band member Thomas "T-Bone" Wolk has died of an apparent heart attack. Wolk was scheduled to play with H&O this week on Jimmy Fallon's 1st anniversary show. For those of you who have seen Hall and Oates in concert, you know the flamboyant Wolk. For those of you who haven't, here is how T-Bone is described on his website:

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