Angie Stone | Dream
Shanachie Records
by Brent Faulkner
Several names come to mind when the word neo-soul is mentioned. The throwback soul movement was dominant in the late 90s and early 00s before fizzling. While it never died completely, after a while, it cooled off. Returning to the initial point, one of the names uttered when neo-soul is uttered is Angie Stone, a proponent of the movement.
Mint Condition | Healing Season
Mint Condition Music, LLC
by Peggy Oliver
At one time or another, those artists who have logged in many studio hours will eventually find their way to record their perspective on what Christmas hymns or popular tunes should sound and feel like. I thoroughly appreciate when an artist refuses in leaning too far to the left or right for the sake of holiday cheer,…
Dave Tolliver | Somethin Like The Greatest
Spectra Music Group
by Brent Faulkner
R&B singer Dave Tolliver is best known as the lead singer of 90s New Jack Swing R&B group Men At Large. Men At Large itself was best known for a song called “So Alone,” which was an R&B hit and relatively successful on the pop charts.
Kheyra | Take Flight
by Brent Faulkner
It was a sad day when the neo-soul movement died… hold up – did it ever really die? Nope! While neo-soul has faded from being a propelling force in contemporary R&B circles, those dedicated to style continue to feature it as part of their music. R&B newcomer Kheyra is one of those who’s music not only embraces contemporary R&B styles, but also keeps neo-soul alive and kicking!
Janet Jackson – “No Sleeep”
Single Review
by A. Scott Galloway
Janet’s “No Sleeep,” the lead single from a forthcoming project potentially to be titled Conversations in a Café, is a sensual, laid back, easy-on-the-ears groove – something she does very well and that her writing/production partners Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis make to seem effortless. It’s a smooth summer song (think “…And On and On..,” “That’s The Way Love Goes”) and Jam & Lewis did an excellent job of creating an aural space for Janet’s singular sound.
Tamia | Love Life
Def Jam Recordings
by Darnell Meyers-Johnson
Tamia was literally picked from obscurity 20 years ago when Quincy Jones auditioned her for his 1995 album Q’s JOOK JOINT. Her solo feature, “You Put A Move On My Heart” became the set’s lead single and earned Tamia the first of her six Grammy nominations. The rest, as they say, is history.
Playboy Jazz Festival – Day 2 – Sunday June 14, 2015
A Concert Reflection by A. Scott Galloway
Photos: Mathew Imaging
Brown Bunnies of Playboy
An afternoon of tradition and roots gave way to an evening of mash-ups and fusions for the second day of the 37th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.
Maysa | Back 2 Love
(Shanachie)
by Brent Faulkner
It has been argued that R&B has been suffering an identity crisis for some years. Questions arise like ‘should R&B musicians mold themselves into pop artists for relevancy and commercial lucrativeness,’ and ‘should they embrace the explicit, salacious conformity that has become part of seemingly every genre?’
Saun & Starr | Look Closer
By Peggy Oliver
Call it coincidence or better yet, call it destiny when two or more people immediately connect with each other while managing to continue their circle of life through various spaces of time. Sandra ‘Saun’ Williams and Starr Duncan-Lowe grew up a short distance from each other in The Bronx, New York. Yet it was their meeting at a local talent show that began their journey of a much respected friendship – musically and personally – and the rest is more than history.
Con Funk Shun | More Than Love
By Peggy Oliver
When someone speaks of ‘absence making the heart grow fonder,’ it could take on a number of scenarios, especially a reuniting of a musical group that once broke their bonds and then returns again for old time music making sake. Con Funk Shun, one of the influential seventies and eighties R&B-funk ensembles, emphatically brought their audiences to the dance floor and oozed the best in romance.