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Lorenzo Johnson | Things Are Looking Up

Album Review: Lorenzo Johnson | Things Are Looking Up
ZoSmooth Records
by Jerry “The Mouse” Clark

It is refreshing to discover that your CD collection has gained a keeper. I personally define a keeper as music that never grows old. D.C. area native Lorenzo Johnson’s debut project “Things Are Looking Up” fits this category. The multi-talented producer, manager and musician who has worked with Ledisi, Maysa, Salt N’ Pepa, Chuck Brown and many others, now displays his personal talent on this self-made project. To continue, please click “MORE”!

LaTina Webb | Hush

EP Review: LaTina Webb | Hush
Pebbles Of Enlightenment Music
by Susan Mutharia

I watch her as she gracefully walks across the stage and settles in on her position… She is beautiful and elegant. I scope out her hair and her dress, noting her fashion style. I then make a mental note to judge her vocals when she sings. I wonder, “Who is she and how did she get here?” I know her name alright but I know she is more than just a name. The artist she is singing behind tonight glides on stage and steals the moment. Caught between drooling over my fantasy man and the euphoria of the moment, I forget all my questions about the girl…until the final standing ovation. As they bow with gratitude, I rise and wonder, “Who is LaTina Webb?” To continue, please click “MORE”!

The Jade Element

Album Review: The Jade Element
By Peggy Oliver

 
Anthony Molinaro, Alfred
Howard and Rebecca Jade are more than well acquainted with each other
through their work with several San Diego based bands. Molinero and Jade
worked alongside the soul/jazz band Super Magnetic, while Howard was
the rapping front man with the K23 Orchestra. Pooling all their musical
resources after years of experience sharing many stages in the same
city, the trio eventually decided to join forces to birth yet another
band. To continue, please click “MORE”!

Tracy Cruz | Universoul Symphony

Tracy Cruz - Universoul Symphony
 
Tracy Cruz | Universoul Symphony
by Brent Faulkner 
Tracy Cruz, an up-and-coming neo-soul singer, can definitely be identified as a ‘talent deserving wider recognition.’ On her sophomore effort Universoul Symphony (notice the clever play on words), Cruz asserts her dynamic alto with great conviction and ravenous grit. Throughout this superb set of thirteen cuts, Cruz sounds sultry, confident, and classic, never losing sight of the ‘soul.’ In an age where the neo-soul movement is not currently the ‘in’ trend, Cruz certainly gives compelling argument for its resurgence.

Al Green | The Best of the Gospel Sessions

Album Review: Al Green | The Best of the Gospel Sessions

By Peggy Oliver
 
From
Billboard Magazine’s ranking as one of the top one-hundred Greatest
Artists of All Time to being inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of
Fame, Al Green fully deserves all of those props for his overall
contributions to popular music culture.  Many classic soul connoisseurs
know him for his caressing and strong pipes on “Let’s Stay Together,”
“Tired of Being Alone” and other hits for the Memphis based Hi Records
guided by producer and engineer Willie Mitchell. To continue, please click “MORE”!

Julie Dexter | New Again

Julie Dexter - New Again art cover
 
Julie Dexter | New Again
by Brent Faulkner
 
Julie Dexter, a British independent soul/jazz artist, recently released her fourth LP, 2011’s New Again. As a vocalist, Julie Dexter is a ‘smooth operator,’ borrowing some cues from the past, namely from jazz vocalists and R&B vocalists; Sade’s cool sound comes to mind when making comparisons and descriptions of Dexter’s approach. Throughout, Julie Dexter’s voice is smooth, pure, and refined, never losing any of it’s sugary, sensual goodness.

Reggie Young | Steppin’ Up

Album Review: Reggie Young | Steppin’ Up
by Brent Faulkner

Steppin’ Up is standout bassist Reggie Young’s latest music project,
released July 5, 2011 on his own label, RGY Entertainment. Steppin’ Up
is an exceptional ‘jazz’ effort, but ultimately transcends the
confinements of one concrete style of music, shifting between jazz,
soul, funk, rock, gospel, and reggae. Young’s restlessness as an artist
makes Steppin’ Up such an exciting and worthwhile jazz offering,
shedding the clichés and providing an enthralling listening affair
throughout its fifty-three minute duration. To continue, please click “MORE”!

John Jay | The Secret to Life

John Jay - The Secret To Life
 
John Jay |The Secret to Life
By Peggy Oliver
 
John Jay may not be a household name in the gospel industry — yet. However, by no means, does it diminish the fact that his talents have been solidified through his body of work and in a variety of musical settings. From appearances at Jazz Aspen Snowmass to the Holy Hip Hop Awards, Jay’s gospel journey can certainly not be put in any kind of box.

Gail Holmes | I Receive Your Love

Album Review: Gail Holmes | I Receive Your Love

By Peggy Oliver
 
The
current urban music industry’s thinking process mostly caters to a much
younger audience. In other words, artists who are searching for their
first recording break at — say age thirty and over — might be scoffed
at or simply overlooked. But somehow in that grand scheme of music, Gail
Holmes was not letting those factors become an obstacle course in her
ministry mission. To continue, please click “MORE”!

Kindred the Family Soul | Love Has No Recession

Album Review: Kindred the Family Soul | Love Has No Recession
By Peggy Oliver

(Advance Review: CD To Be Released on July 26th, 2011)

It
seems the artistry of the urban music duo in this decade is almost
biting the dust. The passionate chemistry from Martin & Tami,
Ashford & Simpson and others from decades gone by kept our ears
riveted and our emotions hanging on every note they conveyed. But those
who really treasure what the meat of soul is all about is probably
familiar with Kindred the Family Soul, the married duo of Fatin Dantzler
and Aja Graydon whom was first introduced to the public via Jill
Scott’s Hidden Beach imprint in 2003. To continue, please click “MORE”!

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