Neo-Soul – TheUrbanMusicScene.com | Music Reviews! https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com Thu, 16 Sep 2021 13:55:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/TUMS-Icon-150x150.jpg Neo-Soul – TheUrbanMusicScene.com | Music Reviews! https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com 32 32 Stokley | Sankofa https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2021/09/stokley-sankofa-album-review/ Thu, 16 Sep 2021 13:54:04 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=5593   Stokley is going back and getting it with a vengeance after his solo introduction with Sankofa   Through a massively busy career as a session musician for Sounds of Blackness and Johnny Gill, amongst many others, then easing into a solo spotlight, Stokley is a consummate, multi-tasking musician.]]> Stokley is going back and getting it with a vengeance after his solo introduction with Sankofa Through a massively busy career as a session musician for Sounds of Blackness and Johnny Gill, amongst many others, then easing into a solo spotlight, Stokley is a consummate, multi-tasking musician. His enriching, immediately identifiable voice fills the room, driven by an engaging personality that…

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]]> Carmen Rodgers | Hello Human, Vol. 1 (EP) https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2021/02/carmen-rodgers-hello-human-vol-1/ Fri, 26 Feb 2021 23:30:51 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=5541   Indie neo-soul stylist Carmen Rodgers teaches us the wonders of humanity behind relationships with Hello Human, Volume 1, her first project in six years   Every opportunity for an artist to wear the heart on the sleeve allows them to go as deep as they desire. From her debut CD in 2004, Free, Carmen Rodgers exercises her songwriting rights to create fascinating journals of the complexity behind relationships.]]> Indie neo-soul stylist Carmen Rodgers teaches us the wonders of humanity behind relationships with Hello Human, Volume 1, her first project in six years Every opportunity for an artist to wear the heart on the sleeve allows them to go as deep as they desire. From her debut CD in 2004, Free, Carmen Rodgers exercises her songwriting rights to create fascinating journals of the complexity behind…

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]]> Kem | Love Always Wins https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2020/09/kem-love-always-wins-album-review/ Wed, 02 Sep 2020 02:49:00 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=5487   KEM Love Always Wins (Motown) An Album Reflection by A. Scott Galloway   Singer/songwriter KEM (Kim Williams) returns with his first album in 6 years since Promise to Love in 2014. As one of Black music’s preeminent love troubadours, the artist continues his richly textured pledges of the heart in a set that fans will surely find well worth the wait.]]> KEM Love Always Wins (Motown) An Album Reflection by A. Scott Galloway Singer/songwriter KEM (Kim Williams) returns with his first album in 6 years since Promise to Love in 2014. As one of Black music’s preeminent love troubadours, the artist continues his richly textured pledges of the heart in a set that fans will surely find well worth the wait. The album opens with KEM accompanied by…

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]]> Ledisi | The Wild Card https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2020/09/ledisi-the-wild-card-album-review/ Tue, 01 Sep 2020 22:08:40 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=5481   Ledisi plays The Wild Card on her glorious, independent return to the studio in four years By Peggy Oliver   Sometimes the multi-Grammy nominations, acclaim for an outstanding body of work and major label status should be an automatic in a stable career path.]]> Ledisi plays The Wild Card on her glorious, independent return to the studio in four years By Peggy Oliver Sometimes the multi-Grammy nominations, acclaim for an outstanding body of work and major label status should be an automatic in a stable career path. Without a doubt, singer/songwriter Ledisi has steadily climbed the proverbial music mountain scoring hits like “Goin’ Thru Changes” and…

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]]> Brandy | B7 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2020/08/brandy-b7-album-review/ Wed, 05 Aug 2020 14:54:58 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=5472   Brandy | B7 by Brent Faulkner   There is only one Brandy Norwood, period. The Grammy-winning, mononymous R&B singer, who started in the game as a teen, possesses an expressive, timeless voice that’s truly distinct from everybody else. ]]> Brandy | B7 by Brent Faulkner There is only one Brandy Norwood, period. The Grammy-winning, mononymous R&B singer, who started in the game as a teen, possesses an expressive, timeless voice that’s truly distinct from everybody else. The minute you hear those raspy, smoky pipes, you know that it’s Brandy that you’re listening to. After nearly an eight-year hiatus, she’s back with her seventh…

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]]> Ramsey Lewis, Tower of Power, Anthony Hamilton and More Help Playboy Jazz Festival Turn 40. https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2018/06/playboy-jazz-festival-2018-review/ https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2018/06/playboy-jazz-festival-2018-review/#comments Sun, 17 Jun 2018 18:50:23 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=5075 Playboy Jazz Festival Celebrates 40th Anniversary at The Hollywood Bowl   by A. Scott Galloway   Under clear blue skies, 80-degree temps with a sweet breeze blowin’ on both days, the “Playboy Jazz Festival” celebrated its 40th anniversary with days split almost squarely between World Music leaning on Saturday and Jazz on Sunday.   Saturday June 9 began with the traditional Los Angeles County High School For The Arts Jazz of promising young students followed by Columbian party band Monsieur Perine'. Things got really interesting when blind 17 year-old organ prodigy Matthew Whitaker and his trio wowed the crowd with the passionate and eclectic set list of his original “Play it Back,” the `60s pop hit “More Today Than Yesterday” by Spiral Staircase made famous on the jazz side by Charles Earland, the Brazilian gem “Mais Que Nada,” John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme,” and the finale of a dual medley of Earth Wind and Fire’s “In the Stone/September” with Stevie Wonder’s “As/I Wish” – what a prodigious talent and people-pleaser.   Matthew Whitaker]]> Playboy Jazz Festival Celebrates 40th Anniversary at The Hollywood Bowl by A. Scott Galloway Under clear blue skies, 80-degree temps with a sweet breeze blowin’ on both days, the “Playboy Jazz Festival” celebrated its 40th anniversary with days split almost squarely between World Music leaning on Saturday and Jazz on Sunday. Saturday June 9 began with the traditional Los Angeles County High…

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]]> https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2018/06/playboy-jazz-festival-2018-review/feed/ 1 MeShell Pretzels and Dives Beneath The Surface of `80s & `90s Soul Hits https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2018/04/meshell-ndegeocello-ventriloquism-review/ Thu, 26 Apr 2018 17:32:02 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=5059   MeShell NdegeOcello Ventriloquism (Naïve) A Record Reflection by A. Scott Galloway   The greatest test of an artist that records an entire album of covers is if they coax the listener familiar with the originals into fresh hopefully deeper appreciation of the material.]]> MeShell NdegeOcello Ventriloquism (Naïve) A Record Reflection by A. Scott Galloway The greatest test of an artist that records an entire album of covers is if they coax the listener familiar with the originals into fresh hopefully deeper appreciation of the material. When producer/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/poet/singer MeShell NdegeOcello bowed in 1993 with Plantation Lullabies on…

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]]> Sy Smith | Sometimes a Rose Will Grow in Concrete https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2018/01/sy-smith-sometimes-a-rose-will-grow-in-concrete-album-review/ Sat, 20 Jan 2018 12:16:29 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=5010   Sy Smith Blossoms into Full Singer/Songwriter Bloom on “Sometimes a Rose…”   A Record Reflection by A. Scott Galloway   Sy Smith has been a work in progress as a most valuable session and touring singer for others, and a developing artist in her own right with four acclaimed albums behind her. Her latest, Sometimes a Rose Will Grow in Concrete, is her first since 2012, its title foreshadowing that a sister has been through some things but come out the other side steeped in artistry, ancestry and ‘Les Fleur de la Corazon.’]]> Sy Smith Blossoms into Full Singer/Songwriter Bloom on “Sometimes a Rose…” A Record Reflection by A. Scott Galloway Sy Smith has been a work in progress as a most valuable session and touring singer for others, and a developing artist in her own right with four acclaimed albums behind her. Her latest, Sometimes a Rose Will Grow in Concrete, is her first since 2012, its title foreshadowing that…

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]]> Maysa | Love Is A Battlefield https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2017/05/maysa-love-is-a-battlefield-album-review/ Thu, 25 May 2017 13:18:32 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=4899   Maysa | Love Is A Battlefield Shanachie Entertainment by Peggy Oliver   Since her instantly recognizable voice graced the British Soul/Jazz outfit Incognito and Stevie Wonder’s Wonderlove, Maysa Leak continues to energize her own career by recording idyllic vocal treats for faithful international audiences.]]> Maysa | Love Is A Battlefield Shanachie Entertainment by Peggy Oliver Since her instantly recognizable voice graced the British Soul/Jazz outfit Incognito and Stevie Wonder’s Wonderlove, Maysa Leak continues to energize her own career by recording idyllic vocal treats for faithful international audiences. While she still keeps her feet wet with Incognito, the U.S. born singer remains very…

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]]> Soul Basement featuring Jay Nemor | What We Leave Behind https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2017/02/soul-basement-featuring-jay-nemor-what-we-leave-behind-album-review/ https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2017/02/soul-basement-featuring-jay-nemor-what-we-leave-behind-album-review/#comments Sat, 11 Feb 2017 14:33:34 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=4808   Soul Basement featuring Jay Nemor | What We Leave Behind by Peggy Oliver   The embodiment of music, when a vocalist or musician so emphatically chooses, can express how we can observe the world around us and what we take from those experiences in life. The latest work from Soul Basement entitled, What We Leave Behind, crafts a journal that reflects personal retrospectives that speaks to several issues.]]> Soul Basement featuring Jay Nemor | What We Leave Behind by Peggy Oliver The embodiment of music, when a vocalist or musician so emphatically chooses, can express how we can observe the world around us and what we take from those experiences in life. The latest work from Soul Basement entitled, What We Leave Behind, crafts a journal that reflects personal retrospectives that speaks to several…

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