Are many of you ready for the return of the Hammond B-3 legend Supreme…..Dr. Lonnie Smith? Are ya’ll ready for a good serving of Soul-Jazz, Funk from one of the premier organists of this age? Are ya’ll ready to be delighted with some strong up-lifting grooves to ever quinch your …
Micah Stampley….The Second Coming!
“I believe”. BOTTOM LINE!
When a song (“I Believe”) from the offset of the
album takes your mind & heart into the realms of heavenly glory
– WATCH OUT! Where it usually starts off, comes more from the
horizon it came from! Glory be to God Almighty & we shall
ALWAYS sing his praise!!
Thats’ the agenda according to Mr. Micah Stampley! Shall I
begin?
“You …
Straight from MCG Records & distibuted from Central South INc.,
Mr. Lynn Taylor displays his writing skills, vocality & street
credibility. Soulful & heartfelt, this album sounds …
Let’s go “Way Up”! & check out the selections of
various grooves Wayman presents for our pallets!
Oh…Oh….The NBA finals isiiiisiiisisisssssss
FANTASTIC!!!!!!
Tisdale is on the Bassline! About to hit that “shot”
with 3 seconds remaining to finish the ballgame!
In his face, Shaq goes up to block
it……Ahh….Its Tipped!……’but’………the ball
soars…….it hits the backboard……but did it “make it
in”????
Well lets see??
His Teammates on the bench screaming him saying:
“C’mon dawg!!!”:
Lola’s Child Music presents a new vocalist – a new writer – a “New Voice” to the game of R&B music! And without wasting any moments to spare, Ms. Ross plays directly the path of a club setting, crowd crooning flow that’s sure to persuade the immediate attention. In fact, she came with a full fledged band, full of talent & creativity, that I’m sure you will grab the volume control to your ipod & listen in to the compositions for its complete state of mixture.
The personnel includes Lonnie Plaxico – Bass; Chris Rob – Keyboards; Daniel Sadownick – Percussion; Christian Ver Halen – Guitar; Skoota Warner – Drums; Key – Background Vox & Nicole Hamilton – Background Vox. There’s additional support mentioned from the liner notes & they came to get down!
The CD is tight! It will not disappoint. In fact, I had to take a deep breath before dropping this review because the project hit me from so many angles! I was impressed with the songwriting skills, vocal connections, song sequencings, Teo’s sax solo in “Teo’s Intro”, so on & so on, etc & etc. There’s a contemporary, traditional approach, but it leaves a tasty treat of neo on your pallate.
The compositions has texture, which are not too prominent in todays R&B/Hip-Hop. It’s very much needed & Ms Ross & her crew brought it to the kitchen table, along with the main ingredients!
The duet with Eric Roberson on “Why Can’t I See” was organic & sexy, all at the same time! Groove-driven comes the title track “New Voice”. The melody will stick to you!; I immediately hit the repeat button on “I’m So Okay”, for it simply reminded me of her ability to croon a mid-tempo ballad, check it!; Followed very closely to “Real Deal”. Even Hip-Hop artist Talib Kweli laced a featured solo!
Track Listings
— New Voice
— I’m So Okay
— Real Deal
— Interlude – Keep It Loose
— 1st Time
— I Got U
— Can I Keep It? feat Talib Kweli & Tiye Phoenix
— Teo’s Intro
— Send Me Somebody To Love
— You Made The Difference
— Why Can’t I See? (feat Eric Roberson)
— Has2B
— Interlude – Keep It Tight
— Very Well
— Man You Love Blues
Parting Note: They should’ve kept the interlude track “Keep It Loose” flowing, but that’s OK. The time span was good enough for a tease!
Again, Ms. Ross comes from all angles of soul, from either being bluesy or simply being traditional, she will slowly but surely become a force to be recogned with, so as long as she stays consistent…
I’m Gone.
T.J.H.
Right off the back, G. Mayes doesn’t mess around with praise worship! This cat simply creates an anthem of dedicated worship! Its inspiring to say the least, but gracefully, he laced it into a double CD set equipped to leave a everlasting impression of Urban Gospel set to be released …
Ledisi returns in fine fashion to supply Neo Soul listeners a new fabric of compositions to await the ear. With production backup from Rex Rideout & various others, including Ledisi herself, track after track will leave you in a talespin of reality & non-fiction.
She is well backed in the instruments department. You have: Rex, Michael White, LaDell Abrams, John Roberts & Tommy Bradford on the drums; Melvin Davis, Dwayne Smith, Nelson Braxton & Maurice Fitzgerald on bass; John Smith, Errol Cooney, Darrell Crooks, Alvin White & Rick Watford – guitars; Kenneth Knight & Sundra Manning – Organ & Keyboards; Luther Hanes – Drum Programming, Keyboards & Key bass; Javier Solis – Percussion; DJ Rocky Rock – Scratching; Phillip Lassiter.
This gem is so tasty, many of you will struggle to get this one out of your player. And believe me, its not only because of the creativity behind the cutsm but the vocals behind the mic!! Ledisi lasy it on the line – much needed in an industry starvin’ for pure vocal talent! Better yet, its refreshing! I’m diggin’ the entire release. Watch out for it ya’ll August the 28th! I apologize for the early warning, but then again, am I really apologetic???
Start from the opening applause of “Been Here (Intro)” & catch the attention Ledisi really brings to herself as she struts into the opening of this album; “Joy” drops a memorable melody dressing, a simple finger snapping staple that it quickly becomes catchy!; Rex gets a small endoursement for the mid-tempo’d “You & Me”…a reminder of things to come from this super-producer throughout this centerpiece; “Best Friend” goes straight to the heart & soul of the Neo scat. “I’m in love, I’m in love with my man!…my Best Friend”; “Alright” drives home the point of sentimental soul – laid back with the catchy hooklines!
Ledisi wrote all of the tracks with help from Rex Rideout & the crew mentioned above. She doesn’t mess around folks! And ultimately you will absoultely pleased.
On The Real…
T.J.H.
Sophomore project from Marcus Mitchell, entitled “R&R (Rest and Relaxation)” is an excellent followup to his ’05 release “Jumpin'”. Right away you get a sense of real maturity from the opening track. And as you listen to the album in it’s entirety, Marcus stays true to his central theme throughout. At only 24 years old, he plays like a seasoned pro. With influences like the late Charlie Parker, its not hard to see why this young saxophonist is headed for stardom!
The album starts off with a bang with “Saturday Night”. With an attention grabbing yet subtle intro its no wonder it has become a hit single. It also doesn’t hurt to have starpower like Jeff Lorber (Narada Jazz) on your team, as he lends a hand with a tasty solo to end the track. Slow it down and cool out with “Summer Breeze”. Nice urban groove with some excellent flute work. For all the late Art Porter fans out there, you’ll be sure to appreciate this one. “Diamond in the Ruff” has tribute written all over it. Art would be proud. (R.I.P.). Marcus keeps it smooth with “Deep Concentration”. I’m impressed with the beautiful blend of sax and trumpet! Way to go Dontae!!!
Title track “R&R” is a real crowd pleaser as not too many artists still showcase the bass guitar as prolific as it is displayed in this track. Nice and slow, but not too slow, with an absolutely awesome arrangement. Pay attention to the incerdible drum work, you percussion fans, as well as the guitar solo by Beau Talley. Turn it up a notch and bump the bass; “Groove Lounge” is sure to get you on your feet. With a cool bass line and snazzy sax playing no doubt you’ll press repeat. M. Anthony does a masterful job wiht the programming here and on “Makin’ Moves”.
Now every good jazz album MUST have at least one late night cruzin’ track. Well here it is with “When We First Met” featuring Blackbuddafly. Next, Marcus does a great job on an old favorite; “Outstanding”! This ones not over the top like some other artists who try their hand at recutting a classic. The Gap Band would be proud. My personal favorite on the entire album is “Sharpshooter”. Written, produced and arranged by non other than the incomparable David Dyson, you will definitely understand why when you hear it. Check out the bridge. And “Just Groovin'” wraps up the album nicely.
If you haven’t already picked it up, go get it. No disappointments here. Beautiful job Marcus and The Urban Music Scene looks forward to your next release.
Cliff Evans
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