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.
Isha Love | Jars of Waters
by Peggy Oliver
The main attraction for me when artists piece together impactful music is how they pour their genuine heart out for their craft, especially for the independent musician. Before diving into those independent waters, Isha Love began playing the piano at an early age before she realized her career in high school as a musician in the jazz market, along with an extensive discipline in classical music.
James Lloyd | Here We Go
by Peggy Oliver
So what should a musician do when one is a year shy of celebrating 40 years with one of the most prolific contemporary jazz groups? How about diving in and record their first solo endeavor. That is the scenario and longtime dream realized for James Lloyd, one of the founding members of Pieces of a Dream. By the way, this just happens to be a very special 50 years-young birthday gift for this Philadelphia native.
Charlie Wilson | Forever Charlie (RCA)
by Brent Faulkner
Some veteran artists eschew the spotlight past their career’s prime, while others embrace it, continuing to share, preserve, and flex their artistry. For Charlie Wilson, he is the latter, remaining active in his early sixties after a brilliant musical career as the front man of The Gap Band. The 00s have been extremely kind to Wilson, as he has issued six solo albums, with his last five notably sporting his first name in their title.
Phil Perry | A Better Man
by Peggy Oliver
Phil Perry’s new CD is called A Better Man. This is more than a suitable title considering while some musical voices decline with age, Perry’s creamy tenor still glides through the elegant romantic ballads and almost anything that is handed to him or writes about.
Jazmine Sullivan | Reality Show (RCA)
by Brent Faulkner
Prior to the release of her third album Reality Show, it had been nearly five years since Philly R&B artist Jazmine Sullivan had released a new studio album. It seemed after another critical home-run in sophomore album Love Me Back that Sullivan simply disappeared from the face of the earth. Gone were the commanding pipes of one of contemporary R&B’s most impressive new voices.
Maya Angelou | Caged Bird Songs
by Peggy Oliver
Unquestionably, Maya Angelou stands as one of the most influential poets for the human race. Graced with an extraordinary touch that could gently sway one minute and fiercely attack the next, Angelou (who passed in late May of 2014) championed for urban social injustices and other pressing issues with her mighty pen.
D’Angelo and The Vanguard | Black Messiah
By Peggy Oliver
It’s been awhile – maybe a little longer than awhile. Alright, how about summing up D’Angelo’s fifteen-year return to the recording fold by quoting from L.L. Cool J’s larger than life rap classic, “Don’t call it a comeback.” Yet, despite a fourteen years recording absence since D’Angelo waxed Voodoo in 2000, do not mistake the fact that his career path falls more into the sabbatical mode, as he took a break for five years between the aforementioned sessions of his major commercial successes, his 1995 introduction, Brown Sugar (including the smash title track and “Lady”) and Voodoo (“Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”).
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