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.
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.
You cannot copy content of this page