Coko | The Winner In Me
Coko | The Winner In Me
by Shellie A.
The Winner Is In Her! Coko does it again with her sophomore gospel CD entitled The Winner In Me. She is delightful, dedicated, emotional and inspirational throughout the CD.
Joe | Signature
Joe | Signature
by George Strand
Having a way with music all of his life, Mr. Joe Lewis Thomas had this knack or flair for the intimacy of love songs & ballads. A question that always receives an answer on all of the LP’s throughout his career in R&B music.
Calvin Richardson | Facts of Life: The Soul Of Bobby Womack
Calvin Richardson | Facts of Life: The Soul of Bobby Womack
by Terrill Hanna
There’s something unique that draws me to the voice of young Calvin Richardson. Could it be that one of his biggest strengths is his ability to ‘bring it’ vocally from the soul? Is it the choice that he made in striving to continue uplifting the spiritual aspect of Traditional R&B/Soul music for today’s listeners? Or is it how tasteful & polished some of his recent work has shined on us, how consistent he remains to be with it & a determination to keep it real by all those standards it requires?
Najee | Mind Over Matter
Najee | Mind Over Matter
by Peggy Oliver
Whether Najee‘s music is labeled as sophisticated R&B, smooth jazz, or slick pop, his saxophone’s melodic quality is fresh as the summer breeze, and he also knows when improvising is in the best interest of the song. His reputation in contemporary jazz circles still remains indisputable after all these years as being one of the innovators of the ‘rhythm and jazz’ movement; a decade after Bob James, Grover Washington, Jr., Stanley Clarke and others set the tone during the jazz fusion era of the seventies.
Teena Marie | Congo Square
Teena Marie | Congo Square
by Peggy Oliver
With the upcoming release of Teena Marie’s latest recording, there are two notable items that deserve attention. Number one: Congratulations to the singer/songwriter/musician’s thirtieth anniversary in the recording industry. The second and one for the music history books: The new disc – Congo Square – begins a new chapter for Marie at Stax Records, one of the few urban owned record labels in the U.S, signifying the second signing to an urban company for a Caucasian artist.
Ronny Smith | Just Groovin
Ronny Smith | Just Groovin
by Terrill Hanna
Pacific Coast Jazz instrumentalist Ronny Smith is a consistent Guitar appreciation that seems to keep a pep in his step whenever it came time to groove. Which, I believe, came to thought when he named his new release, “Just Groovin“ to the world. A nice collection, 10 tracks, of savvy urban R&B layered, instrumentals that is guaranteed to keep all smooth guitar lovin’ fans happy. Some tracks do come off predictable, but others have its moment of gratitude towards Ronny’s ever appealing talent on the strings.
Mavo Solomon | iSiGiDiMi
Mavo Solomon | iSiGiDiMi
by George Strand
Its not everyday that I listen to beautiful, deeply textured rooted R&B music from South Africa. A place where our Motherland has produced & been held responsible for the birth of other instrumental, vocal improvisational outputs, in all aspects, of our musical heritage from all over the world. Its an honor to always think back on those trademarks of creativity associated to a whirlwind of musical genres’ all over the planet.
Jef Kearns | On The Level
Jef Kearns | On The Level
By Terrill J. Hanna
What a unique, flute impresario! A special branded player chopped to the game of Urban Jazz, with enough physique to carry him through to possibly another outing after this one. I’m talking about flautist Jef Kearns & his breakthrough triumph “On The Level” – a 9 track set of smoldering hot grooves, at the slow or fast paces, & executed enough to keep you at the headphone booth – listening. This cat specializes, satisfying a stretch of great music comprised of some funky moments, relaxed, chilled flows & a splendid mix of duets from his arsenal of guest stars appearing on the project.
Pieces of a Dream – Soul Intent
There’s something about going back to the years ’81 – 83′, where some of the funkiest funk & old school R&B music reigned supreme. Ah Man! Just take a good look at our ‘Back In the Day’ page for starters & chill for a moment while you are there. It’s a no-brainer when keyboardist James Lloyd & Drummer Curtis Harmon reflected on that period of greatness,…
Soul Of The Holidays – WHUR-96.3 (Various Artists)
Soul of the Holidays | Various Artists
By Terrill J. Hanna
What a unique way to not only feature a great selection of special music artists to an evening of fantastic, special Christmas music on stage. But to demonstrate how well WHUR/Howard University Records had produced this concert with proceeds to benefit their “Food2Feed” nonprofit organization, designed to help Washington DC area families with monetary donations & non-perishable food items.