0 Lena Horne Leaves a Lasting Legacy of Music

• Audio
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 05/11/2010

Lena Horne was an all-media superstar who captured hearts on radio, television, movies, records, and Broadway. Ms. Horne was attracted to show business early as a 16-year-old chorus girl at Harlem's famous Cotton Club in 1933. She was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 30, 1917, and celebrated her 90th birthday in 2007. Ms. Horne has just passed away at 92 (on May 10, 2010). In 1981, Quincy Jones' Qwest Records released Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music Live on Broadway. Listen to 60 seconds of Lena Horne singing "If You Believe" from this double album. Your browser does not support the audio element. Previous Post | Next Post

0 The Winstons Color Him Father

• Video
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 05/06/2010

"Color Him Father" is one of those rare positive message songs that graced the classic soul - pop radio airwaves back in 1969. Washington, DC's the Winstons created this song. Fast forward to 2010, as a new group of Winstons under the direction of trademark owner Joe Phillips continues to keep the sound alive. Although none of the original members from the 1969 crew are in the current group, the new Winstons have been performing since 1996. They've released a new 4-song EP disc with: "Don't Blame It On Me," "Still," "Good Single Lady," and "Put Your Hands Up." My favorite, "Put Your Hands Up" (for your father), salutes those great dads who take care of business. "Still" captures the sound of love by staying true to the Commodores original. "Good Single Lady" gets going with the Johnnie Taylor "Disco Lady" rhythm. Novelty hooks are great to generate a buzz about a song, and the EP title track "Don't Blame It On Me" has one. There's comical amusement in the serious message scorning those deadbeat dads who refrain : 'The kid is not my son.' We've heard this before in "Billie Jean." Your browser does not support the audio element. Listen for yourself to 59 seconds of "Don't Blame It On Me," then watch the Winstons perform their classic "Color Him Father." Previous Post | Next Post

0 War Serves Up A Spicy Cinco De Mayo Sing-along

• Audio
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 05/04/2010

On War's 1982 album Outlaw, you'll find the lively "Cinco De Mayo," a festive and funky anthem for Cinco De Mayo Day. Sing-along with War for 30 seconds. They have the jazz, rock, Latin, and R&B groove. Your browser does not support the audio element. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Toni Braxton Returns with a Hot Pulse

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 04/30/2010

Toni Braxton has spread musical joy ever since 1991's "Love Shoulda Brought You Home" landed in the Boomerang movie soundtrack. Her 5 Grammy Awards (1993, 1994, 1997, 2000) complement memorable hits including "Another Sad Love Song." According to her official biography, while studying to become a teacher at Bowie State University in Maryland, Toni was discovered by producers L.A. Reid and Babyface. She survived a well-publicized bankruptcy in 1997, which she characterizes as "a major learning opportunity for me." Toni began her first Broadway run in 1998 with a starring role in "Beauty & The Beast." In 2005, she headlined Toni Braxton: Revealed at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. In 2008, she competed on ABC's Dancing with Stars and headlined the Dancing with the Stars tour. Toni Braxton is now signed with Atlantic Records. Her new album, Pulse, is scheduled for release on Tuesday, May 4, 2010. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Jeffrey Osborne Goes all the Way with LTD

• Audio
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 04/28/2010

Jeffrey Osborne has had a marvelous career. He moved from behind the drum kit to center stage as lead vocalist for L.T.D., Love Togetherness & Devotion. From 1969 to the present, Osborne has dived into funk, soul, and ballads propelled by powerful pipes pushing his resonant voice forward. In 2009, Greatest Hits Live! was released, featuring a solid mix of L.T.D. and solo Jeffrey Osborne hits. It's a strong showcase of his deep catalog. Take a look through the track list, then listen to 25 seconds of L.T.D.'s "Holding On" sung live by Jeffrey on this album. Your browser does not support the audio element. "We're Going All The Way" "Don't Get So Mad / medley I Don't Need No Light" "Only Human" "Party Hearty" "Stranger" "Stay With Me" "Close the Door" "On the Wings of Love" "Holding On" "Concentrate On You" "We Both Deserve Each Other's Love" "Love Ballad" "You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)" "Back In Love Again" "I'll Be Around" Join Jeffrey Osborne on a walk through his career. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Stevie Wonder Takes 10

• Games
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 04/23/2010

I'm reading through Signed, Sealed, and Delivered: The Soulful Journey of Stevie Wonder, a brand new unauthorized biography by Mark Ribowsky. We'll write up a review that will appear here soon. Motown Stevie turns 60 on May 13, 2010. In honor of the coming event, here's another Powerhouse Radio photo puzzle for you to enjoy. Stevie Wonder Takes 10 puts you on the spot for a trip down memory lane. It's a total recall picture challenge. Are you a wonderful expert? The trivia question is below each picture. ----- 2022 Update: The original version of the quiz worked automatically in a web based browser on a phone or laptop giving you instant feedback when touching an answer. We can't offer that version anymore. It used a technology that has been phased out. We've recreated the original game that you can still play below. Answers are at the bottom of the page.  ----- 1) What year? 1972 1977 1969 1980 1968 1989 2) What year? 1966 1970 1978 1983 1960 1969 3) What year? 1976 1985 1990 1968 1991 1980 4) What year? 1970 1977 1982 1971 1974 1983 5) What year? 1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1987 6) What year? 1975 1989 1986 1983 1980 1977 7) What year? 1976 1982 1987 1991 1967 1991 8) What year? 1964 1970 1971 1968 1962 1974 9) What year? 1969 1965 1968 1967 1966 1970 10) What year? 1970 1972 1971 1979 1976 1980 The answers: 1) 1 2) 6 3) 2 4) 5 5) 1 6) 5 7) 2 8) 4 9) 6 10 5) Previous Post | Next Post

0 Diana Ross Touches the USA again

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 04/21/2010

I really enjoyed attending my very first Diana Ross concert at the Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey in January, 2008. Spring is the time of the year Miss Ross likes to do what she loves...and that's hit the road to entertain you. Never seen her? Don't miss your chance in 2010! The Boss still has the right stuff. Charm, personality, showmanship, and hit music are all in the mix when this legendary diva takes the stage. Visit Diana Ross on Facebook. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Can Record Store Day Save a Sinking Ship?

• Commentary
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 04/15/2010

Album sales are down 6.1 percent in the first 3 month of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009, according to Nielsen SoundScan. They add that for the first time, iTunes and CD sales online have passed the traditional big box retailers. Amazon and their digital brethren now make up the largest distribution channel for music, and for good reason. Big boxers like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy have dropped the ball when challenged with stocking a satisfactory variety of the newest music being released. You'll always find the A-list performers in their racks, but you are hard pressed to find a deep selection of new music representing a variety of artists from different niche genres. Jazz, soul, and R&B are frequent victims of this trend. Bookstores including Encore and Barnes and Noble do a better job stocking tunes, but as with the big box stores, music sales no longer represent a growth area. The digital music download world is hurting too. Nielsen SoundScan says that downloads experienced their first year-to-year quarterly sales decline ever, falling about 1 percent between January 1 and April 4. In the same period in 2009, digital download sales were up 13 percent over 2008. CD's will eventually go the way of the horse and buggy, just as electric vehicles will slowly take market share from gas engine cars. Computers inevitably crash, and unless you back everything up, there's still a better element of permanency when investing in compact discs. The CD for many is still an important part of their music collection. Once upon a time, the best place in town to salivate over new releases and bountiful catalogs was the record store. I worked in an independent record store for 3 years part-time as a teenager. Today, only the bigger cities can still support the few independent record emporiums that are left. In Philadelphia, my favorite is Sound of Market Street, surviving in 2010 with an awesome collection of CD's (and vinyl discs). ----- 2022 Update: Sound of Market Street finally closed in 2014 after 30 years in business. ----- A worldwide event has been created to spotlight stores just like Sound of Market (JazSound). Saturday, April 17 will mark the 3rd annual Record Store Day. RecordStoreDay.com says that the original idea for this promotion was "conceived by Chris Brown, and was founded in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally." The website further amplifies the concept explaining "this is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music." "Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances." Record Store Day is now celebrated on the 3rd Saturday every April. At RecordStoreDay.com, I did a random 'search by state' to see what was happening in Texas. Over 50 independent record stores came up in the Lone Star State, so there still is a heartbeat left in this disappearing institution that's now on life-support. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Chic Music Photo Puzzle

• Games
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 04/14/2010

Chic music was always a hit with Nile Rodgers on guitar, Bernard Edwards on bass, Tony Thompson on drums, and vocalists Norma Jean Wright and Alfa Anderson singing the lead. 2022 Update: This trivia quiz is among the 50 plus quizzes that l created for PowerhouseRadio.com. The original quiz allowed you to touch the correct answers and see your total score after the final question. Technology changes. Time marches on. The computer code for the original "Chic Music" quiz is no longer supported. I've recreated this trivia quiz as an image based text game using the original images. The "interactivity" is gone. That is, you can't just touch on the correct answer and see instant feedback for a right or wrong response. Anyway, you can still play along below, eyeballing the question, and taking a guess at the answers! ----- Est-ce que c'est chic? A) The Chic Album above is? Chic C'est Chic Believer Live in Concert Platinum Take It Off   B) These Chic Albums above are (select two)? Risque' - Chic Chic - C'est Chic Chic Set - Le Freak Chic-ism - Risque' Real People - Chic Real People - Tonque In Chic C) The Chic Album above is? Risque' Merci Chic Live in Paris Dance Dance Dance Soup For One Piano Jive D) The Chic Album above is? Stylish Rhythm Chic Fashion Greatest Hits Vol. III The Very Best of Designer Chic Chic for Fun And the answers are: A) 6 - Take It Off B) 6 - Real People and Tonque In Chic C) 1 - Risque' D) 4 - The Very Best of Previous Post | Next Post

0 The Delfonics Debut Harmonic Philly Soul

• Video
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 04/09/2010

The Delfonics set the stage for the Stylistics, the O'Jays, and the eventual parade of other future smooth Philly-soul vocal groups. The sound of the Delfonics was not the funky sound of Motown, Stax, Memphis, or Chicago. Producer Thom Bell enhanced what the Delfonics created to eventually popularize this style of quiet storm R&B. Philadelphia's original Delfonics: Wilbert Hart, William Hart, and Randy Cain first recorded for the Cameo Parkway label. Thom Bell would grab them for his Philly Groove label, releasing "La La Means I Love You" in 1968. Major Harris, of "Love Won't Let Me Wait" fame would replace Randy Cain in 1971. As Marc Taylor describes in his book A Touch of Classic Soul: Soul Singers of the Early 1970's, there were 2 sets of Delfonics touring in the 1980s because of a legal fight over the name. There will be no confusion when you watch and listen to my 30 second slide show below featuring "the real" Delfonics.     Previous Post | Next Post