Powerhouse Radio Blog

0 Lionel Richie Leads a Grab Bag of Christmas Holiday Favorites

Christmas
by Kingsley H. Smith
10/17/2006

Here are some notes on three festive holiday releases coming your way this Fall. (1) The rejuvenated Lionel Richie, riding the success of his latest CD "Coming Home," offers eight holiday songs for the new "Lionel Richie Collection," including "Joy to the World," and "Silent Night." (2) John Legend, (scheduled to release his next CD October 24th), gives fans a bonus CD of holiday hits. "Let it Snow" is featured on "The John Legend Collection" Christmas offering. Retailer Target will be the exclusive distributor of the Richie and Legend holiday CD's. (3) Daryl Hall and John Oates have released their first ever Christmas album. They are donating a portion of the proceeds to Toys for Tots, the charitable program run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. There are two new songs, "Home for Christmas," which is the title track, and "No Child Should Ever Cry on Christmas." These traditional classics get a contemporary touch: The First Noel It Came Upon a Midnight Clear The Christmas Song Mary Had a Baby Oh Holy Night Hall and Oates have also re-recorded "Jingle Bell Rock," a promotional single they originally released many years ago. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Dionne Warwick and Girl Friends Sing Fresh Duets

News
by Kingsley H. Smith
10/13/2006

Dionne Warwick continues her 2006 celebration of 45 years in show business with a new all-star female duet collection featuring those most memorable Burt Bacharach - Hal David hits. Together with Dionne on "My Friends and Me" are: Gladys Knight Olivia Newton-John Kelis Gloria Estefan Mya Angie Stone Cyndi Lauper Reba McEntire Da Brat Celia Cruz Chante Moore Wynonna Judd Cheyenne Elliott Lisa Tucker Deborah Cox Gladys Knight joins Ms. Warwick for a powerful reading of "I'll Never Love This Way Again." Olivia Newton-John and Dionne do a bouncy interpretation of "Wishin' and Hopin'." Contemporary R&B maven Mya does "Close to You" duet style. Kelis jumps in with DW for "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head." Gloria Estefan tag-teams "Walk on By." Celia Cruz together with Dionne helps point the way to "San Jose." Deborah Cox, Chante Moore, Angie Stone, and Da Brat help Ms. Warwick bring the socially conscious "Windows of the World" up-to-date, with Da Brat rapping about Iraq, Katrina, and other controversial issues. Dionne will celebrate the November 7th release of "My Friends and Me" with a special benefit concert on Sunday, November 19, at New York's Lincoln Center Avery Fisher Hall. The evening will raise funds for Love Our Children USA and The New York Therapeutic Riding Center. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Soulful 45 RPM Picture Sleeve Flashback

Photo
by Kingsley H. Smith
10/12/2006

By approximately 1990, 45 RPM picture sleeves faded into music history. The colorful jackets artfully promoted the latest songs by eager recording acts with visions of hits dancing in their heads. The seven inch vinyl record inside of the sleeve also faded into oblivion along with 8 track tapes, turntables, and electric typewriters. CD singles still come with picture sleeves, but as digital downloading of music becomes more popular, the days of CD singles are numbered. Retail CD albums will probably last a little longer. Can you guess what year these four songs with sleeves were released? Hint: all four are from the same year in the 1980's. These four original 45 RPM picture sleeves, from the PowerhouseRadio.com collection, promoted what turned out to be major hits for Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, and minor releases for Natalie Cole and Smokey Robinson. As you might guess, sleeves keep increasing in value. Do you have any in your collection? Most 45 RPM picture sleeves, even without the vinyl records inside, fetch between $5 to $10 a piece in 2006. Several authors have written books estimating the value of these sleeves. The more famous the act, the more value the sleeve has. I'm lucky enough to have several hundred original 45 RPM picture sleeves going back to 1964, 99.5% with the records too, and I plan to hold on to all of them. Answer to the trivia question: 1987. Want to use any of our picture sleeves as a screen saver? Visit the Powerhouse Radio Picture Sleeve Pop Wallpapers collection. Previous Post | Next Post

0 A Mary Wilson Supreme Fight for Truth in Music

News
by Kingsley H. Smith
10/11/2006

In my review of Marc Taylor's Book: "A Touch of Classic Soul: Soul Singers of the Early 1970's," I mention that there were two groups of competing Delfonics touring in the 1980's. William and Wilbert Hart, original members of the Delfonics, each sought to control the name. Today, there are still bogus groups touring the world using familiar names in an attempt to "get over" while shamming you and me. In the USA, the "imposter group" fraud problem has been around for years. Mary Wilson, an original member of The Supremes, has been involved in a battle to pass national legislation to prevent imposter groups from using famous names of 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's performers. Her legislation requires the presence of a verifiable original group member for the name to be legally used in a live performance. The federal courts have passed on the issue, so Mary has pushed for the legislation in individual states. Other famous music celebrities have supported her cause. So far, Pennsylvania, Illinois, South Carolina, and North Dakota have adopted the truth in music legislation. The Pennsylvania bill forbids, among other things... "Conducting any theatrical exhibition, public show, public amusement or exhibition, for admission to which a price is charged, without stating in any advertisement of the same, in the case of a musical group, whether or not the musical group performing is composed of the original members or a tribute group." It's important to note that Mary says tribute groups are OK, as long as the tribute group doesn't purposely masquerade as the original group. Visit Mary Wilson's web site for complete contact information. You can join her and support her honorable truth in music crusade. 2021 update: See this quick facebook Mary Wilson Tribute we created in honor of her legacy when she passed in February, 2021. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Diana Ross drops Love Power Pick

News
by Kingsley H. Smith
10/05/2006

The highly anticipated Diana Ross CD, "I Love You," is scheduled for release Tuesday, October 10th. It's her first studio album in over seven years. Diana says that she and her producers researched hundreds of songs to select the 14 that are included in the collection. Their screening process was similar to the Quincy Jones - Michael Jackson technique of whittling down about 800 songs to the nine that appeared on "Thriller." Ms. Ross offers "I Love You (That's all That Really Matters)" as the sole new song. The other tunes were selected for what Diana characterizes as "craftsmanship in songwriting." Remember - from the pen of Harry Nilsson More Today Than Yesterday - Spiral Starecase I Want You - Marvin Gaye I Love You (That's All That Really Matters) What About Love - from Oprah Winfrey's "The Color Purple" (stage Production) The Look of Love - Dusty Springfield Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen Lovely Day - Bill Withers To Be Loved Only You I Will - Paul McCartney You Are So Beautiful - Billy Preston Always and Forever - Heatwave Remember Reprise Diana Ross, at age 62, is closing in on her 60th Album. Wow! I like the look of "I Love You." Previous Post | Next Post

0 Before us again: Song Stylist Gladys Knight

Review
by Kingsley H. Smith
10/04/2006

Gladys Knight has been underrated for years. She's one of the great R&B singers. Showing even more range, Gladys has jumped on the "standards" bandwagon with her brand new CD, "Before Me." Yes, you've heard these jazzy classics before: Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me The Man I Love Good Morning Heartache Since I Fell For You God Bless The Child This Bitter Earth I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) Someone To Watch Over Me But Not For Me I'll Be Seeing You Stormy Weather Come Sunday They are the great songs of Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald, among others. "Before Me" is the kind of collection you spin to set the perfect mood for a special evening. Gladys is in perfect form. The songs resonate personality with her warm and earthy phrasing. Song stylist for the ages...absolutely. Every Gladys Knight fan should love, "Before Me." The collection reveals another facet of a vocal legend - a strand of jazz that's good for the soul. Previous Post | Next Post

1 Ultimate Luther Vandross Shines Bright

News
by Kingsley H. Smith
10/03/2006

Will the Luther Vandross touch on a song ever go out of style? Just add his name to these glowing, classic soul CD releases... "The Best of" - 1989 "Greatest Hits" - 1999 "Super Hits" - 2000 "The Ultimate" - 2001 "Very Best of" - 2002 "The Essential" - 2003 "The Ultimate" - 2006 There are a few other "pretend" hit collections from obscure record labels, but this list represents the strongest of the Luther Vandross compilations. Some time back, Chic's Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers collaborated with others to write a previously unreleased dance track, "Shine," showcasing Luther's magnificent voice. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have produced "Shine," which appears on the new "Ultimate Luther Vandross." Out of the 17 other "Ultimate" tracks, one additional song has never been released: "Got You Home." It's a slow-to-medium tempo ballad. Vandross diehards will probably want to grab just "Shine" via a digital download, since the rest of "The Ultimate Luther Vandross" appears on earlier releases. Newer fans can't go wrong getting this excellent 18 song collection. Previous Post | Next Post

0 London Calls John Legend for Live Online Gig

News
by Kingsley H. Smith
09/28/2006

John Legend, who won a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B vocal performance for 2005's "Ordinary People," kicks off a free live online MSN concert series on Monday, October 2. Legend lands in London's Royal Albert Hall for a 9pm performance (1pm Pacific, 4pm Eastern). John also won 2005's Best R&B album Grammy: "Get Lifted." Microsoft's video site, MSN Video, will stream the concert live to the USA, Australia, Canada, Japan, and the U.K. Legend's MSN concert will be the first of 36 scheduled live online performances by various artists over several years. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Leaving New Day Dreaming to Natalie Cole

News
by Kingsley H. Smith
09/27/2006

Aretha Franklin's number one song, "Day Dreaming," gets a contemporary spin as one of the highlighted tracks on Natalie Cole's new CD, "Leavin'." Scheduled for release yesterday, (September 26), "Leavin'" is Natalie's 20th studio album, and her first in four years. Versatility is Ms. Cole's middle name. She chooses a wide selection of material on the collection, including songs by The Isley Brothers, Fiona Apple, Neil Young, Kate Bush, and Sting: Criminal Old Man Day Dreaming Leavin' The More You Do It (The More I Like It Done To Me) Lovin' Arms Love Letter The Man With A Child In His Eyes 5 Minutes Away Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time For Love) You Gotta Be If I Ever Lose My Faith In You She handles "Day Dreaming" quite well, giving it a very modern touch. Natalie Cole trivia...her first hit, "This Will Be," reached #6 pop in 1975. How many hits did she have through 1997? What's a new CD without a tour to support the release? Catch Natalie on the following October and November 2006 dates: October 12: Casino Rama Orillia, Ontario, Canada October 14: Caesar's Palace, Atlantic City, New Jersey October 16: World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania October 18: Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, Georgia October 21: Norton Center for the Arts, Danville, Kentucky October 24: Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, New Jersey October 25: Music Center at Strathmore, Bethesda, Maryland October 28: Fine Arts Theatre, Detroit, Michigan October 29: Fine Arts Theatre, Detroit, Michigan November 1: Park West, Chicago, Illinois November 2: Park West, Chicago, Illinois November 7: Potawatomi Casino-Northern Lights Theatre, Milwaukee, Wisconsin November 12: Jackson Rancheria Casino, Jackson, California The answer to the trivia question: Natalie Cole had 18 charted "hits" between 1975 - 1997. Previous Post | Next Post

0 The New Electronic Frontier for Classic Soul

Commentary
by Kingsley H. Smith
09/26/2006

Take a look at the new music releases, and you'll find lots of old friends attempting to re-enter the spotlight. According to the RIAA, (Recording Industry Association of America), these were the top five genres (in order) based on shipments from record companies: 1996: Rock Country Pop R&B/Urban Rap/Hip Hop 2005: Rock Rap/Hip Hop Country R&B/Urban Pop Overall during the past 10 years, the top five genres remain the same. R&B/Urban hangs in at number 4. Rap/Hip Hop is the biggest gainer - but there's more behind the numbers. In 1996, RIAA research of record buyers concluded that 15-19 year olds represented the largest segment, 17.2 percent. 45 year olds and above represented 15.1 percent of the buyers. Fast forward to 2005. 15-19 year olds have dropped to 11.9%, while 45+ is now the largest buying segment, commanding 25.5% of the market. 20-24 year olds are in 2nd place, with only 12.7%. How we obtain music reflects another interesting change... 1996: Record Store: 49.9% Record Club: 14.3% Internet: (not applicable) Digital Download (not applicable) Concert (not applicable) 2006: Record Store: 39.4% Record Club: 8.5% Internet: 8.2% Digital Download: 6.0% Concert: 2.7% The RIAA numbers show that the gender split between men and women has remained even, about 50 - 50, since 1996. In 2005, it was 48.2% female, and 51.8% male. So when you read about new releases from Lionel Richie, Janet Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave fame), The Whispers, and countless others, the numbers back up the fact that the market for these artists is still very strong. Classic Soul is still in the game. Though not the focus of this article, jazz and classical genres have taken the biggest hit over the past 10 years, each losing about 35% of market share with music buyers. Not even considering online radio, in 2005, 14% of music consumers purchased music through the Web. As more music fans become comfortable with commerce in an iTunes world, look for more legacy artists to take advantage of electronic distribution opportunities direct to you and me. Previous Post | Next Post