Categories
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- Review
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 08/16/2012
Whitney Houston's "Celebrate," a nice uptempo duet with Jordin Sparks of American Idol fame was recorded in early February, 2012. The latest "Sparkle" movie was released in August, 2012. The original film from 1976 starred Irene Cara. "Celebrate" is included in the soundtrack. Previous Post | Next Post
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- Biography
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 07/11/2012
Nile Rodgers, the surviving founder of Chic, chronicles the rise of his group in "Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny." Co-founder Bernard Edwards died in Tokyo, Japan in 1996. The distinctive production style of Rodgers was responsible for hits by Diana Ross, David Bowie, Sister Sledge, Duran Duran, Grace Jones and many more. Rodgers, a composer, arranger, guitarist and producer describes his humble beginnings in New York City before the dawn of Chic. Readers of this autobiography will enjoy the special Nile anecdotes from various studio sessions. Chic was a dynamic force, driven by the unique style of Rodgers and Edwards (on bass). They don't receive enough credit for their innovation. Chic is often stereotyped in perception by attributing the blandness of the disco era to the group. Many negate Chic's best work by lumping it in with the mediocre robotic melodies of disco's heyday. For the whole story, check out "Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny." Previous Post | Next Post
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0 Whitney Houston So Emotional
- Photo
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 06/20/2012
From Newark, New Jersey to Beverly Hills. Whitney Houston: born August 9, 1963 in Newark. Died: February 11, 2012 in Beverly Hills. Celebrate her life with this "So Emotional" wallpaper from our sister website Picture Sleeve Pop. Previous Post | Next Post
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- Biography
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 05/21/2012
LaDonna Adrian Gaines was born on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1948. She grew up in Boston with her parents and two sisters. By the time she was 12, she was singing Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick songs. On her approach to singing as an adult, Donna says in her autobiography "to this day I will approach a song as an actress approaches a script. I do not sing; I act. When I sing, I sing with the voice of the character in the song." With this in mind, one can be somewhat forgiving when reflecting on "Love To Love You Baby," Donna's over the top exercise in heavy breathing that was a big 1975 disco smash. Donna Summer passed away on May 17, 2012. Read our review of her autobiography "Donna Summer: Ordinary Girl" Previous Post | Next Post
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- Review
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 04/17/2012
As a solo artist Lionel Richie has always playfully stuck his toe in country music. He's been charmed by the genre recording past duets with both Alabama and Kenny Rodgers. Tuskegee is a bold experiment that was ultimately successful as it rode it's way to the top of the Billboard charts. Each song on the album is a 'glory days' Richie original. His partners on this project make up a who's who of country. Lionel brings a contemporary touch to these old songs to rejuvenate them more time. "You Are" with Blake Shelton "Say You, Say Me" with Jason Aldean "Stuck on You" with Darius Rucker "Deep River Woman" with Little Big Town "My Love" with Kenny Chesney "Dancing on the Ceiling" with Rascal Flatts "Hello" with Jennifer Nettles "Sail On" with Tim McGraw "Endless Love" with Shania Twain "Just For You" with Billy Currington "Lady" with Kenny Rodgers (new version) "Easy" with Willie Nelson "All Night Long" with Jimmy Buffet & Coral Reefer Band All of the country 'A' listers are here. The song arrangements respect the originals but discover some new territory through the fusion of two classic musical cultures that share similar emotions. I enjoyed all of these songs, especially "Endless Love" with Shania Twain. Whether it's Richie with Diana Ross, or Luther Vandross with Mariah Carey, "Endless Love" is hard to break. Honorable mention goes to "Lady" as Richie and Kenny Rodgers recreate the harmonic magic one more time to update their big hit. "Sail On" with Tim McGraw is pretty cool too! Previous Post | Next Post
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0 President Obama sings Sweet Home Chicago
- Video
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 03/21/2012
President Obama sings "Sweet Home Chicago." Enjoy! Previous Post | Next Post
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0 Tribute to Soul Train - Don Cornelius
- News
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 02/08/2012
Here are 6 vintage classic Soul Train video performances presented as a tribute to the late host Don Cornelius (1936 - 2012). 2022 Update: The videos originally posted by the L.A. Times have been removed. YouTube removed the account holder who posted the videos. YouTube did not remove the L.A. Times video account. Previous Post | Next Post
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- Flashback
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 01/18/2012
Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles share a hug from back in the day. Previous Post | Next Post
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0 Classic Soul Radio Busts a Mobile Device Move
- Radio
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 12/30/2011
Pandora’s move to mobile devices is no secret, as they have cornered a large share of the market. As a live365 broadcaster, I’ve waited for the opportunity to listen to the Powerhouse Radio classic soul (and more) stream from various wireless devices using live365’s platform. iPhone support came first. Now, Android has followed. The Beta version of the Android App (released in mid 2011) was not stable enough for me to recommend. The updated 2012 Android App is great. Having a 4g phone provides the best listening experience, although you may not have a constant 4g connection if travelling by car. On a recent 45 minute drive between downtown Washington, DC, and Baltimore, I tried the live365 App on a Droid Bionic using Verizon Wireless. The signal got dropped only once in downtown DC, and I can honestly say that it was a better listening experience than satellite radio’s frequent drop outs. If you are the driver, fiddling with a cell phone/smart phone during transit is something you don’t want to do. When listening this way, I try to set it (the phone), and forget it, until I want to turn the music off. I also recently tried listening to Powerhouse Radio on a Kindle Fire via the built in web browser. Because Kindle uses a much slower connection speed, I don’t yet recommend listening with this device. 2022 Update: Live365 shutdown in January, 2016 ending our stream along with every other Live365 broadcaster. Their service restarted in 2017. We did not rejoin their service. The photo above is a picture of Powerhouse Radio playing Sly & The Family Stone during the non-stop 24/7 stream on an Android phone. D̶o̶w̶n̶l̶o̶a̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶i̶P̶h̶o̶n̶e̶,̶ ̶i̶P̶a̶d̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶P̶o̶d̶ ̶T̶o̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶A̶n̶d̶r̶o̶i̶d̶ ̶A̶p̶p̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶l̶i̶v̶e̶3̶6̶5̶,̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶i̶T̶u̶n̶e̶s̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶A̶n̶d̶r̶o̶i̶d̶ ̶M̶a̶r̶k̶e̶t̶,̶ ̶(̶G̶o̶o̶g̶l̶e̶ ̶P̶l̶a̶y̶)̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶u̶n̶e̶ ̶u̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶p̶h̶o̶n̶e̶!̶ Previous Post | Next Post
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0 Michael Jackson Mixes Make Immortal Moves
- Review
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 11/30/2011
If you’ve been lucky enough to see the international Michael Jackson Cirque Du Soleil Immortal World Tour going on now through the end of 2012, you’ve heard some ingenious new takes on several M-J classics. In the show a live band plays his music to accompany the visual story of his life through the movement of the Cirque Du Soleil performers. After seeing the electrifying show in Las Vegas in December 2011, I wanted the CD version of these new mixes. The ‘Immortal’ versions of Jackson’s amazing hits are cleverly mixed. If the originals are burned in your memory, it may take you several plays of the revised songs to hear them in a new way. Some of the tracks are unique. A few have not been included in previously available material. My favorites include the English – Spanish version of “I Just Can’t Stop Lovin’ You” with Siedah Garrett, an acoustic piano only with vocal version of “I’ll Be There,” and an update to Megamix, now called “Immortal Megamix” featuring “Can You Feel It/Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough/Billie Jean/Black or White.” There are 20 tracks here, all emphasizing Michael’s voice, from the Jackson 5, Jacksons, and Michael Jackson catalogue. The use of technology to energize the Michael Jackson experience is to be complemented. In some songs, certain pauses are added, or sped up, just for the right effect, without ruining the soul of the original song. If you ignored Michael Jackson Immortal when it was released, you should take a second look. Previous Post | Next Post