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    0 50th Annual Grammy Grab to Spotlight Great R&B

    There a 7 R&B categories in the 50th Annual Grammy Awards to be held Sunday, February 10th, 2008, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Eligible music was released between October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007. Once upon a time the Grammy honorees shared about 26 awards each year. Now with over 100 categories and enough awards to stroke everyone's ego, the special nature of winning has been watered down. If all of the nominated records in the Best R&B album category are new productions, rather than reissues, then what's the difference between this category and the Best Contemporary R&B album? Maybe it's an artificial separation between some old school and new school performers. Here are 5 of the 7 R&B categories and the nominees: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance "Just Fine" Mary J. Blige "When I See You" Fantasia "No One" Alicia Keys "If I Have My Way" Chrisette Michele "Hate On Me" Jill Scott Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "Woman" Raheem DeVaughn "B.U.D.D.Y." Musiq Soulchild "Because Of You" Ne-Yo "Future Baby Mama" Prince "Please Don't Go" Tank Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals "Same Girl" R. Kelly Featuring Usher "Disrespectful" Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige "Hate That I Love You" Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo "Baby" Angie Stone Featuring Betty Wright "Bartender" T-Pain Featuring Akon Best R&B Album Funk This Chaka Khan Lost & Found Ledisi Luvanmusiq Musiq Soulchild The Real Thing Jill Scott Sex, Love & Pain Tank Best Contemporary R&B Album Konvicted Akon Just Like You Keyshia Cole Fantasia Fantasia East Side Story Emily King Because Of You Ne-Yo Grammy.com has all of the Grammy Nominees and categories. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Retro-Soul makes a Mighty Comeback

    Retro-soul has made a mighty comeback. New generations of inspired singers are latching onto musical arrangements from the old school. These artists make no apologies for belting out classic soul vocals wrapped around horns, organs, and bluesy keyboards. This is what separates them from neo-soul troopers Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, and others. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings have released a new 2007 CD that sounds like a time warp from 1967. Sharon and The Dap-Kings have a cult following, and it's easy to see why. She packs a punch delivering sounds reminiscent of Aretha, Gladys Knight, and Etta James. James Hunter is the real deal. His 2006 release People Gonna Talk blends a fusion of reggae, soul, and blues. Britain's Hunter has a lot of authenticity in his music. When you dig deep into his song catalogue, you realize that his love of classic soul is legitimate.           The Dynamites are slightly over the top in lead singer Charles Walker's penchant for James Brown licks. This Nashville based band drives heavy and hard, as if they were the Stax rhythm section on speed. Even though I think James Hunter is a lot better, The Dynamites offer a nice recipe for some relentless R&B that pounds along using a commanding rhythm section. For my money, Charles Walker sounds more like David Clayton Thomas, (of Blood Sweat & Tears), Huey Lewis, or Wayne Cochran of Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders, rather than James Brown ? the big influence on The Dynamites. (A big shout-out to you if you remember Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders!) Last but not least, another Brit, 20 year old Joss Stone is in the house. When her debut record came out in 2003, I couldn't believe I was listening to a 16-year-old. Joss Stone has an original sound mimicking no one, although she does have the blood of Janis Joplin running through her veins! Stone's voice caught my immediate attention as her song played through store speakers at a Tower Records outlet I was visiting. We'll see how her career develops. On a side note, it's interesting how reviewers generally place these artists in the wrong musical categories. But then, in the modern music business, it's all about the marketing. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Bobby Bland Finds Love in American Gangster

    One of my favorite Bobby Bland tunes is "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City." This song appears on his 1974 album, Dreamer. The tune "Ain't No Love..." is prominently featured in the trailer for the new Denzel Washington - Russell Crowe drama, American Gangster. Denzel stars as Frank Lucas, a Manhattan, New York City drug dealer who is smuggling heroin into the USA inside of the coffins of dead soldiers returning from the Vietnam War. Given the backdrop of the 1970's, "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" is the perfect R&B - pop - blues hybrid to dramatize the theme of the movie. I once saw Bobby Bland perform in front of approximately 25 people at a large Southern New Jersey nightspot. Needless to say, with so few people there, many performers would have just gone through the motions, but not Bobby Bland. He's a legend in blues, R&B, and soul. It's great to see a song he made famous exposed again in the backdrop of American Gangster, scheduled to open this November on the silver screen. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Is there R&B/Soul in Live Earth?

    R&B/soul and hip-hop seem to be underrepresented this weekend in the 2007 global "concerts for a climate in crisis," Live Earth. The same observation was made in 2005 during Live 8, the 20th anniversary concert marking Live Aid, the 1985 benefit to raise awareness about African famine. Alicia Keys, Akon, Kanye West, and Ludacris are scheduled to appear at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, Saturday, July 7th. John Legend and Black Eyed Peas are on the bill in the United Kingdom at Wembley Stadium. Rihanna touches down in Japan to sing at Makuhari Messe, the concert venue in Tokyo. In South Africa, Angelique Kidjo, Joss Stone, and the Soweto Gospel Choir turn up the volume. 150 musicians across 7 continents in the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, China, Japan, Germany, and Australia are coming together during the 24 hours of Live Earth to encourage individuals to take action to solve the climate crisis. Here are the host cities: New York London Johannesburg Rio de Janeiro Shanghai Tokyo Sydney Hamburg Sirius Satellite Radio, XM Satellite Radio, and Worldspace (satellite radio) will broadcast coverage. During the 24 hour concert period, the main television network NBC, along with MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Sundance, Telemundo, UNI HD, and MUN2 will offer coverage. Sundance channel has the earliest coverage, starting at 4 am Eastern. Bravo will start their broadcast at 9 am Eastern. The other channels will offer some coverage during the day. NBC will anchor their coverage from 8 pm - 11 pm Eastern, Saturday night. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Save Internet Radio

    We'll join thousands of webcasters today, (Tuesday, June 26, 2007), for approximately 24 hours, to raise awareness in support of the SaveNetRadio.org coalition. Our two online music streams Powerhouse Radio and FabFourSoul will benefit from this mobilization when the U.S. Congress takes action to avert an impending July 15, 2007 crisis: the end of online radio for thousands of webcasters. I completely support the Save Net Radio movement, and since you're a fan of online classic soul, you should too. Today's action is an extremely important political statement. Find out how you can help by visiting SaveNetRadio.org. Thank you! Previous Post | Next Post

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    2 Beyonce' and Mary J. Blige Summer Tour Tickets Top the Charts

    It's a high roller payday for Beyonce' and Mary J. Blige as their Summer tours get ready to cash in on fans who can't get enough of these charming ladies. My eyes almost popped out of my head when I peeped the prices for Beyonce's Saturday, August 11th, 2007 performance at the Trump Taj Mahal Arena in Atlantic City, NJ: $195.75, $165.75, and $95.75 at the low end. Mary J. Blige, at the Borgata on Saturday, July 28th, also in A.C., isn't much better: $135.00, $115.00, and $95.00. These prices are out of control! What happened to reasonably priced live entertainment from these headline performers? Not that long ago, I went to see Patti Labelle at the Trump Taj Mahal Arena in Atlantic City, and the cost of the top ticket was about 1/5th of today's prices. What has happened to drive prices up almost 500%? There are a lot of legitimate reasons, but greed plays a large part in the process as our pockets continue to be picked. Last Summer, (2006), when Madonna tickets were going for around $300 each, people did a double take. Let's face it, at the time, Madonna wasn't burning up the charts to command such a premium. It's time to get real. Beyonce', Mary J. Blige, and other acts are pricing their non-affluent fans out of the market to attend live concerts. The cost factor difference between a music download for .99 cents, a CD for $20, and a $200 concert ticket is mind boggling. Concert ticket prices reflect a growing cultural divide between the bling crowd who can afford the luxury, and working class people who deserve a better break at seeing these acts perform live (who they helped make famous). If you've got the cash, tickets for Beyonce's August 11th show in Atlantic City go on sale this Saturday, June 16th, at 12 noon. Another option is to pray that you score free tickets from a radio station promotion. Now that will be just like hitting the lottery! Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Are The Whispers Unappreciated?

    Belinda R.-T. submitted this comment:"Let's see, we have the Grammy Awards, The American Music Awards, The Essence Awards, The NAACP Image Awards and more importantly...The Soul Train Awards." "So why hasn't someone given the "Whispers" their due? Why hasn't an award show honored the Whispers? They are criminally under appreciated. If there is any way to get this to Don Cornelius, he needs to do this ASAP!" "And for that matter, the whole of the Solar Records roster (Lakeside, Shalamar, O'Bryan, The Sylvers and so on) should be at least recognized." OK Belinda. It goes without saying that you are a big Whispers fan, and so am I. Check out my September 2006 post about the Whispers. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 James Brown Inspires New Classic Soul

    James Brown was born on May 3, 1933. Today, he would have been 74. 4 days after he passed away in 2006, I wrote an article for tbd.com called 7 Sensational James Brown Jams (2021 Update: tbd.com has shut down. We don't have the original article. Our bad!). His influence continues in the work reflected by new artists. British soul guy James Hunter, who I've recently seen perform live, borrows liberally from James Brown's vocal trademarks. On a new CD, Kaboom!, just released by The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, the 10 tracks sound like a time warp featuring the best of James Brown inspired rhythm hooks and classic soul grunts. The legacy of the Godfather of Soul lives on. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Black Music Review Flashback

    For the next 5 Wednesdays we'll be featuring five interesting magazine covers from my personal magazine archive. The last cover will be the focus of a contest you can participate in. We kick it off with a real collector's item from 1969. Issue Vol. 1, No.1, of Black Music Review. Editor Richard Robinson brought this project to life, along with feature writers Lillian Barlow, Margaret Robin, and Lisa Mehlman. Issue Vol. 1 contained great articles on Joe Simon, The Impressions, Eddie Floyd, Sly & the Family Stone, Albert King, and Booker T. & the MG's members Donald "Duck" Dunn, Steve Cropper, and Al Jackson Jr. Lillian Barlow wrote a great piece, "Soul Women of America," featuring spotlights on Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Maxine Brown, and The Sweet Inspirations. Broad in it's survey of diverse "black music," you won't find this kind of magazine (or approach) around today. Black Music Review is long gone, but fondly remembered. Vol. 1 No. 1 critiqued the amazing influence of Jimi Hendrix in a series of headline articles and features. Sam & Dave and Johnnie (as Johnny) Taylor are both mentioned on the cover, but are no where to be found in the premier issue! This is Magazine Flashback part 1 of 5 See Magazine Flashback part 2 of 5 See Magazine Flashback part 3 of 5 See Magazine Flashback part 4 of 5 See Magazine Flashback part 5 of 5 ----- Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Little Richard, Sly Stone, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, & Prince

    The first live popular music concert I ever attended as a 10 year old featured Little Richard as the headliner. His act was an eye-opener. Little did I realize then the historical importance of "Little Richard" Penniman to the history of rock and roll. When comparing Little Richard, Sly Stone, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, and Prince, here's a question for you...who has had the most lasting influence? All six have certainly been remarkably successful! All six have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: James Brown - 1986 Little Richard - 1986 Ray Charles - 1986 Jimi Hendrix - 1992 (The Jimi Hendrix Experience) Sly Stone - 1993 (Sly and the Family Stone) Prince - 2004 I can seriously argue for five of the six. Prince would have to be eliminated first, although "Mr. Purple Rain" is James Brown, Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix, and Sly Stone rolled into one unique package. Ray Charles and James Brown are very close, but I'll have to go with the "Godfather of Soul" as the most influential artist on the list. Sly Stone and Prince both expanded on "Mr. Dynamite," J.B.'s groove, to produce some funky Hendrix influenced rhythms. Ray Charles may have been a more versatile artist, but James Brown, "the hardest working man in show business," changed the face of soul music forever. I'd argue that Brown's influence in R&B has been more dominant than Hendrix's influence in rock. Jimi can't be short changed however for his amazing contributions. Let's not dismiss the legacy of the living legend, Little Richard. You see and hear more of him today primarily on television commercials, but Little Richard raised the bar on flamboyance in music. I could name 10 artists that patterned their act from the flashy eccentric mannerisms of Little Richard's stage persona. Oh yes, his music was pretty good too. Good Golly Miss Molly, it's James Brown by a nose as the most influential personality among our list of super greats. What do you think? Previous Post | Next Post

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