0 Lyrical Gerald Levert Leaves Legacy at Age 40

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 11/10/2006

Gerald Levert created his own impressive musical image, successfully eclipsing the shadow of his famous father. Atlantic Records has confirmed that Gerald passed away this week at his home in Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of 40. Early on, Gerald, brother Sean, and Marc Gordon as the group Levert served up many hits in the late 1980's, including one of my favorites, "Casanova." In the 1990's Gerald kicked his solo career into high gear, often recording and performing a duo show with his famous father, Eddie (of the O'Jays). On the 2002 CD "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," a tribute to the musicians who made the label famous, Gerald cranks out two energetic motor city classics, Jr. Walkers' "Shotgun," (with sax man Tom Scott), and "Reach Out I'll be There," the Four Tops classic. These two tracks bounce from the raw power of Gerald's voice. It was this strong voice that's often been compared to his dad's. Whether fair or not, Gerald learned to accept this gift while gravitating toward the softer side of classic R&B as a solo performer. Gerald Levert was well respected among the music fraternity. Peers and his fans - we all mourn his passing. Previous Post | Next Post

1 Dreamgirls Story a Supreme Showcase for Beyonce'

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 11/09/2006

Dreamgirls is the unofficial fantasy story about how Diana Ross and the Supremes made musical and cultural history. The Tony Award winning Broadway play, first introduced 25 years ago, finally comes to the silver screen this December after nearly a year of anticipation. Three female singers go from rags to riches in the Dreamgirls saga. Beyonce' plays singer Deena Jones. American Idol ingenue Jennifer Hudson is cast as Effie White of the Dreamettes. Cast members include: Jamie Foxx Eddie Murphy Danny Glover Four new original songs will be included on the Dreamgirls movie soundtrack. We've been playing one of them, "Listen," from Beyonce's new CD "B'Day," for about a month on Powerhouse Radio. It's the bonus track on the Beyonce' CD that's not even listed in the liner notes. Tuesday, November 14th, "Listen" is scheduled to be released as a Dreamgirls song. Some of the other songs on the soundtrack CD: "Love You I Do," Jennifer Hudson "One Night Only," Beyonce? "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," Jennifer Hudson "Dreamgirls," Beyonce', Jennifer Hudson and Anika Noni Rose "Steppin' to the Bad Side," Jamie Foxx "Fake Your Way to the Top," Eddie Murphy, Beyonce', Jennifer Hudson and Anika Noni Rose "Move (You're Steppin' on My Heart)," Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce' and Anika Noni Rose "Family," Jamie Foxx and Keith Robinson "I Am Changing," Jennifer Hudson "Cadillac Car," Eddie Murphy "I Meant You No Harm" Eddie Murphy "Heavy," Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce' and Anika Noni Rose "Hard To Say Goodbye My Love," Beyonce', Sharon Leal and Anika Noni Rose You'll have to wait until December 25th to see the movie. If there are any Oscar performances here, Dreamgirls will get in just under the wire for consideration. A film must be released on or before December 31st to be in the running for a 2006 Academy Award. "Dreamgirls," the CD soundtrack, is scheduled for release on Tuesday, December 5th. By the way, Diana Ross is back in the musical spotlight with her new Fall 2006 CD "I Love You." The divine diva has the magic of longevity. Now that's a dream come true. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Powerhouse Radio Classic Soul Screen Saver

• Commentary
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 11/08/2006

Even though the Powerhouse Radio Tool Bar leads the pack in our free software downloads by several thousand, our Classic Soul Screen Saver is a close second. Watch the movie about how easy it is to grab your free Powerhouse Radio Classic Soul Screen Saver. 2021 update: the video, the tool bar, and the screen saver app have all been sunset, however you can still grab any of our picture sleeves to use as a screen saver from our sister website Picture Sleeve Pop. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Prince Captures Rio in Las Vegas

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 11/07/2006

Prince loves Las Vegas. He's back this weekend to musically kiss the city and perform at the 3121 Club, inside of the Rio Hotel. Don't look for controversy when Prince sexy dances into the glamorous Vegas spotlight. In 2003, he played the Aladdin, the Arabian themed hotel, to rave reviews. At the 3121 Club, Prince is scheduled to perform November 10th and 11th, and every weekend until further notice. Let's Go Crazy. Tickets are priced at $125 a piece. That's a lot of Benjamin's on Alphabet Street. Big bankrolls will pop when the party doves cry joyful tears of purple rain. Look for Wednesday night guest concerts from other artists at 3121 hosted by Prince. I'll resist the temptation to mention any more Prince songs. How many did you count? Viva Las Vegas! Previous Post | Next Post

0 Oleta Adams Sings Christmas Time Cheer

• Christmas
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 11/02/2006

The well traveled Oleta Adams has had a particularly diversified singing career. A Seattle, Washington native, she was discovered performing in Kansas City by the popular 1980's English group Tears for Fears. The British band (best known for "Shout," and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World,") prominently featured Oleta's soulful voice on their 1989 album, "The Seeds of Love." Christmas Time with Oleta, her ninth release, features energetic arrangements of traditional holiday classics, dominated by her rich, powerful, earthy voice. Oleta's gospel, jazz, and R&B roots shine through on this distinguished release. You'll like it. Here are the tracks: Of The Father's Love Begotten/Hark The Herald Alleluia, Alleluia (Peace On Earth) Christmas Time Is Here I Wonder As I Wander (Appalachian Choir) Breath Of Heaven Winter Wonderland There's Still My Joy Let It Snow Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Silent Night Uncover the inside story behind this CD when you check out the Oleta Adams biography. What's a new Christmas release without a world tour? Scan through Oleta Adams tour dates when you visit her web site. If you missed it, here's an update on 2006 Christmas holiday releases from Lionel Richie, John Legend, and Hall and Oates. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Baltimore Flamingo Terry Johnson Soars to the Sky

• Interview
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 11/01/2006

In 2005, Terry Johnson, formerly of the Flamingos, released, "Let's Be Lovers," a song that introduced Jeff Calloway and Tee. From The Whispers (not the Solar Records group), to The Flamingos, to The Starglows, to Motown Records, Terry has had great success. "I Only Have Eyes for You" is his best known Flamingos classic. You may have seen Terry on the PBS television specials "Rock and Roll at 50" and "Doo-Wop Lost and Found." 1950's "bird" groups, (R&B vocal groups named after birds), were really before my time, so I wanted to discover more about the groups, and about Terry Johnson. The following excerpt originally appeared in the September 2005 Powerhouse Radio Newsletter: King - "Terry, you started in the music business at 16, so you beat me by one year, as I started as a college radio announcer at 17. What was it like to record at 16?" Terry - "Yes, I was pretty blessed at the age of 16. I had a group I put together, we were called The Whispers. They were from Baltimore, Maryland. We went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Gotham Records to record four songs." "Two songs I wrote myself and sang lead on. The first one is "Full Heart." I sang that in my first tenor voice, the high voice. The second song was, "Are You Sorry," a beautiful love song, I sang that in my natural voice, my baritone voice that I'm talking in right now." "I switched between first tenor and baritone, a matter of fact that's how the confusion started with The Flamingos, because I was singing all of the duets with Paul Wilson, I was singing the low part, the baritone, and then I would go into first tenor to do the repeats...(Terry sings to demonstrate). See what I mean...(switching between the two parts). King - "You're from Baltimore. A lot of groups have come out of Baltimore. The Orioles, and some newer groups like Pockets. Who inspired you to get into music?" Terry - "Yes Baltimore, Maryland had many great superstars, I mean the groups were very plentiful. I can remember the Cardinals, I can remember Johnny Mason, and the Clovers." "Also, down the street from me...I was blessed, I mean, I had Earl Hurley of The Swallows, I had Sonny Til of The Orioles." "I was very inspired by Sonny Til. He was the main one. And up the street was Junior Bailey of The Cadillacs. I mean man, there were so many great superstars from Baltimore, but especially on my street, 1300 block of whatcoat Street." King - "You played guitar on all your records and on all The Flamingos albums. Who inspired you to play guitar?" Terry - "I was inspired for guitar when I first heard Les Paul, and Mary Ford. Little did I realize that he was using about three or four different tracks that he was playing his solos on." "I said it's impossible for someone to be playing that fast. Once I got the shape, then I turned to some of my other mentors." "Music that I love was Kenny Burrell, jazz, Johnny Smith, the way he played the melody and chord formation." "I turned to Manny Johnson. Manny Johnson was the guitarist with The Swallows, Earl Hurley also. I turned to Bunty Rogers, he was an excellent teacher. He showed me a lot of the Johnny Smith stuff. And ah, that's how I really got my soul." "Guitar is my soul. Guitar speaks what I feel inside. So when you hear me strumming those six strings man, you're touching my very soul. You're hearing it." King - "You've had your own group of Flamingos since 1961, and you were involved with Motown." Terry - "From 1964 - 1974, I was at Motown Records as an artist, writer, arranger, and producer. I produced a lot of songs with my dear friend, who brought me to Motown, Smokey Robinson. We had a great team." "We recorded on The Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Miracles, Jimmy Ruffin, David Ruffin, Martha and The Vandellas, Edwin Starr...I can't even name all of them, I mean because there was such a vast amount of artists at Motown, I really enjoyed what I did there." King - "How does it feel to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?" Terry - "It's the pinnacle of what we entertainers strive for, and it's a great honor." King - "Thanks very much for your time Terry. Any closing thoughts for your fans?" Terry - "Thanks for the ride, and thanks for your support. I love you, and I hope you love my new music. Thank you." ---------- For even more, check out Terry's Johnson's biography at theflamingos.com. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Ghoulish Grooves Make up Funky Halloween Treats

• Songs
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 10/30/2006

Time to get into the Halloween groove with some scary classic soul favorites. Four out of the five haunting melodies below are guaranteed to bust a move on the dance floor. Our fright night tunes embody entertaining performances with whistling wind, creaking doors, howling wolves, and blood-curdling screams. Here are my top five soulful Halloween heavyweights, ranked in order. 1) Thriller - Michael Jackson "Thriller" gets the nod as the best production. With Quincy Jones and Vincent Price in your corner, how can you lose? Jacko ain't wacko on this one. Michael delivers the goods. An international mega hit. Rating: 9.5 out of 10. 2) Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr. Having a popular movie (of the same name) to promote your song always helps the cause. The video was fun, the song is bouncy, the rhythm is memorable. Who you gonna call? Rating: 9 out of 10. 3) Addams Groove - Hammer Hammer creates a tale about the spooky Addams Family, (a 1960's hit television series), and details their bizarre behavior in this hip-hop pop gem. He raps about the ghastly but harmless Addams', a family with Frankenstein, Dracula, and Wolf Man lookalikes. With a tip of the hat to James Brown, Hammer takes "Addams Groove" to the bridge for fun and laughs. Rating: 8.5 out of 10. 4) I Put a Spell on You - Screamin' Jay Hawkins Jalacy J. Hawkins wanted to sing opera like his idol, Paul Robeson. Fortunately for R&B fans, the desire for quick money channeled the Cleveland, Ohio native towards more popular fare. Hawkins is famous for his screams, howls, and vocal grunts. Screamin' Jay recorded "Spell" several times. The 1956 version caused outraged parents to call radio stations to ban airplay. Sound familiar? Even with an eventual ban, a million copies were sold. This one is wild - a classic and an original. Rating: 8 out of 10. 5) The Skeleton in the Closet - Louis Armstrong with Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra Once upon a time, the big band sound ruled the dance floor. The legendary Louis Armstrong gets the joint jumpin' with this 1936 recording along with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Armstrong sings about an old deserted mansion haunted with spirits. Uptempo, eerie, and clever, "The Skeleton in the Closet" is entertaining, campy, and cool. The song was also featured in the movie, "Pennies From Heaven," starring Bing Crosby. Louis pulls a stylistic Cab Calloway here, rappin', struttin', and singing. He plays his trumpet too. Seventy years later, "Skeleton" stands the test of time. Rating: 8 out of 10. ---------- Halloween music lights up the imagination of listeners of all ages. These five songs capture suspenseful drama at it's best. Previous Post | Next Post

0 George Benson and Al Jarreau are Trading Places

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 10/26/2006

George Benson and Al Jarreau have gathered their friends together to offer us a brand new release, "Givin' It Up." According to the Concord Music Group, the 13 song collection features George or Al on a new arrangement of the other's biggest hits. Jarreau adds lyrics to and sings Benson's signature instrumental "Breezin'," while the legendary jazz guitarist delivers a nice instrumental version of Al's wake-up hit "Mornin'." "Givin' It Up" also includes versions of Seals and Crofts' "Summer Breeze" and Hall and Oates' (and Paul Young's) "Every Time You Go Away." The tracks were recorded between April and June, 2006. Paul McCartney dropped in to join Benson and Jarreau on an impromptu cover of Sam Cooke's "Bring it on Home to Me." Jill Scott performs Billie Holiday's timeless "God Bless the Child." Also included is an instrumental take on John Legend's Grammy Award-winning R&B hit, "Ordinary People." Patti Austin, Patrice Rushen, Herbie Hancock, and Stanley Clarke also appear on the album. It sounds like "Givin' It Up" has the sonic star power to appeal to a wide audience. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Evelyn 'Champagne' King uncorks her New Spirit

• Photo
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 10/25/2006

I've always enjoyed Evelyn "Champagne" King, (left in this photo, along with Thelma Houston, and the late Vicki Sue Robinson). Of the three times I've seen E-C-K live, her booming voice always left a lasting impression. She started out in the music business as a teenager, performing her lively hits, including "Shame," "Love Come Down," and "I Don't Know if it's Right." Evelyn's waited in the wings for over a decade before recently signing a new recording deal. She really hasn't gone anywhere, as she's continued to perform through the years. Her new album will give her the opportunity to expose her talent to a whole new generation. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Ashford and Simpson Cook up Haute Hit Cuisine

• Songs
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 10/24/2006

Turn on your radio or favorite music device, and you'd be hard pressed not to quickly hear a hit song written by husband and wife team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Nick and Val have penned some of the best: Ain't No Mountain High Enough I'm Every Woman Reach Out and Touch You're All I Need to Get By California Soul The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) credits an amazing 240 songs to the pair. Just their Motown output would be spectacular enough. When you factor in their own self-authored hits, well this team is one-of-a-kind. What's your favorite Ashford and Simpson hit by Ashford and Simpson? It might be one of these: Is It Still Good To You Solid Found a Cure Since 1996, Nick and Val have co-owned an intimate live entertainment full service upper West Side New York City restaurant. Ashford and Simpson's Sugar Bar was originally conceived by Nickolas. Sugar Bar has had a decade of staying power. The formula: famous hosts, great food, lively performances, and frequent visits from celebrities. Ashford and Simpson. They've sung the songs. They've written the hits. They've dabbled as DJ's on New York's 98.7 Kiss FM. What's left on their plate? Serving up plenty of more surprises! Previous Post | Next Post