Class Of 1984
Filed under: Black Music Month, R&B, R&B Lives, The '80s, hip-hop, music
Last year, I did a similar post to this one when I realized (after it had come upon me) that it had been twenty years since I had graduated from Washington College. Following on the heels of that anniversary, another one has arrived. This month marks twenty-five years since I graduated from high school. As I did with that post, I’ll do the same with this one. (Incidentally, it just so happens that our class will be holding a 25-year reunion later this summer, that I found out about only by signing on to Facebook). I will post a list of songs that formed a soundtrack of sorts from my senior year of high school. It is no secret to anyone that music forms the soundtrack of your life, and these songs were my soundtrack. Some of these may be your favorites, some songs you may not be familiar with at all.
I can recall being very focused that year, because I knew I wanted to go to college, but I didn’t know how I was going to do it. My mother wasn’t exactly flush with cash, and I didn’t want to burden her with my student loans so that I could go to college. So my senior year was focused on hitting the books-hard. I wasn’t a poor student, but I knew I needed to really make a good impression with admissions offices. So I worked my tail off, but I made sure to have some fun too. I almost remember my senior year as being something of a coming-out party for me, it seemed that lots of people found out that year that I could dance after my appearances at the Senior Prom and a “backwards prom” that the Honor Society sponsored. I didn’t really go out a lot in high school, owing to my shyness, so no one really knew what I could do. But one thing that really stood out was that I almost blew it. One class that I had to take and pass to graduate, 20th Century Problems (or something like that, I know it was focused on current events), required that you had to participate in class discussions. Needless to say, due to my shyness, I rarely, if ever spoke in class. This caused me to get zeroes for class participation. However, I aced all the tests, which allowed me to pass the class and graduate. I think it was after that experience (and some talking from the teacher), that helped me get over my shyness a bit.
There were some criteria that I set in making the list. Songs had to be on Billboard R&B Singles chart (thanks again to Joel Whitburn’s Book Top R&B/Hip-Hop Hits 1942-2004 for research), they had to debut between Sept. 5, 1983 and June 1, 1984 (roughly the beginning of my senior year to my graduation date) with one exception marked (***), I had to have some memory of really liking the songs or remembering them fondly, and finally, I had to have a copy somewhere in the house. So without further adieu, here is my list for the Class of ‘84 (in roughly chronological order):
- Would You Like To Fool Around-Mtume
- Break Dancin’-Electric Boogie-West Street Mob
- Real Love-Lakeside
- Delirious-Prince
- All Night Long (All Night)-Lionel Richie
- My First Love-Rene & Angela
- Stay With Me Tonight-Jeffrey Osborne
- Show Me The Way-Skyy
- Time Will Reveal-DeBarge
- Boys-Mary Jane Girls
- Wet My Whistle-Midnight Star
- Over And Over-Shalamar
- Tell Me If You Still Care-The S.O.S. Band
- We Are One-Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly
- Touch A Four Leaf Clover-Atlantic Starr
- Say, Say, Say-Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
- U Bring The Freak Out-Rick James
- Baby I’m Hooked (Right Into Your Love)-Con Funk Shun
- White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It)-Grandmaster & Melle Mel
- P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)-Michael Jackson
- Holiday-Madonna
- Joanna-Kool & The Gang
- If Only You Knew-Patti LaBelle
- Let The Music Play-Shannon
- Body Talk-The Deele
- Say It Isn’t So-Hall & Oates
- How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?-Stephanie Mills
- Popcorn Love/Jealous Girl-New Edition
- I Just Can’t Get Over Loving You-Ray Parker, Jr.
- Taxi-J. Blackfoot
- I’m On Your Side-Angela Bofill
- Joystick-Dazz Band
- Something’s On Your Mind-D-Train
- I’ll Let You Slide-Luther Vandross
- Running With The Night-Lionel Richie
- Autodrive-Herbie Hancock
- Encore-Cheryl Lynn
- Fo-Fi-Fo-Pieces Of A Dream
- Yah Mo B There-James Ingram & Michael McDonald
- Ebony Eyes-Rick James Featuring Smokey Robinson
- Midnight Magnet-Teena Marie
- You’re The Best Thing Yet-Anita Baker
- Don’t Go-Dreamboy
- Trommeltanz (Din Daa Daa)-George Kranz
- Hard Times/Jam-Master Jay-Run-D.M.C.
- The Payoff Mix-Double D & Steinski***
- Another Man-Barbara Mason
- Livin’ For Your Love-Melba Moore
- Plane Love-Jeffrey Osborne
- Touch-Earth, Wind & Fire
- Automatic-Pointer Sisters
- Somebody’s Watching Me-Rockwell
- One Million Kisses-Rufus And Chaka Khan
- It’s Gonna Be Special-Patti Austin
- I Wanna Thank You-Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly
- More, More, More-Atlantic Starr
- Don’t Look Any Further-Dennis Edwards
- Love Has Finally Come At Last-Bobby Womack and Patti LaBelle
- Beat Box-The Art Of Noise
- She’s Strange-Cameo
- Perfect Combination-Stacy Lattisaw & Johnny Gill
- Thriller-Michael Jackson
- Tonight-Kool & The Gang
- White Horse-Laid Back
- It’s All Yours-Starpoint
- Karma Chameleon-Culture Club
- Hi, How Ya Doin?-Kenny G
- When You’re Far Away-Gladys Knight & The Pips
- No Parking (On The Dance Floor)-Midnight Star
- Dancing In The Sheets-Shalamar
- Renegades Of Funk-Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force
- Love Me In A Special Way-DeBarge
- Adult Education-Hall & Oates
- Sail Away-The Temptations
- Superstar/Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)-Luther Vandross
- Just My Luck-The Deele
- Shake Down-Evelyn “Champagne” King
- We’re Going All The Way-Jeffrey Osborne
- Hello-Lionel Richie
- Miss Me Blind-Culture Club
- Don’t Waste Your Time-Yarbrough & Peoples
- You’re The Reason-D-Train
- There’s No Easy Way-James Ingram
- Love, Need And Want You-Patti LaBelle
- Jam On It-Newcleus
- Lady You Are-One Way
- Freakshow On The Dance Floor-Bar-Kays
- Fresh-Fresh 3 M.C.’s
- Give Me Tonight-Shannon
- Lovelite-O’Bryan
- Jump-Van Halen
- Change Of Heart-Change
- I’m Ready (If You’re Ready)-The Gap Band
- Shackles-R.J.’s Latest Arrival
- Let’s Hear It For The Boy-Deniece Williams
- Rhythm Of The Street-Patti Austin
- Swoop (I’m Yours)-Dazz Band
- Feel The Need-Anita Baker
- Somebody Else’s Guy-Jocelyn Brown
- I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On-Cherrelle
- Dear Lover-Teena Marie
- Jump (For My Love)-Pointer Sisters
- Rock Box-Run-D.M.C.
- Hey D.J.-World’s Famous Supreme Team
- What People Do For Money-Divine Sounds
- Feels So Real (Won’t Let Go)-Patrice Rushen
- Baby I’m Scared Of You-Womack & Womack
- Let Me Love You-Force M.D.’s
- I Can Dream About You-Dan Hartman
Just going over the list, I have so many memories: the aborted attempts to breakdance (not by me; I knew my limitations so I stuck to pop-locking); the many songs I would hear standing outside the local “grown-up” hangout that I couldn’t get into; the Luther Vandross concert (with DeBarge and The Deele) that I saw at the old Capital Centre (I still have the ticket stub-$12 to get in and we walked up and bought tickets that night); waiting for the premiere of Michael Jackson’s Thriller video; watching video after video with my cousins and friends to get the latest moves…it goes on and on. I had so much to learn, yet I thought I knew plenty about life, love, and just getting along with people. Graduating from high school was just one step in a process that has made me the person I am today.
We Miss You, Marvin
Filed under: R&B, R&B Lives, african-americans, celebrities, music
A week ago, I started this post in honor of Marvin Gaye, one of R&B’s greatest singers. I wanted to celebrate the man’s talent on his birthday, which was back on April 2nd. April 1st was an anniversary that was not as warmly remembered: it was the day 25 years before that Marvin Gaye was murdered by his father. Rather than dwell on the unfortunate, I would rather focus and remember what was good, which was his music.
First is the song my wife and I chose for our wedding: “You’re All I Need To Get By”:
Another favorite duet of mine of Marvin and Tammi Terrell is this well known Motown favorite: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”:
One of the greatest (and still timely) songs of the last 40 years: “What’s Going On”:
My feelings about this song can be found at this post. I thought it should be included a listing of the top ten songs about sex. The author of the post thought differently, for a reason that can be found in the comments. You can decide for yourself: “Let’s Get It On:”
Last but not least, his last hit, “Sexual Healing” (original video from 1982):
Enjoy! The post itself may have missed its time period, but the sentiment is still the same. Marvin Gaye’s talents are truly missed.
Good Friday with The Queen Of Soul
Found through my time on Twitter: Talib Kweli (@RealTalibKweli for those of you in the Twitterverse) linked to this video:
MP loves Aretha Franklin. Her studio version is one of my favorite covers by her. She doesn’t disappoint here doing it live.
Good Friday Everyone!
Happy Birthday, William "Smokey" Robinson!
A brief break from the recent sports-heavy nature of this here blogging outpost (if you’re here for sports, it will be back, particularly with March Madness just around the corner):
Today marks the 69th birthday of perhaps R&B/pop music’s greatest songwriter, Smokey Robinson. There can be no denying this man’s influence on popular music over the last 40+ years, having written many of Motown’s classic tunes, from songs with his group the Miracles, to Marvin Gaye and the Temptations, as well as Mary Wells, the Marvalettes and many others.
Not only is he famous as a songwriter, he has had many hits as a vocalist as well. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that he doesn’t have a powerful supple voice like a Luther Vandross or Will Downing, but his high soft tenor powered many a classic slow jam (and some uptempo cuts as well). Despite this description, when you hear that voice, you just know it’s “Smokey.” I have often said that he’s a “phone book man,” in that he can sing the phone book and I’d listen to it.
I could list probably one hundred songs of his (either written or performed) that have to be considered classics, but I’ll just give a few the YouTube treatment. And yes, they will all be slow cuts. Those are my favorites by Mr. Robinson, so we’ll ride with these.
First, we’ll start with the song that gave its name to the R&B slow jam format: “Quiet Storm”
Then one of my all-time favorites: “Cruisin”
Another classic, “Baby Come Close”
One of his last hits, “One Heartbeat” (the video)
And last but certainly not least, a classic from Smokey & The Miracles, “Ooh Baby Baby” (I had to take it waaaay back):
If you’re not a fan of Smokey, by all means skip this post. But if you’ve read this far, it’s too late!
Happy Birthday Smokey!
One More For The Road
Filed under: NFL, R&B, R&B Lives, blogs, books, following the locals, football, goals, hip-hop, media, music, ravens review, websites
As this will probably be my last post for 2008, I felt it necessary to do another one of my catch-all entries (they do seem to be more frequent than regular entries lately):
First of all, those of you who come here for wit and wisdom, thanks. Sorry I couldn’t keep up the pace I promised myself of giving you thought-provoking and/or humorous content for your brains to digest. I will seriously try to do better in 2009. December has been a busy month, and yet the time I have had where I could have written something (even as mundane as my efforts in the NFL picks), I just didn’t have the energy or the drive to make my fingers walk across the keyboard. There have also been distractions keeping me from the laptop as well. Back in September I purchased an MP3 player (no, not an iPod-I just had to be different). I have spent countless hours listening to podcasts and tunes and podcasts about tunes, so much so that I have a backlog of stuff to digest and I’m trying to get through all of it. I’m doing about as well at that as I am at keeping the blog updated. Yet there are some podcasters I must thank because the music in those programs has filled those hours with joy and discovery. So kudos are in order to EJ Flavors, Fave of the Friday Favecast, DJ Diva (the “mixtress” of R&B), Mr. Fresh of Vibes & Scribes, Darren Keith of My Love for Music, Nikki of the Soulrific Podcast show, Macedonia of Radio BSOTS. I am also checking out Peter Rosenberg, Todd Grundy at Rhythms In Black Satin, GrantLove at Music To My Ears and Anji Bee of the Chillcast. All of them have, in one way or another, reaffirmed my love of R&B, hip-hop and good music in general, and have shown me that there is so much more than what we are force-fed on the radio. Another special thanks to SoulBounce.com for keeping me in the know about my favorite music. I spent a good portion of last year thinking that R&B and hip-hop were dead. This year I found that both forms are alive and well, but I just needed to look in the right places for signs of life. In addition, I have become a fan of the Robin Meade Morning Express podcast and when I miss Pardon The Interruption, it’s nice to know that I can catch the podcast of it just a couple hours after the show.
I have also been trying to read more (again). I have a bookshelf full of books that when I got them I was “dying” to read, only to watch them gather dust for month after month. I have already read one book and have gone back to the Coffin Ed and Grave Digger mysteries by Chester Himes to once again try to read them. I read the first two (although A Rage In Harlem doesn’t really feature the detectives in a prominent role) some time back and it was one of my goals to read the remaining novels. Perhaps that will be accomplished in 2009.
As far as the NFL picks, last week I made it all the way back to the lead in the season to date standings, and I won the weekly picks for the fourth time. However, after last Sunday’s games, I gave the season to date lead right back to the person I was chasing. Now I am down by one game with eleven games left in the NFL season. I am really enjoying the Ravens this year; they have exceeded all expecations and are now one of twelve teams challenging for the Super Bowl. I’m a little nervous, because the national pundits are giving the team some love, some of them even going so far as to pick them as a team to fear. When that happens, bad things happen to the Ravens. Hopefully on Sunday they can do what they have already done this season-beat the Miami Dolphins down in Florida. That will get them a date next week with the top-seeded Tennessee Titans, a team the Ravens narrowly lost to earlier this season.
I have been so busy, I didn’t get a chanced to respond to MC Bias, who asked how the economic downturn is affecting free bloggers. For me, I can’t say I notice much difference because I never really had a high amount of traffic. It may affect how often I post here, but I can’t really say that, as my postings have been sporadic even before the economy went south. As far as its effect on sports blogs, I’m not sure if there will be an effect. As long as there are games, there will be bloggers who write about them and the players in them. Opinions never have a shortage, and I don’t think they can be affected by the rise and fall of the economy.
To all, and especially a few (you know who you are, if you don’t it’s ok to include yourself), have a happy and prosperous 2009. Things have got to get better right? I know that’s what I’m hoping for, call it my New Year’s wish.
Black Music Month: Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly
After recovering from watching the BET Awards the other night and reading (and laughing) at the live blogs done by SoulBounce.com, Inkognegro 1.75, and AverageBro, I needed a soul music fix. Thankfully, there were some moments in the show that fulfilled the need; notably from Al Green and Alicia Keys. The tribute to Mr. Green was a very satisfying affair, and while Jill Scott wasn’t necessarily at her best, Anthony Hamilton and the reappearance of Maxwell made it worthwhile. But when Al Green got up to sing “Let’s Stay Together” and “Love and Happiness,” you could feel the vibes, those good old soul/R&B vibes come alive. Considering that most of the show to that point (with the exception of Alicia Keys and her tribute to the girl groups of the ’90s) had been less than stellar, moments like those are what give me hope that R&B lives. Sorry that this opening was off-topic, but I had to get that out there.
To get to the point of the post, I came across an article in the Baltimore Sun by Rashod Ollison, the paper’s pop music critic, about the music of Frankie Beverly and Maze. In a roundabout way, this is related to my first Black Music Month post in that Marvin Gaye helped Maze get a record deal with Capitol Records. Ollison’s article really says everything that you need to know about the group, including how they continue to sell out arenas and tour, even without a hit record or even a recent album release. Some of their songs are considered classics in the R&B tradition, such as “Before I Let Go,” “Joy And Pain” “Happy Feelin’s,” “Back In Stride,” “We Are One,” “Silky Soul” (itself a tribute to Marvin Gaye), and many others.
I was fortunate enough to see this band perform in concert and they were worth the price of admission. They came out, they played their music, the crowd ate it up. Many of the people in the audience were still singing long after the concert was over. I saw them at the Convention Center in Washington, DC, not long after the release of the Silky Soul album. I remember that Regina Belle was the opening act and she hardly got any attention from the audience. The crowd was waiting for Maze; no disrespect for Ms. Belle, who was actually very good if anyone had bothered to pay attention. But when Regina finished, no one was milling about in the crowd; everyone was waiting for what was the “real” show to begin. And Frankie and the band delivered.
Again, it was my cousin and his record collection that introduced me to the band. He had the first five albums the group released, including the Live In New Orleans album that I wore out the grooves to. I bought the cassette (yes I know that dates me) as well and even the DVD of the show. I bought the rest of their output on my own; he paved the way and I followed the path. It’s a path that I’m glad I have followed. The music still doesn’t feel like it’s stuck in its time period, just as Ollison mentioned in his article. His statements regarding “Before I Let Go” are truly on point; anyone from any generation of black America is not only familiar with the song, it never fails to get people to sing along and dance. And I don’t know anyone who doesn’t sing along to the chorus of “Joy And Pain.”
Maze was a band that stuck with what they did, regardless of the trends of the time. They played music that was rooted in traditional R&B and told stories of love and relationships. They did not make concessions to disco, synth-pop, or hip-hop, and yet they still had hit records and gold and platinum albums throughout the time they released their music. They have been and will continue to be a favorite group of mine; their music is timeless.
From their Live In New Orleans performance, here is a version of “Joy And Pain”:
And a live version of “Before I Let Go”:
Class Of 1988
Filed under: R&B, R&B Lives, The '80s, blogs, hip-hop, music
A wise blogger once told me in a comment conversation that music is the soundtrack to your life. I found out just how true that really is over the last week. Battling a nasty sinus infection and working like crazy at my job to help get our annual tax sale up and running, it occurred to me during one of my few times of reflection that a rather significant anniversary was sneaking up on me.
Tomorrow (May 22) marks the 20th anniversary of the day that I graduated from Washington College, a small, liberal arts institution here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in Chestertown. The school itself taught me a few things about life, and even more about myself. I was a minority on campus; there were only a few blacks there so I didn’t really have a lot in common with most of the other students. Yet I found a way to get along, and succeed through the ups and downs. Anyway, that day is one of the greatest days that I have ever experienced. I set a goal to be the first person in my family to graduate from a four-year college, and that goal was met on that day.
Back to the comment from Vivrant Thing: i got to thinking about the music that was out during my senior year. Now I had been around the internet reading a few posts about how the late ’80s was not exactly a golden age for R&B music. That may or may not be true; however I was able to think of many memorable songs from that period. Some were memorable for dancing, some for certain situations that happened in that time of my life, and some just to make me feel good, even when I hear them all these years later. I thought some more and then the idea struck me: why not make a soundtrack from your senior year? After ruminating about it, and looking again at Songs In The Key Of Life for inspiration, I found some in her list of top “fifty” songs (which now numbers over 900 strong). I thought that I could make a list of songs that would fit as a soundtrack for senior year. But because my list could number as long as hers, I gave myself a set of criteria: the song had to have been on the Billboard R&B/Soul/Hip-Hop top 100 or whatever they call it during the time period; I had to have a copy of it somewhere among the tons of music around the house and it had to make me remember the time period. I set a time period of August to the date of my graduation; if a song debuted on the chart on a date before August 1 or after May 22, it was not included, even if I heard it during the year, which cut off a number of good songs. After listing over one hundred songs, I cut the list down to 75. The list goes a little something like this (in chronological order):
- U Got The Look-Prince
- Just That Type Of Girl-Madame X
- Lost In Emotion-Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
- We’ve Only Just Begun (The Romance Is Not Over)-Glenn Jones
- (You’re Puttin) A Rush On Me-Stephanie Mills
- I Need Love-LL Cool J
- Ain’t No Need To Worry-The Winans Featuring Anita Baker
- Just Gets Better With Time-The Whispers
- Don’t You Want Me-Jody Watley
- Lovin’ You-The O’Jays
- Angel-Angela Winbush
- Let Me Be The One-Expose
- You And Me Tonight-Deja
- Don’t Make Me Wait For Love-Kenny G
- Bad-Michael Jackson
- So Many Tears-Regina Belle
- Criticize-Alexander O’Neal
- If You Let Me Stay-Terence Trent D’Arby
- I Want To Be Your Man-Roger
- So Amazing-Luther Vandross
- Skeletons-Stevie Wonder
- Baby Be Mine-Miki Howard
- Because Of You-The Cover Girls
- Girlfriend-Pebbles
- How Ya Like Me Now-Kool Moe Dee
- Love Changes-Kashif & Meli’sa Morgan
- So Emotional-Whitney Houston
- Someone To Love Me For Me-Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force
- I Want Her-Keith Sweat
- Secret Lady-Stephanie Mills
- Love Overboard-Gladys Knight & The Pips
- Two Occasions-The Deele
- The Way You Make Me Feel-Michael Jackson
- In The Mood-The Whispers
- Hot Thing-Prince
- Pump Up The Volume-M/A/R/R/S
- Turn Off The Lights-World Class Wreckin’ Cru
- You Will Know-Stevie Wonder
- Wishing Well-Terence Trent D’Arby
- Take Good Care Of Me-Jonathan Butler
- Lovey Dovey-Tony Terry
- Father Figure-George Michael
- Rocket 2 U-The Jets
- Never Knew Love Like This-Alexander O’Neal featuring Cherrelle
- Push It-Salt-N-Pepa
- Fishnet-Morris Day
- Bring The Noise-Public Enemy
- Ooo La La La-Teena Marie
- Going Back To Cali-LL Cool J
- Man In The Mirror-Michael Jackson
- I’ve Been A Fool For You-Miles Jaye
- Need You Tonight-INXS
- Pink Cadillac-Natalie Cole
- Don’t You Know-Heavy D. & The Boyz
- Da’ Butt-E.U.
- Piano In The Dark-Brenda Russell
- Wild Wild West-Kool Moe Dee
- Paid In Full-Eric B. & Rakim
- Nite And Day-Al B. Sure!
- Something Just Ain’t Right-Keith Sweat
- Mercedes Boy-Pebbles
- Just Got Paid-Johnny Kemp
- Keep Risin’ To The Top-Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew
- Little Walter-Tony!Toni!Tone!
- Parents Just Don’t Understand-DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
- Joy-Teddy Pendergrass
- One More Try-George Michael
- C’est Toi (It’s You)-Angela Winbush
- Run’s House-Run-D.M.C.
- Should I Say Yes?-Nu Shooz
- Make It Real-The Jets
- Paradise-Sade
- Roses Are Red-Mac Band Featuring The McCampbell Brothers
- It Takes Two-Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock
- Groove Me-Guy
This list could also serve as a soundtrack for my wife, who graduated from high school the same year. Just listening to some of these songs the memories flooded back; running to the mall to buy Michael Jackson’s Bad album the day it came out, listening to the radio (Baltimore’s V-103, and Washington’s WHUR, WKYS and WPGC), hearing some of these songs at parties in college. It’s easy to see some trends from the list, the early beginnings of new jack swing, the increased presence of rap music, including the first rap ballads, some pop and freestyle (thanks to WPGC, which was playing that music around that time), and lots of slow jams (thanks to WHUR’s quiet storm and Kevin “Slow Jammin” James). A special thanks to Joel Whitburn’s book, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles 1942-2004 where I did the research.
The Post I Wish I Had Written
Filed under: R&B Lives, blogs, hip-hop, music, websites
http://www.averagebro.com/2008/04/abcom-multimedia-expos-vocoder.html
All I can say, is “AMEN!”
There was a comment at the AverageBro blog that infers that people who agree with this post are out of touch, and listen to NPR or are jazz fans. Many people who agree are not race-betrayers at all, just tired of how music, which once moved our souls and made us feel good has settled for a low-common denominator endeavor where folks with marginal or no-talent rule the day. And, for this person, I don’t even listen to NPR; while I know jazz, I’m not its biggest fan. But I grew up with R&B, and the best music makes its mark without losing respect for those who came before.
AverageBro makes a point to show the history of the instrument, and while he may leave out a few notables in rock music, the post primarily speaks to its use in R&B and how it has ruined R&B in the last decade. It is a post that he had threatened to make for a while; and many may have thought he was joking, but he did it. He has my everlasting thanks and gratitude for “exposing” the use of the vocoder.
When 1970 Meets 2008
More proof that R&B has some life: Al Green, perhaps the greatest soul singer of the 1970’s, is getting together with Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson and James Poyser to release “Lay It Down”, a new album rooted in Green’s 70s soul heyday, but updated for here and now. The results seem to be promising…guests include John Legend, Corinne Bailey Rae and Anthony Hamilton (who always sounds like he came from that era). A preview of the album is here:
Oh man, I can’t wait.
[H/T: Soulbounce.com]
SoulBounce.com-A Place Where R&B Lives
Filed under: R&B, R&B Lives, african-americans, blogs, music
Today, in my usual slow, roundabout way, I found a site where R&B lives. The site is SoulBounce.com, and I found it through an entry in the AllMusic Blog by Andy Kellman, who often writes about R&B in his entries. In the entry I read, I noticed that they are making a list of the top 100 Soul and R&B songs. They have just begun (as of right now, they are on #93), and in my humble opinion, they are off to a good start. I will definitely enjoy reading the forthcoming entries. I’m sure that all R&B/Soul fans (and I am definitely one) have an opinion on what are the best songs in the genre, but these folks are putting theirs out there, and I commend them for it. (Another list of songs-which seems to be growing by leaps and bounds, can be found here.)
In looking over the site, I find it to be a joy to read through some of the previous entries; so much so, I almost went over my lunch hour surfing time at work. I don’t want to get into any trouble on my job, so as soon as I got home and punched up the new laptop, I went straight to the site for more fun. On a related note, I am checking out SoulCommune as well, I haven’t signed up yet, but I might.
Thanks to sites like these, there is hope for my favorite music. That’s not to exclude other genres; but I grew up with this and I can’t let it go-no matter how bad it gets, I need to know there is hope and that there are people out there who love it just as much as I do.
Twitter: @mindpinball
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- @JUS_chillin Just got it today...trying to get used to the touchscreen. Good evening btw...
- Testing from droid eris
- @stephsherman323 I agree with you 100%. We both agree that the D isn't getting any younger. Replacements and depth needed ASAP.
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baltimoresun.com – Sports- COLLEGE LACROSSE UM, Towson coaches on the hot seat March 12, 2010Cottle, Seaman both at end of their contracts Terps-Tigers game could play big in coaches' future […]
- Ravens need a defensive end, but that's not the end of it March 12, 2010After re-signing wide receiver Derrick Mason on Wednesday night, the Ravens probably will turn their attention to the only void remaining in their starting lineup: defensive end. […]
- No. 7 Old Mill takes Urbana comeback calmly, wins, 73-64 March 12, 2010- For the past couple of seasons, the Old Mill boys basketball team has been used to the highs and lows that come in the 32 minutes of each game. […]
- ORIOLES SPRING TRAINING Orioles relief pitchers battling for roster spots on Opening Day roster March 12, 20109 pitchers vying for three spots on the roster Cla Meredith (left) has faced eight batters and retired them all this spring. Matt Albers has allowed two hits in 41⁄3 scoreless innings. […]
- Western defeats Centennial, 40-35, to return to final March 12, 2010Western's basketball team was just a little too quick for Centennial in Thursday night's state Class 3A girls basketball semifinal. […]
- Milford Mill boys rout Stephen Decatur, reach 3A title game March 12, 2010Hamilton's 16 points lead way for No. 5 Millers, who will face Thomas Stone It took a couple of minutes for the Milford Mill boys basketball team to settle into Thursday's Class 3A state semifinal against Stephen Decatur, but once they got comfortable it was apparent the No. 5 Millers had the goods to make a return trip to Comcast Center for Saturd […]
- At last, postseason arrives for Terps March 11, 2010Pressure is on second-seeded Maryland as it begins ACC tournament play Friday night The Atlantic Coast Conference tournament has a familiar feel for the second-seeded Maryland Terrapins. After all, they have played each of the participants this season and could find themselves playing at least one team for a third time. […]
- Ex-Hopkins star makes mark as Seminoles hoops assistant March 11, 2010Enfield, one of two former Blue Jays in Div. I men's basketball coaching, helps guide Florida State into ACC's upper echelon It's quite a short list of Johns Hopkins basketball players who have gone on to coach at Division I college basketball schools in the past 25 years. […]
- Live Terps chat with Jeff Barker at noon Friday March 11, 2010[…]
- Chat wrap: Orioles Q&A with Jeff Zrebiec March 11, 2010[…]
- COLLEGE LACROSSE UM, Towson coaches on the hot seat March 12, 2010
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