Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Kelly Price & Ledisi Lead 2012 R&B Grammy Nominations



The 2012 54th Grammy Award nominations were awarded last night for 2012. Ledisi and Kelly Price lead the R&B categories with 3 nominations each for "Best R&B Performance", "Best R&B Song", and "Best R&B Album". Read more to see the list of the other nominees and categories...

Mary J. Blige Performs "Mr. Wrong" on The View


Mary J. Blige is going hard on her promo tour for her latest album, My Life II...The Journey Continues (Act 1). She visited The View yesterday morning, and sang "Mr. Wrong". Her album has expectations of making the top 5 on the Billboard charts and selling close to 170K albums. This performance was done on the 17th anniversary of her chart-topping album, My Life.

I'm so happy for Mary and her journey. She's one of the few artists from the 90's who has been consistent and continues to evolve over time. Her style and voice are impeccable! Watch her performance and listen to her interview afterwards. And don't forget to go out and buy her album. Support real RnB!

New Album: Carl Thomas "Conquer"



So apparently former Bad Boy crooner, Carl Thomas, dropped a new album this week on iTunes entitled Conquer. I was wondering why there was no major fuss about it, but it's been pushed back several times and upon doing research, I don't think a lot of other people knew about it either. Went to his Twitter page, and it's on private which explains a lot...


Tuesday, November 29, 2011

RnB Trivia: Name That Song!



Which song, written by country singer Dolly Parton in 1973, and released in 1974, became a chart-topping record after it was later recorded by Whitney Houston in 1992 from the Bodyguard soundtrack? The answer after the break!

VIDEO: Boyz II Men ft. Charlie Wilson "More Than You'll Ever Know"


Here's the video to Boyz II Men's latest single, "More Than You'll Ever Know" off of their latest album, Twenty. They are joined by Mr. Charlie last name Wilson. This song sounds okay, but nothing that I would stop everything to listen to. I like the video though.

Song of The Day!



I'm taking you back today, to that old-school Memphis-Stax sound. This RnB classic, "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" by Carla Thomas was a chart topping hit in 1961. Although it received lukewarm reviews at first, it took off after being distributed by Atlantic Records. Even Thomas, herself, was surprised at it's success. She's quoted as saying, "The record was young-sounding, romantic and it expressed what a lot of people wanted to say at that age, but still, I was surprised at how well it did."  


"Gee Whiz" is an example of young, romantic love which I think a lot of people can relate to. Being that she's from Memphis, like me, I can appreciate this song even more. Enjoy!

Breaking News: Conrad Murray Sentenced 4 Years



The Most Hated Man in America right now, Dr. Conrad Murray, was sentenced to four years (the maximum) in prison for the death of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson...

Monday, November 28, 2011

Gladys Knight and Earth Wind & Fire Honored at 2011 Soul Train Awards!


I was happy to see legendary music pioneers Gladys Knight and Earth, Wind & Fire honored at this year's Soul Train Awards hosted by Cedric the Entertainer which aired last night on BET.  Although Soul Train is no longer relevant today as it was 40 years ago, it is has been a big part of music history. Rapper Heavy D was also honored in light of his untimely passing a few weeks ago. Check out the videos of the musical tributes after the jump!

Song of The day!



The Christmas season is here and that means a whole month of Christmas music from my favorite artists will be playing all month long. I think my family is the only one that does this, but we love Christmas in our house! Here's one of my favorites from Anita Baker, "Christmas Fantasy" off of her Christmas Fantasy album released in 2005. I can totally relate to the words of this song right now. Enjoy!





R&B singer/songwriter Tank teams up with DJ Booth on his new mixtape "Diary of a Mad Man". R&B singers releasing mixtapes instead of albums seems to be the new thing nowadays, and while I don't think it's always a good look, I respect their effort to stay relevant. The track list and link after the jump...

Monday, November 14, 2011

Style Watch: Queen of Hip Hop Soul Mary J. Blige


While the Queen of Hip Hop-Soul, Mary J. Blige, is gearing up for the release of her much anticipated album, My Life II...The Journey Continues (Act 1), we decided to take a trip down memory lane at some of her hairstyles over the years. Check em out after the jump.

Song of The day!



Listen to this soulful classic off of The O'Jay's debut album, The O'Jay's in Philadephia released in 1969. Something about their music that just changes your whole mood. This song is rather provocative if you pay attention to the lyrics lol, but singers back in the way had of way of saying what they wanted to do with you without being crass and vulgar. I miss that. They can teach these young singers a thing or two.

Another "friend" cashing in on Michael Jackson's legacy...



Since the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson's death in 2009 everyone from his siblings, "friends", and employees have been trying to cash in on his legacy. They just refuse to let him rest in peace. Jermaine and LaToya Jackson have already released their books honoring the love of their brother and now a former personal assistant of Michael's, Frank Cascio is releasing a book called My Friend Michael: An Ordinary Friendship with an Extraordinary Man. With the recent conviction of Dr. Conrad Murray for involuntary manslaughter, I guess Cascio decided to release his book while the public's hearts were still high about the news. Oh, and just in time for Christmas sales! How convenient.

More after the break...

Friday, November 11, 2011

Song of the Day!




I don't think there's a more sexier song to sing to your man than this sultry classic right here. Listen to "Inside My Love" by the late Minnie Riperton from her album Adventures in Paradise in '75. This song has been sampled by artists Chante Moore and Trina Broussard. It was also sampled by producer Timbaland for Aaliyah's "Heartbroken" off of her One In a Million album. I'm always partial to the originals though. Enjoy!


Braxton Family Values, Season 2, Episode 1




The Braxtons return to Wetv for a second season of their famed reality show Braxton Family Values. If you were tuned in last season, you're familiar with the drama surrounding Grammy-award winningToni Braxton, her sisters and mom. The first episode premiered last night and the audience gets up to date with the sisters and how they're dealing with their newfound popularity (minus Toni). Watch the recap of episode 1 after the break.

R. Kelly Has a Message for you haters...



Thursday, November 10, 2011

Throwback Video: Stephanie Mills " I Feel Good"



It's a beautiful fall morning and I'm feeling pretty good. Here's  a video of one of my favorite jams from Stephanie Mills "I Feel Good." I never even knew this video existed. I think the story line is sweet. Sorry for the fuzziness of the video. Her incredible vocals really shine on this RnB classic and make up for the video. Enjoy!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISQO!


R&B crooner Mark Andrews, famously known as Sisqo, one-fourth of the group Dru Hill, turns 32 today. Here's one of my favorite slow songs off of his quadruple-platinum album, Unleash the Dragon.


Way Back When



Watch this back in the day video of Halle Berry on The Arsineo Hall show back in 1993. She still looks just as beautiful after all these years. I find it cute how she talks about her then husband, David Justice, and jokes with Arsineo. I find it interesting, however, that when Arsineo asks her what she doesn't like about her face, she points out her nose. She said she didn't believe in plastic surgery. I guess she got over that. Judge for yourself after the jump...


Song of the Day!



"What You Won't Do For Love" by Bobby Caldwell is a classic RnB record. This song STILL gets heavy rotation. How can you not want to two-step to this? Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Whitney Houston Returns to the Big Screen In Sparkle


Whitney Houston discusses her role in the remake Sparkle with Entertainment Tonight. It's been fifteen years since her last big screen movie (The Preacher's Wife)  so we're excited to see her back. She plays Jordin Sparks' (Sparkle's) mother in the movie. Mike Epps, Cee-Lo Green, and Derek Luke also co-star. Look for it in theaters sometime in 2012.

Skip to 0:12 to start the interview

RIP Heavy D



It's a sad day in Hip Hop today. According to TMZ, rapper and producer Heavy "The Overweight Lover" D passed this morning. He was just on stage at the BET Hip Hop Awards not long ago. The story is still developing so more details will be given later.

With hits like "Now That We Found Love", "Is It Good To You", "Nuttin But Love" and my personal fav "We Got Our Own Thang" the handsome, talented and charasmatic rapper along with the Boyz, rose to fame and became a legend by mixing smooth R&B vocals with his diddly diddly diddly rhymes. He was only 44. RIP.


Monday, November 7, 2011

RnB Releases & Album Covers



This has been a great year of Soul and RnB with releases from Johnny Gill, Joe, Tyrese, Kelly Price, Jill Scott, Goapele and others. Releases from Keith Sweat, Eric Roberson, Maysa, Etta James, and Me'Shell Ndegeocello hit the stores today. If you haven't already copped them on iTunes, go out and support them. It's looking good for RnB and we want it to stay that way. :)

More album covers after the break...

Song of the Day: Patrice Rushen "Remind Me"


To help get your weekend started, here's one of my favorite oldie-but-goodies by Grammy Award-winning singer, Patrice Rushen called "Remind Me". A classically trained pianist and composer, she is also known for her hits "Forget Me Nots", "Haven't You Heard" and "Feels So Real." "Remind Me" has such a melodic, easy-flowing sound that it has been sampled by other artists throughout the years like Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, R. Kelly and R&B group Kut Klose.