Although summer hasn't official started yet, this will do since it feels like it has! To me, this will always be the official theme song for the start of the summer!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Classic Vibe: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince "Summertime" (1991)
Although summer hasn't official started yet, this will do since it feels like it has! To me, this will always be the official theme song for the start of the summer!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Lost Souls: Teedra Moses "Take Me" featuring Raphael Saadiq & "Caution"
It was impossible to pick just one song from Teedra Moses' debut album "Complex Simplicity," so I had to choose two. I love pretty much the whole album front to back, so I wouldn't say these are necessarily the best songs on the album, but still very good. Unfortunately for her fans, including myself, she has only released mixtapes since then and we are yet to see a second official album. Maybe I shouldn't say unfortunately, because her mixtapes are just as good as albums. Oh and another thing, Teedra being slept on as an artist needs to end!
Free Mixtape Download: K. Michelle "What's the 901?"
Jive recording artist K. Michelle has just released her new mixtape "What's the 901?" (a play off of Mary J's 'What's the 411?') today. She's an up and coming artist in r&b, so if you haven't heard her music yet, take a listen to this and enjoy!
Click Here to Download
Classic Vibe: Lynden David Hall "Do I Qualify?" (1997)
Oh man, I was sleeping VERY HARD on the neo-soul movement of the late 90's. Another great singer that I just discovered now. Major shout out to doublebeee for putting me on! R.I.P. Lynden!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Rare Gem: Donell Jones "Lovin U"
I first heard this song on an advance copy of Donell Jones' 2006 album "Journey of a Gemini" and for a couple of years wondered how this had never been released on an album. A couple of months back, I did have the opportunity to ask Donell himself on Twitter that exact question, and I believe (but don't quote me on this, it's been some time) he said the label felt the song sounded too much like Michael Jackson's "Lady in my Life." I didn't hear it at first, but now that I take a closer listen, I can see what they mean. Regardless, it's still a very good song; nice work Donell.
Exclusive New Joint: Static Major "Can I Kick It Wit Ya"
This song is crazy. It's like I could almost hear an orchestra backing Static on this song if he had been alive to perform it live. The man had so many styles, it just blows my mind sometimes!
StaticMajorIsMusic
Rare Gem: Rahsaan Patterson "Where You Are" (Steve Hurley Remix)
It's amazing, it's been only a week since I've discovered Rahsaan and already I've been able to find that he has a huge following. This gem was passed along to me by a reader who discovered this site because of my posts about Rahsaan. I really enjoyed this remix, it compliments the original very nicely.
Props to Lucille for sending this over.
Classic Vibe: Horace Brown "Things We Do For Love" (1996)
Shout out to my man Samuel Gonzalez on this one!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Classic Vibe: Michael Jackson "Remember the Time" (1992)
One of my favorite Michael Jackson songs, R.I.P. to one of the greatest to ever perform in music. He did music videos like nobody else could, or has done since, just amazing and timeless.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
New Joint: Leela James "Mr. Incredible, Ms. Unforgetable" featuring Raheem DeVaughn
Well, I have to admit this is my introduction to Leela James' music, but I must say it's a good first impression! This soulful duet with Raheem is from her third album "My Soul" which just released May 25th.
New Joint: Estelle "Fall In Love" featuring John Legend
A few days ago I premiered this song minus John Legend, so here is a newer version that features him. I like hearing their voices together on the track, they do a nice job on this collab. I'm not sure which version will appear on the album, since there is also a third version with Nas, but I this one gets my vote.
New Joint: Dwele "I Wish"
His new album W.W.W. (W.ants W.orld W.omen) will be released June 29th.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Lost Soul: Jon B. "Waiting in Vain"
Jon B. puts his own spin on the Bob Marley classic in tribute to the legend. I think he did a good job on this one, although of course you can't even compare it to the original. This was included on the "Light It Up" soundtrack back in 1999.
New Joint: Ne-Yo "Beautiful Monster"
Interesting choice for a first single off of his upcoming album; it seems he's going in the same direction he went last album with "Closer." It has that same upbeat, euro techno flavor to it. Ne-Yo premiered this song on his MySpace last night, and announced his upcoming album will be called "Libra Scale" and will be released in September. I didn't like "Closer" either at first, so I'm sure this on will grow on me also.
Classic Vibe: Rahsaan Patterson "Where You Are" (1997)
As I continue to pay tribute to my newly discovered favorite artist, here is the second single released from his self titled debut album back in 1997.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Exclusive New Joint: Jon B. "Body Language"
I'm liking all this new Jon B. material we are getting. Especially because all of it sounds different than the typical Jon B. sound you would expect. "Body Language" is no exception, but I'm really feeling this one. I actually wouldn't be surprised if this song was recorded years ago, but I could be wrong on that. Really looking forward to his new album!
Rare Gem: Rahsaan Patterson "I'll Go" (Demo) + Donell Jones "I'll Go"
Many including myself have heard the Donell Jones version of this song which appeared on the "Love and Basketball" soundtrack, but did you know Rahsaan Patterson recorded it first? From what I've read, Rahsaan wrote and recorded the song for himself and submitted the demo for his "Love in Stereo" album but it didn't make the final cut. I'm not sure how Donell eventually ended up with it, but I think both singers did a nice job with it. Which do you like better?
Lost Soul: Rahsaan Patterson "Spend the Night"
The first time I heard this song I was blown away, and immediately I became a fan of Patterson's work. Unfortunately for me, his self titled debut album came out in 1997 but it took me until this past weekend to discover it. You can really hear the Stevie Wonder influence on his music, and he also reminds me a lot of another personal favorite on mine Javier.
Classic Vibe: Ghostface Killah "Never Be The Same Again" featuring Raekwon & Carl Thomas (2001)
Not the type of song you expect coming from rappers, but Carl definitely did his thing on the hook!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Classic Vibe: Janet Jackson "Twenty Foreplay" (1996)
One of my favorite Janet songs of all time, but I've always preferred the album version to the video version. On the album, the song starts out as a slow jam before quickly switching to an uptempo vibe, which is part of the reason I love it so much. While still pretty good, the video version of the song seems to stay in a mid-tempo range throughout.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Classic Vibe: Montell Jordan "Get It On Tonite" (1999)
Although this was the last Billboard Top 200 charting single for Montell Jordan, he has released three album since then with no success.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Upcoming Ne-Yo Album + New Single "Beautiful Monster" Coming
Ne-Yo's new single "Beautiful Monster" will be released June 1st, and the album is coming in September. Honestly, I've heard so much music from Ne-Yo since his last album, I have no idea what to expect from him this time around. He could take this album in so many directions, and that just adds to the anticipation.
New Joint: Rhymefest "Agony" featuring Glenn Lewis
While we are waiting for Glenn Lewis to release some solo material of his own, we'll just have to settle for this feature he did with rapper Rhyemfest. At least he has a big part on this song. Patiently waiting on some new Glenn Lewis material......
Exclusive New Joint: Jon B. "Confident"
Once again I gotta give a shout out to a reader for putting me on to this song, thanks Liquid. This seems to be new material for his upcoming album, and I've only been able to find it in one place and that was Jon's Reverb page. What do you think of the new material you've heard so far for Jon's new album.
Classic Vibe: Allure "All Cried Out" featuring 112 (1997)
Another example of a cover song who was able to outperform the original, Allure and 112's version was able to beat out Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam's 1985 hit by peaking at number four on the Hot 100. The group was the first signed to Mariah Carey's Crave Records after a meeting with production duo the Trackmasters. They are also famous for later on signing with basketball player Ron Artest's Tru Warrior record label. As of 2010, the group is set to release two EP's.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
New Joint: MassPike Miles "Keep It Tight"
Well in the interview we did (click here) he mentioned channeling the classic Donell Jones and Mary J. Blige material, and I can definitely get a feel for that here. I like this joint, it has an old school vibe to it that I can get down to. This is from his upcoming mixtape Superfly which will be out Memorial Day Weekend.
Props to Sermon
New Joint: R.L. "When Will I See You Smile Again"
At this point I'm not sure what else I can say about R.L. except I want that solo album!!!
New Joint: Craig David "Who Am I"
This song was credited as produced by Timbaland, but I just don't hear it, do you? In any case, that's three songs in as many days we've heard from the two working together, interesting.
New Joint: Estelle "Fall in Love"
Set to be the second single off of her upcoming third studio album "All of Me."
New Joint: Kelly Price "Tired"
Recently she had been working on the Queen Project with Tamia and Deborah Cox, but now it looks like Kelly is beginning to work on a new solo album which will be her first since 2006's "This Is Who I Am." I'm still anxiously awaiting that Queen Project, but I haven't heard anything about it for awhile. A single is due out soon.
New Joint: Amerie "Who's Gonna Love U"
Even though she just released "In Love & War" last year (read my review here), Amerie is already at work on here new project called "Cymatica Vol. 1. Cymatics." She released this song last night via her twitter account as a sign of things to exepct from that new album. Although I wasn't a fan of her last album, this song sounds really good and I'm looking forward to more from her. She has never been afraid to experiment musically and stray from her r&b roots, which she has been successful with at times, so you never know what you are going to get from her.
Classic Vibe: The Fugees "Killing Me Softly" (1996)
Although this song was original recorded by Lori Lieberman in 1972, it only became a number one hit when recorded by Roberta Flack the following year. Lauryn Hill took it to a whole nother level as part of the Fugees with her cover which also featured a sample of A Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum." An interesting fact about this song is that it became so popular at one point, it was no longer supplied to retailers so that they could focus on "Ready or Not" which was the next single. Capitalizing off of the success, the Roberta Flack version was remixed and released as a dance single in 1996.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
New Joint: Lyfe Jennings "Statistics"
This is the next single off of his upcoming fourth studio album "I Still Believe" which will be released June 29, 2010.
New Joint: Sterling Simms "Everybody Knows" (Produced by Oak)
Just like many other artists, Sterling has recently been affected by involuntary leaked material that he is preparing for his new album. However, instead of complaining, I applaud the man for taking to his twitter account and embracing the positive response it has received. He is currently preparing his "Timecapsule EP" album
Shout out to Yell
Rare Gem: Joe "God's Work"
Major props to one of my readers fro putting me on to this song. I had actually never heard of it, but after doing some reading up on it, I discovered this was recorded back around 1997 in the time when Joe moved from Mercury Records to Jive Records. Apparently, this was supposed to be released as a single, but it has only been released on samplers by Jive. Joe's first album on Jive was "All That I Am" in 1997 and was lead by the singles "All The Things Your Man Won't Do" and "Don't Wanna Be A Player." I'm glad I found this song though, this is a true gem!
Shout out to Yell
Exclusive New Joint: Static Major "The Girls"
I'm lovin this song right here. This one is produced by Big Tank, who also produced "Private Number" for Static. Someone pointed out to me that the beat sounds familiar to Beyonce's "Upgrade U," and I can definitely hear that.
Exclusive song is provided by Neeze, courtesy of Swatt Music
StaticMajorIsMusic
Rare Gem: Nicole Wray "Saturday Love" featuring Rell
This was presumably recorded while both were members of the Roc-A-Fella label and was intended to end up Nicole's shelved "LoveChild" album. The song is actually a remake of the 1985 Alexander O'Neal and Cherrelle classic of the same title.
Rare Gem: Aaliyah "One In a Million" Remix featuring Ginuwine, Missy Elliott & Timbaland
Since a number of artists have recently covered the original of this song, it's only right to shine some light on a rare remix of it. Although this is similiar to the original remix, this version features a rap from Missy and more singing from Ginuwine. On top of that, the beat from Timbaland is just sick! Man, we miss Babygirl more each day.
Shout out to the AzzIzz Aaliyah Blog.
New Joint: Alicia Keys "Unthinkable (I'm Ready)" Remix featuring Drake
This version is being touted as the official remix to Alicia's latest hit song. I guess she decided to give Drake a rap verse on the track since he was already featured on background vocals. It's not much of a remix since essentially the song is exactly the same besides that, and I didn't like the original much in the first place, so you can guess how I feel about this version!
New Joint: R. Kelly "Sign of Victory"
Here is the song that has been chosen to be the official theme song of the upcoming 2010 World Cup Soccer Tournament. This is what Kelly had to say about the song and about the honor:
“I feel blessed that ‘Sign Of A Victory‘ was selected to be part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” said Mr. Kelly. ”The FIFA World Cup is an event that brings the world together and inspires us to be and do the best we can. It’s this uplifting feeling that I tried to capture in the song.”
New Joints: Craig David "I Don't Think So" & "Like I Never Left" (Produced by Timbaland)
Since he just released a new album a couple months back, I'm going to assume these unreleased songs were scrapped from a project he had previously been working on. I wasn't really feeling either of them to be honest, and even the second track features production from Timbaland that is on par with the new style he has become accustomed to.
Classic Vibe: 3rd Storee "Party Tonight" featuring R.L. & Treach (1999)
The group 3rd Storee was formed in the late 90's made up of four teenagers trying to follow the mold of the Jackson 5 and New Edition. Eventually, they were signed by Tracey Edmonds (former wife of Babyface) to her Edmonds Entertainment label. Babyface actually produced five tracks on their debut album, including the first single "If Ever."
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Lost Soul: Tank "Race Against Time Part 2" featuring Ja Rule
Don't get me wrong, this song doesn't really showcase Tank's singing voice by any means. But since I know the original by Ja Rule, it's cool to hear Tank sing some of the lyrics and create his own version of it. This song was released on "The Fast and the Furious" soundtrack back in 2001.
Lost Soul: Musiq Soulchild "Ms. Philadelphia"
Songs like this are the reason I not only love Musiq as an artist, but also why I consider Ne-Yo one of the top songwriters in r&b. When I listen to this song, I can feel the words and I find myself sitting in the bar that Musiq is crooning about experiencing it for myself. When you listen to a song, I don't think there is much more you can ask for than for something that gives you that type of feeling.
Lost Soul: Amel Larrieux "Even If"
Is there any doubting the fact that Amel is one of the most underrated talents in r&b/soul music right now? In fact, it's been that way for years. Ever since her lead role in Groove Theory, her solo material has never really been given the credit it's deserved. However, many real fans of music that I've spoken to over the years recognize her talent, which is fine because she doesn't make music tailored to the radio stations. Here's a song I chose to highlight from her debut album which is easily one of my favorites on a record full of great songs.
Lost Soul: Tamia "Love Me in a Special Way" (DeBarge Cover)
Tamia included her rendition of the classic DeBarge song on her second album "A Nu Day." Tamia has a very powerful voice and in my opinion she did a wonderful job covering the song. What did you think?
New Joint: Avant "Africa" (Toto Cover)
I can't seem to find much info on this song, but from personal knowledge I do know this is a cover of the 80's classic hit "Africa" by Toto. This is an interesting choice for a remake, and I love the original, but unfortunately I feel that Avant came up short on this attempt.
Classic Vibe: DeBarge "All This Love" (1983)
Think about this concept. I actually didn't know about this song and only discovered it once I heard AZ sample it for his song "Problems" in 2001. Can you blame me though? I was born in the same year that this song was released, so I guess that's a valid excuse! Nevertheless, I'm really glad I was able to discover this group because I love their music.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
New Joints: Sterling Simms "Break the Bed" & "Love"
His upcoming album is titled "Timecapsule" and does not yet have a release date.
New Joint: Mariah Carey "Help Me Make It"
This song is Mariah's rendition of the Johny Cash song "Help Me Make It Through the Night." She recorded this song for the movie Tennessee.
New Joint: R. Kelly "When a Woman Loves"
Admittedly, I've found it hard to get interested in any of Kelly's work over the past five years or so, and as a result I don't always give his songs shine on this site. Personal issues aside, I just really wasn't a fan of the direction he was going in with his music career. However, when he actually tries to be a singer on songs like this, I'm still a fan.
New Joint: Montell Jordan "Sexy Clothes"
Now at age 41, and coming off of an album, "Let It Rain," that was a major flop by all accounts (didn't chart on the Billboard 200), I was thinking his career in music might be over. Well, now we have evidence otherwise. Apparently, he is a born-again christian and performs in Atlanta with a church band.
Upcoming Album: Dru Hill "InDRUpendence Day"
After many delays, Dru Hill's fourth studio album "InDRUpendence Day" is finally set for a release date of July 27th. Above, the artwork for the album was premiered earlier today by Rap-Up.com. We've already heard the lead single for the album, "Love MD," and now it's confirmed that the second single is "Back to the Future." You can listen to those below. Does the group still have what it takes?
Dru Hill "Back to the Future"
Dru Hill "Love MD"
New Joint: Kelly Rowland "On & On"
Last week we heard "Commander" which is the first single from her yet to be titled upcoming album, and here is another new song that might appear on that album. This one has the same type of uptempo vibe as "Commander," so I have to wonder if she's going for that type of sound on this album.
New Joints: Usher "She Seen Me" & "Stranger"
Damn, Usher recorded a TON of songs for his latest "Raymond vs. Raymond" album. Prior to the release and even after, we've had a steady flow of material from him. The songs have ranged in my opinion from very bad, to good; I didn't really hear anything from him that blew me away. I kind of credit him for moving more towards pop music and giving us less traditional r&b.
New Joint: Ne-Yo "Turn It Into Love"
Yesterday we finally received the news we've been waiting for from Ne-Yo. We knew he was in the studio working on the new album, but he has now confirmed a tentative release date will be September. I'm highly anticipating this fourth album from one of the most, if not THE most, hard working men in the industry. As for this song, there is a pretty good chance it won't appear on the new album.
New Joints: R.L. of Next "Forget Him" featuring Jigg & "One in a Million"
I'd like to be able to say these are hints of what you can expect on his "LoveMusic" album and we are approaching a release of it, but we still have no confirmation of that. Additionally, Next is in fact still together, but it is just two members now as Tweety is no longer with the group.
Classic Vibe: TQ "Daily" (2000)
"Daily" was a single released by TQ from his second album "The Second Coming" but to date has only released in the United Kingdom after plans to release it in the U.S. were canceled. Ironically, this might have been a look into where he would find his future success. As he mentioned to me in our interview, he has a major fan base over in Europe that might even dwarf his fan base in the states.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Classic Vibe: Product G&B & Khadejia "Here We Go" featuring Wyclef Jean & FunkMaster Flex (1998)
This little gem was tucked away surprisingly on FunkMaster Flex's "The Mixtape Volume III" album which featured mostly only hip hop music.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Rare Gem: Marques Houston "Excited"
This was a Target Exclusive Bonus Track from his 2007 album "Veteran." I'm not a big fan of artists releasing bonus tracks just if you buy the album at a certain store. That being said, had this been a part of the album, it would have easily been one of my favorites on there. And that is coming from someone who really enjoyed the "Veteran" album.
Lost Soul: Mary J. Blige "Changes I've Been Going Through"
I can easily consider Mary's debut album to be one of those classic records you can listen straight through and not have to think twice about skipping a song. In fact, six singles were released from this album which is a rarity in itself in this day and age. In any case, this is a personal favorite album of mine and is reminiscent of that early 90's r&b sound when hip hop started to influence it.
Classic Vibe: SWV "Can We" featuring Missy Elliott (1997)
In retrospect, this is probably my favorite r&b female group. Even though En Vogue won the tournament I put on a few months back, SWV got my vote. Timbaland really did his thing with the beat on this song too, his production USED to be classic. It seemed like none of his beats were a miss. Ah, how I long for the good old days!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
New Joint: Justin Timberlake "Touch You If I Could"
If I had to take a guess about this song, and I may be way off base on this, this is an older song from closer to when he was part of the group N Sync. In my opinion, his vocals sound younger and the style of music is similar to the style he was putting out with the group. Not that I've ever listened to an N Sync album or anything, but what do you think?
Classic Vibe: Phil Collins "In The Air Tonight" (1981)
While it may be a stretch to classify Phil Collins as r&b or soul music, you can't discount the impact he's had on hip hop and r&b. In fact, a bunch of artists even made an album called "Urban Renewal" which was a tribute to Collins where a bunch of his songs where given an urban spin.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
New Joint: Usher "Private Dancer"
Unreleased track that is possibly a left over from his last album "Raymond vs. Raymond." This song is pretty good, but not even adding this to that track list could have saved that mess. The album has already been certified gold, but I'm sure that has more to do with the heavy promotion, constant radio airplay, his reputation as a superstar, and multiple appearances rather than the quality of the music.
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