Thursday, February 4, 2010

Lost Soul: Christina Milian "Get Away" featuring Ja Rule











Christina Milian "Get Away" featuring Ja Rule


Please don't hold it against me for posting this song up here. I guess you can consider this a "guilty pleasure" of mine, a song by a pop singer and a singing rapper; I'm not supposed to enjoy this right? But feel free to keep it moving if you don't feel the same way about this song and we will pretend this never happened! For those who chose to keep reading, this is actually from Milian's self titled debut album from 2001. It actually didn't see a release in the United States until 2004 after being released overseas primarily at first. And for the record, this is probably the first and last time you will see my posting a song by her on here. Ok, we will now return to our normally scheduled programing :-).


Rare Gem: Angie Stone "More Than a Woman" featuring Joe











Angie Stone "More Than a Woman" featuring Joe


Although this song actually released as a single from Angie Stone's 2001 "Mahogany Soul" album, that version featured Calvin Richardson instead of Joe. The version that features Joe eventually ended up on her "Stone Hits: The Very Best of Angie Stone" album in 2005. To this point, I'm really haven't been able to find any information as to why the song was recorded with two different singers, but I have to say I'm really feeling the duet with Joe here.


VOTE: Artist Faceoff 23: Xscape vs. Floetry

PLEASE VOTE IN THE POLL ON THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER.

R&B Artist Faceoff Results & Bracket

(6)Xscape

Vs.

(11)Floetry


Which is the MORE TALENTED R&B Group?

Click below for artist summaries.


Xscape

Albums:
1993 Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha
1995 Off the Hook
1998 Traces of My Lipstick

Floetry

Albums:
2002 Floetic
2003 Floacism
2005 Flo'Ology

Matchup 22 Winner: En Vogue, Classic Vibe: Changing Faces "That Other Woman"




Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Lost Souls: Glenn Lewis "ABC's" & Chris Brown "ABC's"











Glenn Lewis "ABC's"


----------------------------------------------------










Chris Brown "ABC's"


Being a huge fan of Glenn Lewis, you had to imagine it was a little shocking for me a few years ago when I heard from a friend Chris Brown had a new song called "ABC's." I immediately thought to myself he must have covered the Glenn Lewis version, and at that point I lost all hope that Glenn's "Back For More" album would ever be released (that song was included on that album). In fact, it made me wonder if Glenn was actually selling off some of the songs on that album after realizing the same thing I had. Anyway, here are both versions for you to compare. While I still prefer Glenn's version and the soulful spin he puts on it, Chris Brown didn't do too bad of a job on his. What do you think?


VOTE: Artist Faceoff Matchup 22: En Vogue vs. Changing Faces

PLEASE VOTE IN THE POLL ON THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER.

R&B Artist Faceoff Results & Bracket

(5)En Vogue

Vs.

(12)Changing Faces


Which is the MORE TALENTED R&B Group?

Click below for artist summaries.


En Vogue

Albums:
# 1990: Born To Sing
# 1991: Remix to Sing
# 1992: Funky Divas
# 1993: Runaway Love
# 1997: EV3
# 2000: Masterpiece Theatre
# 2004: Soul Flower

Changing Faces

Albums:
# 1994: Changing Faces
# 1997: All Day, All Night
# 2000: Visit Me

Matchup 21 Winner: 702, Classic Vibe: Naughty By Nature "Jamboree" featuring Zhane (1999)



Although this is not actually Zhane's song, and they aren't featured prominently in the video, I'm a big fan of this feature they did. The single ended up doing very well, reaching number 10 on the Billboard Top 100. That being said, I miss me some classic Naughty by Nature, supposedly they are coming out with an album in 2010 though.


Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Lost Soul: Tamia "Careless Whisper"











Tamia "Careless Whisper"


Although it was only her debut album, that didn't stop Tamia from aiming high and performing her own rendition of this number 1 single by George Michael. In my humble opinion, she passed this initial test with flying colors. In fact, I felt myself longing to hear these two very talented singers perform a duet of the song. There are actually two different versions of this song: this version appeared on her debut album and the other appeared on the soundtrack to "A Night at the Roxbury."



Lost Soul: 702 "I Still Love You"











702 "I Still Love You"


Whether it was from lack of promotion, poor choice of singles, or overall just not good quality music, 702's third album "Star" didn't quite live up to the success of their previous two gold selling albums. Whatever the reason was, you can't blame the Neptunes for this one. Not only did they give the group the lead single for the album, but they also produced the gem "I Still Love You." Looking back at a song like this really makes me miss that classic Neptunes sound that they have gone away from over the past few years. Although I wasn't a fan at first of Pharrell doing the chorus on this, it does give a nice contrast to the vocals of the group.



New Joint: Avery Storm "I'll Do Anything"











Avery Storm "I'll Do Anything"


Here is a leak from Avery Storm's upcoming mixtape "Diary of a Takeoff" that will be available February 14th. I'm glad to see some artists are starting to release mixtapes to help build buzz prior to their albums. In my opinion, it's a smart way to do things and gives fans access to more music for free and gives them something to be excited about.



VOTE: Artist Faceoff Matchup 21: Zhane vs. 702

PLEASE VOTE IN THE POLL ON THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER.

R&B Artist Faceoff Results & Bracket

(8)Zhane

Vs.

(9)702


Which is the MORE TALENTED R&B Group?

Click below for artist summaries.


Zhane

Albums:
1994 Pronounced Jah-Nay
1997 Saturday Night


702

Albums:
1996 No Doubt
1999 702
2003 Star

Matchup 20 Winner: Next, Classic Vibe: Bel Biv Devoe "Do Me" (1990)




Monday, February 1, 2010

Lost Soul: Musiq Soulchild "Nothing At All" featuring Carlos Santana











Musiq Soulchild "Nothing At All" featuring Carlos Santana


There's no doubting that Musiq Soulchild is one of the most soulful singers out there right now, so when he linked up to record a song with guitar legend Carlos Santana, you had to expect the results would be memorable. This collaboration took place for Santana's 2002 album "Shaman" and was actually written by former Matchbox 20 lead singer and another Santana collaborator Rob Thomas. What made this song so interesting to me at the time was that Musiq was just coming off his second album and we had never heard him explore a sound like this before. Santana's stunning guitar play as a backdrop combined with Musiq's chilling vocals make this song a must listen.


VOTE: Artist Faceoff Matchup 20: Next vs. Bel Biv Devoe

PLEASE VOTE IN THE POLL ON THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER.

R&B Artist Faceoff Results & Bracket

(7)Next

Vs.

(10)Bel Biv Devoe


Which is the MORE TALENTED R&B Group?

Click below for artist summaries.


Next

Albums:
1997 Rated Next
2000 Welcome II Nextasy
2002 The Next Episode

Bel Biv Devoe

Albums:
1990 Poison
1991 WBBD-Bootcity!: The Remix Album
1993 Hootie Mack

Matchup 19 Winner: K-Ci & JoJo, Classic Vibe: After 7 "Can't Stop" (1990)