Hey Family…
Sorry, Sorry, Sorry….
I know it’s been a minute, but a sistah has definitely had some technical difficulties. Shout out to my sistah, the good Doctor, for hooking a sistah up and getting me in touch with the virtual world again. Good looking friend!!! AEH…

But I’m back and as always I come bringing presents. For real tho…Check out this young sistah “Alice Smith.” She’s fresh, contemporary, easy to listen to and really singing about something that is near and dear to everyone’s heart, L.O.V.E. Yeah-Yeah I know, everybody is singing about love, but Alice is not only singing about love, she’s singing about it well. She’s got talent family. Her voice is heavy and smoking, but youthful and charming. I liken her to Joss Stone. Alice has a great deal of versatility. Her sound will appeal to the Rock, Hop Hip, R&B in you. Once more, there is something real mature about her sound. “For Lovers, Dreamers & Me” is a Sunday lounge CD. Don’t let next Sunday catch you without it.

I received an email regarding this group a week ago.  The email was entitled “The Best Soul Album of the Year.”  Family the author of the email did not lie.  This is one of the best soul CD’s of the year.  Run don’t walk-get this CD.  It’s the brain child of 4 vocalist from Belgium, who are really puttin it down.  When I popped it in, I thought I was hearing Jill Scott, Anthony Hamilton or Donny Hathaway even, but I wasn’t.  I was listening to a group of TALENTED young people who have truly made a “perfect” soul CD.  It has everything you could ever want in a CD, “not one bad track!”

Diggin in the crates, I found out that Soul ID dropped their first CD in 2005, “One Trak.”  Be on the lookout for that.  I”ll holla back about it!!!

Never mind the group’s name, this is one of the “MUST HAVE” CD’s of the year! “High Steppin,” is just that, High Steppin… Like I said, I was on a long road trip and right when I was about to get tired, I popped this CD in and drove for the next couple of hours; car dancing!!! This piece of art is a delicate mixture of funk, soul, hip hop, and blues with a Latin feel. Is that what Zydeco is? I don’t know and I didn’t know I liked Zydeco music, but Family I’m tellin you, if you want a feel good, move ya body, get into it CD, this is it. The Pimps of Joytime, as I understand, is a cat from Brooklyn and a another cat from New Orleans, with a diverse band, who came together to give the world a taste of the down and dirty up north…

Ya heard me babe….

Will is back family. The anticipated “After Tonight” will drop 10/30. It’s all Will-deep, sexy, soul voice we are all used to. I gotta say however, I wasn’t blown away. It’s not like I had to listen to it over and over again. It was simply a lovely walk in th park on a nice sunny day. You know, I may not walk in the park everyday, but I do walk. Similarly, “After Tonight” is one of those CD you buy just because it’s Will Downing and you play it when it crosses your mind. But there was nothing grabbing me or compelling me to say, this is the best Will has done. It’s good, we’ve heard it before. It will be familiar and in that regard pleasant to the ear.

Hey yall…Forgive me. I know it’s been some time. I’m goin through a transition right now and I took a couple of days to pull it all together. Long story short, I’m on the end leg of a long road trip and it’s all good. Like any long road trip you get to listen to allot of music and boy did I!!!! SO…. I got a couple of picks for ya. This should keep ya busy, boppin ya head and swayin. Holla back at me and let me know what you think.

I would be remiss not to say, that for the first hour of my road trip, I listened to one song on repeat, “Sweet.” This is a track off of he “Testimony: My Life Story” CD. I’m tellin yall, Jean Baylor understands what good soul music should be. Did yall get it yet?

Peace

C…

Family…Do yourself a favor and go to dajams.com and download “Testimony :  My Life Story.”  There are so many things right about this project.  It’s divine, PERIOD!!!  Ms. Baylor takes you all the way there.  It’s like a melodious dream with all the pleasing visceral feelings.  Listen…you cannot hear Jean sing and walk away not feeling affected somehow. 

I wanna shout out dajams.com for working with me and making sure I had the Jean Baylor experience. 

Go get your encounter!!! 

This is truly for the grown and sexy! So…if you’re grown, but not sexy this may not be for you and if you’re sexy, but not grown, this definitely is not for you! Roy Hargrove hits the world heavy with his RH Factor Projects. Just when you thought jazz was for your parents, Roy came through and dropped “The RH Factor: Hard Groove” and “The RH Factor: Distractions.” With guest like Common, Erykah Badu, Q-Tip, D’Angelo, Anthony Hamilton, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Renee Neufville, etc., how could Roy miss? He doesn’t, he hits the ball right out of the park with the RH Factor projects. The RH Factor’s are soulful, spiritual, moving, grooving, and just plain jazzy. These are the CD’s you play when your girls or boys are over for a night of tomfoolery. These are the CD’s you play when you wanna know why you’re feeling that certain brotha or that certain sistsh. These are just the CD’s. Now while Hard Groove and Distractions dropped a couple of years ago, 2003 and 2006 respectively, I haven’t really heard many people talk about either of the projects, then or now. So…I’m diggin in my crates and pulling out these gems. My soul family, bling yourself out with these trinkets!

They’ve been here for years! The smash dynamic duo Zhane (we all know how to pronounce it) may not be that premium twosome any longer, but that hasn’t stop them from being oversized on their own. Group members Renee Neufville and Jean Baylor (a.k.a. Jean Norris) have been laying down their own brand of good.

Renee has pretty much been the hot, jazzy, singer, songwriter, keyboardist, etc. for the RH Factor projects (See Roy Hargrove post).

Jean Baylor dropped the much anticipated “Testimony: My Life Story” available at dajams.com.

So don’t sleep people- find these sistahs, wherever they may be. Find out where they will be performing (See “Upcoming Shows”) and the projects they are working on. After all, “It’s just a Groove Thang!

See “Hear or See Me Now” for great performances by Renee and Jean

Ok family, I don’t know if it’s really 6 degrees of separation, more like 3 or 4, but I do know there is still something to be said for backup singers really being as talented as the featured artist/s. Folla me now… Let’s see, you have Lady Jill Scott, who pens one of the hottest hooks for the Roots, “You Got Me” (Things Fall Apart, 1999). She doesn’t get to sing on the 1999 CD of course, as she is “Seldom Heard.” I know-shameless plug, but you get my drift. Anyhoo… Erykah Badu sings the hook, undoubtedly as everyone is on Erykah’s $#&%( at the time. No disrespect to Ms. Badu, she gets mad props for really being a pioneer in the new soul movement. Erykah comes through with backup singers, N’dambi, Yazarah (now known as Purple St. James) and Chinahblac. N’dambi simultaneously drops “Little Lost Girl Blues,” then later the sizzling double disc “Turnin Up & Cosignin.” Yazarah heats up the streets with “Hear Me” and “Blackstar.”

Chinahblac has yet to release a full-length project, but she should! Chinahblac is a ROCK STAR yall… You wanna talk about intense and talented. Ms. Chinah has the soul, the chops, the skill, the look, the everything. Check her myspace page Chinahblac Myspace and see/listen to what I’m talking about. I have frequently seen Chinahblac perform at SOB’s and other venues in NYC and every time, I go up to her and ask, when are you coming out with something? Get it…I’m a fan. So…a week or two ago I’m chillin, watching TV. I’m all hyped, Lady Jill is going to perform on some morning show. Low and behold guess who’s singing backup? Yep… Chinahblac. She’s on tour with Jill Scott right now so look for her.  Bottom line, find out how you can support this sistah and do it. She’s got it!!!

Your homework…

• Get anything N’dambi

• Get anything Yazarah

• Support Chinahblac

See the Seldom Heard’s Calendar “Upcoming Shows” and find out where and when you can see these artist and more.

I am an equal opportunity music lover! So on every occasion, when I get the opportunity-I go to the music!!! Come with me… The Suffolk County Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. invites all to Dave and Buster’s in Farmingdale, New York this Saturday, October 13^th for their annual “Old School Jam.” It is, “a night of red hot R&B classics, hip hop, old school and soul!!!

“It’s gonna be a stone blast honey!”