Live Audio: "Through The Fire" (Chaka Khan)

Though I've posted a grainy video of Chaka Khan performing "Through The Fire" from Celebration of Gospel as a live clip from yesterday, here is the perfect live audio from that same performance. This audio is crisp and perfect just like Chaka's high notes that were in rare form during her performance of her classic. You won't regret taking an earful of this audio below... Enjoy!

Live Video of the Day: "GIve Me The Reason" (Luther Vandross)

Check out this 1987 Grammy performance of Luther Vandross where he sang his hit "Give Me The Reason". Always a perfectionist with his background vocalists as well as his own vocal performance, Luther doesn't disappoint in this stellar performance. With that said, watch it below and Enjoy!

Song of the Day: ""Rock Me Tonight (For Old Time Sake)" (Freddie Jackson)

"Rock Me Tonight (For Old Time Sake)" - Freddie Jackson

• Writer and Producer: Paul Laurence
• Record Label: Capitol Records
• "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Time Sake)" was featured on 1985's "Rock Me Tonight".
• Peaked at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard R&B charts

Album in the Works: "Open Invitation" (Keith Sweat)

R&B crooner and veteran Keith Sweat is on a "comeback" trail with his forthcoming eleventh studio album "Open Invitation." Preceded by his current single "Make You Say Ooh," "Open Invitation" is scheduled for a November 1st release date and will be released via eOne Music. With that said, listen below to "Make You Say Ooh," and lookout for his album when it drops November 1st.

Interview: Miguel

RapUpTV recently caught up with Miguel during the VMAs and talked to him about his forthcoming sophomore effort, working with Usher on his next album, as well as the change in concept for his upcoming release. Peep the brief interview below and lookout for Miguel's new album during the Spring of 2012

Amazing Cover: In A Sentimental Mood" (Ledisi)

Listen to Ledisi's amazing cover of the Duke Ellington classic and standard "In A Sentimental Mood." Lifted from her sophomore jazz album "Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue," Ledisi croons and coos a phenomenal version of the song and offers up in my opinion one of, if not the best vocal version of the song to date. Take a listen below and let Ledisi's legendary vocals take you to a higher place... Enjoy!

New Joint: "More Than You'll Ever Know" (Boyz II Men featuring Charlie Wilson)

Boyz II Men and Charlie Wilson have gotten together and collaborated on a new joint entitled "More Than You'll Ever Know," which is lifted off of Boyz II Men's forthcoming album "Twenty." With that said, take a listen to the smooth mid-tempo below of the trio and Wilson working it out and Enjoy!

Second Listen: "Always & Forever" (Heatwave)

My favorite song of all time has to be Heatwave's  power ballad "Always & Forever." While "Boogie Nights," might be the groups biggest hit, "Always & Forever" is definitely the classic they will be remembered for in my book.  Released in 1977 from their debut album "Too Hot to Hande," "Always & Forever" has been remade by countless crooners and most recently Luther Vandross. While I am a Lutherite, I believe that Heatweave and Johnnie Wilder, Jr.'s smooth vocals truly own this song. With that said, take a first or second listen below to "Always & Forever" and Enjoy!

Album in the Works: "New Life" (Monica)

Monica is putting the finishing touches on her follow record to 2010's Grammy nominated "Still Standing," and the songstress recently took to twitter to confirm the November 8th release date as well as the subject matter that her new album "New Life" will talk about.

“I talk about a lot of different subjects, whether it’s love, heartache, happiness, family...The music will be a lot like Still Standing in the sense that it’s real and really about things that I’ve experienced, but it’s also from a very mature place."

Though Monica had been out of the spotlight for a bit before "Still Standing" was released, it is great to see a true R&B vocalist come back into the game and I am excited to hear what "New Life" has to offer.

New Joint: "Had To Learn From Love" (Anthony Hamilton)

A lot of new joints have been hitting the net recently from Anthony Hamilton's camp and this time it's the mid-tempo joint "Had To Learn From Love." Though it's known that Hamilton is busy working on a forthcoming effort, it isn't clear if these new joints are lifted from it, or if they are from the vault. With that said, take a listen to "Had To Learn From Love" below and lookout for a upcoming project soon!

Live Video of the Day: "And I Heard... (Do You Understand)" (Jill Scott)

Back during Jill Scott's tour in support of "The Real Thing," she often performed a new song "And I Heard...(Do You Understand)" as the end of her encore performance. Below you will find Scott and her band grooving and crooning out a phenomenal rendition of "And I Heard... (Do You Understand)." Peep the performance below and Enjoy!

New Joint: "Domino" (Jessie J)

A new joint from Jessie J has just been released to iTunes and it is the Dr. Luke produced joint "Domino," that I showcased a few weeks ago.  This release on iTunes all but confirms that this is Jessie's new single in the US and although I feel it is a bit beneath the artist that Jessie J is, she sings the heck out of this joint and really makes it her own. Listen below and Enjoy!

Song of the Day: "Born Again" (V featuring Jill Scott)

"Born Again" - V featuring Jill Scott

• Classification: Philly Soul, Neo-Soul, and Smooth Soul
• Record Label: BEE Records
• Released in 2005 from the album "The Revelation Is Now Televised."

Second Listen: "Character" (Van Hunt)

Van Hunt is a very slept on artist. With that said, Hunt's second album "On the Jungle Floor" featured the smooth mid-tempo jam "Character," that in my opinion is one of the top 100 songs released in the last decade. Hunt's smokey voice  accentuates the guitar pumping track and is such a smooth and sext joint. Take a first for many and hopefully a second for some below... Enjoy!

Behind the Scenes: 4 Intimate Nights (Beyonce)

Part 2 of Beyonce's behind the scenes feature has just hit the net and it gives fans a brief look behind the scenes as B and her band prepped for their 4 Intimate Nights at the Roseland Ballroom. With that said peep the clip below and lookout for a DVD of the concert performance towards the end of 2011 or sometime in 2012. Watch below and Enjoy!

Free Download: "Sincerely Yours, Stacy Barthe" (Stacy Barthe)

Famed singer/songwriter Stacy Barthe has just dropped a free EP entitled "Sincerely Yours, Stacy Barthe." While some might not be familiar with Barthe herself, you have heard her numerous penned hit singles and songs for a variety of artists including Brandy, Rihanna, and Britney Spears.  With that said, peep the tracklisting below for the EP and click here to download "Sincerely Yours, Stacy Barthe" for free.

Tracklisting:

1 The Only One
2 Never Did
3 Touch
4 Without You ft. Frank Ocean
5 Drink My Pain Away ft. Joi Starr
6 Comfy Little Coffin
7 Not like I Used to…
8 Let it be

Amazing Cover: "Love Is A Losing Game" (Daley)

Though Bruno Mars did his thing to tribute Amy Winehouse at this past Sunday's VMAs, my favorite tribute to the late singer still remains UK singer on the rise Daley's phenomenal rendition of  "Love Is A Losing Game." Though no one can touch Amy's acoustic demo version of the track in my mind, Daley's take is a heartfelt tribute to the late soul singer and it truly deserves a listen or two.

"Listening to this song brought me to tears today, I wanted to pay my respects. Such a loss to music. May she finally rest in peace." – Daley

After Midnight: Alicia Keys

One of my favorite youtube series is Steven Lopez' "After Midnight" where he captures his phenomenal paintings of some of soul music's most recognizable current and past faces. With that said, Lopez recently painted a sublime painting of Alicia Keys and you can peep all of the action below while we groove out to "No One."

New Joint: "Da Overflow" (Mario)

R&B crooner Mario is back with a new joint entitled "Da Overflow." While it doesn't sound as if the joint as been mastered yet, the song has potential and definitely has that Mario stamp that listeners have become accustomed to hearing from the singer/songwriter. With that said, listen below and lookout for his forthcoming album later this year.

Album Cover: "Chapter 5: Underrated (Syleena Johnson)

Syleena Johnson is back with her forthcoming effort " Chapter 5: Underrated," which is currently scheduled for a September 27th release date. With that said, the official tracklisting for her forthcoming fifth studio album has also been released along with the official album cover artwork. Peep all the action above and below and lookout for her new album when it drops September 27th!

Tracklisting:

1. Underrated (featuring AK of Do or Die)
2. A Boss
3. Fade Away
4. Angry Girl (featuring Tweet)
5. Like Thorns
6. Little Things (featuring Malone)
7. My Shoes
8. Label Me
9. Go Head (featuring Na’Tee)
10. Bad Person
11. The Champ
12. Stone Wall

Live Clip: "Someone Like You" (Adele)

Adele's performance from last night's VMAs is one of the two highlight performances (the other being Beyonce's Love On Top) from the night. With that said, watch it again if you haven't already seen her phenomenal performance of "Someone Like You." Simple yet powerful is all I have to say!

Live Video of the Day: "I Got This" (Jennifer Hudson)

Jennifer Hudson took to the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater last week to perform a nearly hour set of material from her latest album "I Remember Me." During her performance, Hudson let into a powerful version of my favorite track from "I Remember Me" entitled "I Got This." Watch her performance below from the mini concert and Enjoy!

Song of the Day: "Someday" (Ledisi)

"Someday" - Ledisi

• Writers and Producers: Luther "Mano" Hanes, Rick Watford, & Ledisi Young
• Classification: Quiet Storm, Slow Jam, Smooth Soul
• Record Label: Verve
• Featured on 2007's "Lost And Found"

New Joint: "So Fresh" (CJ Hilton)

J Records recording artist CJ Hilton has just released the official visual for his single "So Fresh." The visual is pretty standard but it's nice to see Hilton getting support from J Records.

Album Cover: "My Life" (Monica)

Monica is back with the official cover to her forthcoming album "My Life." Expected to drop in late October, the effort is preceded by "Anything (To Find You)," which features a verse from Rick Ross. On the album, Monica has stated,

"This is a new life for me, it’s not just the title of the CD, its really the place that my family, my kids, all of us are in." Talking about being inspired by her own past work, "It really reflects all the different moments, and we just sanging. There are a lot of ballads on the album. So, we definitely gonna go back to the songs that I remember most about my years in the game.” Citing her classic "Why I Love You So Much," specifically, "It feels like that to me, because the truth and sincerity in it is Extreme."

Interview: Estelle

GoWhereHipHop recently caught up with Grammy winner Estelle during her special guest performance at Dwyane Wade's "Kick Off Party" at Enclave Nightclub. Peep the interview below where Estelle talks on a variety of topics and lookout for her forthcoming album "All Of Me."

"Estelle sits down with GWHH's Jeff Baraka to talk about her perspective on the London riots, being a global citizen, her Senegalese roots, and her upcoming album, All Of Me, and more! The video also contains live footage from her performance at Dwyane Wade's Kickoff Party, which features some impromptu dance moves with D. Wade himself."

New Joint: "Disaster" (JoJo)

JoJo is back with the first official single lifted from her forthcoming third LP "Jumping Trains." Entitled "Disaster," this thumping mid-tempo is reminiscent of JoJo's last huge hit "Too Little, Too Late" and sonically this record is definitely agreeing with the songstress. With that said, take a listen below to "Disaster" and Enjoy!

Amazing Cover: "Angel" (Ruben Studdard)

Check out Ruben's heartfelt and emotional cover of Aretha's "Angel". Written by her sister Carolyn, this tender ballad has a soft spot in the Queen's heart and the way Ruben sang it really touched her that night as you can tell from the clip. Watch it all go down below and Enjoy!

New Joint: "What Did I Do" (James Fauntleroy II)

Singer-Songwriter James Fauntleroy II is back with another new joint and entitled "What Did I Do." While it isn't evident is this is a song for the crooner or a track that he is demoing for another artist, "What Did I Do" is a solid mid-tempo joint that would definitely be a solid album cut. Take a listen below and Enjoy!

Second Listen: "Speechless" (Beyonce)

Beyonce has just recently announced her first pregnancy to the entire world at the VMAs and with that in mind, I wanted to offer up one of, if not my favorite joint from her discography "Speechless." Though "Speechless" is one of the lest known songs from Beyonce's discography for casual listeners and fans, it is one of my favorite songs that she has ever recorded. With that said, take a listen below to the smooth and sensual "Speechless," which is lifted from her debut album "Dangerously In Love."

New Joint: "Make You Say Ooh" (Keith Sweat)

Keith Sweat is back with another smooth mid-tempo entitled "Make You Say Ooh." Though it's not clear if this is lifted from the vault or a song for a forthcoming project, Sweat is definitely primed to make a "comeback" as we move closer to 2012.

Live Clip: "Love On Top" (Beyonce)

After announcing her pregnancy, Beyonce took to the VMA stage and performed an amazing rendition of her joint "Love On Top," which is lifted from her fourth album "4." Watch her performance below and peep her rubbing her belly below at the end of her performance! :)

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, Beyoncé

Live Video of the Day: "Someone Like You (VMA Performance)" (Adele)

Adele took to the VMAs moments ago and performed a sublime rendition of her haunting ballad "Someone Like You," which is lifted from her smash hit sophomore album "21." Adele easily offered up one of, if not the best performance of the night with just her voice. With that said, peep her phenomenal performance below and Enjoy!

Breaking News: Beyonce Announces Pregnancy

R&B superstar Beyonce "quietly" announced her pregnancy moments ago at the MTV Music Awards while walking the "black" carpet.  While no formal announcement was given, Beyonce walked the carpet above showing a minor baby bump. Though it's not clear how far along the pregnancy it, it should be interesting to see what Beyonce and Jay-Z decided to name their child. One can recall that Jay said he wanted to name his a possible child Brooklyn Carter, but time will tell if this name sticks.


"If I had a daughter I'm gonna call her Brooklyn Carter"- Hello Brooklyn 3.0  Jay-Z & lil Wayne

Amazing Cover: "This Love" (Natasha Bedingfield)

Check out Natasha Bedingfield's amazing cover of the Maroon 5 classic "This Love".  Though she differs from the melody at places to showcase her upper register, Natasha offers up a nice cover of such a beloved song. Watch it below and Enjoy!

Song of the Day: "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" (Marvin Gaye)

"Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" - Marvin Gaye

• Writers: Marvin Gaye and James Nyx, Jr.
• Producers: Marvin Gaye
• Record Label: Tamla
• "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" was released in 1971 from What's Going On.
• It reached #9 on the U.S. Billboard Pop Singles and #1 on Billboard's R&B Charts.

Interview: Melanie Fiona

Melanie Fiona is putting the finishing touches on her forthcoming sophomore effort "The MF Life," which is scheduled for an October 25th release date. With that said, Billboard.com caught up with the songstress and she talked about conception of her new record, her upcoming mixtape, what fans can expect from "The MF Life" and so much more. With that said peep the interview below and lookout for Fiona's forthcoming album this coming October.

Live Audio: "If Only For One Night" (Luther Vandross)

 "Live at Radio City Music Hall," was Luther's first and only live audio LP and fortunately for us, Vandross delivered sublime live renditions of all of his classic jams. With that said, Luther recorded a phenomenal version of his cover "If Only For One Night," and you can listen below to it in all of its glory.

Second Listen: "Love Ballad" (L.T.D.)

"Love Balld," by L.T.D. in my opinion is one of the most romantic songs released. With that said, take a second listen to this Jeffrey Osborne led smash single that is one of the best ballads of all time. Listen below and Enjoy!