Soul 11 Music: May 2013

Friday, May 31, 2013

Live Audio: "Live in Manchester 1998" (Whitney Houston)

While I am in the UK, I thought we could revisit a segment of Whitney Houston's set from a Manchester performance from back in 1998. The seven-and-a-half minute performance features audio clips of Houston performing "Didn't We Almost Have It All," a spirited rendition of "Endless Love" with her brother, as well as Diana Ross' "I'm Coming Out." Take a listen after the jump and Enjoy!

Back at the 1997 Grammy Awards, Mary J. Blige took part in the Waiting to Exhale medley that included the likes of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Brandy, and CeCe Winans to name a few. During her segment in the medley, Blige performed her heartfelt jam and current classic "Not Gon' Cry" and you can peep it all go down after the jump!

"Be Thankful For What You've Got" - William DeVaughn

Writer and Producer: William DeVaughn
Record Label: Roxbury Records
Released in 1974 from Be Thankful For What You've Got
Peaked at #1 on the U.S. R&B charts and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Interview: Miguel

Miguel recently caught up with KissFM UK and during his conversation with them, Miguel opened up about creating his sophomore LP Kaleidoscope Dream, how there will be another "Art Dealer Chic" series, how her collaborations with Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey came about and what went down at the Billboard Music Awards. With that said, watch it all after the jump and Enjoy!

Luther Vandross recorded a sublime cover of the Kenny Rogers classic "Buy Me A Rose," for his final studio album Dance With My Father. His smooth soulful cover was one of the highlights from Vandross' Dance With My Father for me and should've received the single treatment in my mind. With that said, take a second listen to this smooth gem after the jump and Enjoy!

Following the official visual for "Back To Me," Joel Compass is back with a powerful video for his latest single "Fucked Up." Featuring a heavy theme that involves adultery, this latest official video for Joel Compass is a solid visual step and you can check it out after the jump ahead of the release of Joel's forthcoming debut EP Astronaut which arrives in June.

While Guy Sebastian recently released his sixth studio album Armageddon, I thought it would be nice to take a listen to his solid cover of The Staple Singers' classic joint "Respect Yourself." Lifted from his covers album entitled The Memphis Album, Guy offers a smooth cover of the James Ingram co-written song and you can check it out after the jump!

R&B Divas aka R&B Divas: Atlanta aired earlier this week and in the latest episode, all of the ladies gathered together after Monifah's performance to check in, Faith informed the Divas of an invite to perform at Divas Simply Singing, LaTocha visited with her family to get their reaction to her performance at the So So Def 20th Anniversary celebration, Angie went into the studio to reinvent her musical sound, Keke gives her family a sex talk, LaTocha gets a reality check from Jermaine Dupri, a group of the Divas take to the Divas Simply Singing stage and hit some emotional moments during the process, and a whole lot more! Watch it all go down after the jump and Enjoy!

Last night, Tamar Braxton released the second official video from her highly anticipated forthcoming Epic/Streamline debut album Love & War. Coming in the form of her Notorious B.I.G. sampled "Juicy" hit "The One," Tamar shot the video on the Santa Monica Pier to give us that fun summer feeling that the song emotes. With that said, you can watch it all go down after the jump and lookout for her upcoming LP Love & War this Fall!

New Video: "V.S.O.P (Lyric Video)" (K. Michelle)

Earlier today, K. Michelle released the official lyric video to accompany her lead single "V.S.O.P," which is lifted from her forthcoming debut album Rebellious Soul, due July 30. With that said, after the jump you will find the official lyric video which has debuted ahead of K. Michelle's official video for "V.S.O.P."

During Joss Stone's set at the Highline Ballroom last year in NYC, the famed UK songstress performed several cuts from her then forthcoming sixth album The Soul Sessions Volume 2, and one of the standout joints that she performed that night was her take on the Womack & Womack cut "Teardrops." Peep her live rendition after the jump and Enjoy!

"Express Yourself" - Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band

Record Label: Warner Brothers Records
Released in 1970 from Express Yourself
Peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the Best Selling Soul Singles Chart
Sampled in 1989 by N.W.A for their joint "Express Yourself"

Remix: "Give Me Love (New Machine Remix)" (Ed Sheeran featuring Mic Righteous)

Ed Sheeran's sixth and final single from his debut album + was "Give Me Love" and the production duo New Machine, have added their own take on Sheeran's latest hit. Featuring emcee Mic Righteous, "Give Me Love (New Machine Remix)" gets a tempo change from New Machine and you can take a listen to it after the jump.

On Jill Scott's latest LP The Light Of The Sun, the Grammy-winning songstress featured two exclusive bonus tracks on the Target deluxe edition and one of those banging bonus tracks was Scott's "Escape." Produced by Warryn Campbell and co-written with Campbell and Scott, "Escape" is a thumping mid-tempo from Jilly from Philly and you can take a listen to it after the jump!

Katy B is back with the first official visual offering from her highly anticipated forthcoming sophomore LP in the form of "What Love is Made Of." Matching the House vibe perfectly of the record, Katy B's official video for "What Love is Made Of" is worth a view or two and you can catch it after the jump!

As a part of the PBS program Carole King: Library of Congress Gershwin Prize In Performance at the White House and White House honor, Emeli Sandé found herself in Washington DC at the White House offering up a riveting and powerful tribute rendition of Carole King's iconic penned Aretha Franklin hit "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." With that said, watch it all go down after the jump and Enjoy!

It's been over a year since we first heard Miguel's "Adorn" and the Grammy-winning crooner seems to still be ridding high on the single's success as he made his UK television debut on BBC Two's Later… with Jools Holland yesterday. With that said, after the jump you can find his subdued performance of "Adorn," as compared to his Billboard Awards performance.

Off of the deluxe version of Duffy's debut album Rockferry, there is a gem of a record entitled "Oh Boy." While it's been slept on, Duffy has performed it numerous times at several of her gigs and during a 2008 concert at St Lukes a fan recorded the live audio of Duffy crooning out this ballad. Take a listen after the jump and Enjoy!

Back in 1972, The Spinners released their destined classic "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" following the tremendous success of their joint "I'll Be Around." Both lifted from their Gold selling album "Spinners," "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love," is probably the lesser known of the two hits, but is one of my favorite joints from The Spinners. Peaked at #1 on the Hot R&B charts in 1973, the song proved to be a commercial and critical hit for the band and deserves a second listen after the jump!

After Midnight: Lauryn Hill

I've been posting and reposting Steven Lopez's phenomenal painting series "After Midnight" for almost two years now and it appears as though the series is being reincarnated as "After Midnight Soul." With the first painting in this updated series as none other than Ms. Lauryn Hill, Steven Lopez once again breaths some light into his creations and you can watch his phenomenal process after the jump!

Enjoy this 2000 throwback performance of D'Angelo singing "Send It On" from his Voodoo Tour. This tour stop performance in Brazil, showcases both D'Angelo's phenomenal pipes, but also the solid group of musicians and background singers that he enlisted to help bring his vision to life. Watch the groovy performance after the jump and Enjoy!

"Living in America" - James Brown

Writers: Dan Hartman & Charlie Midnight
Producer: Terry Jackson
Record Label: Scotti Brothers Records
Released in 1985 from Rocky IV Soundtrack
Peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100

Mashup: "Demonstrate (JAYBeatz Mashup)" (Drake, JoJo, The Weeknd)

As I make my way to London for a minute, I am reminded of my second favorite mashup of last year behind the Whitney Houston/Rihanna "I Found Loved With Somebody,"which is producer-on-the-rise JAYBeatz's phenomenal mashup of JoJo's single "Demonstrate" with Drake's Rihanna assisted "Take Care" and some additional elements from The Weeknd. While JoJo's project has yet to materialize, this mashup is still in rotation on my iPhone and I wanted to revisit this solid joint for those who didn't get hip to it the last time. Therefore, take a listen to this sublime mashup entitled "Demonstrate (JAYBeatz Mashup)" after the jump and Enjoy!

Earlier today Ariana Grande offered up her television debut of her Mac Miller assisted debut single "The Way," which is already a top 10 hit for the budding songstress. With that said, watch her vocally stunning performance of "The Way" after the jump and Enjoy!

Earlier today Mariah Carey released the explicit version of her current hit single "#Beautiful" that features Miguel. While the video is the same, some of the more "grown" words are not bleeped out this time and fans can really enjoy her single "#Beautiful" after the jump!

Donny Hathaway's take on the classic "Young, Gifted, and Black" is the stuff of legends and thankfully Hathaway recorded this phenomenal version during the recording of one of his two live albums. Take a listen to Hathaway's rendition of "Young, Gifted, and Black" after the jump and Enjoy!

Back in 2003 kem released his debut album Kemistry and the first track off the album was the smooth jam "Matter Of Time." Though Kem recently remade this joint on his latest album Intimacy, I still prefer his version from Kemistry and after the jump you can take a second listen to the the original version of "Matter Of Time."

Disclosure’s debut LP Settle is set for a June 3rd and ahead of the set's release, Disclosure's latest single the Eliza Doolittle featured single "You & Me" has received another remix treatment. Coming in the form of "You & Me (Toro y Moi remix)," which was masterminded by South Carlonia's Chaz Bundwick, aka Toro y Moi, this take of "You & Me" is phenomenal and you can take a listen to it go down after the jump!

Ellie Goulding teams up once again with Philly's own Xaphoon Jones to create a sublime take on Alt-J's "Tessellate." Flipping the joint's sonic vibe, Xaphoon Jones' production skills on this Ellie Goulding collaboration are on point and you can take a listen to their dope cover after the jump!

Live Video of the Day: "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" (Gladys Knight and The Pips)

Gladys Knight is currently celebrating her 68th birthday and I thought it would be appropriate to revisit one of her classic hits with The pips. With that said, I thought why not let Gladys and The Pips perform a sublime their rendition of "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me." Watch their phenomenal performance after the jump and Enjoy!

Earlier today, K. Michelle released her take of Rihanna's "Half Of Me" in the form of "Half Of It" and accompanied it with a behind-the-scenes video to give fans a taste of what her life has become. With that said, you can peep it after the jump and Enjoy!

After the jump, you will find Christina Aguilera's amazing cover of the Nina Simone classic and standard "I Love You Porgy." Lifted from the Grammy nominations concert a few years ago, Aguilera's tribute to Simone offers up one of her most vocally restrained performances to date. The smooth and silky performance is one of Aguilera's best live vocal performances to date and she really shows off why many proclaim her to be the best vocalist of this generation. Take a few minutes to watch her phenomenal vocal performance of "I Love You Porgy" after the jump and Enjoy!

"Casanova" - LeVert

Writer: Reggie Calloway
Producer: Reggie Calloway
Record Label: Atlantic
Released in 1987 from The Big Throwdown
Peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 & #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart

New Video: "Wild" (Jessie J feat. Big Sean & Dizzee Rascal)

Earlier today, the official video for Jessie J's lead single "Wild," from her forthcoming sophomore LP hit the net. While the video leaked in its entirety over the weekend, Jessie J and her team decided to release the official visual with the single's digital release here in the States. Featuring Jessie in a black-and-white visual with the assistance of Big Sean and Dizzee Rascal, you can watch her thumping video for "Wild" after the jump!

Earlier today, Kelly Clarkson released the official video for her current single "People Like Us," which is lifted from her latest release Greatest Hits – Chapter One. Featuring a predominately black-and-white medical-themed visual with splashes of color from Kelly and a little girl, the official video for "People Like Us" matches the high-octane vibe of Kelly's latest single and you can watch it all go down after the jump!

Bruno Mars closed out BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend this past weekend and during is rousing and closing set, Bruno of course performed his uptempo lead single "Locked Out of Heaven" from his solid sophomore LP Unorthodox Jukebox. With that said, after the jump you will find the live audio of his thumping performance of "Locked Out of Heaven"

Back in 2001, Jill Scott released her live double album Experience: Jill Scott 826+ and while the set is best known for her live renditions and the single "Gimme," my favorite joint from the bonus studio LP has to be her 4Hero assisted joint "Gotta Get Up (Another Day)." While the song was never released as a single and Ms. Scott has not performed it live to my knowledge, the song has such a necessary meaning and a dope beat to accompany it. With that said, take a listen to "Gotta Get Up (Another Day)" after the jump and Enjoy!

Starting a new series today in the form of Sampled that will go behind some of the samples used in some of our most favorite jams. With that said, I thought why not start it out with Loleatta Holloway's #1 Billboard Hot Dance hit "Love Sensation," that people are probably most familiar with the Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch classic 1991 hit "Good Vibrations" that samples the 1980 hit by Loleatta Holloway. Therefore, take a listen after the jump to the often sampled "Love Sensation" from Loleatta Holloway's sixth LP Love Sensation and Enjoy!

Bruno Mars was one of the headliners for BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend and during his set, Bruno of course performed his #1 hit single "When I Was Your Man," which is lifted from his latest release Unorthodox Jukebox. With that said, Bruno and his band had the tens-of-thousands of fans screening and singing along at the top of their lungs Derry-Londonderry and you can catch it all after the jump!

Friday, May 31, 2013

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Tuesday, May 28, 2013