Soul 11 Music: November 2013

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Live Video of the Day: "Last Christmas" (Ariana Grande)

After performing a snippet of Wham!'s "Last Christmas" during NBC's telecast of the 87th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Ariana Grande found her way to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Thanksgiving night to offer up a solid rendition of "Last Christmas."

Back by The Roots, Ariana's updated rendition of Wham!'s "Last Christmas" is one of the highlights of the new Christmas music season and you can watch her sublime performance of "Last Christmas" below!

"Use Me" - Bill Withers

Writer: Bill Withers
Producer: Bill Withers
Record Label: Sussex Records
Released in 1972 from Still Bill
Peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100

New Joint: "Just Another Holiday" (RaVaughn)

Singer/songwriter RaVaughn is back with a somber holiday jam "Just Another Holiday" for her growing fanbase. While the "Best Friend" songstress isn't slated to release her debut album until next year, RaVaughn shares her Christmas sadness on "Just Another Holiday" as she thinks she might spend the holidays alone.

With that said, take a listen below to "Just Another Holiday" from RaVaughn below and lookout for her debut album next year, which is expected to feature appearances from the likes of Wale, Fabolous, Marsha Ambrosius, John Legend and Miguel.

Earlier today, Leona Lewis released the official music video for her Christmas single "One More Sleep," which is lifted from her forthcoming holiday album Christmas, With Love, due Tuesday.

Inspired by the famous Motown sound, Leona Lewis' video for "One More Sleep" has a vintage flair filled with several traditions of the holiday season including wrapping presents, holiday dinner, putting up stockings and a fun snowball fight.

With that said, watch the official video for "One More Sleep" below and lookout for Leona Lewis' holiday album Christmas, With Love when it hits stores on Tuesday, featuring three originals and seven remakes of holiday classics.

While I've posted about rising UK soul singer John Newman, it's been a minute since I have and the soulful crooner has just released the official music video for his third single "Losing Sleep," which is lifted from his debut album Tribute, which is in store now via Island Records.

Though John hasn't come stateside yet to continue the British invasion that has continued to shine and grow here in the states, his soulful vocals are hard to forger and the official video for "Losing Sleep" finds him wandering the streets while crooning out his torch ballad.

Watch the music video for "Losing Sleep" below and if you didn't know when John Newman was, now you do!

While I am not familiar with Ella Eyre at all, I stumbled upon her take of the Gnarls Barkley nominated joint "Going On" yesterday and thought I should share it with you all.

Featuring some powerhouse gritty pipes, Ella hails from London and her rendition of "Going On" is slated to appear on her forthcoming December 15th EP "Deeper." While the original was produced by Danger Mouse, Ella's version stays true to the melody but changes up the instrumentation a bit.

With that said, take a listen below to Ella Eyre's rendition of Gnarls Barkley's "Going On" and get to know Ella a bit better in the process!

Yesterday during NBC's telecast of the 87th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, songbird and recent American Music Award winner for Best New Artist Ariana Grande performed her updated rendition of the Wham! holiday classic "Last Christmas."

Featured on top of Nickelodeon’s "Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure" float, Ariana was in fine vocal form and I bet that in less than a week when the Grammy Award nominations are announced that Ariana will be receiving a few for her sublime debut effort Yours Truly.

With that said, watch her performance of "Last Christmas" below and Enjoy!

Live Video of the Day: "Have Yourself A Merry Christmas" (Luther Vandross & Chaka Khan)

Now that Thanksgiving is over, Christmas and the entire holiday season is now in full bloom. With that said, one of the holiday albums I always turn to is Luther Vandross' impecable This Is Christmas and below you will find a sublime duet between the late Luther Vandross and his close friend the legendary Chaka Khan.

Watch it go down below between these two superb vocalists thanks to Soul Train and Enjoy!

"Make It Last Forever" - Keith Sweat featuring Jacci McGhee

Writers: Keith Sweat and Teddy Riley
Producers: Keith Sweat and Teddy Riley
Record Label: Vintertainment/Elektra Records
Released in 1988 from Make It Last Forever
Peaked at #59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Hot Black Singles chart

Amazing Cover: "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (Kelly Clarkson)

Kelly Clarkson helped bring in the Christmas cheer two years ago with the release of her take on the holiday classic "I'll Be Home For Christmas." Lifted from her iTunes Sessions that were released back in 2011, Clarkson's rendition of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" is a perfect way to help usher in the holiday cheer as we move into December.

Listen below and if you like what you hear, go onto iTunes and get her version for the holiday season and check out her first holiday album Wrapped in Red, which is in stores now!

It's not the holidays in my household without a little Mariah Carey music in the background. With two Christmas albums under her belt, Mariah Carey is the epitome of holiday spirit and her live rendition of "O Holy Night" lifted from WPC in South Central Los Angeles is a great example of her vocal prowess.

Take a listen below to Mariah's sublime live rendition of "O Holy Night" lifted from her holiday collection and Enjoy!

I've had Tamar Braxton's holiday album Winter Loversland on repeat all day, she really put her foot in these vocals and her original Christmas songs fit in perfectly with these holiday classics in my book.

One in particular, "No Gift" is such a winner in my book that I hope she and Epic release it as a holiday single with a music video as soon as possible. Composed by Tamar, LaShawn Daniels, Tiyon Mack and Adonis Shropshire, "No Gift" is a sublime smooth Christmas jam that I can hear people covering years from now.

With that said, take a listen below to Tamar's sublime new holiday classic "No Gift" and Enjoy!

I was unaware that there was going to be a new episode of Braxton Family Values last night, as it was Thanksgiving after all, but We TV decided to air a new episode of their hit family reality show.

With that said, take some time out on 'Black Friday' to catchup on Braxton Family Values, as I will be doing the same and Enjoy!

Last night on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, he Rashida Jones and Carrie Underwood performed a sublime top 40 hits medley that took on a holiday parody spin.

Featuring Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas musical parodies of "Get Lucky," "Roar," "Royals," "Wrecking Ball," "I Love It," "Blurred Lines" and "Ho Hey," this is the perfect holiday medley in my book to move us right into the Christmas and Hanukkah seasons.

Therefore, watch Jimmy Fallon, Rashida Jones and Carrie Underwood all belt it out below in this hilarious parodies medley below and Enjoy!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can now bring in my holiday music. With that said, at the stoke of midnight, I finally bought Tamar Braxton's holiday album Winters Loverland and one of the set's highlights has to be Tamar's duet with her sister Trina on "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)."

While the track barley clocks above a minute with the majority of it being banter between the two sisters, their a cappella rendition of "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" is just something else in my book.

With that said, take a listen below to the recorded rendition and as a bonus, also peep their first live performance of "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" during Tamar's opening act set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for John Legend's Made To Love Tour.

Live Video of the Day: "Count On Me" (CeCe Winans & Yolanda Adams)

Last year, CBS aired the GRAMMY's Salute to Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You and the clear standout performance of the night was the Yolanda Adams and CeCe Winans duet on CeCe's original duet with the late Ms. Whitney Houston on "Count On Me."

With that said, watch CeCe Winans and Yolanda Adams share the stage while performing a memorable rendition of "Count On Me" below as we give thanks to our family and friends tonight here in the United States during Thanksgiving.

"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.

Cut: "When It's All Over" (Alicia Keys)

Alicia Keys' latest album Girl On Fire was released over a year ago and with Grammy nominations approaching, I feel as though Keys' latest body of work will garner a few nominations when they are announcement.

Therefore, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit one of my favorite joints from Girl On Fire as I am sure a Best R&B Album nomination will of course find its way for Girl On Fire. One of my favorite cuts from Keys' new album has to be her thumping mid-tempo "When It's All Over" which even features her son at the end of the track. Take a listen below to "When It's All Over" and Enjoy!

With his new album Unconditional Love slated for release towards the top of next year in February 2014, I am glad that Ruben will be gracing our ears with his highly anticipated followup to 2012's Letters from Birmingham. Therefore, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit his sublime cover of Aretha Franklin's classic hit "Angel."

Why Ruben hasn't recorded a cover version of this yet is unbeknownst to me, but in my book he definitely should. With that said, Ruben's heartfelt and emotional cover of Aretha's "Angel"is in my opinion one of, if not his best live vocal performance to date. Written by Franklin's 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.

Even though he was sick, Ruben brought the soulful depths that few can these days and you can watch it all go down below as we continue to give thanks on this day.

Kim Burrell paid tribute to Whitney Houston earlier this year when she elected to sing a medley of Houston's last hit single "I Look to You" and "Amazing Grace" during a Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration event at NJPAC in Newark, New Jersey.

Having then almost been a year since laying her sister Whitney to rest, Kim Burrell's touching vocal tribute on "I Look to You" and "Amazing Grace" are truly touching and warrant a view below on this day that we give thanks!

Lifted as the first official single from Vivian Green's sophomore album Vivian, "Gotta Go Gotta Leave (Tired)," peaked at #24 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

The single became Vivian Green's second top 40 hit on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and her second #1 hit on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart; "Emotional Rollercoaster" was her first single to do both in early 2003.

Written by Green and Junius Bervine, "Gotta Go, Gotta Leave (Tired)" still goes in my book and while we give thanks on this day here in the States, take a first or second listen below!

This live audio of Jennifer Holliday never gets old in my book and even though the audio quality is a little off, it's still on point in my book.

With that said, back in 1984 Jennifer Holliday took to the 1984 Oscar telecast to perform a stirring rendition of the Oscar nominated ballad "The Way He Makes Me Feel". Lifted from the soundtrack to the Oscar-nominated film Yentl, Holliday stepped in for Barbra Streisand to perform the powerful rendition of the classic song.

Take a listen after the jump to Jennifer Holliday's take on "The Way He Makes Me Feel" and Enjoy!

Live Video of the Day: "Hear My Call" (Jill Scott)

With Thanksgiving going down tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate to watch Jill Scott's riveting performance of her torch ballad "Hear My Call" from her appearance on BET's Sunday Best from back in 2012.

Offering an even better performance, in my opinion, than her recorded version on, The Light of The Sun, Scott is one of those rare talents in the industry that is always better live than on record. Armed with just her voice, emotions, and a talented accompanist, Jill glides over this powerful opus of truth to craft a touching and haunting performance of "Hear My Call."

Watch her off the charts performance below and Enjoy!

Ruben Studdard is slated to release his "comeback" album Unconditional Love next year under Verve Records and now the set's first single has hit the net in the form of "Mean To Be."

Produced by David Foster, "Meant To Be" is one of two original songs lifted from the forthcoming February 2014 project, which is filmed will an array of covers from the velvet teddy bear.

With that said, take a listen below to Ruben's sublime smooth grown and sexy jam "Meant To Be" and lookout for Unconditional Love when it's released in February.

"Celebration" - Kool & the Gang

Writers: Donna Johnson, Claydes Charles Smith, Earl Eugene Toon Jr., James "J.T." Taylor, Ronald Nathan Bell, George Melvin Brown, Dennis Ronald Thomas, Eumir Deodato, Robert Spike Mickens & Robert Earl Bell, Kool & the Gang
Producers: Kool and the Gang and Eumir Deodato
Record Label: Mercury Records
Released in 1981 from Celebrate!
Peaked at #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Soul Singles chart

Interview: Danity Kane

Rap-Up TV recently caught up with Danity Kane as they get ready to stage their official comeback after more than five years away from the stage.

During their two-part interview, Danity Kane opened up about why they decided to get back together after all these years, the absence of D. Woods, their comeback show at L.A.'s House of Blues, their thoughts on Diddy and what fans can expect from this new musical era of Danity Kane.

With that said, peep the two-part interview below and hopefully new music and a full on tour will be announced sooner rather than later!

I don't know about you, but I can't wait until Toni Braxton releases her duets album Love, Marriage & Divorce with Babyface in February 2014. While it was originally slated for release next month, I am sure they are putting the finishing touches on it and hopefully there is be a solo Toni track or two produced and co-written with Babyface because those two together created some real magic back in the 90s.

With that said, a friend of my Tarica sent me this sublime remix by Sevnth Wonder in the form of "Breathe (SevnthWonder Bootleg)" last night and I've been jamming to it on repeat ever since. Sampling Toni's vocals from "Breathe Again," Sevnth Wonder infuses an upbeat tempo and pitches Toni's vocals in a way that really create a new masterpiece in my book.

Therefore, take a listen below to "Breathe (SevnthWonder Bootleg)" and if you like what you hear, cop the free download while supplies last!

Def Jam recording artist and artist-on-the-rise Jhené Aiko recently caught up with TheBoombo.com's Live Bytes pop-up performance series presented by McDonald's to promote her recently released EP "Sail Out" and she of course performed some joints for the invite-only audience.

Presented at MSR Studios in New York City, Jhené of course perform her single "Bed Peace" from her "Sail Out" EP for the intimate audience that was gathered for the event and you can watch her sublime performance of it below!

Leona Lewis is looking to make a comeback this holiday season with her forthcoming Motown-inspired holiday album Christmas, With Love and while the set is not slated for release until December 3rd, a new joint from the set has found its way onto the net.

Entitled "Mr. Right," Leona's soprano rings clear on this throwback holiday jam that is included among her other originals and some classic holiday favorites including "Winter Wonderland," "White Christmas," and "Silent Night."

With that said, take a listen below to Leona Lewis' thumping holiday number "Mr. Right" below and lookout for her forthcoming album Christmas, With Love when it's released on December 3rd!

Almost a decade ago, Usher and Alicia Keys released their duet "My Boo" as the fourth single from Usher's Confessions (2004). Featured on the re-release of his diamond-selling LP, Jermaine Dupri produced the song and co-wrote it along with Usher, Keys, Adonis Shropshire and Manuel Seal, Jr..

Staying atop the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks, the song ranked as the 24th biggest song of 2004 and for the decade of 2000-2009, it placed 36th among the top 100 songs of the decade. Still a jam and classic in its own right, I can't believe its been almost a decade since this one first hit the airwaves.

With that said, take a second listen below to Usher and Alicia Keys' collaboration "My Boo" and Enjoy!

Live Video of the Day: "Will It Go Round In Circles" (Billy Preston)

Billy Preston is such an underrated musician and artists and after rewatching his Unsung profile recently, I truly realized the depths of his talents.

With that said, take a few minutes to watch Billy performing his classic it "Will It Go Round In Circles"after the jump from a 1971 performance and Enjoy!

"Fabulous" - Jaheim

Writers: Berkeley, Brown, Carstarphen, Gist, McFadden, Muhammad, Whitehead
Producer: KayGee
Record Label: Divine Mill/Warner Bros.
Released in 2002 from Still Ghetto
Peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 & #7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks

Video Preview: "Sex On The Ceiling" (Sevyn Streeter)

Sevyn Streeter iis really the next to blow in my book and as she's been taking over the scene towards the end of 2013, I look forward to the official release of her highly anticipated debut album come 2014.

With that said, Sevyn is back yet again with a video teaser/preview for her joint "Sex On The Ceiling," which is lifted from her forthcoming December 3rd EP "Call Me Crazy, But..." Featuring just a sexy silhouette of the famed singer/songwriter in a pair of heels with the music play, Sevyn has me looking forward to hopefully the official video for this sensual joint.

Therefore, take a listen below to the preview of "Sex On The Ceiling" and enjoy the accompanying sensual visual!

Sevyn Streeter's debut EP "Call Me Crazy, But..." is slated for release on December 3rd and ahead of its release, she has teamed up with VH1 to offer up a free stream of the EP for her ever growing fanbase.

Having written many of your favorite songs throughout the past few years, Sevyn clearly saved some bangers for herself as her set features a lot of potential singles in my book.

While her joint "It Won't Stop" is already burning up the charts, "Sex on the Ceiling," "Call Me Crazy," "Shattered" and "nEXT" in my book are all single worthy and hopefully will receive some chart attention after the release of "Call Me Crazy,But..."

With that said, take a listen below to "Call Me Crazy,But..." and if you're like me, you've already pre-ordered your EP as Sevyn is giving you vocals and a a dope pen all wrapped into one.

After taking home Best New Artist at the 2013 American Music Awards this past Sunday and offering up hands down the best vocal of the night, Ariana Grande is back with her second Christmas tune for the holiday season.

Entitled "Love Is Everything," Ariana of course offers up one a sublime vocal showing on her catchy original holiday jam. With that said, take a listen below to "Love Is Everything" and Enjoy!

Singer/songwriter and a member of Prince's band Andy Allo stopped by Good Day Sacramento a few days ago to promote her sophomore album Superconductor and her forthcoming European tour.

With that said, during her time on Good Day Sacramento, Andy Allo performed a sublime acoustic performance of her cut "Yellow Gold," from her sophomore album Superconductor.

Therefore, watch Andy Allo's performance of "Yellow Gold" below and Enjoy!

British singer/songwriter Sam Smith is the next to blow in my opinion and while his visibility has been raised thanks to features on hit singles from Disclosure ("Latch") and Naughty Boy ("La La La"), he is back with another solo banger this time in the form of "Not In That Way."

Though it is only a demo version, and will only be online for a few days, hopefully the mastered and mixed final version of "Not In That Way" will find its way on the net. With that said, take a listen below to "Not In That Way" and Enjoy!

While her debut album Something Different has been delayed until 2014, Bridget Kelly is not going to let 2013 end without releasing some new music. letting the year go by without releasing new music.

With that said, Bridget Kelly is slated to release a free EP Cut to…Bridget Kelly next month with streaming going live on Spotify on December 10 with a free download following a week later on her official site BridgetKelly.com.

Her six song EP Cut to...Bridget Kelly will include her bumping single "Special Delivery" plus collaborations with Jerry Wonda ("Goosebumps"), Sam Dew and Elijah Blake. Therefore, peep the EP's cover above and the official tracklisting for the set below!

Live Video of the Day: "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (Mary J. Blige ft. Jessie J)

This weekend, Mary J. Blige appeared on The X Factor UK to promote her recently released holiday album A Mary Christmas and during her time on the show, she performed a holiday classic lifted from the set.

Featuring Jessie J on her duet of the iconic "Do You Hear What I Hear?," the vocal powerhouse duo offer up a riveting performance of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" just in time as we move into Thanksgiving and into the Christmas holiday season.

Therefore, watch Mary J. Blige's and Jessie J's performance of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" below and Enjoy!

"For All We Know" - Donny Hathaway

Writers: Fred Karlin, Jimmy Griffin & Robb Royer
Producer: Joel Dorn
Record Label: Atlantic
Featured on 1972's Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway

Second Listen: "Little Things" (India.Arie)

Back in 2002, India.Arie released the lead single "Little Things" from her second studio album Voyage to India. Peaking at 389 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Little Things" earned India her first Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.

While she just recently released her fifth studio album SongVersation, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit "Little Things" below.

Just in time for the holiday season, Beyoncé has released her HBO documentary Life Is But A Dream on DVD and luckily for fans she has included a bonus DVD entitled Live In Atlantic City which features her entire "comeback" performance in Atlantic City after she gave birth to Blue Ivy.

With that said, to build buzz for the DVD's release, Beyoncé has released her riveting performance of "Schoolin' Life" which was a bonus track on the deluxe edition of Beyoncé fourth album 4. Therefore, watch her powerhouse performance of "Schoolin' Life" below and if you're like me, this will make a perfect stocking stuffer for the holidays!

Kem has rereleased his holiday album What Christmas Means with a deluxe edition featuring four bonus tracks that include collaborations with the legendary Patti LaBelle and Ronald Isley on "Jesus." With that said, to build buzz for the rerelease, Kem has released an official video for "Glorify The King."

Therefore, watch Kem's spirited official visual for "Glorify The King" below and lookout for What Christmas Means Tour when Kem kicks it off this December in a city near you!

After taking a hiatus from the music business, Bobby Womack is made his return with his XL Recordings' album The Bravest Man in The Universe.

With that said, a Funk version of his lead single "Please Forgive My Heart" has hit the net and fans of the crooner can take a listen after the jump to "Please Forgive My Heart (Funk Version)."

Back in 2002, Tweet released her debut album Southern Hummingbird via The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records. While Southern Hummingbird is best known for Tweets' joints "Oops (Oh My)" and "Call Me,"there are a few cuts off the album that are some solid joints to have in one's collection.

With that said, I offer up her smooth joint "Beautiful" as one of these such joints. Take a listen below to "Beautiful" and Enjoy!

One of the best covers of all time in my opinion has to be Al Green's take on the Bee Gees' "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart." Filled with so much soul and emotion Al Green takes this classic song to another level and create a soulful opus that everyone should have in their record collections.

With that said, hopefully this is a second listen and a revisit for you as Al's take of "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" is really simply the best. Therefore, take a listen below and Enjoy!

Song of the Day: "Truly" (Lionel Richie)

"Truly" - Lionel Richie

Writer: Lionel Richie
Producers: Lionel Richie & James Anthony Carmichael
Record Label: Motown
Released in 1982 from Lionel Richie
Peaked at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Black Singles Chart

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Friday, November 29, 2013

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Monday, November 25, 2013

Sunday, November 24, 2013