Category Archives: Music News

You Should Be Here: Stevie Wonder Is Taking Songs In The Key of Life Show on Tour!

11 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by in Feeding The Music Jones, Music Events

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*taps mic*

Is this thing on?

My last drive-by post was about Stevie Wonder. So why not keep the party going. After all, this is a blog named for one of the most classic albums ever created!

Last December, I flew to LA for Stevie’s annual House of Toys concert, where he performed Songs in the Key of Life in its entirety for the first time ever. Nothing but death would keep me from it.

I intended to blog about it and all that good stuff. But I did the next best thing. I Instagramed the hell out of it.

I donned my finest, most-treasured jewels

and headed over to Nokia Live Theatre for one of the most special musical experiences of my entire life. It was an honor to be there and not one moment went by the entire show that I didn’t feel blessed beyond measure. 

I won’t review the show almost a year later. You can read about it here.

From the beginning, I knew Stevie would take this show on the road. So today’s announcement came as no surprise. Music lovers in 11 cities across the country will get to experience what we all did that December night—three hours of complete musical bliss. Yours truly intends to be in the house again. This will make three times that i’ve seen Stevie live. It still doesn’t seem like it’s enough.

Check out the lineup. This one is worth traveling for if it’s not coming to your local music arena. I’m considering going in DC and Philly.

November 6 – New York, NY at Madison Square Garden (On Sale: September 22, 10am EST)
November 9 – Washington, DC at Verizon Center (On Sale: September 29, 10am EST)
November 11 – Boston, MA at TD Garden (On Sale September 22, 10am EST)
November 14 – Chicago, IL at United Center (On Sale September 22, 10am EST)
November 16 – Philadelphia, PA at Wells Fargo Center (On Sale September 22, 10am EST)
November 20 – Auburn Hills, MI at The Palace of Auburn Hills (On Sale September 22, 10am EST)
November 22 – Atlanta, GA at Philips Arena (On Sale September 22, 10am EST)
November 25 – Toronto, ON at Air Canada Centre (On Sale September 22, 10am EST)
November 29 – Las Vegas, NV at MGM Grand Garden Arena (On Sale September 29, 10am PDT)
December 3 – Seattle, WA at Key Arena (On Sale September 22, 10am PDT)
December 5 – Oakland, CA at Oracle Arena (On Sale September 29, 10am PDT)

Purchase tickets to the shows here.

There are pre-sales for those that must be front and center. Tickets go on sale for Citicard holders on September 16th through Citi Private Pass. There’s also a Facebook Fan pre-sale sponsored by LiveNation. The code is KEY.

Do YOU plan to be front and center at this show?

Here’s a sneak peak of what I hope goes down in your city: 

Check out India Arie, who joined Stevie on a couple songs, getting down with the get down!

We came to partay!

 

 

Stevie Wonder Reacts To Verdict In The Trayvon Martin Case

15 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by in Music Legends, Music News

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Another reason why Stevie is the 8th Wonder of the World.

He’s putting his money where his mouth is and pledging never to perform in Florida or any other state where Stand Your Ground laws exist. Activism is nothing new for Stevie though.

Bow down.

Music Events: Jilly From Philly In Convo With National Museum of African Art

12 Friday Jul 2013

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scottweb_sitkolWhen this event popped up on my timeline, any other plans I may have had for that day mysteriously auto-deleted from my calendar. Certain artists have the power to make that happen. Jill Scott is one of them.

On Friday, August 9, Jill will be in conversation with Johnnetta Cole as part of the National Museum of African Art Director’s Discussion Series.  We always love to hear Jill sanging and you can do that here and here. However, Jill is also a multi-talented actor, author, poet and philanthropist. In the midst of the beautiful, culturally rich space like the Museum of The American Indian, I expect it to be great discussion.

Tickets are on sale to the general public now here. Get them while they’re hot! I fully expect this to sell out.

This is the latest in the series of discussions that have previously featured icons such as Maya Angelou and other artists and musicians.

Conceptualizing and planning events like this would be my dream job. #WriteItMakeItHappen

Music News: Get Ready for Black Radio Part Deux

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by in Feeding The Music Jones, Music News, Upcoming Album Releases

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Two months before the release of Robert Glasper’s Grammy award-winning album, Black Radio, I saw the track listing and declared it a winner.

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Before I proceed, if you don’t have this album or have never heard of Robert Glasper (actually put someone on the other day who hadn’t), please get familiar post-haste.  He is one of the premier artists redefining jazz right now. Black Radio is simply a phenomenal album blending jazz, hip-hop and R&B fluidly. On vocals, you have some of the best voices of our time: Lalah Hathaway, Meshell Ndegeocello, Erykah Badu, Ledisi, Bilal, and Stokely (of Mint Condition).

If you didn’t think it could get any better than that, Eric Roberson shared this today on Facebook:

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This is the possible collaboration list for part two of the album, Black Radio II. This go round, in addition to frequent collaborator Bilal, looks like we may hear the likes of Faith, Jill Scott, Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Dwele,  Common, Eric Roberson, and Anthony Hamilton over the smooth sounds of Robert and the band. I was a bit surprised to see “R Kelz” on the list but regardless of how some may still feel about him, it’s sure to be a dope track.

If you’re not hype yet, these tweets might just do it for you:

 

 

 

I am already stoked about this project and have already declared it worthy of another Grammy nod before even hearing the first note. As soon as I get more info on a release date, I’ll likely tweet it first so connect with me there!

Have You Copped Bilal’s New Album ‘A Love Surreal’?

07 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by in Feeding The Music Jones, In Heavy Rotation, Music News, New Flava In My Ear

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Watch: Bilal’s Musicians at Google interview and acoustic performance 

A few short months ago, I was gearing up for Bilal’s album release and it’s here!  During my blogging hiatus, he blessed us his third studio album, A Love Surreal, which immediately soared to the top of the  top of the Itunes R&B/Soul album charts. Three cheers for folks supporting real music.

I have been super impressed with the wide variety of promotion the album has received so far, which can likely be attributed to a change in record labels. His team is working it! As an online professional who would kill to be on Bilal’s online marketing team, I was also extremely excited to see that his official website is finally complete and his social presence is expanding. [Get all the links on his blog.] It’s been a long time coming!

The latest promotional effort for the album, Musicians at Google, was released today. He joins artists like Raphael Saadiq, Eric Roberson,  and Lady GaGa in being featured on this series. Very good company. Filmed a month before A Love Surreal was released, the showcase began with an interview, one that had its moments. However, where he really came alive was during the intimate acoustic performances of “Back to Love,” “Longing and Waiting” and “Never Be The Same” from A Love Surreal and “All Matter” from Airtight’s Revenge.  It’s definitely worth taking a look at, even if your ADD causes you to have to just skip ahead to the performances.

As for my thoughts on A Love Surreal: I listened to it three times before it was officially released thanks to the First Listen series on NPR. I didn’t fall in love with the entire album from the time I pressed play. Although I have stanned for Bilal since before the term existed, I can admit that. There were certain songs like “Slipping Away,” “Never Be The Same,” “Longing and Waiting,” and “Butterfly” that drew me in right away. Others it will take more time. Seeing them come alive on stage in a couple of weeks will surely have me listening to the album with new ears. Watching some of the performances that have popped up on YouTube have already done just that.

One thing that immediately struck me about the album is the live instrumentation. It’s simply breathtaking. Unfortunately, it’s a rarity to hear real instruments on albums today. You will find them here. I appreciated hearing about the process of making this album on the two-part (very well done) video series, Welcome To A Love Surreal [Watch Part 1 and Part 2]. Bilal breaks down everything from where he goes to write, what inspires his creative process, the evolution and maturation of his writing, and working with King and Robert Glasper, the only two guests on the album. He also shares how he likes to record by the beach because it calms him. Me too! Twinsies!

Listening to Bilal talking about the road to the making of this album, which was originally supposed to be just a five song EP, enhanced my appreciation for his growth as an artist. Although the long lost Love for Sale remains my favorite, I am more than willing to let him move on. Bilal is at the top of his game and is hands down one of the most gifted vocalists making music today. I may not like every song he releases but as long as he stays true to his art and takes care of that voice, he will have my eternal support!

Be sure to cop the album. Spread the word to your music loving folks to buy it and to support him on tour when he comes to your city.