Well tomorrow is the day – it will be available in stores and on Itunes for your listening pleasure.
Impatient like me? Want to try before you buy? Well the entire album is currently streaming on her Myspace page. I took a quick listen and the tracks that grabbed me immediately are “Yellow,” “Ghetto,” and “River Rise.” I’m looking forward to really spending time with this album and may review it. On first listen, I think if you liked her last album, you’ll have this one in constant rotation as well.
In case you’ve missed the video for the first single, “Chocolate High,” you can view it here.
You also still have several hours to enter the contest to win a free copy of the album with a side of India.Arie chocolate. Head on over to Soul Bounce and enter now!
Once you’ve listened, come back and let me know what you think!
First news of the live DVD, a 2009 release and now a live performance on Ellen this past Friday. I was excited to be home to catch the face-to-face and the final song.
I tell you, Stevie Wonder has to be on every television personality’s list of favorite people to interview. Aside from his storied musical career, his personality is an interviewer’s dream. He’s the quintessential Taurus 🙂 We’re talented, a tad raunchy, but always fun!
Stevie talked about the possibility of being on Dancing With The Stars, which would certainly be groundbreaking in many ways. I hope they find a way to make it happen.
He performed “I Wish” and “All About The Love Again,” from the Hidden Beach CD.
Tune into the Grammys tonight to see if Raphael Saadiq and Stevie win for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group for “Never Give You Up,” a track from The Way I See It. The competition is stiff. “Stay With Me (By The Sea) was one of my top songs of 2008. However, any track that Stevie blesses is a winner.
His live DVD should already be on your Amazon wish list ready to order on March 10th, followed up by an album later this year.
Great theme this week. Music by New Edition, collectively or solo as well as any groups they were apart of or produced. So many choices with this one. I went from LSG to just Johnny Gill. I thought about getting my Mr. Sensitivity on with Ralph. Maybe a little Poisionnnnnnnnn so I could feature my favorite New Edition member who I crushed on BIG time, Ronnie.
In the end, although he will be a popular choice, I decided to go with Bobby. He is celebrating his 40th birthday this week, and has yet another crumbsnatcher on the way that he’ll be hard pressed to be able to afford Similac for. So let’s show him some love. And some prayer. He needs both. Let’s remember the good ole days before well, you know.
Three of my favorite solo tracks from Bob-bay!
Now this is definitely a week where you want to visit other OSF members and see what they pulled out of the vault.
This is cross-posted over on my Urban Thought Collective column. Thought I would share it here too, particularly for links to the podcasts at the bottom.
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Are you ready for the Grammy Awards this coming Sunday? Are some of your favorite artists and songs nominated?
We are particularly excited here in DC as there are a couple of underrated local artists among the nominees and I’m shining the spotlight on them this week.
Wayna is an Ethiopian-born singer/songwriter artist who released her first album, Moments of Clarity, in 2004. She has opened for artists like Common, Fantasia, Amerie, Bobby Valentino, Jaguar Wright, Kindred, and Chuck Brown. Wayna honed her sweet soulful sound by studying the music of the greats like Billie Holiday, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway and Minnie Riperton. It was a cover of Riperton’s “Lovin You” on her sophomore release, Higher Ground, which has garnered a Grammy Nomination for Best Alternative/Urban Performance.
Check out Wayna’s performance of “Lovin You” at a show here in DC last year.
Another of my favorite songs from Higher Ground is “Close 2 U” Check out the performance at the same show.
On the album version of “Lovin You,” Wayna is joined by fellow DC hip hop artist, Kokayi who also produced the track. Kokayi has been grinding in the business professionally since 1994 and has performed with and produced for numerous artists. He has also toured extensively around the globe, as far away as the Middle East. He is truly a multi-talented emcee who plays piano and drums, freestyles, sings, writes poetry, and creates visual art.
Although I have lived in the DC area for eleven years, I only had the opportunity to see him perform live for the first time last year when he opened for KRS-One. Koyaki is one of the true emcees that make me remember the days I used to love h.e.r.
Check out Kokayi performing a couple of tracks from his lastest album, Mass Instructions.
The Lick
DCB (DC Baby)
I’m sure most of you are familiar with the third artist from DC who is nominated in the Best R&B Song category for “Customer” off of his sophomore album, Love Behind the Melody. Raheem Devaughn has some stiff competition from artists like Jazmine Sullivan, Neyo, Keyshia Cole, and Jennifer Hudson. We’re pulling hard for our native son.
This doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of the talent we are fortunate to have right here in DC. I’ll be spotlighting more of these artists here in future columns. Meantime, please support current and future projects by Wayna, Kokayi and Raheem Devaughn. If they should come to your area, be sure to see them live.
I also have to mention that there are many other underrated male and female artists nominated in various categories. I have been checking hard for Janelle Monae, Maiysha, Anthony David, and Sam Sparro and I’m glad to see they got some recognition. View the complete list of nominations here and watch for those categories on Sunday. Whether they win or not, you will certainly be hearing more about them here.
I appreciate the support you’ve shown the music thus far so I wanted to share a treat. Some of my favorite podcasters were asked to put together mixes featuring Grammy nominated artists in various genres. Visit each of their sites and download the free mixes. While you’re there, check out some of their previous mixes which you can also download for free. It’s one of the primary ways I discover new artists.
Yesterday, me and thousands of other Twitzens witnessed what the good folks over at Soul Bounce cleverly termed the analog girl giving birth to digital baby. Erykah Badu and Jay Electronica welcomed their daughter into the world at 1:30pm and live tweeted the entire experience. Erykah announced early yesterday morning that she was in labor and Jay took over from there, keeping us abreast of her dilation, contractions, and all the other pleasantries that come along with bringing crumbsnatchers into the world. As you probably would have guessed, she gave birth at home with a midwife. Jay said it was the best day of his life. Made me misty.
I’m anxiously awaiting a name which I hope they will also share with us first. Erykah joked after the birth that they had chosen Twitty Milk. Well, we think it was a joke.
I felt as if I was there. You would have been too if you were on Twitter. I’m sayin.
I was estactic to hear last week that Maxwell would be headlining the Essence Music Festival in July. I better have an album in my hand by then!
When I got a gander at the rest of the lineup, I promptly began making arrangements to be there. When everything is finalized, I’ll be SCREAMING it from the rooftops.
Why?
I’ll be seeing Al Green, Anita Baker, John Legend, Brand New Heavies (!!!), Robin Thicke, En Vogue, Teena Marie, Eric Benet, Janelle Monae, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Zap Mama, Lalah Hathaway, oh and Beyonce and Solange.
Finally, in case you didn’t watch the Super Bowl preliminaries yesterday, I just had to share Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of the Start Spangled Banner. In case you’ve been living under a rock, this is her first performance since the tragedy that struck her family which would have taken most people out (including me). She looking absolutely beautiful and the strength of her voice and spirit literally sent chills up and down my spine and brought tears to my eyes. Honestly, I can’t think of a better performance since Whitney Houston in Super Bowl XXV back in 1991.
Bless America and Jennifer. Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Especially you, Mike Tomlin.
Yesterday, me and thousands of other Twitzens witnessed what the good folks over at Soul Bounce cleverly termed the 
SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE 