Tag Archives: leigh jones

2008 Albums Of The Year You’ve Probably Never Heard

17 Wednesday Dec 2008

Posted by in Album Reviews, Best Of Lists

≈ 14 Comments

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So we’ve covered my favorite songs of the year that you’ve probably never heard. More great suggestions showed up in the comments. Keep them coming. It should go without saying that I highly recommend each of the albums from which those songs came.

The following list of albums were in constant rotation as well. However, I absolutely could not pick a favorite song from any of them. Every song had me grooving harder than the last. Each song had me feeling harder than the one before.

Green Tea is a local DC artist I’ve been following for a few years now.Her second release, Dosage II: Choices has completely blown me away. She is one to watch.

If you need to be convinced to check out Maiysha’s debut album, you may be swayed by the fact that she was nominated for a Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Again for her debut album.

I’m going to stop calling myself a true soulful house fan because I was late getting Reel People’s latest release. But once I pressed play, I couldn’t stop. Expect this album to show up again.

Major props to the good folks over at Blak’s Lair for putting me on to The Rurals. My latest musical addiction, Marie Tweek (whose sound will surprise you), sang with this group. Once I heard that, I knew this album would be on constant repeat. Tweek would have been all over my lists as well if she had another solo album out this year. Check for her as well.

You already know how I feel about Tamara Wellons and Leigh Jones.

I have had Giovanca’s album in my collection for a while but after Fave (remember that podcaster I said you should be listening to? Get on that because he’s backkkk in a HUGE way) mentioned her on Twitter, I moved her to the top of the list – where she belonged.

I’m really excited about what’s ahead for Yazarah. Her appearance on the album you know is going to be all up and through my other top 10 lists (that would be Leave It All Behind for those of you a little late to the party)definitely has people checking for her again. This EP is called Prelude. If this is just the introduction, ya’ll ain’t ready for what’s up next.

greentea_maiysha

Green Tea, Dosage II: Choices
Listen | Myspace

Grammy nominated artist Maiysha, This Much Is True
Listen| Official | Follow her on Twitter

reelpeople_rurals

Reel People, Seven Ways To Wonder
Listen| Official

The Rurals, Farming Grooves
Listen | Myspace

tamara_leigh

Tamara Wellons, Life Is
Listen| Official

Leigh Jones, Music In My Soul
Listen | Official

giovanca_yazarah

Giovanca, Subway Silence
Official | Myspace

Yazarah, Prelude(EP)
Myspace

Honorable Mention:

Grammy nominated artist Wayna, Higher Ground

Joey Negro and the Sunburst Band, Moving With The Shakers

Eric Rico, Higher Frequency

Feel free to share the criminally underrated albums that are in heavy rotation for you this year in the comments.

Underrated Female Soul Singer Spotlight: Leigh Jones and Tawiah

07 Tuesday Oct 2008

Posted by in Underrated Artist Spotlights

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My Ipod is literally about to explode with all the good music I’ve been listening to lately and I’m going to do my best to share as much as I can here.

I chose these two artists because I don’t believe in coincidences. Riding back into town on Sunday evening, I heard a song on the radio that had me grooving and wondering “Who is that?!” When the announcer said it was Leigh Jones, I made a mental note to check her out since I hadn’t heard of her before.

Today, while cleaning out my e-mail box, I found a note a friend sent a few days ago advising me to check out  Leigh’s music and pointing me to her Myspace page. You don’t have to tell me twice!

Meanwhile, as I was checking out one of the music sites I frequent, they were talking about Tawiah, a female UK singer. I already found out that she was Bounceworthy earlier this year and since then, her EP has been on my radar. After the reminder, I made a mental note to push it to the top of the list. Wouldn’t you know one of my favorite readers from the UK must have been getting his Dionne Warwick on because the EP just happened to show up in my box the other day.

Vivrant doesn’t believe in coincidences so obviously I need to bring this music to somebody out there.

Many would call Leigh Jones’ music “blue-eyed soul. ” That’s what they call it on her official website. Blue-eyed, brown-eyed or purple-eyed, this is plain good music. She was “mentored” by Berry Gordy and Stax records exec Al Bell and her album, Music In My Soul, dropped on September 9th.

Great mix of jazz , soul and a little funk thrown in make for an album with absolutely no skips. She has an edge that I like and many of her lyrics are sassy and in your face. She even dared to touch one of my top fifty songs, Debarge’s “All The Love” and I was still grooving.

Check out  a few of my favorite tracks from Music In My Soul. You can check out the entire album on her Myspace page.

“Music”

“Sick Of Fools”

“Cold In L.A”.

You already know I got love for UK Soul. You should remember Tawiah from that list. Now that I’ve finally got my hands on her EP, In Jodi’s Bedroom, I am checking for her even harder. I first heard her on Eric Lau’s New Territories and loved her soulful sound over his dope beats.

In Jodi’s Bedroom is six tracks of pure hotness. Check out a couple of songs from the EP as well as a song from Eric Lau’s album. Visit her Myspace page to cop your own.

“Broken Heart”

“Boy From Da Endz”

“I Don’t Do It To It” from Eric Lau’s, New Territories

Let me know what you think of these artists in the comments. I will be rocking these ladies all week in honor of the female songstresses and femcees coming to town for Can A Sistah Rock A Mic? which kicks off tomorrow. If you will be coming out, please hit me up!