Articles tagged "r&b"

News

Rhythm &Blues Foundation needs help , so it can help others

by Kia Gregory [The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)]

[30.Oct.09] :. Three years ago, rhythm and blues singer Sugar Pie DeSanto, best known for the '60s hit "I Want to Know," lost everything.

PopWire

Sound Affects

Jodeci Videos Are Insane: “Forever My Lady” Vs. “Feenin’”

by Mike Deane

[9.Mar.09] :. The '90s R&B video went to some weird places and Jodeci embody both the weirdness, both on the sensitive and the thug sides.

Sound Affects

Calling Out Around the World: Motown Turns 50 Feature

Needles in the Haystack

by PopMatters Staff

[30.Jan.09] :. To supplement our list of favorite 25 singles, we offer a quick look at a handful of under-appreciated gems in the Motown catalog.

Calling Out Around the World: Motown Turns 50

Calling Out Around the World: Motown Turns 50 Feature

What It Was Like

by Diane Leach

[30.Jan.09] :. In the early '80s Detroit, Motown was as unquestionable as air. Who didn't like air?

Calling Out Around the World: Motown Turns 50

Calling Out Around the World: Motown Turns 50 Feature

Yesterday’s Dreams: Motown in the 1980s

by David Camak Pratt

[29.Jan.09] :. The music of Motown's third decade does not quite deserve the close attention that the label's first two decades warrant, but even a cursory look at the label in these years reveals that things weren't all bad.

Calling Out Around the World: Motown Turns 50

Calling Out Around the World: Motown Turns 50 Feature

What’s Going On: Marvin Gaye’s Liberation from the Motown Sound

by Charles Moss

[29.Jan.09] :. When Obie Benson of the Four Tops brought him a song he had co-written with Al Cleveland, Marvin Gaye found something that had reflected the way he had been feeling ever since Tammi Terrell's death -- anger, sadness, and disillusionment about his friend's death and the chaotic world around him.

Calling Out Around the World: Motown Turns 50

These Are the Breaks: The Motown Sound’s Influence on Hip-Hop Sampling

by John Bohannon

[28.Jan.09] :. For any influential group in the hip-hop game, specifically in the early 1990s, Motown's stamp of approval and its variety of subsidiaries were undeniably influential.

Twirling the Dial: My Motown Memories

by Bill Gibron

[28.Jan.09] :. For those of us in tune with the sounds of the genre-redefining decade, a transistor radio was the seminal social sidekick. We loved listening to that little mono wonder, its tiny shrill speaker sparking a hundred journeys directly into the center of our mind.

Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead

by Dave Heaton

[27.Jan.09] :. If "I've Gotta Dance to Keep from Crying" could work as a slogan for Motown, the song itself works as both a dance song and a tearjerker.

Manufacturing Motown

by Vince Carducci

[27.Jan.09] :. Like the nameplates on the auto industry's productive output, Motown's headline acts were brand identities under which cultural commodities were sold.

Dancing in the Street: Our 25 Favorite Motown Singles

by PopMatters Staff

[26.Jan.09] :. From the Four Tops and the Temptations to the Marvelettes and the Velvelettes, we narrow down our favorite singles from the "Sound of Young America" era to 25 indisputable picks.

Patti LaBelle and her soul sisters are making beautiful music once again

by Dan DeLuca [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

[7.Nov.08] :. NEW YORK - Before there was Labelle - the ‘70s glam/R&B trio of Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash, who have just reunited with “Back to Now,” their first album in 32...

Stacked with soul: Soulmen were spreading the word about Memphis

by Len Righi [The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) (MCT)]

[26.Aug.08] :. In the 1960s, three record labels were most responsible for soul music not only undermining and finally eradicating the racial barriers entrenched at AM radio but turning it into the sound of young...

R&B and its offshoots deliver a message that crosses racial boundaries

by Brian McCollum [Detroit Free Press (MCT)]

[3.Jul.08] :. It fused the heart of the blues, the energy of jazz and the transcendence of gospel music to become one of the most formidable musical forces in American history. For legions of musicians and their...

The Queen and Her Crayons: An Interview With Donna Summer

by Christian John Wikane

[20.May.08] :. Donna Summer colors outside the lines on Crayons, drawing the arch of an iridescent rainbow. Guess what her favorite color is.

Standing Under Stars: An Interview with Rahsaan Patterson

by Christian John Wikane

[16.Nov.07] :. The innovative soul stylist tested the concept of God and what did he find? Patterson talks to PopMatters.

The Temptations are turning back the hands of time

by Leonard Pitts Jr. [McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)]

[25.Oct.07] :. Singer Richard Street was once asked if the fact that the Temptations’ lineup was about as stable as the San Andreas fault was detrimental to fan loyalty. How can you love a group when you need...

Soulful rejects from Aretha Franklin’s storied vault

by Terry Lawson [Detroit Free Press (MCT)]

[15.Oct.07] :. With a couple of exceptions, Aretha Franklin - or as a poet once deftly described her, “aretha/crystal jukebox queen of hymn and him” - is like many of the other great pop, soul and jazz...

Joss Stone may be better known than her music

by Jon Bream [Star Tribune (Minneapolis)]

[25.Sep.07] :. You’ve seen her sing at the Super Bowl with Stevie Wonder and on the Grammys with Melissa Etheridge and Sly Stone. You’ve seen her in Gap commercials and on Leno and Letterman and at the...

Journey to the Core of Chaka Khan: The Interview

by Christian John Wikane

[10.Sep.07] :. On the eve of Funk This, Chaka Khan raps with PopMatters on Joni, Jimi, and her "super life" journey.

Ciara Q&A: ‘Screamfest’ singer performs only what she believes in

by Timothy Finn [McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)]

[23.Aug.07] :. In less than four years, 21-year-old Ciara Princess Harris has become such a successful multimedia star (TV, film, music), she is known strictly by her first name. The platinum-selling...

Margie Joseph Reclaims Her Soul: The Interview

by Christian John Wikane

[20.Aug.07] :. Atlantic Records matched one of the most soulful female vocalists of the '70s with one of the all-time greatest producers. Three decades later, why is Margie Joseph not singing all the way to the bank?

Soul legend Al Green lets his voice be heard on a variety of topics

by Len Righi [The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) (MCT)]

[7.Aug.07] :. Al Green’s voice is hoarse. Not just a little rough, mind you, but harsh, grating, rasping. Can this man struggling to speak into the phone in his Auburn, Mich., Holiday Inn room really be the...

Fabled soul-music label gets 50th anniversary relaunch

by Chris Riemenschneider [Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT)]

[30.Jul.07] :. By the time Otis Redding gets to the first “you-oooo” in “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now),” you know it’s there. You can feel it anytime those first...

Musicians come together to honor Pinkney

by Otis R. Taylor Jr. [McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)]

[10.Jul.07] :. SUMTER, S.C. - Ali Ollie Woodson, a former lead singer of the Temptations, brought the crowd to its feet Monday afternoon at the Sumter Exhibition Center. It would have made Willie...

Bill Pinkney of the Drifters (1925-2007)

by Erin Ailworth [The Orlando Sentinel (MCT)]

[5.Jul.07] :. Bill Pinkney, the only surviving member of the beach music group The Drifters, died Wednesday in a Daytona Beach hotel room. Pinkney, 81, was in Daytona to perform at the city’s Fourth of July...

R. Kelly: Double Up

by Gentry Boeckel

[8.Jun.07] :. Self-proclaimed King of R&B returns with another audacious, entertaining tour de sex.

Teddy Pendergrass is celebrating quality of life for all

by Dan DeLuca [The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)]

[7.Jun.07] :. PHILADELPHIA—Teddy Pendergrass is sitting in the Sound of Philadelphia souvenir shop, surrounded by his illustrious past. Gold records hang on walls papered with album covers from his glory...

Ne-Yo discovers the price of fame

by Malcolm Venable [The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) (MCT)]

[4.Jun.07] :. Eight years ago, Shaffer Smith was just some guy from Las Vegas, albeit one quietly plotting a musical revolution. In 1999, still in his teens, he’d written material for a now-forgotten boy...

P.M. Mixtape, Vol. Two: Love and Trouble

by Quentin B. Huff

[9.May.07] :. Since relationships are tough, we need all the help we can get. Sometimes the best advice comes from listening to the right song.

Stax Records turns 50, looks to a soulful future

by Nick Cristiano [The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)]

[2.May.07] :. In the 1997 book Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records, author Rob Bowman called the storied Memphis soul label a “grand accident.” Now the “accident” that gave...

Deniece Williams returns in fine form to cover some classics

by Mario Tarradell [The Dallas Morning News (MCT)]

[26.Apr.07] :. When Deniece Williams decided to return to R&B, she took a trip back in time. “Love, Niecy Style,” in stores this week, is her first soul record since 1996’s “Love Solves...

Anthony Hamilton: Southern Comfort

by Damon Percy

[26.Apr.07] :. Neo-soul singer Anthony Hamilton possesses one of the best voices to emerge in the music industry over the last several years.

Mum’s pretty much the word for Aretha Franklin

by Thor Christensen [The Dallas Morning News (MCT)]

[25.Apr.07] :. Aretha Franklin plans to tell her life story twice—first in a stage musical due out next year, followed by a film version. But neither is likely to give the full picture. When it comes to her...

Sounding the Call for Equality: An Interview with Mavis Staples

by Greg Kot [Chicago Tribune (MCT)]

[25.Apr.07] :. Staples: "What has really changed? I'm 67 years old, and I was here the first time around and it's still not fixed. We can't let Dr. King shed his blood and die for us trying to get justice and live in a world like this."

30 years ago, Sly Stone’s music led the national dialogue on race

by Terry Lawson [Detroit Free Press (MCT)]

[17.Apr.07] :. In 1969, I was summoned to the office of the jewelry store attached to the record store that I managed. The idea was you would come into the record store for a $5 LP and be enticed next door for a...

Macy Gray: Big

by Mike Joseph

[13.Apr.07] :. It’s hard to imagine that Macy’s lost her mojo already, but after two straight mediocre albums, it definitely appears there’s a spark missing.

A Long Way from Wonderland

by Christian John Wikane

[11.Apr.07] :. In 1980, Donna Summer walked away from disco's strobe-lit boogie wonderland on The Wanderer. Critics embraced her bold statement; audiences less so. Where exactly was Summer going?

Various Artists: The Birmingham Sound: The Soul of Neal Hemphill Vol. 1

by Zeth Lundy

[6.Apr.07] :. Like other recent reissues of rare R&B and soul music, this is a glimpse into a recess of region-specific American music that has gone largely unheard for three or four decades.

Johnnie Taylor: Live at the Summit Club

by Zeth Lundy

[30.Mar.07] :. Gritty 1972 club set by the 'Philosopher of Soul' is released for the first time on the reactivated Stax label.

In Memoriam: James Brown

by Matt Rogers

[23.Mar.07] :. It’s a mistake to compare James Brown (or anyone else, for that matter) as a showman at 70 to what he was like at 40, 30, and 25. But, until the last, Soul Brother #1 still brought the funk.

Soul Power

by William Glasspiegel

[3.Jan.07] :. Though James Brown's body was lying in state at the Apollo Theater, on the streets of Harlem, his spirit seemed to be everywhere.

The Last Soul Brother: James Brown (1933-2006)

by Mark Anthony Neal

[2.Jan.07] :. The humanity of the man -- with its funky and messy flaws and frailties -- could never sustain the myth, so much so that the image of the man who gave Black Power its soundtrack became a harsh reminder of its fractured legacy.

Gerald LeVert: Stroke of Genius

by Mark Anthony Neal

[5.Dec.03] :. LeVert has simply put in the work, rarely taking creative or stylistic risks, and easily becoming, if not the greatest, at least the most consistent male R&B artist of his generation.

Macy Gray: The Trouble With Being Myself

by Cynthia Fuchs

[1.Aug.03] :. The wonders of Macy Gray are multifarious. By turns ferocious and vulnerable, seductive and schemey, she appears an artist with range and ambition, not to mention a complex emotional history that informs everything she does.

Gerald Levert: Gerald’s World

by Mark Anthony Neal

[17.Sep.01] :. Gerald Levert is arguably the most consistent R&B vocalist of this generation.

Macy Gray: The Id

by Mark Anthony Neal

[17.Sep.01] :. What Gray possesses is a distinct voice and even more distinct personality that has given her the kind of visibility that she could have never imagined-the gawky brown girl with the squeaky voice has perhaps “queered” our perceptions of “The Diva”.

Gerald Levert: G

by Mark Anthony Neal

[7.Mar.00] :. Gerald Levert is never gonna take the risks that say a D'Angelo or a Maxwell have and his music is never going to be mistaken for that of The O'Jay's and Gamble and Huff.

Gerald Levert: G

by Colin Ross

Gerald Levert returns with his second offering since a brief liaison with the R&B supergroup LSG (Johnny Gill & Keith Sweat).