Posts

Kawan Debose is “Exposed” Mixtape

/in , , , , , , , /by

Kawan Debose has released his new mixtape “Exposed”.  This is his first project after his album “Vintage Soul”, which was released in 2009.  Kawan is in a special class that wears three hats, as writer, producer, and thankfully singer.  On this mixtape, there is a great collection of songs, that will show you his talents of all three.

There are a few songs that standout to me.  First would be his version of Adore You, by Prince.  Not many people can pull off a Prince song, but Kawan does it well. Second would be “Rolling In the Deep”, which has been a song made popular by Adele on her album “21”.  he is able to added a additional depth and emotion to it that, wasn’t present before.  Most importantly, the song “Crazy”, which is from “Vintage Soul”. It really shows his range.

Now all these great songs are packaged nicely, and available to you for FREE.  So, you have no reason not to pick this up and enjoy what Kawan Debose has to offer you. You will be surprised and pleased.

 

 

Electrifying Soul: Muhsinah

/3 Comments/in , , , /by

Michael Jackson's mentor, Quincy Jones

In the early 1950’s Quincy Jones made a bold move and took an offer to tour as a trumpeter with Lionel Hampton, instead of finishing at Berklee College of Music.

Around the same time, Ray charles was singing “Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand” while wearing his signature Billy Stickles shades. About a decade later, Curtis Mayfield was in the company of James Brown and Sly Stone cultivating people’s pride for being black. They electrified people so well with their music, that anyone living during the civil rights era, had a seriously soulful soundtrack to groove to.

Though I enjoy the life-giving entertainment that these men brought to the forefront, I can’t hold a candle to their creative genius. There is one thing we have in common; however, and that is an undying desire to keep soul music alive.

I just want to quickly introduce myself. I’m Issa and I breathe soul music. If there was no Frankie Beverly and Maze, where would I be today?

The one and only Chaka!

If Chaka Khan never opened her mouth, I wonder what my life would be like, and if Aretha would never have touched a microphone, there would be a void in my life that nothing else could fill. The industry has created categories for artists and boxed them in based on these categories, but bottom line: we know soul. For that reason, I am so pleased to be writing with the rest of the team here at Soulified. I have a unique opportunity to spread more of this thing we call “soul” by bringing to you some of the up and coming soul and neo-soul artists who are diligently working to keep it alive.

Before I sign off, I want to introduce you to an artist who I’m sure you’ve heard of by now.  Check the archives here for another article on her written a few months back. She’s shining bright, and I  have had this star on heavy rotation for the past few weeks… yes.. weeks. Her name is Muhsinah. She’s hailed by The Washington Post as being a young soul rebel “with an uncanny ability to seamlessly meld electronic beats with layers of jazzy arrangements and unorthodox song structure..” As a singer/songwriter and producer, she claims to be highly influenced by Chick Corea, Alice Coltrane, and J Dilla. Its pretty easy to see that on her most recent album “The Oscillations: Triangle” released in 09′.

Here’s a taste, and here’s to soul. Keep it alive…

Download some Muhsinah: Construction

Natalie Gardiner, the Fix you didn’t know you needed

/in , , , , , /by

Natalie Gardiner

Website MySpace Twitter FaceBook

You know how you try some new food dish, and wonder how you have lived without it?  That is Natalie Gardiner.  Before last month, I had never heard of her or her two albums.  Sad, I know.  Well… now that I know about her, everything is right in the world.  Normally when I find a new (to me) artist, I liten to the most recent album, and work backwards.  That’s one of the benefits of finding unknown artists. Natalie’s most recent album is California, which has a Sade-esque feel to it, but a little more subdued vibe to it.  It flows along, with not a single bump, and it’s a wonderful ride.  her debut self titled album, Natalie Gardiner has more diversity in the styles displayed on the album.  It still has a subdued tone to it.  My favorite song on California, is “Slowly Softly”, which the video is below.  On her debut album Natalie Gardiner, it’s “Now I got Worry”.

Media: Video of “Slowly Softly”, Video of Live Stockholm performance, Preview of songs from both albums Continue reading “Natalie Gardiner, the Fix you didn’t know you needed” »

Sade blessing us with new release?

/7 Comments/in , , , , , /by

Update (2-10-2010): For all Sade news click here.

Sade

Good morning. This is has been on my mind. Last Friday Soulbounce broke news of a letter from Maxwell to his fans. In this letter he asks his fans to buy Prince’s upcoming three album set, that’s being released March 29th @ Target. Also he mentions to buy Sade’s upcoming album. Before this, there wasn’t a mention or even a whisper about a new album. Now for the info.

  • There have been reports that Sony Music has confirmed this upcoming album, but there hasn’t been any links provided.
  • On January 16th, Sade turned 50!!!!! I can’t even picture this woman with a single gray hair or wrinkle. She just exudes a timeless beauty.
  • It has been 25 years since her debut album, Smooth Operator. I was 12 when I fell in love with her music.
  • Sade’s last release was Lovers Rock in 2000. So it will be 9 years between albums.
  • Even though she hasn’t released an album recently, her band started a group called Sweetback, and has two albums out.

In the past 25 years, Sade has made such an impact on Soul & R&B music.  You couldn’t listen to a”Quite Storm” session on the radio without hearing at least one song from her.  When you were setting the mood, in the 80’s you knew any one of her albums would seal the deal.  Even one of Prince’s upcoming album is going after that Sade sound.  Prince said, “We got sick of waiting for Sade to make a new album,” adding, “This music is nasty, but it’s not dirty.”

Check back for more updates.  As soon as I hear it, I’ll post it up.  Thanks.

Memphis music lovers have more days to enjoy

/in , , , , /by
Taste Of Thursdays

Taste Of Thursdays

Being kind of new to Memphis, it has been hard for us (wifey and myself) to find some places to really enjoy music. Hard to believe, that can happen in the City Of Memphis. We have found two places recently, that are great examples of grown folk chill spots. They have the prerequisite of the great music, delicious food, and a full calendar of events. The first we tried was Soul Cafe, which Dave Hollister frequents, performs and hosts in some of the events. You can count on them to have a show every Friday, to help relieve the end of the week stress. The second place that really eximplifies the term “hole in the wall”, is Cafe Soul. Don’t let that turn you off. The outside of the building, doesn’t do any justice to the inside. With the stage in the center, it really makes for an enjoyable time. Will Graves & Soul are there the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month. So, there are two great ways to spend your Friday and Saturday nights.

Now there will be two more days. Your Thursdays can now be filled with Taste Of Thursdays. It’s going to be a blend of Jazz, wine and Italian food. It starts March 19th, and will be every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month. Then your easy Sunday’s can be made easier with Sax On Sunday. They’ll have various sub genre’s of Jazz, and also a poet on hand to drop a stanza or two. I haven’t been to either of these new events, but once I do, I’ll give the full report.

Sabrina Starke Releases new single/video “Foolish”

/in , , , /by

Today one of the Dutch producers of Sabrina Starke’s debut album “Yellow Brick Road”, mentioned that she has released a new single from the album, and the video is available on YouTube.  Thanks Edo. Continue reading “Sabrina Starke Releases new single/video “Foolish”” »

Artist Spotlight: Inobe

/4 Comments/in , , , , /by


One thing that I love about this genre of music is the depth of the artists. With each note, song and album they reveal so much of themselves to the world. That takes courage, and confidence. The reason I say all this, is Inobe (her name Eboni backwards), is a perfect example. She has a very real and tangible personality that comes through her music. I hate to try to describe artists, because they all are unique, but Inobe exudes a simple organic passion for music. You are not going to get complicated songs that are over produced. What you do get is a relaxed melody with a firm soothing voice. She currently has two albums, “I Am Inobe” released in 2003, and “Spiritual Soul” released in 2006. Sample her music below, and take some time to Get To Know Inobe. Enjoy. Continue reading “Artist Spotlight: Inobe” »