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Events

DC: 'Can A Sista Rock a Mic' is Coming to Its Climax!

If you aren't in DC, then I feel bad for you. Not only because you don't get to hang out with cool folks like Butta and nOva, but also because you won't get to hang out with cool folks like Butta and nOva at the Can A Sista Rock A Mic festival. Tonight at Republic (formerly Republic Gardens) W. Ellington Felton hosts the "Blend: Pure Soul" showcase, featuring Liv Warfield, Bounce-Worthy acts Ayah and Alison Carney, as well as Yazahrah (who is most recently featured on The Foreign Exchange's Leave It All Behind) and Jean Baylor (with whom we just went Behind the Groove). The show starts at 8 so get your butt there early as U Street parking tends to be a tad bit hellified if not humanly impossible. Click the image for full details or hit the official site.

But that's not all. Saturday (loosely translated: tomorrow) is the Grand Finale in Downtown Silver Spring, with Angela Johnson, Emily King, Emoni Fela, Josephine Silla, Nola Darling, Dehejia Maat, Yoko K., Deborah Bond,  Ne'a Posey and Teisha Marie. Best of all? The event is FREE and will be held outdoors in good weather. This year's festival proves to be the biggest and most varied and truly represents the vast spectrum of female talent in the realm of Soul and Hip Hop. Don't miss out!

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nOvaMatic  |  10/10/2008 at 5:10 PM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink

I Was There

Maxwell Melts the Draws Off Radio City Music Hall

Seven years after his last album was released, Maxwell Rivera, better known to the world as simply Maxwell (or Fine Ass Maxwell, Sexy Maxwell, My future Babydaddy Maxwell, Where the f*ck IS Maxwell, et al), still sounds just as good, if not inconceivably better, than he did in 2001. Besides a surprise performance at this years BET Awards, where he sang the living hell out of "Simply Beautiful" to celebrate honoree Al Green, our boy has stayed voluntarily out of sight over these past few years. The remainder of 2008, however, is filled to the brim with Maxwell concert dates for which tickets may cost as much as $200 each. On Thursday night Brooklyn's Finest came home to New York City's Radio City Music Hall to delight his hometown crowd with a sold out show nearly a decade in the making.

Before there was a Ne-Yo, a Chris Brown or a J.Holiday for the youngins to swoon over, there was Maxwell's impossibly perfect falsetto. Maxwell was for the women, not the girls. Grown folk music. And evoking the holy spirits of Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye and James Brown, Max sounded (and looked--don't sleep) like everything we've been missing for so long; even sans his former lion's mane afro.

It should go without saying that chicks went effing crazy before the man even hit the stage. Teddy Pendergrass in 1979 crazy. Bobby Brown in 1988 crazy. Jodeci in '91 crazy. Panties actually got tossed onstage crazy--but more on that in a bit*.

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huny  |  10/10/2008 at 4:00 PM  |  Comments (10)  |  Permalink

Soul Cynic

Not Corporal But 'Classical' Punishment?

ill Mami  |  10/10/2008 at 3:00 PM  |  Leave a Comment  |  Permalink

Industry & Culture

If the Super Producer is Dead, There May Be Hope for Us After All

Gooch over at XXL asked one of those rhetorical, seemingly non-threatening Hip Hop questions that tends to get people riled up. "Is the era of the super-producer over?"

The one hit wonder has put the super producer out of business. And why? Probably for a few reasons, but the main one being that super producers just aren't very reliable when it comes to making hits anymore. They recreate a sound that worked once, over and over again, and consumers are too smart for that nowadays. They're not buying it.

Although Super Producers made #2 of our 25 Things That Killed (and are Still Killing) Urban Music list, we would hate to see them sacrificed on the alter of the YouTube star. But...

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nOvaMatic  |  10/10/2008 at 2:10 PM  |  Comments (4)  |  Permalink

First Spin

John Legend & Brandy Get It Together 'Quickly'

Every Friday should be like this. You know, the one before (what is hopefully for everyone) a long weekend. One that allows us to bring you new music from two SoulBounce faves--John Legend and Brandy. The pair has collaborated on a track entitled "Quickly," which will appear on Legend's Evolver (in stores October 28th). The Midi Mafia-produced, mid-tempo banger is pitch perfect, showcasing both voices as they beg each other to love quickly, before everything going on in the world messes up their groove. Newsflash: Nothing can disturb this groove. Now I really can't wait for both artists to drop their albums (Brandy's Human has its release on December 9th.) This joint will definitely whet your appetite for both. Rock it before you start your weekend. It's one of those songs that will surely, and quickly, be stuck in your head. In a really good way. Yup, every Friday should be like this. Enjoy.

John Legend feat. Brandy: "Quickly"

Harlem  |  10/10/2008 at 1:00 PM  |  Comments (6)  |  Permalink

Interviews

Behind the Groove with Jean Baylor

Mention the name Zhané to most and a smile will cross their faces as they fondly remember the soul singing duo from the '90s. With their laid back grooves and unique look, Jean Baylor and Renee Neufville were trendsetters in an era when girl groups were starting to pop up like weeds. But the "Jah" and the "Nay" of Zhané had a different sound and a different look that set them apart and appealed to a cross section of R&B and hip hop fans alike. When the group broke up in 1999 after releasing only two albums, a void was left in the hip hop soul arena that was sadly never filled.

Fast forward to today and both Jean and Renee have stayed busy. Although no longer recording together, they are still making music and wowing their old fans while gaining new ones. That wow factor is certainly present on Jean Baylor's solo debut CD, Testimony: My Life Story, which was digitally released this year and is available at Dajams.com. On Testimony Jean has created an album of inspirational R&B that is like chicken soup for the soul. Her positivity and purpose shines through on this disc, but this isn't a gospel album. Jean's intent is to lift people's spirits in these hard times and she surely succeeds.    

Jean Baylor lovers in the Washington, DC area are in for a treat when they attend the Can A Sista Rock A Mic? festival tonight. Baylor will be performing at The Republic in what is guaranteed to be a lovely show. Listen to my interview with Jean to get ready for the evening and get behind her groove to find out what she's been up to, why she decided to return to the scene now and what's ahead on her journey.

Behind the Groove with Jean Baylor


Click here to download the interview

Butta  |  10/10/2008 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (3)  |  Permalink

Releases

Will the 'Cadillac Records' Soundtrack Be a Thrill Ride or Run Out of Gas?

Earlier this week the cover to the soundtrack for Cadillac Records hit the net featuring stars Adrian Brody, Beyoncé and Jeffrey Wright in character. I'll reserve judgment on Beyoncé as Etta James looking simply like Beyoncé in a short blonde wig until I see her performance on film, but I got a feeling. Nonetheless, what really caught my attention about this soundtrack was the tracklisting. As expected, Mrs. Knowles-Carter is a prominent fixture with three songs alongside two tracks from her co-star Mos Def. However, Bey and Black Dante aren't the only stars of the movie to be found singing remakes on the album. Wright, who plays Muddy Waters in the flick, has two songs to his credit listed, which makes my side eye step in the name of love because although he's one of my favorite actors, I've never known him to carry a tune. We'll get to find out if the Cadillac Records soundtrack is worth the gas money when regular and deluxe editions are released on December 2nd, with the film hitting theaters Friday of that week. Check the tracklist for more surprises after the bounce.

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Butta  |  10/10/2008 at 11:00 AM  |  Comments (7)  |  Permalink

Morning Soul

Morning Soul: Life Is

• Janet's ready to go back on tour after shuffling around the schedule a bit. [E!]
• All that publicity Estelle got when Atlantic pulled "American Boy" actually stimulated her album sales. [SR]
• To prepare Jennifer Hudson for her role in The Secret Life of Bees director Gina Prince-Bythewood had her subjected to the overt racism of the film's time-period, including having her called a n----r by a cashier. [BV]
• Aretha calls Tina Turner's unsavory comments about her a tacky publicity stunt engineered to sell concert tickets. [UT]

Ro  |  10/10/2008 at 10:00 AM  |  Comments (3)  |  Permalink