Tuesday, July 28, 2009

AIN'T NOBODY GOT NOTHIN' TO SAY

It pleases me greatly to announce that there are a few quality R&B gems in commercial radio rotation...right now at least. With past behavior being the best predictor of future behavior, it's to early to place a fair bet on this as the beginning of a paradigm shift, but hearing well-written songs certainly does make me nostalgic anymore.

Yeah, older folk say it all the time, "Back in my day, we had real music." It gets to be redundant when all you know is what you have to reference as music is what YOU know. But once you live & grow a little older, it becomes evident that the times really are a'changin'. "When eye was a child"...life was about maintaining a respectable quality in all things made, developed & created.

But not now...

Most of our manufactured goods are made in Asia or Mexico for cheap parts or labor. Most of the popular AND underground music comes from kids who are better at programming computers than they are real-live drum machines & fewer play real instruments.



Jennifer Hudson's single, Giving Myself gives me a reason to believe that the paradigm shift is in full effect. So many things about her make me think Chaka. The pipes. The swagger. The class. As far as female vocalists were concerned, Chaka Khan stood out to me even as a child as Every Woman, in her own way.

Would do these wayward & misguided young girls some good to admire an artist that truly shows them strength & resilience, God & love, & womanism beyond sexism. Kudos to Jennifer Hudson (& team for knocking this one out of the ballpark! Looking forward to the video!

On another note: Would be great if Jamie Foxx took a page out of her notebook on how to make quality & successful black music, but still maintain the Oscar poise. Looking forward to him finding himself.



Saturday, July 4, 2009

STEVE MCNAIR-R.I.P.????



Breaking Nashville news of former Titan's quarterback Steve McNair having been murdered has me stunned. No ESPN coverage. Not even CNN. Wow!

Local News : Steve McNair Found Shot to Death