Soul Tracks - News and Reviews

See Melanie Fiona break out on BET Rising Icons

administrator — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:19:48 -0500

Hot newcomer Melanie Fiona wowed 'em last weekend on BET's Rising Icons show. Check out the clips below:

Brian McKnight - Evolution of a Man

jeffr — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:07:26 -0500

If ever an artist embodied the definition of silky-smooth contemporary R&B, it would be singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Brian McKnight. Since the 1990's, the man has used his melismatic, buttery range to propel hit after hit after hit onto the Billboard charts, into wedding dances and yes, even as the soundtrack for baby-making bedroom sessions ("Crazy Love," Back At One," "Love Is").

Trish Andrews - These Five Words

jeffr — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:02:47 -0500

A lot of today's R&B music can remind grown folks of an out-of-control juvenile, thanks to its constant focus on sex, body parts, getting the drink on and clubbing all hours of the day and night. Subtlety and sophistication seem to be a forgotten art.....until you encounter an artist like Trish Andrews. Her CD, These Five Words, not only demonstrate her prowess as a vocalist and songwriter, it establishes that sultry, soothing neo soul isn't as non-existent as the mainstream would like many to believe.

The Motor City Horns - Local Boys

jeffr — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:57:08 -0500

Between their individual and collective schedules, The Motor City Horns have traveled all across the country playing just about every genre imaginable. Detroit-based musicians John Rutherford, Mark Byerly, Keith Kaminski and Bob Jensen each bring their unique strengths as sidemen and their remarkable knack for arranging horn parts at the drop of a dime. Those are good reasons why artists such as Bob Segar and Bruce Springstein's saxophone sidekick Clarence Clemons have utilized MCH for their tours. That is why it also made sense for this versatile group to take charge of its own rec

Ted Winn - Balance

jeffr — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:39:05 -0500

It can be brutal terminating a successful musical partnership; as Neil Sedaka once wrote: "Breaking up is hard to do." That was probably what Ted Winn was thinking after two successful CD's as part of the much-heralded gospel duo Ted & Sheri. Ted Winn and Sheri Jones-Moffitt were living a gospel dream, especially following in the shadows of another powerhouse pairing, BeBe & CeCe Winans.

Vanessa Bell Armstrong - The Experience

jeffr — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:08:57 -0500

Definitely one of the stronger interpreters in the world of modern contemporary gospel, Vanessa Bell Armstrong almost needs no introduction. While working with Thomas Whitfield in the 1980s, Armstrong had one of the most unbreakable and unrestrained runs of success with albums like Peace Be Still and Chosen .

Marques Houston - Mr. Houston

jeffr — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:06:03 -0500

Now entering the pandemic world of Autotune, Marques Houston still charms his way through "I Love Her;" the breezy R&B single from his fourth solo project Mr. Houston. "Body" scores extra kudos for its slick bedroom magic and Isley-like guitar swoons. They play with Jamie Foxx's "Blame It" to create the synth-dominated " Express Lane ." "Case of You" is quite unique for interpreting a love sickness to that of the flu. "Say My Name" bears the Joe aesthetic, but it lacks the grown-up control.

Donald Sheffey - See You Tonight

jeffr — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:39:49 -0500

Donald Sheffey sets his goals high. He is on a mission to do nothing less than to redirect contemporary popular music. And on Sheffey's new recording See You Tonight, he does display the kind the passionate, muscular and mature vocals that first turned me on to soul music.

aka Subliminal - Trainathought

administrator — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:21:29 -0500

Subliminal seems to be a popular rap moniker these days. In order to distinguish one from the other, Ya'akov Shimoni is a rapper from Israel, while Sean Mauricette is from Toronto, Canada, and calls himself "aka Subliminal." With the preamble set aside, aka Subliminal raps, beat boxes, jokes and lays down blue prints. Before you snatch away this college educated architect's street cred, it's important to know that aka Subliminal chose to "err" on the side of books. His message is for those who still don't believe a rapper can be anything more than a spok

Jackson family reality TV show to air

administrator — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:39:24 -0500

A&E presents "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty," a new real-life series that will chronicle the personal and professional lives of Jackie, Jermaine, Tito and Marlon as they prepare for a Jackson Five reunion, while also coming to terms with Michael's tragic loss. The series premieres Sunday, December 13 with back-to-back one-hour episodes beginning at 9:00pm ET/PT.

Marisa Lindsay - Deeper Love

jeffr — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:26:53 -0500

Most of what's heard on the airwaves these days amounts to the musical equivalent of a Pop Tart: sugary-sweet, full of pep and sure to satisfy a momentary craving. And sometimes that's cool, but when one wants some lived-in, grown-folks kind of soul, they have to leave the candy shop and get with the gourmet confections, and that's what Marisa Lindsay's a Deeper Love represents... a mouth-watering, full-bodied brand of soul.

Melba Moore releases new dance song

administrator — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:31:52 -0500

NYC, Nov. 11th, 2009: R&B vocalist and Tony Award-winner Melba Moore along with Indie Record label Breaking Records is set to release the "Book of Dreams" EP in hard copy form December 2009. The digital version of the EP is available now through itunes, amazon, napster, Rhapsody and everywhere.

guiltypleasures - Lovestories

jeffr — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:23:50 -0500

A couple of years ago, I heard British songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson being interviewed by Terry Gross on the NPR show Fresh Air about his CD 1,000 Years of Popular Music. The CD features songs from the 11^th Century until the present time. It also includes a song that is the definition of a "guilty pleasure" - or a thing you shouldn't like, but do anyway - the Britney Spears' song "Oops, I Did It Again." Thompson took Spears out of the equation by performing an acoustic version of the song.

Tina Turner - Tina Live

jeffr — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:43:30 -0500

Tina Live has arrived! The last time an official album attempted to capture the Tina Turner concert experience was 1988. The Grammy-winning Tina Live in Europe set culled together highlights from her Private Dancer (1984) and Break Every Rule (1986) tours. It was less a representation of one concert than a compendium of "greatest concert moments" from over a three year-period. Essentially, there's never been an album that documents just one night at a Tina Turner show.

Melanie Fiona - The Bridge

jeffr — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:10:54 -0500

In this hyperbolic music industry, you sometimes forget that hype can sometimes predict the real thing. On Melanie Fiona's inspiring debut one certainly gets reminded. The soul starlet from Canada delivers a top of the line debut album of old school R&B and big ballad soul pop with a lively contemporary twist. There are tinges of Deborah Cox in Fiona's vibrato, the strength of Monica in her runs and tone, and just enough of Lauryn Hill's resonance to make Fiona's flawless technique sound easy.

Concert Review: Heston and Laura Izibor

administrator — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:45:49 -0500

Heston & Laura Izibor
Highline Ballroom NYC
November 3^rd, 2009

Aaron Neville teams with Salvation Army for new Christmas CD

administrator — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:40:20 -0500

Free download from Zo!

administrator — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:32:54 -0500

We just received this note from our friends of The Foreign Exchange:

Friends and Family,

We are proud to present the new EP of covers from our longtime friend, collaborator, and bandmate Zo!, "...just visiting too."

[SoulTrackers can get a FREE DOWNLOAD of the EP by CLICKING HERE]

Angie Stone - Unexpected (Advance Review)

jeffr — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:19:19 -0500

The Mother of Neo-soul has been many things in a career that has spanned three decades, including a trend setter. But, I've never known Angie Stone to be trendy, certainly not as trendy as she is on her sophomore project for Stax Records, Unexpected. If the trend these days is to write hooky songs about flying above all the drama and turning a deaf ear to all the haters and naysayers, then Stone is in the home zone.

Brand New Heavies - Live in London

jeffr — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:22:55 -0500

About the only thing better than a Brand New Heavies album is a Brand New Heavies concert. Those who've witnessed these supremely soulful funk-masters in a live setting know the infectious energy generated by Andrew Love Levy, Jan Kincaid, Simon Bartholomew, and N'Dea Davenport is in a class of its own. You will see no laptops onstage. No effects. There's order to the concert -- the band's rhythm section is right and tight -- but also spontaneity. Levy once told me they purposely change the set up for each show to keep it fresh for themselves and the audience.

Anointed Pace Sisters - Access Granted

jeffr — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:13:24 -0400

The beginning for The Anointed Pace Sisters' career is similar to that of many singing gospel families, regardless of fame. Their father encouraged them to sing - first around the house and then before congregations. The main difference between most singing church families and The Anointed Pace Sisters is that the latter took the next step of making records, going on tour and receiving international acclaim.

Steve Arrington - Pure Thang

administrator — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:10:43 -0400

Steve Arrington made his reputation as the front man from the group Slave - an outfit that showed the world that love songs didn't have to be slow. Slave made some of the funkiest get-your-rap-game-on songs during the 1970s and early 80s. A couple of guys I know tried to use that opening line from the song "Slide" as a pick up line.

Ryan Shaw - In Between

administrator — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:48:26 -0400

Ryan Shaw burst onto the scene in 2007, working with producers Jimmy Bralower and Johnny Gale to create one of the most unadulterated musical pleasures of that year with his debut album This Is Ryan Shaw. It was a brilliant disc that recalled the vibe of early Motown, relying on well selected covers and surprisingly strong original tunes. What wasn't a joy about This is Ryan Shaw was the treatment it received from Sony Records, getting the promotional rug pulled out from under it just as it should have been hitting its stride. Whil

Songstress Karen Bernod offers free download

administrator — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:35:11 -0400

Soul songstress Karen Bernod is finalizing her new album, Planting Seeds, and in the meantime is offering a free download to her fans of the new cut "Evolution." Click on the picture below to download this song for yourself.

Fred Hammond - Love Unstoppable

jeffr — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:40:46 -0400

Since his tenure with Radical for Christ (RFC), Fred Hammond has largely been accredited as one of the key architects of urban worship: a smoldering mix of contemporary gospel and melodic worship-like Contemporary Christian music.

Jesse Boykins III - The Beauty Created

jeffr — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:15:05 -0400

Its embarrassingly odd for us to have one of the best releases of 2009 go unacknowledged on our site, but somehow we managed to pull this neglect off (we're that busy, I swear!). Worthily nominated as this year's SoulTracks Readers' Choice Award's Best New Artist, Jesse Boykins III's first full-length project, The Beauty Created, is a promise fulfilled. With strong vocals and esoteric songwriting, his debut EP, Dopamine, offered plenty of hope for Boykins' future.

Average White Band - Times Squared: Live From New York, Vol. 2

jeffr — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:08:28 -0400

A live CD will never supplant seeing a band perform live. That is especially the case for groups as funky as the Average White Band. However a live CD is sometimes the best one can do (unless, of course, a group also decided to release a DVD). Still, a listener can learn things of value by listening to a CD such as the Average White Band's Times Squared: Live From New York, Vol. 2.

Ne-Yo contributes to "Princess and the Frog" soundtrack

administrator — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:11:27 -0400

To listen to exclusive snippets from 'The Princess and the Frog' Soundtrack, CLICK HERE:

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Ryan Shaw releases new EP

administrator — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:46:24 -0400

One our favorite young singers, Ryan Shaw, who wowed SoulTrackers a couple years ago with his debut album, is now back with a brand new EP, In Between.

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Steve Wallace - Urban Soul

jeffr — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:51:58 -0400
Steve Wallace likely created Urban Soul: The Movie as a way to give people another way to consider Urban Soul, the compact disc. And on that level, the film works because crafting a story line, creating characters and giving his music a setting I believe will make people like the CD even more. The CD is solid as a stand-alone entity. However, as a stand-alone project, Urban Soul is just a group of 14 pretty good songs. What you don't get is a guiding principal that connects these 14 tracks.