MODERN SOUL and R'n'B REVIEWS
Scroll down for reviews of the
following:-
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Kelli Sae – Heroine |
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Kelli Sae |
Dennis Rollins – Badbone & Co – Make your Move |
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El MoRoonz – Fiyawada |
Jas Tunica El – Melodic Moods |
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Jazzhole – Circle of the Sun |
The Best of Summer album 2003 |
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Urban Vibe – Get a Groove On |
US Girls – It's a girl thang!!! |
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Chocolate Butterfly (including Bios and information) |
ISH! - CockBlockSoulShock (including Bios and information) |
Reviews Index - Reviews
Kelli Sae –
Heroine
The emerging talent is starting to shine and get some well
dererved recognition. With a profile raised (in the UK and Japan) increased
through workouts with Incognito and this album hitting the streets. One of the
most solid and consistent albums from an Independent artist of the year. 'Can't
wait' (album version) is already picking up a storm in the upfront Soul rooms
with quite a few DJ's myself included giving it some prominence. That typical
Modern Soul groove with a memorable hook that you'll be singing as you leave.
The opening track 'You used to' also has an upbeat that will get
plays, the variety here provided a Latin tempo and chorus. Indeed the Latin
influence, which enhances the album, is prominent throughout on tracks such as
on Latina and Only.
'Hit the floor' has a great bassline and the vocals encourage and
haunt you to hit the floor. Props to the old school with a modern reworking of
Aretha's classic 'Daydreaming' but it doesn't work particularly, although some
originality is injected.
'Yesterday' is a favourite and one I keep going back to, strong
beat yet mellow, looking forward lyric, respect yesterday but stride
on...absolutely. 'Doesn't anybody' didn't hit me at first but I am feeling it
now, pretty commercial ballad soul which gives some of those girls at the pop
end of chart R'n'B arun for their money. 'Aware' a Kelli favourite and you can
kinda see way, strong vocals, a singers song, bit of a rock vibe, doesn't do
much for me I'm afraid.
On the slow jams Goodbye is powerful end of relation stuff, love
it. Vocally Kelli is at her best as the Soul Diva emerges on 'Mi Alma'.
Major beat and style change on 'Thank you', almost drum and bass
In fact I wouldn't mind seeing this 'bassed' up big style and hearing it out,
the vocals are strong enough to handle it. The album itself closes with another
ballad 'Heaven' although there is a remix of 'Can't wait', odd one this and I
can't see where it's headed.
Kelli also penned a good proportion of the album and produced in
(mainly) with Skoota.
A mature (musically and lyrically), consistent, fresh, varied
album – get it.
Tracks:- You used to, latina, hit the floor, daydreamin, only, yesterday, change, doesn't anybody, aware, can't let go, goodbye, mi alma, thank you, can't wait, heaven, can't wait (remix)
Kelli Sae
A short initial CD by Kelli from about 1998, consisting mainly of
demo stuff, but pretty polished demo stuff it is. There are some fine tracks on
here, mostly mellow jazzy grooves but with prominent vocals.
Maybe is a particular favourite, slow deep with strong vocals
with some distant jazzy horns (which actually feature on other cuts as well).
If ups the beat a tad, again showcasing some great vocals and range. The
opening track is also a great one and one I believe Kelli features live, some
of the samply beats already though starting to sound a bit dated. Found
somebody does stand the test of time and one i could see doing things with the
beats pumped up, nice one.
Vacant is one of those trcaks down a rock path which I personally
do not like but I understand Kelli enjoys.
Angel is a soulful ballad, less heavy on the beats and very
reminiscent of the Isley Brothers.
Great little showcase album and worth picking up for sure plenty
of variety and plenty of Soul, form what was then an emerging talent. Apart
from Vacant I pretty much like them all.
Tracks:- Life goes on, Candy, Found Somebody like you, Vacant, Maybe, If, Footsteps, Angel, Burned
Dennis Rollins –
Badbone & Co – Make your Move
"Dennis Badbone Rollins has established himself as the UK's
definitively funky trombonist. First choice musicianfor bands such as
Jamiroquai and Gorillaz, he has cultivated a powerful groove based style of
writing and playing which hs won him a rapidly growing fan base.
Make your move is Dennis debut album for Sound
Recordings" www.dennisrollins.com
As the title track suggests and the rest of the album will
testify this album has more aof a freestyle feel to it from the last one. It it
jazzy but also has a great groove to it, the freestylin is not heavy in a jazz
sense. The Groove continues into the title track with some good flute work by Rowland
Sutherland complementing Dennis Trombone.
Ujamma is spacier, jazzier I suppose but in a modern, current,
ambient kind of way.
Fast Cars is a cover of Tracy Chapman's well known song, possibly
not a tune that one might associate with a trombone, which takes the lead line
here, and sounds so sweet as the lead (and pretty much only) instrument of
prominence. Soul Journey is harder jazz with the instrument being taken through
it's paces. Less of a groove here but still freestylin' - there's something in there!
It's alright it's OK!
The groove kicks in again, but this time on a vocal cut, So Real,
featuring Renn. Nice track very much in an Earth Wind and Fire style, both in
vocal and bass line. Everlasting is more mellowness, flowing and easy jazz. The
closing cut picks up the beat, hard bass line to almost drum and bass levels,
Act like you know, has a contemporary but old skool jazz funk scat and guitar,
some reggae ish beats too, well mixed, an interesting combination.
A great album again, dennis stuff always seems to hit with me,
this one is well produced on the new outlet, is less funky, less retro than
it's predecessor but a fine album indeed.
Tracks:- Freestyle, Make your move, Where we from – Interlude, Ujamma, Fast Car, Soul Journey, So Real, Forever – Interlude, Everlasting, Act like you know
Best of Summer
2003 album – 40 of the Hottest Summer Hits – Warner Music www.summer2003.net
This is one of those Summer Groove albums, compiled from the
current and recent charts with a few extras and oddball items thrown in.
Basically a pop dance goodtime singalong album, tracks that you will hear all
over in the forthcoming mad crazy Summer. For the purist a chance to pick up on
one or two missed items or those that are OK but do not justify buying the
single or album, or looking at it the other way round it may entice you to buy
a complete album but I doubt it.
There are quite a number of tracks on here of no relevance to
this site, but others that are. An illustration of the way Black Music once
again breaks through into popular culture. For example a good deal of Hip Hop.
Best of which is Missy Elliott and Ludicrus with a wonderful bassline on a
Fatboy Slim Remix, Run DMC and Blazin Squad. Sean Paul's Gimme the Ligt which
is still mashing up and is going to be enormous, probably all the way through
to Carnival. On the popular R'n'B side we have Destiny's Child from a couple of
years back, and last years J-Lo. The worst being Big Brovaz of which they,
although still young, have done so much better.
On a mellower vibe is the fine 3SL feat Est'Elle. And for twostep
there's Mr Reds vs DJ Skribble nd Shy FX ft Kele Le Roc. Nice cut as always by
Anastacia and some fun Old Skool with the currently popular Oliver Cheatham, the
Jacksons perennial Can you feel it and Prince's lets go crazy. Saffron Hill's
track is powerful through it's sample of the Sylvers Come Back Lover.
Including bits of many genres or sub genres of popular Dance, Hip
Hop, R'n'B, a bit of Two Step, bit of Trance, bit of Old Skool through to the
power of advertising and current TV Adverts, and more, there will doubtless be
something to please, but indeed other tracks that really do grate, when you get
to the banal holiday resort party stuff.
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1. BIG BROVAZ – FAVOURITE THINGS 1. D Side - SPEECHLESS |
El MoRoonz –
Fiyawada
I
wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this one, having heard the previews I
wasn't sure. It wasn't hip hop entirely, it was more spoken word and I wasn't
feeling that. Yet Linton Kwesi and Mutabaruuka an 'all I could get, yet it had
a different vibe.
However, and a big however, this is a package, this is a
lifestyle, this is a feeling, this is a vibe. This is different. This is
whatever, hip hop, spoken word, roots, swamp funk, poetry, roots, life stories,
life ideals whatever. It's all in there, it's some of these or all of these.
There's a whole heap in there and it takes, and is gonna take
longer, forever maybe, to digest all the nuances, the messages. Just think
about it, in a song, even the most serious message songs, there are a few
verses and a chorus. What we get here is, not heavy, but consistent words,
easing over and under and in and out of the beats.
There's some seriousness in there and there's some fun too.
There's beats a plenty, there's images forward and history past, there's
philosophy and visions, but most of all there is a oneness.
Favourite bits and standout tracks there are none, it's not like
that, it's a journey. I do like it when it goes into the reggae roots vibe,
because that's what I can feel most or associate to with this kind of stuff.
I don't know how this will go down with most of the visitors to this site, you will have to be broad minded, open minded, and be in the right frame to feel this, but be that and embrace.
"When most audiences think of the Hip-Hop music scene bursting out of Louisiana, they immediately envision Master P rolling up in the French Quarters driving the No Limit tank. They'll picture Juvenile, Lil Wayne, Baby and the whole Cash Money Click sportin' their platinum grills. And we are all familiar with Mystikal's raspy voice and energetic Tasmanian style. We can even think of a few independents whose bass-driven music shatters spinal cords and local retail sales. The videos are saturated with chickenheads in 5" stilettos and hairdo's to match. They're in some unfamiliar yoga stance that calls for their elbows to touch their toes while the cameraman continuously tests his zoom lens. Unfortunately, when music lovers seek enlightening verses accompanied by hypnotic rhythms, they look to Mos Def, Common, Black Eyed Peas, and others to rescue them. Well, Hip-Hop spoken word artist, Lu-T will not only demolish any stereotypes, he will also bless audiences with cleverly crafted, yet fruitful rhymes and space-aged music vibrancies to transport listeners into another world.
Emerging from the swamps of Shreveport, LA, Lu-T describes his music as, "Hip-Hop, spoken word, roots swampfunk." He explains, "I'm fascinated by the swamps, the mystery of it. It's intimidating, but it's beautiful at the same time. [That's] the mindset I'm in when I make my music." As part of the Moorish movement, Lu-T uses his music to narrate historical tales of his people. Within each pulsating track lies the truth often omitted from history books and college classrooms. "People don't know that during slavery, the Maroons were the ancestors who refused to be enslaved. In Louisiana, they would hide in the swamps; in Virginia, they would hide in the swamps, and in Jamaica, they would hide in the mountains," he professes. "They would retreat to inaccessible regions to maintain their freedom and culture. But, they would be of different tribes and nations, so [the culture] became a gumbo. My music expresses those different elements."
While Lu-T is experiencing a serenity birthed through his 1995 affiliation and ultimate commitment to the Moorish movement, he believes their basic teachings will solidify a community foundation that's been destroyed centuries ago. "We have to go back and reclaim who we are and adopt those codes that our ancestors lived by when they were at the top of their game. The music deals with a lot of real life situations, but within that we try to get across some moral teachings and adopting a code you can stay true to because people don't have honor codes they live by anymore."
The debut album, Fiyawada, is Louisiana slang for Fire Water, which
describes the balance of nature. It also exemplifies the equilibrium dwelling
within Lu-T. "It reinforces the masculine, the fire energy, but through a
civilized medium. That's the water aspect. I feel like there's an assault on
our masculinity. So, I want to put music out there that reinforces this
aspect." Lu-T's enlightening narratives and charismatic delivery is enough
to satisfy any pseudo-Gandhi student whom roams the corners of the earth
pondering life's rhetorical questions while allowing the average urban dweller
to get his party-on. Sounds like the music industry is about to be set
ablaze."
Tracks:- Givin Honors, Sultanized, Hook Groove, The Lion, Fiyawada, Regs Mids Highs, Smokin Lala, The Circle Seven, In remembrance of the prophet, Amoorika, The triune, Love ( Millenium definition), The sphinx, Game elevation (interlude), Warriahz and Souljahz, Rejoice (roots swamp funk remix), Prophecy No 118 (interlude), Ev'ry man needs a woman, Sophisticated pimpology, Po't city, Move dat body, Dr Mooreau, Suga Daddy, Crescent Moon Skank, Click ya claim.
Jas Tunica El –
Melodic Moods
Coming out of Zuudiakas like the Mo'Roonz above and this is more
my thang realy, of the two. Categorised, if you have to, in the neo soul bag,
but there's more to it than that because it retains some, deep down all I
suspect, of the philosophies and lifestyle of the Mo'Roonz, but that soul edge
gives it harder beats and a deeper intensity.
The album is produced well, Jas's voice is
strong, the project is well constructed, balanced and varied. From straight neo
like It's your world to the vocal meanderings of It is it what it is. There's
some that I don't get – for example – Herbal Confessions, is fast and messy, maybe
trying to get some kind of dance two step but dubby feeling but never quite
making it (IMHO). The mellow reggae beats work (Dub Love Erotica), a sensuous
dubby item, not necessarily something that dub is associated with but it's
kinda nice. We get all trippy
with Hard for me to stay, the remixed version is much tidier for me.
Top cuts for me are True Friend Wanted, plea over a driving semi
dance beat. 'It's your work little girl' and 'is it what it is' as mentioned
above.
Comforted is the best track, great vocal, heavy beat, but slower paced and more intense with a hint of baduism. Full time only in a sense is similar and I have to say that I much prefer this kind of tempo. 'It's all strong its all gravy' is so laid back as to be horizontal, a terrific mix (Give the man some more!). (I dunno this one is hitting me more and more, maybe this one is the best track?) Indeed this closing section is the best. It's almost as if through the tests and diversions through te subgenres it has found it's rightful home.
"Jas Tunica El. Remember the name. Chances are you'll be hearing from the London-born, New York-raised, Atlanta-based artist frequently in the near future. Jas is ready to step to the forefront of the neo-soul music revolution to give listeners a much-needed soul-affirming message of life, love and pain. By her own admission, Jas has been through life's ups and downs. And it is her survival of the joys and sorrows of this world that has compelled her to relate her experiences musically with all that are willing to listen. With Jas, there are no gimmicks or tricks, just a woman freely giving a part of herself to the world through a delectable dish of soul that warms the heart and stimulates the mind. "Some people think my music is alternative. Other people say that is has a juke joint vibe, but then I'll jump to something completely different," Jas says. "There's no method to my madness. If you get it, then it helped you. If you don't get it, then cool.
Welcome to Jas Tunica El's musical world. It's a world where there are no music boundaries, limits and restrictions. It's a place where life and music converge perfectly into a refreshing kaleidoscope of R&B, house, hip-hop, reggae, soul and funk with a smattering of London's two-step garage. Jas' , debut release, “Melodic Moods” deviates from the norm of today's mindless R&B to give you an eclectic blend of what is increasingly being termed "life music". Not bad for a woman whose basic music influences, as a young child was Burl Ives?
Born in London, Jas' parents were careful to shield her from what they perceived as music that might have influenced her in the wrong direction. "Both my mother and father are Jamaican and very religious and very strict," she says. "I wasn't allowed to listen to secular music. We didn't have a television. But every now and then I'd listen to Burl Ives on the record player." Jas' family moved to New York when she was five years old. Still, it was more of the same strict upbringing. An upbringing that Jas, a natural free spirit, languished under. As Jas grew older, the lure of the vibrant lifestyle of the Big Apple seemed Taylor-made for her. But Jas’ authoritarian home environment kept her from becoming the artist that Jas, a natural free spirit, believed she was destined to be. At fifteen, Jas decided to break away from her parents’ authority and ran away to live in the Bronx with friends. It was in the Boogie Down that she got her first taste of unadulterated music in the form of reggae. “I lived in a Jamaican community in the Bronx,” she says. “So reggae music was everywhere. I started going to the reggae clubs and I fell in love with the music.”
As she became a young adult, Jas began studying the greats, Billie Holiday in particular. "I read about Billie Holiday before I heard her music," she says. "Her life story affected me a lot because we're both the same sign. I'm an Aries, so I feel real close to her." Through Lady Day, Jas became acquainted with other music legends, who, like Holiday, their greatness was an extension of their self-destruction. "Marvin Gaye is an Aries as well," she says. "I also identify with Janis Joplin and Phoebe Snow. They're all tormented Souls." Like the legends she identifies with, Jas has been able to turn her personal torment into a sonic testimony. But unlike her predecessors, Jas gets it done without following down their path of destruction. She wants you to feel her pain and joy, but it's clear that Jas is following the path of life. Never more is this evident than onstage. Jas may have studied Holiday, but when she's performing live, she's the essence of a young Nancy Wilson. Onstage, Jas flutters in and out of a music trance that transforms her into a spirit in the material world. It's a transition that Jas doesn't try to restrict, but rather, invites.
"Onstage, I go somewhere else," she says. "I forget where I
am. I basically let the music take me over." With eyes that would make
Nefertiti envious, and an overall beauty of an Egyptian queen, Jas' stage
presence is equal parts diva, goddess, and shaman. And it all works. Jas Tunica
El is ready to share her message with you. "I came from an ultra-strict
upbringing," she says. "So, this album deals with the freedom of sex,
choice and religion. Love who you want to love and live how you want to live. We
have so many hang-ups and I was always yearning to be free." Not only is
Jas free both in mind and spirit these days. She's ready to reveal how you too,
can be free. As you discover more about Jas, your mind will become elevated.
That's been Jas' plan all along and she aims to succeed."
Tracks:- Castells Intro, Jazzy Scat,Gray Zone, It's your world little girl, It is what it is, Herbal Confessions, Dub Love Erotica, Hush your mouth, Hard for me to stay,True friend wanted, Comforted, My perfect World, Full time only, It's all right it's all gravy, End of the road, Hard for me to say (remix)
Jazzhole – Circle of the Sun – Beave Music
This is Jazzhole's fourth album released on 1 March 2003 out of Beave Music on Bleecker Street New York – information from info@jazzhole.com – the sound of modern urban soul; a mixture of downtempo grooves and acoustic R'n'B, with hints of ambient electronica and bossa nova. Details from the label below.
This album is just sooo downtempo but it is still very refreshing and vibrant. Real instruments too which is worth saying in the days of having to put together your own CD's. Marlon Saunderrs takes the lead vocals on Love Philosophy, a mellow soulful ballad building into jazzier faster paced more spoken lyric, and a georgeos guitar.
Lucia Iman takes the vocals on Three Days, a sort of laid back latiny trancey spacey thing. On Ndolo we pick up the tempo to as high as this album goes, Kaissa Doumbe from Cameroon takes the vocals. Very percussive in a drumbeat sort of way and wonderful soulful vocals and a hook that ahangs in your head. Great track.
Um Ritmo No Meu Sono – percussion and tabla driven over the Rhodes melodies. Enjoy the silence, again the beats are heavy throughout and this track is no exception, think it's the prominent Tabla, and whilst the beats are heavy the vocals are smooth, this time laid down by Michelle Lewis.
Back to Marlon on the next couple of tracks Who do you love and A little dress for Mary, the first a whispery soulful performance but excelling in the higher regions. The latter is a smooth acoustic weepy mellow ballad with a bit of an old old skool organ, touches of Stevie maybe. Track of the album in my view.
The title track Circle of the sun is Kaissa again with Marlon backing and the smooth sax of Dave Binney, mellow easy and jazzy, evocative of lazy easy Sunday afternoons in the sun. A Love thing is more neo I suppose – neo structed vocals and jazzy. Closing with acoustic and mellow, as mellow as it comes Superstar, and acoustic guitar of John Pondel.
I dunno if this is the type of album that I would normally go for but I have to say that I really liked this, and continue to do so. I have given this one time to build, the initial vibe is strong but there is lits to hear and the more you play the more you like. This little collective really put together a nice tight groove – feel it.
Tracks:-
Love Philosophy, Three Days, Ndolo, Um Ritmo No Meu Sono, Enjoy the silence,
Who do you love, A little dress for mary, Circle of the sun, Winters Melting, A
Love thing, Horn Interlude, Superstar
Circle of the Sun, Jazzhole’s fourth studio recording, finds founding members Warren Rosenstein, John Pondel and Marlon Saunders exploring the new hybridity of modern urban soul: a sound that incorporates downtempo grooves and acoustic R&B, with hints of ambient electronica and bossa nova. As much a neo-soul as a nu-jazz release, Circle of the Sun benefits from performances by several new guests: tabla player Naren Budhakar; vocalist and Cameroon-native Kaďssa Doumbč (Manu Dibango, Jean-Michel Jarre, Salif Keita); and percussion star Daniel Sadownick (Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Maxwell, Screaming Headless Torsos). Refreshingly, Jazzhole remains an evolving collective of many of New York’s most accomplished live and studio musicians.
"While Jazzhole’s roster has changed since their 1994 self-titled debut, the band’s core—songwriting and production trio Marlon Saunders, Warren Rosenstein and John Pondel—has not.
Marlon Saunders provides much of Jazzhole’s signature soulful sound. Raised in Maryland on a diet of church singing, Saunders has recorded with legends such as Bobby McFerrin, Michael Jackson and Sting.
John Pondel’s emotive guitar playing on songs such as “A Love Thing” and “Superstar”, draws on his many live and recorded performances with artists such as Gerald Wilson, Diane Schurr and Carmen McRae. John also comprises half of Verve’s smooth jazz duo, Kombo. and was a founding member of the critically-acclaimed Uncle Festive (Mesa/Blue Moon).
In additional to writing, producing and engineering, Brooklyn-born Warren Rosenstein contributes rhodes and drum programming to Circle of the Sun. In the early 1990s, while working on seminal acid jazz tracks “Hot Music” (Soho) and “Jazz it Up” (CFM Band), Rosenstein drew from the rich pool of talent that was hovering around Context Studios on Manhattan’s Lower East Side to form Jazzhole, pulling in rappers KCB (US3), Ahmed Best (Stomp), Jack Ruby, Jr. (The Toasters), as well as vocalists Ronnie & Rosa Russ, and Michelle Lewis for their 1994 debut album on Mesa/Blue Moon. A summer of jamming in the studio, with musicians like bassist Scott Colley (Jim Hall, Greg Osby) and saxophonist David Binney (Lost Tribe, Medeski, Martin & Wood) resulted in the eponymous debut album, hailed by Music Retailing as “the coolest thing since US3 and the Brand New Heavies” and Rolling Stone as “the most danceable of all the new-groove groups”. This recording showcased the trumpet playing of Kevin DiSimone on the acid jazz classic “Forward Motion”.
…And the Feeling Goes Round, Jazzhole’s 1995 sophomore release on Blue Moon/Atlantic, was met with similar critical acclaim: “Infinitely funky… and if you don’t feel the need to groove, it’s time for a visit to the booty doctor” raved Impact. DJ Times added: “Some of the most poetic lyrics and turning out some of the fiercest grooves in the burgeoning acid jazz scene.”
Released in 2000, Blackburst marked a change in direction for Jazzhole. Blackburst saw the group mixing elements of electronica and chillout with their soul roots, and moving away from acid jazz and hip-hop. These changes were well-received by fans and press alike. Billboard reported: “Blackburst is filled with luscious grooves and intense rhythms… Saunders and Russ lay down sensuous riffs, perfect for late nights with that special someone.” BRE added: “A yummy collection of jazz-influenced tunes that inspire lust, laughter and lounging.”
For Circle of the Sun, Rosenstein enlisted the talents of many new players: vocalist Kaďssa Doumbč delivers a melodic soft-soul rendition of Leon Russell’s “Superstar” in Duala, her native language, and contributes lead vocals on two other tracks; Naren Budhakar’s tabla colors several tracks, particularly the warm, organic cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence”; percussionist Daniel Sadownick anchors the vibe with congas, udu, and bongos, helping create the Bossa flavor of tracks like “Circle of the Sun”."
US Girls – It's a girl thang!!! - Rosebudd records
This one has been out a while since 2001 I believe on Rosebudd www.rosebudd.com. Contains a host of people, on lead Darlene Anderson, Carmen Lindsay, Renee Mickens, Brenda Randleman. Rap by Poet, Sharon Smith Knight. Background vocals: Joan Crawford, Cynthia (Badmoma) Girty, Wyline Ivey, Barbara, Brenda, Carmen, Darlene, Renee. Produced by Barbara Heston & Scott Sumner.
Subtitled We just wanna have some fun – It's hustle time – This is as it portrays good time girl thing music, it's old skool in vibe and in rap, upbeat, good fun, and actually it's very good
Urban Vibe – Get a groove on – White label
A seven track white label sampler CD from Urban Vibe – a Uk outfit from Coventry. This originally surfaced some time ago so I'm a bit slow there I'm afraid. The outfit have put this out on their own Face Entertainment but, so far as I know, are still looking for a label deal. This sampler got some good reviews and I'm not going to diss them either.
The group consists of Juliette on vocals, Alvin Leon Producer and keys, Andrew Harding lyrics and bass. The overall sound is kinda neo but quite upbeat with more traditional song stylings. It's sort of mellow yet uplifting though fairly downbeat. U can't explain is an exceptionally mellow vibe. My mistake is percussively led with a haunting vocal. The album whilst of a type is pretty individual but 'Got me thinking' is firmly in Jill Scott territory.
Get a groove on is the most uptempo track and fair packs a groove. 'Fallin for you' is my favourite, a midpaced groover equally at home in the car or on the dancefloor.
Perhaps one of the best testimonies of this sampler is that of all the reviews I have seen, each one has picked out different tracks as highlight. Good stuff.
Tracks: - Get a groove on, Fallin for you, U can't explain, My mistake, Let me show u, Got me thinkin, Beautiful
Chocolate Butterfly
I'm kinda feeling this, it's being described as Urban Neo Soul. Will it's sort of both and sort of neither. Yes there's touches of the likes of say, a Bilal and it's contemporary for sure but hey what's with descriptions. Also dubbed Eclectic Funk which is better. Overall there's a kind of mellow beat to the whole thing, some laid back hip hop and some welcoming warm Eastern Grooves, there's a pinch of Prince and a piece of Stevie and a dose of psychedelia.
Chocolate Butterfly is (led by) Winston Black from Berkeley California and his influences include Sly, Parliament, Marvin, Prince, Isleys and Stevie, and I wrote the first paragraph before I knew that so you can see that the influences are shining through. Album produced by Xavier
Ode to King, a standout track, has all the inflections of Stevie but on a Prince trip. Mahany Random introduces some freaked out Eastern beats and some sixties spaced out imagery. A Love Contagious is a gentle warm and satisfying ballad, and the top cut for me, almost a distant whisper yet still soulful. Perfect Paradise is the nearest you get to an uptempo groove, a fine mellow funk with prominent bass line...a don't wait to long is probably the nearest you get to a traditional love ballad, passionately slow. Number 13 is a jazzy guitar groove instrumental.
The album has a difference to it, a uniqueness, a conception, it's warm and groovy, an acquired taste maybe.
Tracks : - Satisfaction, Diggin on You, Rescue Me, Ode to King, Gypsy, Mahany Random, A Love Contagious, Perfect Paradox, Waan Cuxxin, Mas Kohama Interlude, Don't wait too long, It must be love, Number 13
"Chocolate Butterfly Bio
With a name as distinctive and unique as Chocolate Butterfly, one would probably assume that the Berkeley, Calif., native’s style, personality and sound would match his name. And the assumption would be correct. Growing up in the Bay Area, where innovative music, particularly funk and soul, is embraced and cradled like a loving child, it should come as no surprise that Chocolate Butterfly is ready to serve notice with his self-titled, debut album. Chocolate Butterfly aims to ascend the music pantheon that’s reserved for such Bay Area legends as Sly Stone, Frankie Beverly & Maze, the Whispers, Tower of Power, Confunkshun and Tony Toni Tone. Chocolate Butterfly’s goal is simple, yet complex in this day and age where the music industry seems to have a hidden agenda. "I just want to make good music without the politics and let the people decide," says Xavier, Chocolate Butterfly’s producer and founder of Blackball Universe, the Los Angeles-based label to which Chocolate Butterfly is signed. "The music takes care of itself and everything else in the long run."
Chances are you’ve seen Chocolate Butterfly lead vocalist Winston Black on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno or on BET’s Planet Groove. Or maybe you remember Black on tour with the Fugees, Time, De La Soul, Arrested Development or Cameo. But that was another time and incarnation of the artist before he hooked up with Xavier and before he experienced a vision that would change his life forever. "My ideas usually come to me in my dreams," Black says. "I was thinking of what direction I wanted to take my music and I had this dream of a butterfly." To watch a butterfly hovering in nature is to witness beauty, freedom and spontaneity. After receiving his vision, Black reflected how a butterfly can masterfully change direction in mid-air and wanted his music to reflect the butterfly’s flight pattern. "And I wanted the music to be both sexy and urban, so I added ‘chocolate’ to it. And the rest is history." Not long after his dream, Black hooked up with Xavier, a former Berkeley resident who relocated to L.A. and was making a name for himself in the music industry in his own right. The two found they both shared the same music vision and decided to work together. What they came up with is an instant classic that leaps off the music Richer-Scale. Chocolate Butterfly skillfully pays homage to past soul and funk legends and blazes a narrow path to funk and soul music’s future.
To put it mildly, Chocolate Butterfly is a plush and unassuming walk through the sonic garden of love, relationships and life lived. IT is an astonishingly complete and fresh package from talented voice and musicianship. It is sophisticated and captures the essence of Stevie Wonder and early Prince that serves tasteful dishes of timeless greats such as Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers and Parliament/Funkadelic, the Time and the System. With its scintillating guitar licks and solos, (Beautifully played by guitarist Masa Kohama.) thumping soul bass and grooving funk synth lines, Chocolate Butterfly is an album that merges 60’s and 70’s soul vocals with the funk of the 70’s and 80’s, spliced with elements of contemporary blues and psychedelic rock with just a hint of hip hop. It’s a refreshing music gumbo that Black describes as "Eclectic Funk".
Black has no reservations about going against the grain of today’s monotonous commercial R&B being played on urban stations across the country. In fact, it’s what both Black and Xavier were attempting when they put Chocolate Butterfly together. "I’m just going for what I deem cool, from what’s in my heart," Black says. "I wanted to be honest with the delivery and for the music to be honest." After listening to Chocolate Butterfly and becoming seduced by its erotic, soulful funk, you’ll find that Black succeeded in his goal. "
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT CHOCOLATE BUTTERFLY
"Chocolate Butterfly has a really refreshing sound that’s innovative, funky and soulful. Chocolate Butterfly has a great sound that’s different from what you hear on the radio today." -Vanessa Moore, MTV-2
"Chocolate Butterfly’s has an original sound that puts you in that move and groove mode. It’s definitely original." – Angie Griffin, RNation.com
"Chocolate Butterfly has a nice feel and groove that’s different from most of the music out here today." –Ali Muhammad, Vibe Magazine
"Chocolate Butterfly has a blend of styles that stretches from Prince-like funk to hip hop styled beats to some of the rawer edges of the current Nusoul scene." – Dusty Groove
"Chocolate Butterfly is the perfect mixture of funk, R&B and soul. I can see this album blowing up in no time! – CD Street.com
"Chocolate Butterfly’s sound is funky and versatile. His style and energy cannot be boxed in." YahZarah, recording artist
ISH! - CockBlockSoulShock
ISH! Is a singer songwriter musician emcee from Florida, ISH!, Tracey Horn, is from a musical family of performers, mother a jazz singer and her uncle played drums for Charlie Parker. Placing herself in the neo soul mould through her own label Soulow with some hip hop influences coming through.
The album is individual and versatile with influences from jazz thru hip hop, and quite a bit in between. There's some space-y trippy beats on tracks like Superhero, with a bit of a sixties vibe, and You want it all, which is a bit too folky for me until the rap comes in. There's laid back Acid Jazz (Hallelujah) and the whole thing is very sultry.
The bass heavy 'Hard to define' (title typifying the album actually) is more the kind of track that I do like. About you is mellow, beat'y and nearer to neo soul.
Ish writs all the lyrics, sings, guitar, strings and produces working closely with Chan Epic on much of the album. Some of the lyrics are quite deep and thought provoking. I actually prefer the emceeing such as On the Mic which is so slow and quite nice. This leads into the best track When Eyes meet, as uptempo as you get, good rap
I have to say though that the album isn't really hitting on me and I keep coming back to it hoping for more.
Tracks : - Just like that, Velvet Lies, Hard to Define, Superhero, You want it (ft Chan Epic), About You (ft UnKut), Maybe, A Modern Vampire (AIDS), Street Architect, Try 2 Tell, Hallelujah, On the Mic, 3rd degree burns, When eyes meet, Velvet Lies (remix ft JROLD), 15 minutes (Outro ft JROLD)
ISH! BIO
She’s not interested in shaking her groove thang in some contrived dance number, nor does she want to be known as just another "white chick" imitating soul music. In an era where image and gimmicks are chosen over actual talent, ISH! just wants to open your mind and give your ears access to her world, as she describes it, "the beauty and the pain/revolution and refrain". Having been on the music scene for nearly a decade, the talented songwriter/producer/musician/singer and emcee is like a bright light amidst the darkness of today’s commercial music world. And with her latest effort, CockBlockSoulShock, ISH! is ready to contribute to the ever-expanding nu-soul music universe yet again with her unique style of southern neo-soul. CockBlockSoulShock, the fourth album by the Florida native, offers a creative blend of sultry soul, funk, jazz, folk/rock and trip hop.
It has been an unyielding passion for music that has sustained ISH! and kept her sonic perspectives fresh through the years despite observing lesser acts shine brighter in a light that she helped create. The Tallahassee-based artist has been on the cutting-edge of neo-soul music for some time now, but more-publicized acts have been cast in the spotlight. The lack of exposure for ISH! has forced her to witness artists making waves in the music industry emulating a style that’s similar to hers. "It seems to me that the music industry is always a step behind," ISH! says. "All my career I’ve done a style of music and then I watch someone on MTV or VH-1 doing the same thing I’ve been doing for years. It’s frustrating, but it lets me know I’m doing the right thing."
Not that ISH! has toiled in total obscurity over the years. The University of Florida graduate has shared the stage with talented artists such as The Roots, Bilal, Jaguar Wright, Rahzel and Schoolz of Thought, and was chosen by LaFace Records to perform at the Atlantis Music Conference. ISH! has also rocked the stage at the Black Lily in New York, the Urban Showcase at the Philadelphia Music Conference and also was featured on the PBS special, "Rap Music in American Society". And in keeping with tradition of today’s cadre of independent nu-soul trailblazers who seek to reach out to the masses by any means necessary, ISH! started her own label, Soulow Records, five years ago. "I know how iffy the music industry can be," ISH! says. "I thought starting a label would help draw attention to the artist in the area where I live and not only get myself put on, but put them on as well."
Take the considerable folk/rock guitar and songwriting skills of Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell and combine it with the soulful, funky musicianship of Tina Marie. Add in the jazzy-soul vocal style of Sade and intertwine it with some serious emcee skills and you have ISH! On CockBlockSoulShock, (the name of her band) ISH! gives listeners a mix of head-nodding hip hop-soul beats, rock and folk-laced melodies and jazz-funk grooves carried by excellent instrumentation. CockBlockSoulShock delivers a wide range of songs, from the insightful "Superhero" to the ultra- funky, "Just Like That". "I try to really get in touch with the art of the whole of it, the lyric and the melody," ISH! says. "I try to create the same feeling I get when I listen to other people’s music."
Coming from a family of established jazz musicians, music is as much a part of ISH! as her DNA. "My grandfather played piano in a lot of early American silent films," says ISH! "My uncle played drums in Charlie Parker’s band and my mother was a jazz singer. I guess you could say that I come from a music family." ISH! received her first music instrument when she was just a year old and was weaned on traditional jazz and the Motown sound.
After graduating from high school, it wasn’t long that ISH! gave music a try and started up her own band. The first incarnation of ISH! was as Tracy Horn, the leader of a punk band that toured with Bad Brains in the mid-80’s. But as she delved deeper into her music, ISH! evolved and began incorporating all the elements of both her music upbringing and her personal music taste, which included hip hop, into her sound. By the mid-90’s ISH! felt confident enough to change both her music name and direction and perform neo-soul. An accomplished musician and self-contained unit, ISH! doesn’t depend on producers, beats and sampled tracks to find her groove. Just give her a guitar, a keyboard, drums and the creative energy to be spontaneous and ISH! is a one-woman band. And on CockBlockSoulShock, ISH! will take music listeners of nearly every genre on a journey that everyone can relate to and feel. The ride will be full of soulful, jazzy, funked-out energy filled with narratives of life and ballads of love from all perspectives. But simply put, ISH! wouldn’t have it any other way.
ISH! FACT SHEET
Born As: Tracy Horn
Birthday: October 9
Where: Tallahassee, Florida
Education: University of Florida
Style: "Neo-Soul" – A unique blend of old-soul instrumentation and vocals with a strong hip hop influence
What’s In A Name: ISH! is a childhood name given to Horn by her parents.
Influences: Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Thelonius Monk, Gil Scott Heron, Prince
Favorite Colors: Black, Baby Blue, Purple
Fast Fact: Has a giant tattoo of an ankh on her back to commemorate a trip to Egypt as a child.
Seen On: PBS "Rap Music in American Society, Ladies Lounge Warped Tour, Philadelphia Music Conference
Seen With: Bilal, The Roots, Jaguar Wright, Rahzel
In Her Own Words:"I try to keep my music honest by being a self-contained unit."
Final Thoughts: "Try to be a good person and lead by example."
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