On the anniversary of Michael Jackson’s passing, “I Need A Dollar” singer Aloe Blacc creates his soulful take on Billie Jean. The version is definitely worth a listen. I can’t believe it’s been one year already…
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The guy that sang the hooks on “Nothin On You” and “Billionaire” has struck out on his own and made a hit himself. Bruno Mars is one to watch for. “Dancing In The Mirror” has a slow R&B groove that will get you and your significant other ready for the boom boom room.
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Personally, I never thought this much soul could come from Denmark. The land that gave us Lego’s produces another gem in the form of Quadron. Their music reminds me of a throwback to the soul of the 60’s. “Pressure” in particular draws from the likes of Diana Ross and the Supremes. Mayer Hawthorne: you have company.
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Slated to be the 2nd single off Drake’s debut album, “Thank Me Later”, this Kanye West produced track spotlights Drizzy’s singing talents. The beat sounds like it was from Kanye’s “808’s and Heartbreaks” era. Radio friendly and catchy, this will be a chart topper.
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After first listen to this love ballad I couldn’t resist myself from thinking, “This white guy has soul.” Alex Boyd is relatively unknown but I hope to hear more from him and I hope you enjoy.
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Coldplay has always had amazing poem-like lyrics in their songs and one of my favorites is Sparks. You can imagine my delight when I came across this remix by Breezy LoveJoy. Breezy’s jazzy/R&B take on the song gives you a different take on an established hit.
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Mateo has been long on the grind to becoming a mainstream artist. Originally writing for the rapper Eve until 2006, Mateo thought he caught his break getting signed to Myspace Records. Unfortunately the relationship with Myspace was short lived but Mateo keeps pumping out inventive remixes of todays hits. He transforms “Bad Romance” into an 80’s themed R&B ballad that is sure to catch your ear.
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Had to showcase something that really caught my ear. First came across Ebrahim on his YouTube videos and his style is quite distinct. Making all the music by looping and layering vocals, he also mashes up songs to make a quite harmonious arrangement. In this particular song, he borrows from Lupe Fiasco’s “Paris, Tokyo” and D’Angelo’s “Lady” to create hotness.
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I always knew Monica had a set of pipes but not like this. She goes off in this song. The Missy Elliott produced “Everything To Me” is the lead single off her upcoming album, “Still Standing”, due out March 23, 2010. You can also catch the video here, which features the acting debut of none other than OchoCinco.
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Robin Thicke’s 2009 release entitled Sex Therapy has been a pleasant surprise for many R&B fans like myself. I couldn’t put it better than the review from the LA Times:
But as he puts it in the liner notes, “my guilty pleasures have been outweighing my good health.” This is his baby-making album, and though Thicke’s freak flag is PG-13, his new randiness adds zip to an always-perfect falsetto.
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Another one off of Alicia’s new album “The Element of Freedom”, this one was too good to pass up. Its got that old school 80’s feel to it, all the way down to the spoken interlude.
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The good news is; Esmee Denters, the Youtube star/Oprah guest, has her own album. Bad news is; it wasn’t released in the U.S. But fear not followers, I think we picked the best song on the album. “The First Thing” is a love ballad and if you listen closely you may hear JT in the background.
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Leaked from Jamie’s 4th studio album due out 2010, “Winner” features none other than JT on the track. It sounds like a rough cut because there is a third verse that is noticeably missing. The intro horns that lead into a hard hitting kick creates that feel good, make you want to dance beat. You want proof? My mom was even nodding her head to it.
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This post came about in a funny way. While I was sitting at my computer, Andrew messaged me to “Post Rihanna Photographs.” A couple things came to mind at that point… Rihanna has had a couple famous photo scandals to breakout recently however I did not think they were ComingFresh worthy, more like ComingStale (That one was for you Hollander.) My next thoughts were, “Did Rihanna have yet another leaked photo?” And “Since when did we start posting pictures?” Before I could question Andrew’s judgement any further he confirmed that it was a new song from her album, “Rated R.” You can imagine my relief when I heard this. I was a little worried Andrew was leading this site towards its other suggestive meaning.
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You may not be aware because of all the exposure she is getting from her track with Jay-Z but, Alicia Keys is slated to release her own album entitled “The Element of Freedom”, at the end of this year. “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart”, The second single off of Alicia’s 4th studio album, has a hard bass line that carries you through her struggle of getting over her ex.
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I think I might just be a sucker for the sample they use in this song. Pretty Brown Eyes by Mint Condition was one of my favorites back in the day (and still makes a cameo on my Ipod from time to time.) The production of this song begs me to pose a question: If they are using the songs we listened to growing up as samples now, does that make us old?
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Jamie Foxx has done it again. The consummate entertainer has put out a remix of Digital Girl featuring a Drake verse that steals the spotlight. And that is hard when an Oscar winning movie star/standout comedian, a Multi-platinum award winning artist and one of the hottest producers in music are all on the track with you.
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Summertime deserves summer type/upbeat music. I present: Her Love by Lloyd. enjoy!
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Back from a long hiatus and so much has happened. We returned from a most incredible trip to Hawaii and witnessed my brother marry the love of his life. After such an exuberant celebration, we touch down on the mainland to find out that one of my all-time idols, Michael Jackson, had passed away. The juxtaposition between events could not have been greater. Initially, I was in a state of denial. We would hear from him/about him sporadically as a reminder that he was still there, but this final “breaking news” would inform us that he wasn’t. It took awhile for the gravity of the news to set in and it wasn’t until I started to watch old footage of his performances and appearances did I finally realize we wouldn’t get to witness that again. He was mesmerizing on stage and intriguing off of it. There was an interview in which he stated that “Childhood” was his most autobiographical song he has ever written. In the song, he laments about a childhood he missed out on and pleads, “before you judge me, try hard to love me.” After listening to it again, I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic and trapped for him at the same time. Michael Jackson was not ours to have, but he gave us everything he had. Its really sad that it took his passing for the media to reflect on the positive things that he contributed to our world. My hope is that Michael is remembered and loved as the amazing entertainer that he was and not judged as the monster the media made him out to be.
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After an abysmal release with “Here I Stand”, it seems like Usher is hard at work on his follow up album. Songs have been popping up left and right from the ATL singer. This one caught my ear as a song I would listen to on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
