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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Time Tested Alexander O'Neal Takes a New Journey

Alexander O’Neal teamed up with Cherrelle in 1986 to score with the hit duet “Saturday Love."

O’Neal, a Minneapolis, Minnesota native now hangs his hat in the UK.  Has Great Britain changed Alexander’s musical approach?

The answer lies in 5 Questions the New Journey, O’Neal’s first new album since 2002.

As an original member of the Time, he parted ways with the band before the group achieved their biggest success.

Listen to 30 seconds of “My House,” and see if Alexander O’Neal is keeping time to a new groove.

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Posted by King on 07/27 at 08:00 PM
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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

A New Edition for Bell Biv DeVoe

1986.  Bobby Brown leaves New Edition.  1988.  Three other group members Michael Bivins, Ricky Bell, and Ronnie DeVoe (seen here) team up with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

By 1990, the Bell Biv DeVoe album with the title track “Poison” is released, a 3 million seller.

What are the guys doing today?

Slipping in a few live performance dates to be sure.

This Marquee promotes a Thursday, July 15, 2010 show at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia.

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Posted by King on 07/13 at 08:00 PM
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Thursday, July 08, 2010

Michael Jackson Tribute by the Commodores

“Nightshift," the haunting tribute hit by the Commodores memorializing Marvin Gaye, among others, was released in 1984.

The song won a Grammy Award in 1985.

25 years later in 2010, the Commodores have re-recorded “Nightshift” with their original production team (Dennis Lambert & Peter Wolf) as a tribute to Michael Jackson.

They’ve done a nice job updating this classic soul gem.

Listen to 45 seconds of “Nightshift,” a tribute to Michael Jackson.

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Posted by King on 07/08 at 08:30 PM
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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

George Clinton to Hangout in Hampton VA

George Clinton will help Hampton, Virginia celebrate it’s 400th anniversary with a funk party on Saturday, September 11, 2010 at 8 pm.

200,000 plus attendees are expected to gather at one of the East coast’s largest family-friendly festivals for the weekend.

On the evening of the show, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic will take to the City Hall stage.

It’s the 28th annual Hampton Bay Days weekend, an event founded in 1982 to remind the public about the importance of the Chesapeake Bay in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, and Maryland region.

In other recent George news...

George Clinton and El DeBarge perform a great tongue-n-cheek version of Barry White’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” on George’s 2008 CD, George Clinton and his Gangsters of Love.

Here’s a quick 6 second video of George receiving the 2009 BMI Icon Award (seen with Bootsy Collins).

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Posted by King on 06/22 at 07:30 PM
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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Oil Spill Worries Won't Stop The Essence Music Festival in New Orleans

The last time I was in New Orleans, I was treated to a trip on one of those paddle wheel riverboat casinos (right out of the Mark Twain era).

Bayous, the mighty Mississippi, and the Gulf of Mexico keep the aquatic soul of New Orleans hummin’.

Despite the problems from the recent Gulf oil spill, the reliable Essence Music Festival makes it’s annual appearance July 2nd through July 4th, 2010 in the Big Easy.

Pig-out on regional shrimp gumbo at your own risk, although we don’t want to be accused of questioning the safety of the area’s seafood.

You’ll experience some of the best food, and some of the best music found in any USA city right in New Orleans.

The Essence Music Festival main stage headliners keep the tradition alive during the July 4th holiday weekend.

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Posted by King on 06/15 at 07:30 PM
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Thursday, June 03, 2010

Bettye LaVette Sings the Real Deal

Bettye LaVette is the legendary female classic soul lady who’s career is repeatedly described as invisible anonymity.

She’s not a household name.  How can this be?

In 1962, she had a top 10 R&B hit with her very first recording, “My Man-He’s A Lovin’ Man."

Through the years, Bettye has teased the R&B charts, never quite breaking through to big time fame.

Despite this stigma, she’s earned an iconic reputation as one of the most gifted song interpreters you’ll ever hear.

Enter Bettye LaVette’s May, 2010 release Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook.

Classic soul invades the classic rock play book to sprout 13 re-groomed tunes.

The album concept reverses the 1960’s trend of British bands covering the songs of American blues artists.

LaVette recasts the formula weaving rock hits into fresh, mellow, torch songs fueled by soul-to-the-bone emotion.

These chestnuts are not the usual overexposed suspects.

Even If you’ve never heard of the original songs, and don’t know who recorded them, this collection could easily stand on it’s own as a quality introduction to Bettye LaVette.

I have been following the hype about this album for months, and I’m happy to say it delivers.

One personal criticism is LaVette’s choice to sing some of what were original uptempo classics as ballads this time around, however she creates inspired renderings with clear, understood lyrics.

Who says you can’t have a renaissance in the music business after kickin’ it for over 40 years!

Check out Bettye LaVette Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook

  1. “The Word” (Lennon & McCartney)
  2. “No Time To Live” (Capaldi & Winwood)
  3. “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” (Benny Benjamin)
  4. “All My Love” (John Paul Jones & Robert Plant)
  5. “Isn’t It A Pity” (George Harrison)
  6. “Wish You Were Here” (Roger Waters)
  7. “It Don’t Come Easy” (Richard Starkey)
  8. “Maybe I’m Amazed” (Paul McCartney)
  9. “Salt of the Earth” (Mick Jagger & Keith Richards)
  10. “Nights In White Satin” (Justin Hayward)
  11. “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad” (Eric Clapton)
  12. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” (Elton John)
  13. “Love Reign O’er Me” (Pete Townshend)

Track 13 is a bonus track recorded live at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, December, 2008.

Listen to 30 seconds of “Isn’t It A Pity” sung by Bettye LaVette.

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Posted by King on 06/03 at 12:00 AM
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Monday, May 10, 2010

Lena Horne Leaves a Lasting Legacy of Music

Lena Horne was an all-media superstar who captured hearts on radio, television, movies, records, and Broadway.

Ms. Horne was attracted to show business early as a 16-year-old chorus girl at Harlem’s famous Cotton Club in 1933.

She was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 30, 1917, and celebrated her 90th birthday in 2007.

Ms. Horne has just passed away at 92 (on May 10, 2010).

In 1981, Quincy Jones’ Qwest Records released Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music Live on Broadway.

Listen to 60 seconds of Lena Horne singing “If You Believe” from this double album.

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Posted by King on 05/10 at 08:00 PM
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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Toni Braxton Returns with a Hot Pulse

Toni Braxton has spread musical joy ever since 1991’s “Love Shoulda Brought You Home” landed in the Boomerang movie soundtrack.

Her 5 Grammy Awards (1993, 1994, 1997, 2000) complement memorable hits including “Another Sad Love Song."

According to her official biography, while studying to become a teacher at Bowie State University in Maryland, Toni was discovered by producers L.A. Reid and Babyface.

She survived a well-publicized bankruptcy in 1997, which she characterizes as “a major learning opportunity for me."

Toni began her first Broadway run in 1998 with a starring role in “Beauty & The Beast."

In 2005, she headlined Toni Braxton: Revealed at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.  In 2008, she competed on ABC’s Dancing with Stars and headlined the Dancing with the Stars tour.

Toni Braxton is now signed with Atlantic Records.  Her new album, Pulse, is scheduled for release on Tuesday, May 4, 2010.

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Posted by King on 04/29 at 08:00 PM
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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Can Record Store Day Save a Sinking Ship?

Album sales are down 6.1 percent in the first 3 month of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

They add that for the first time, iTunes and CD sales online have passed the traditional big box retailers.

Amazon and their digital brethren now make up the largest distribution channel for music, and for good reason.

Big boxers like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy have dropped the ball when challenged with stocking a satisfactory variety of the newest music being released.

You’ll always find the A-list performers in their racks, but you are hard pressed to find a deep selection of new music representing a variety of artists from different niche genres.

Jazz, soul, and R&B are frequent victims of this trend.

Bookstores including Encore and Barnes and Noble do a better job stocking tunes, but as with the big box stores, music sales no longer represent a growth area.

The digital music download world is hurting too.

Nielsen SoundScan says that downloads experienced their first year-to-year quarterly sales decline ever, falling about 1 percent between January 1 and April 4.

In the same period in 2009, digital download sales were up 13 percent over 2008.

CD’s will eventually go the way of the horse and buggy, just as electric vehicles will slowly take market share from gas engine cars.

Computers inevitably crash, and unless you back everything up, there’s still a better element of permanency when investing in compact discs.

The CD for many is still an important part of their music collection.

Once upon a time, the best place in town to salivate over new releases and bountiful catalogs was the record store.

I worked in an independent record store for 3 years part-time as a teenager.

Today, only the bigger cities can still support the few independent record emporiums that are left.

In Philadelphia, my favorite is Sound of Market Street (JazSound), surviving in 2010 with an awesome collection of CD’s (and vinyl discs).

A worldwide event has been created to spotlight stores just like Sound of Market (JazSound).

Saturday, April 17 will mark the 3rd annual Record Store Day.

RecordStoreDay.com says that the original idea for this promotion was “conceived by Chris Brown, and was founded in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally."

The website further amplifies the concept explaining “this is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music."

"Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances."

Record Store Day is now celebrated on the 3rd Saturday every April.

At RecordStoreDay.com, I did a random ‘search by state’ to see what was happening in Texas.  Over 50 independent record stores came up in the Lone Star State, so there still is a heartbeat left in this disappearing institution that’s now on life-support.

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Posted by King on 04/15 at 12:00 AM
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Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Angelique Kidjo OYO

Back in 2002 on Powerhouse Radio, I started playing “Iwoya,” an Angelique Kidjo duet with Dave Matthews from her album, Black Ivory Soul, released that year.

Kidjo is a unique artist from West Africa, (Benin), mixing it up with a potpourri of eclectic world rhythms and soulful funky beats.

She’s just released her 9th album, OYO, singing in both traditional and English languages.

James Brown’s “Cold Sweat,” and Curtis Mayfield’s “Move on Up” (with John Legend & Bono) are a couple of the English language tracks.

Don’t worry about the language barrier, as this is universal music.

Kidjo has unfortunately never received a lot of exposure in the USA.  Perhaps this time around with a new album, things will change.

Her current tour is catering to her European fan base, with these 2010 dates:

  • April 11, Krefield, Germany - Kulturfabrik
  • April 12, Berlin, Germany - Kesselhaus
  • April 13, Hamburg, Germany - Fabrik
  • April 15, Frankfurt, Germany - Botfabrik
  • April 16, Cully, Switzerland - Cully Jazz Festival
  • April 17, Paris, France - La Cigale
  • April 20, Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio
  • April 21, Helsinki, Finland - Savoy Theatre
  • April 22, Oslo, Norway - Cosmopolitan
  • April 24, Stockholm, Sweden - Götakällaren

Watch Angelique Kidjo & Joss Stone perform “Gimme Shelter,” a blast from the past.



Listen to Angelique, John Legend, and Bono sing “Move on Up” (59 seconds) from her new album, OYO.

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Posted by King on 04/06 at 08:00 PM
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Thursday, March 25, 2010

Erykah Badu Presents New Amerykah part 2 Return Of Ankh

Dallas, Texas native Erykah Badu is scheduled to release New Amerykah, PT. 2: Return Of Ankh on Tuesday, March 30, 2010.

This is her 9th album.

Badu, a unique singer and songwriter, commands a very loyal fan following.

With vocals that sometimes assault the senses, Erykah is not afraid to put fresh spins on R&B grooves.  It’s this capacity that makes her stand out from the rest of the formulaic female crowd.

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Posted by King on 03/25 at 07:30 AM
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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Jimi Hendrix Experiences the Valleys of Neptune

He only authorized the release of 4 albums, yet Jimi Hendrix set the standard by which all other guitar legends are measured.

2010 is the year of the Jimi Hendrix Catalogue Project, a partnership between Sony Legacy Records and the Hendrix estate.

It’s been 40 years since his death in 1970.

Over the decades, we’ve seen an unending parade of Hendrix reissues, remixes, and alternate take collections dropped on the market.

I’ve passed on all of them...until now, and it was worth the wait!

Valleys of Neptune was officially released on Tuesday, March 9.

To say Jimi Hendrix was a genius is an understatement.  Witness these 12 never before released songs (or versions), many courtesy of the final studio recordings by the original Jimi Hendrix Experience.

You’re not getting reheated leftovers. Valleys of Neptune features Hendrix in the recording studio during his creative peak.

People who review music for a living have been gushing over this album anticipating its release for months.  I agree it doesn’t disappoint.

Rather than spend a lot of time going through track by track, I’ll say that Hendrix shows here why he is a master at blending blues and rock riffs into cascading explosions of stunning originality.

He mesmerizes you with spontaneous tactical proficiency pushing the envelope repeatedly with surprise guitar licks to wow the senses.

The Valleys of Neptune CD booklet contains 10 pages of enjoyable well researched liner notes by John McDermott who tells the inside story about the various tracks.

10 well photographed pictures detail the emotional focus of Jimi at work.

Hendrix differentiates strong new versions of “Stone Free,” “Fire,” and “Red House” from the originals with equally compelling alternate arrangements.

Valleys of Neptune:

  1. “Stone Free”
  2. “Valleys of Neptune”
  3. “Bleeding Heart”
  4. “Hear My Train A Comin’”
  5. “Mr. Bad Luck”
  6. “Sunshine of Your Love”
  7. “Lover Man”
  8. “Ships Passing Through The Night”
  9. “Fire”
  10. “Red House”
  11. “Lullaby For The Summer”
  12. “Crying Blue Rain”
  13. “Slow Version” (bonus)
  14. “Trash Man” (bonus)

The 2 bonus tracks are not on all versions of this album.  Look for the one with 14 songs.

If I had to recommend 3 Jimi Hendrix albums for new fans, I would grab:

  1. Are You Experienced
  2. Electric Ladyland
  3. Valleys of Neptune

Electric Ladyland is probably his best.

Want to see the 2010 all-star Jimi Hendrix tribute concert tour?  You’d better hurry, as most of the dates as of this writing are sold out.

Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers, and bassist Billy Cox (a Hendrix army buddy who played on the Band of Gypsys live album) are part of the tour.

  • Thursday, March 11, San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
  • Friday, March 12, Reno, NV - Silver Legacy Resort Casino
  • Sunday, March 14, Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre SOLD OUT
  • Monday, March 15, Salina, KS - Stiefel Theatre For The Performing Arts
  • Tuesday, March 16, Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
  • Wednesday, March 17, Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre
  • Thursday, March 18, Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre SOLD OUT
  • Saturday, March 20, St. Louis, MO - Fox Theatre
  • Sunday, March 21, Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre SOLD OUT
  • Tuesday, March 23, Akron, OH - Akron Civic Theatre SOLD OUT
  • Wednesday, March 24, Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre SOLD OUT
  • Thursday, March 25, Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theatre SOLD OUT
  • Saturday, March 27, Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre

Listen to 33 seconds of “Bleeding Heart” by Jimi Hendrix from Valleys of Neptune.

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Posted by King on 03/11 at 12:00 AM
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Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Jimmy Cliff Rolls Reggae into Rock Hall of Fame

Jamaican Jimmy Cliff is in the fraternity of reggae brothers Johnny Nash, Bob Marley, Denroy Morgan, Shabba Ranks, and others.

In different decades, these singers have all boosted the allure of reggae music as a dancehall genre crying out for more mass appeal acceptance.

As an ambassador of his craft, Jimmy Cliff, and his respected brethren above, have all achieved it...hard earned cross-over mainstream success.

Cliff recorded “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” in 1970, his biggest hit.  You can listen to a sample of it below.

With more than 30 albums in his catalogue, it’s really not surprising that Jimmy Cliff is being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, March 15, 2010 in New York City.

Cliff has more than 30 movie soundtrack credits to his name too.

Perhaps his biggest claim to fame is as an actor.  Watch the trailer from The Harder They Come, Cliff’s 1972 role as a reggae singer looking to break out big.

The Harder They Come is the movie credited with introducing reggae to a worldwide audience.

Jimmy Cliff will join the other 2010 inductees: Abba, Genesis, The Hollies, and The Stooges.

Listen to 30 seconds of “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” by Jimmy Cliff.

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Posted by King on 03/09 at 12:00 AM
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Thursday, March 04, 2010

Sharon Jones takes the Long Road to SXSW in Austin

The annual Austin, Texas music extravaganza, SXSW, (South by Southwest), will draw dynamic acts from all over the globe for the March 17 - 21 (music week), 2010 showcase.

1987 was the first SXSW in Austin, a unique music city that mixes jazz, blues, rock, country, & folk.  This Texas town claims to have “more original music nightclubs in a concentrated area than any other city in the world."

One group getting a lot of attention this year is Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, who will perform Wednesday evening, March 17.

Within some music circles, the R&B authenticity of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings is hotly debated.

Without question, Sharon’s soulful delivery is genuine.  Are the Dap-Kings the second coming of original instrumental virtuosity on par with Booker T. & the MG’s (Memphis), The Funk Brothers (Motown), or MFSB (Philadelphia)?

No, if that’s what you’re looking for.

I’d argue that Jones & company have fused these influences to produce a contemporary neo classic soul sound that doesn’t necessarily mimic the expectations of past legacy styles.

When you have a diverse ethnic mix of musicians in a group, fresh sounds are often invented.

People who have seen Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings rave about their intense live show.

It’s also rare for a performer to jump into the music game after the age of 40, and achieve the success Sharon has earned.

You’ve heard the sound of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings in these movies: Soul Men (sound track), Up in the Air, American Gangster and The Great Debaters.

If you won’t be in Austin for SXSW, here’s the current international tour schedule for Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings:

  • Friday, March 26, Snoe.down Festival - Rutland, VT
  • Saturday, April 10, Astra - Berlin, Germany
  • Tuesday, April 13, Trabendo - Paris, France
  • Wednesday, April 14, Koko - London, UK
  • Thursday, April 15, Paradiso - Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Saturday, April 17, Wanee Festival - Live Oak, FL
  • Thursday, April 22, Festival Internationale de Louisiane - Lafayette, LA
  • Friday, April 23, The Howling Wolf - New Orleans, LA
  • Saturday, April 24, Double Decker Festival - Oxford, MS
  • Friday, April 30, Apollo Theater - New York City, NY
  • Saturday, May 1, Apollo Theater - New York City, NY
  • Thursday, May 6, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden - Richmond, VA
  • Friday, May 7, Ram’s Head Onstage - Annapolis, MD
  • Saturday, May 8, Jefferson Theater - Charlottesville, VA
  • Sunday, May 9, The NorVa - Norfolk, VA
  • Tuesday, May 11, Cat’s Cradle - Carrboro, NC
  • Wednesday, May 12, Orange Peel - Ashesville, NC
  • Thursday, May 13, Center Stage - Atlanta Atlanta, GA
  • Friday, May 14, Cannery Ballroom - Nashville, TN
  • Saturday, May 15, Nelsonville Music Festival - Nelsonville, OH
  • Monday, May 17, The Southgate House - Newport, KY
  • Tuesday, May 18, Majestic Theatre - Detroit, MI

Look for the new Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings collection, I Learned the Hard Way, their 4th album, scheduled for release on Tuesday, April 6th, 2010.

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Posted by King on 03/04 at 07:00 AM
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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Philadelphia International Records Studio Saved from Inferno

Philadelphia producers Leon Huff and Kenny Gamble are pictured here in the recording studio.

The Philadelphia International Records founders reported at a Tuesday February 23, press conference that their recording studio was spared in a recent weekend two-alarm fire at their headquarters.

Melted in the blaze and gone for good: numerous gold and platinum records, along with about 40 percent of their memorabilia.

Master recordings are stored off-site and are safe.

The O’Jays, The Three Degrees, MFSB, Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle, and others recorded hits for Gamble, Huff, and producer Thom Bell in these famous studios.

Philadelphia fire fighters have not yet determined what caused the blaze, but Fire Commissioner Lloyd M. Ayers states that “it’s a little suspicious."

Gamble, Huff, and Bell own the building at 309 South Broad Street.  They pledge to rebuild the structure, which has become a Philadelphia tourist attraction.

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Posted by King on 02/23 at 07:30 PM
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