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Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Rudy Ray Moore Plays it Raw, Rude & Real

Rudy Ray Moore, also known as the Mighty Dolemite, is another superfly player, who like Blowfly, has a somewhat ignominious reputation for his own series of rowdy party platters.

Moore has recorded at least 15 albums during a career that spans 4 decades.  His first record, Eat Out More Often, hit the streets in 1970.

Even more graphic than Blowfly, Rudy Ray Moore’s pulsating collection of steamy hot wax spawned a cast of characters who carried melodrama to hilarious heights.

Between Moore and Blowfly, you’ll get all you can handle from a couple of outrageous guys who filled a void with enterprising musical soul-comedy few others were willing to match or touch.

Some elements of today’s hip hop can credit the ‘no holds barred anything goes style’ pioneered by Moore and his contemporaries, exemplified by free flowing, uncensored, musical verse.

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Posted by King on 05/14 at 12:02 AM
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Monday, May 12, 2008

Blowfly is King of the Funky Soul Party

The original rappin’ classic soul comedic super hero, Blowfly, is about as raunchy and as far away from politically correct as you can get.

The alter ego of producer Clarence Reid, Blowfly has busted some nasty moves since the 1970’s behind his dynamite microphone.

You would never hear unedited Blowfly records on the radio in the USA, as airing them would guarantee a quick visit from the federal authorities.  You would hear few Blowfly tracks, period.

However, in basement party land, Blowfly reigned supreme, rocking the house with danceable dialogue guaranteed to make a sailor blush due to extremely salty language.

My favorite Blowfly track of all time is “Blowfly’s Rapp,” an amusing story about truckers, rednecks, and heathens not appropriate for the faint at heart.

It’s the “B” side of the 12” single, “Rapp Dirty."

Clarence “Blowfly” Reid’s other work is equally noteworthy, as he’s produced and written big hits for Betty Wright, Gwen McCrae, and KC & The Sunshine Band.

Blowfly represents a musical underground that was off the radar screen of many music fans.

Unlikely other non-musical but equally expressive personalities including Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx, Blowfly’s burlesque traveled in smaller circles but had impressive impact among comedy lovers who gravitated toward blue beat delivered high energy laughs.

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Friday, April 25, 2008

Janet Jackson Favors Little Discipline over Control

Now that the hype has settled surrounding the release of Janet Jackson’s new collection Discipline, let’s take a closer look at the music.

Heading south on the album charts, Discipline still holds onto a top 30 spot, having peaked the first week out at #1.

The biggest issue I have with Discipline is that Janet Jackson has thrown herself at the mercy of her producers.

Jermaine Dupri is all over the album as the main architect, whipping up Justin Timberlake like grooves on “Feedback."

With “Rollercoaster,” we hear the sample machine cranked up to the max, with screams, grunts, and beats bouncing around Janet’s lyrics for maximum punch.

The problem is that these musical theatrics craft the opposite effect that Janet’s sweet voice projects.

Trying too hard to be cutting Edge, Discipline disappoints.

This album is better than Janet’s last one, but the real Ms. Jackson is still pressing too hard to find her authentic voice.

You can tell a lot just from the CD pictures accompanying Discipline.

Where’s the musical beef?

Here are some other thoughts about Discipline...

The Los Angeles Times: “Discipline tries to service both Tyler Perry-loving moms and their gone-wild progeny, sacrificing Jackson’s own vision in the process."

Dot Music: “Still, if not perfect, there’s plenty to like on Discipline, and while none of it is exactly vintage Janet, there’s enough here to keep the Jackson name on pop’s A-list for a little while longer."

Boston Globe: “Jackson’s decision to recycle the nympho routine one more time is just boring."

Entertainment Weekly: “Despite a couple of promising tracks the music generally befits the absurd lyrics...Dupri, Ne-Yo, Rodney Jerkins, The-Dream, and StarGate often drown out Jackson’s breathy vocals with soulless beats.

PopMatters: “On Discipline, Janet sounds part nympho, part aging diva trying to keep up with her would be replacements. It works on some songs, but fails miserably on most."

Hartford Courant: “When juxtaposed with the album’s bubble-gum bounce, the creepy parts just seem creepier."

Village Voice: “Discipline is the most cohesive deep-groove album from La Jackson since “Control."

I’d say there is overall consensus that Discipline is pretty weak.

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Monday, April 21, 2008

Classic Soul Icons: Cooke, Benton, & Eckstine

The modern style of soul that morphed out of popular 1950’s R&B was partly created by pioneer Sam Cooke.

Cooke’s 1957 smash, “You Send Me,” was a #1 R&B hit for six weeks, and a #1 pop favorite for three weeks.

The entire Cooke story is revealed in Dorothy Ferebee’s review of Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke.

Not everyone followed Cooke’s mainstream cross-over appeal...

Brook Benton came close.  “It’s Just a Matter of Time” was a 1959 hit for Benton, a guy who started his career writing songs recorded by Nat King Cole and Clyde McPhatter (of the Drifters).

The Barry White of his era, Benton had seven #1 R&B songs including “Rainy Night in Georgia,” a #1 R&B song in 1970 (#4 pop).

Benton’s distinctive baritone was his trademark.

Billy “Mr. B” Eckstine, another crooner with a magnificent voice, entered the R&B hit parade in 1946 with “Prisoner of Love,” later reworked by James Brown.

Eckstine also recorded “Blue Moon” in 1949, a song that would be taken to a new level by the Marcels with their 1961 hit.

This 45 rpm picture sleeve photo of Eckstine, (from the PowerhouseRadio.com archive), is from a 1976 session produced by Quincy Jones and Herb Alpert.

Eckstine, solidly rooted in popular jazz, never significantly crossed over into the contemporary soul scene.  As with singer Arthur Prysock, attempts by producers to blend Eckstine’s style into youth oriented rhythms just never clicked.

That’s not to sell their vocal talents short.  Billy Eckstine, Brook Benton, and especially Sam Cooke all deserve their place in the sun as classic soul icons who pioneered the genre.

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Monday, April 07, 2008

Aquarian Dream's Flight of the Phoenix

You can never be sure what the exact formula is for success.

Unlike the mythical bird reincarnated from its ashes, not everyone can reinvent themselves like the Phoenix.

Aquarian Dream is one R&B group from the 1970s that had a well known personality promoting them to go along with their talent, but they never quite clicked with music fans.

According to music critic Alex Henderson, none of Aquarian Dream’s three albums have ever been reissued on CD.

The ensemble recorded for the Buddah and Elektra labels, with limited success, releasing Norman Connors Presents Aquarian Dream, Fantasy, and Chance To Dance.

Norman Connors attached his name to the debut Aquarian Dream album, a promotional technique often used to break new acts during this period.  Think Motown when Diana Ross presented The Jackson 5 on their first release.

You don’t see this gimmick happening today, as there are many more ways for artists to expose their music in non-traditional ways.

Listen to a little over 1 minute of Aquarian Dream singing their 1977 song “Phoenix.” You might be reminded of the classic soul of Rufus & Chaka Khan or Atlantic Starr.

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Thursday, March 06, 2008

Janet & Michael Jackson Share #1 at Billboard

While I’ve been listening to Janet Jackson’s new CD Discipline, trying to decide what if any of the collection I like, the release has quickly skyrocketed to the top of the Billboard 200.

It’s been a long time since Janet rose to #1.

Then, I tried to figure out, when was the last time, if any, both Janet and Michael Jackson had #1 Billboard albums at the same time.

Thriller 25, just released with plenty of remixes, is also slotted at #1 in the pop category for the Billboard publication issue of March 15, 2008.

Superstition says beware of the Ides of March!  That’s the day Emperor Julius Caesar met his doom (March 15).

For Janet and Michael however, it looks like this is their lucky day.

Now known in the music biz as classic soul “legacy artists,” Michael and Janet don’t get as much airplay as in the past.

# 1 chart positions for both of these records simultaneously in 2008 is quite a feat.

I’ll have much more to report about Janet’s Jackson’s Discipline soon.

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Posted by King on 03/06 at 06:30 PM
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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Buddy Miles Tribute

Drummer Buddy Miles passed away Wednesday, February 27, at the relatively young age of 60.

Caught in the middle between the musical implementation of pure soul and progressive rock, Miles in his heyday never received the credit he deserved as a creative solo artist.

Radio programmers back in the day could never figure out if his music was appropriate to play for their particular audiences.

Buddy Miles was all about fusing soul, blues, pop, and rock into a unique blend of driving hardcore rhythms.

In 1967, Buddy, working his way up the musical ladder, joined “Wicked” Wilson Pickett’s touring band as the drummer.  Soon after, guitarist Mike Bloomfield recruited Miles for the seminal horn-funk-blues group, The Electric Flag.

The Buddy Miles Express debuted in 1968 with the album, Expressway to Your Skull. I used the instrumental track “Funky Mule” from that album as my first and only theme song for a few years when I first started out in radio.

Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Miles had quite a few collaborations together, beginning in 1968 - 1969.  Hendrix wrote the liner notes on Expressway to Your Skull, and produced “Miss Lady” from the 2nd Miles album Electric Church.

Hendrix also produced the unreleased version of the instrumental “69 Freedom Special,” (that does appear on The Best of Buddy Miles) CD.

Miles continued to experiment as he moved on to Band of Gypsys with Hendrix and bassist Billy Cox.  I saw their only Madison Square Garden New York City performance live on January 28, 1970.

Unfortunately, what I remember was not positive, as Miles, Hendrix, and Cox only performed a couple of songs.  Hendrix “went on strike” after a couple of songs and stormed off the stage because of some disagreement.

Miles and Hendrix recorded the classic jazz-rock “Rainy Day Dream Away” and “Still Raining Still Dreaming” from Hendrix’s historic double LP Electric Ladyland.

I genuinely enjoyed Buddy’s solo albums, as they always contained several stand out tracks.

The PowerhouseRadio.com music vault contains 7 of his solo vinyl albums, plus A Long Time Comin’ by The Electric Flag.

I suppose I should mention that Buddy Miles was the voice of the California Raisins, an animated cartoon used to promote the raisin industry in the 1970’s.

Miles was a very good singer - as soulful as the best of his day.

In 1994, Buddy Miles reformed the Express and recorded an album for Rykodisc.

I was asked if I wanted to interview Buddy in 2007.  Unfortunately, we could not sync-up our schedules, so I ultimately passed.  Now I’m sorry I missed the opportunity.

Luckily, I did have the chance many years ago to talk with Buddy Miles live at The Bottom Line club in New York City and record the conversation when I was a student at New York University.

If you are not familiar with Buddy Miles, a great place to start is the CD, The Best of Buddy Miles.

It includes his only bonafide hit, “Them Changes."

Take a listen and sample 2 minutes and 20 seconds of the longer “Funky Mule,” and enjoy the Buddy Miles groove.  Check out his relentless percussive persuasion.

Here are my picks for the top 5 songs that showcase Buddy Miles:

  1. “Runaway Child”
  2. “Power of Soul” (Band of Gypsys)
  3. “Rainy Day, Dream Away” & “Still Raining, Still Dreaming” (guest with The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
  4. “69 Freedom Special”
  5. “Take It Off Him and Put It On Me”

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Posted by King on 02/28 at 12:02 AM
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Monday, February 11, 2008

10 Glamorous and Gritty Grammy Highlights

The 50th Annual Grammy Award telecast was a surprising winner.

Great music performances overshadowed the disbursement of awards.

There was so much eye-candy going on during many of the performances that you could mistake the jamming for a Hollywood musical.

In order, here are my 10 Glamorous and Gritty Grammy Highlights:

  1. Beyonce’ & Tina Turner’s tag-team performance of “Proud Mary.”
  2. Rihanna & Morris Day (pictured above) along with the Time delivering a seemingly well-rehearsed showstopper.
  3. Aretha Franklin’s gospel tribute along with a cast of “thousands.”
  4. Kanye West’s acceptance speech for Best Rap Album.  He refused to take the hook and get off the stage as he saluted the memory of his late mother.
  5. The “Rhapsody in Blue” jazz/classical tribute to George Gershwin featuring Herbie Hancock.
  6. Alicia Keys singing duet with a digitally recreated Frank Sinatra video.  Good tape editing on Frank to pull this off!
  7. Amy Winehouse’s mystical comments live from London for winning Record of the Year for “Rehab.”
  8. George Lopez urging Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to select “a Mexican” running mate for vice president.
  9. Herbie Hancock winning the Grammy for Album of the Year...River: The Joni Letters. A real surprise.
  10. Mary J. Blige sticking out her rear end (and never facing the camera) while pimping for Chevrolet in the best commercial of the evening.

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Posted by King on 02/11 at 12:02 AM
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Thursday, February 07, 2008

Grammys Sing for 50 Golden Moments this Sunday

Do you have the patience?

Do you have the stamina for another gut wrenching marathon of garbled gab, glittering bling, boring back stories, and haphazard harmonies from stars who may or may not have ever sung with each other?

This is the promise of the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, this Sunday, February 10th, from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

CBS Television is promising an 8 pm – 11:30 pm Eastern show, but look for the live event to run over in it’s time slot, as usual.

Some of the planned artist collaborations look frightening.  Many are quite a stretch.  However, look for the Grammys to go all out for their 50th anniversary show.

A soulful highlight may be Rihanna teaming up with a reunited “the” Time for a special 50th anniversary segment.

The music industry is in turmoil because of the expectation by a new generation of fans that tunes should be free.

Look for the performers to put their best game face on in an attempt to drive casual and passionate viewers alike to create some buzz about the 50th Anniversary Grammy beat...and to seek out the music.



Posted by King on 02/07 at 12:02 AM
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Thursday, January 31, 2008

Musical Men Missing from NAACP Image Award Nominations

Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Jill Scott lead the nominees in the female music category for the 39th Annual NAACP Image Awards.

The awards honor projects and individuals that promote diversity in the arts, television, music, literature and motion pictures.

"Stand Up and Be Counted” is the theme of this year’s show.

In the music category, is the NAACP missing the boat among younger male artists?  Or, in the age of hip hop, is there a reason that the modern R&B genre is being dominated women?

Only Prince is represented in the Outstanding Male Artist category.

You can watch the NAACP Image Awards live on Valentine’s Day, Thursday, February 14, 2008, 8:00-10:00 pm Eastern on Fox.


Here are the nominees in the Recording Category:


Outstanding New Artist:

  • Corbin Blue - Walt Disney Records
  • J. Holiday - Capitol
  • Sean Kingston - Sony


Outstanding Male Artist:

  • Prince - Columbia Records


Outstanding Female Artist:

  • Alicia Keys - J Records
  • Beyoncé - Columbia Records
  • Jill Scott - Hidden Beach Recordings
  • Mary J. Blige - Geffen


Outstanding Duo or Group:

  • Stephen Marley & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley


Outstanding Jazz Artist:

  • Kirk Whalum - Rendezvouz Entertainment
  • Patti Austin - Rendezvouz Entertainment


Outstanding Gospel Artist - (Traditional or Contemporary):

  • Marvin Winans - Pure Springs /EMI Gospel
  • Sounds of Blackness - Sounds of Blackness Records


Outstanding World Music Album:

  • Angelique Kidjo - “Djin Djin"- Razor & Tie
  • Various Artist - “Putumayo Presents: World Hits” - Putumayo


Outstanding Music Video:

  • “Beautiful Liar” - Beyonce - Columbia Records
  • “Just Fine” - Mary J. Blige - Geffen
  • “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” - Alicia Keys - J Records


Outstanding Song:

  • “Beautiful Flower” – India.Arie - Universal Republic
  • “Just Fine” - Mary J. Blige - Geffen
  • “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” - Alicia Keys - J Records
  • “Umbrella” - Rihanna feat. Jay-Z - Island Def Jam


Outstanding Album:

  • Alicia Keys - “As I Am” - J Records
  • Mary J. Blige - “Growing Pains” - Geffen

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Posted by King on 01/31 at 12:02 AM
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Monday, January 28, 2008

Motown Hits & Misses: High Inergy, Dynamic Superiors, & Willie Hutch

In the late 1970’s, after Motown headed to Hollywood, motor city magic just wasn’t the same in the city of Angels.

Rick James and Smokey Robinson were still cashing in with hits, but for another group of artists, times were tough.

Motown has signed plenty of groups through the years who have had only marginal success, if any.

Pasadena California’s High Inergy, is one girl group who never quite broke through.  From their 1977 album Turnin’ On, “You Can’t Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On),” showed much promise.

A Sister Sledge type act, High Inergy just didn’t receive the high profile producers, or the right promotion.  Personnel changes also hindered their growth.

Washington D.C.’s Dynamic Superiors are another Motown group who ended up on the “B” list.

Motown tried hard to showcase this act.

Dynamic Superiors recorded 5 albums for the label between 1975 - 1978.

1976’s Give & Take, produced by Brian Holland for Holland-Dozier-Holland Productions, included spirited material along with covers of “Nowhere To Run” and Stevie wonder’s “All In Love Is Fair."

Much of the Dynamic Superior’s uptempo music was awash in a sea of generic disco rhythm.  This didn’t help differentiate them from similar sounding acts.

Willie Hutch excelled as a producer and writer of many hits for a variety of artists including the 5th Dimension.

He produced early Motown releases by Michael Jackson and Smokey Robinson.

One song Hutch is best remembered for as a solo artist comes from the soundtrack of the 1973 movie The Mack.

"Brother’s Gonna Work It Out” is a classic soul marvel, in the best tradition of “Shaft,” “Superfly,” and Bobby Womack’s “Across 110th Street” (recently featured in American Gangster).

Hutch’s Havin’ A House Party was released by Motown in 1977.  He was an average talent as a performer, and an exceptional talent as a producer.

Listen to a 1 minute and 45 second montage of High Inergy, the Dynamic Superiors, and Willie Hutch.

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Posted by King on 01/28 at 12:02 AM
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Thursday, January 17, 2008

Michael Jackson's Thriller 25 Seeks Love on Valentine's Day

The 25th anniversary edition of Thriller is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, February 12, 2008.

Will Michael Jackson find love right before Valentine’s Day?

When the 25th anniversary edition of Superfly was released in November, 1997, Curtis Mayfield fans hit the jackpot.

The 2 CD set included all of the original songs from 1972, plus a bonus CD featuring a long Curtis Mayfield interview, some Curtis Mayfield radio public service announcements, plus new alternative mixes of most of the original songs.

Will Thriller 25 live up to this standard?

You can argue that both Superfly and Thriller are important albums in the history of classic soul.  Both were innovative, commercially successful, and huge crossover hits.

With sister Janet Jackson scheduled to release her own new album in February, will Thriller 25 receive any interest after so many previous Michael Jackson greatest hits collections?

There will be 3 versions of Thriller 25 according to Sony BMG Music:

  1. A CD + Bonus DVD with the classic album cover featuring the debut of the Moonwalk from the Motown 25 celebration and a 20 page booklet.
  2. A CD + Bonus DVD with a newly designed “zombie” album cover featuring the debut of the Moonwalk from the Motown 25 celebration and a 20 page booklet.
  3. A hardbound case + book deluxe edition with a 48 page booklet as well as the CD + Bonus DVD.

I don’t see anything so compelling that would encourage me to grab a copy of Thriller 25 based upon these 3 descriptions.

It’s really all about the music, not collectable CD covers.

Thriller 25, The World’s Biggest Selling Album of all Time is plastered on the CD cover.  Have you forgotten?

We’ll see if Michael and Janet can reenergize sagging careers with their February 2008 releases.

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Posted by King on 01/17 at 12:02 AM
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Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Rhythm King Ike Turner Dies at 76

Ike Turner, an R&B and rock innovator, has passed away at the age of 76.

Ike & Tina Turner were shocking audiences 40 years ago with an explosive show featuring the leggy lady Ikettes, Tina’s dynamic moves, and Ike’s slave driver dominance of the band.

His abuse of Tina Turner is well documented in the movie, What’s Love Got To Do With It.

Ike formed his first band, the Kings of Rhythm, while he was still in school.  He played guitar on some early rock and roll hits in the 1950’s, including the song “Rocket 88” in 1951 by saxophonist Jackie Brenston, (recorded at the famous Sun Studios in Memphis).

By 1956, Tina Turner became a vocalist with Ike, and in 1958, the same year they were married, she became the band’s lead vocalist.

Between 1958 and 1966, Ike and Tina worked hard to establish their reputation as gifted electric entertainers.

Producer Phil Spector gave them their first big break leading to international success in 1966, with “River Deep, Mountain High,” a #3 hit in the U.K.  Despite the global acceptance of “River Deep, Mountain High,” the song did not connect as well with American audiences.

By 1969, Ike and Tina were recording cover songs originally performed by Sly & The Family Stone, and The Beatles.  Another cover, “Proud Mary” from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s songbook propelled the duo to #4 on the U.S. charts in 1971.

Just this year, Ike Turner won a 2007 Grammy Award in the traditional blues album category for Risin’ with The Blues.

Ike will probably be most remembered as a tragic figure.  Despite exceptional musical talent, his demons of drug addition and wife-abusing are always going to be associated with his legend.

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Posted by King on 12/12 at 04:30 PM
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Monday, December 10, 2007

50th Annual Grammy Grab to Spotlight Great R&B

There a 7 R&B categories in the 50th Annual Grammy Awards to be held Sunday, February 10th, 2008, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Elligible music was released between October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007.

Once upon a time the Grammy honorees shared about 26 awards each year.  Now with over 100 categories and enough awards to stroke everyone’s ego, the special nature of winning has been watered down.

If all of the nominated records in the Best R&B album category are new productions, rather than reissues, then what’s the difference between this category and the Best Contemporary R&B album?

Maybe it’s an artificial separation between some old school and new school performers.

Here are 5 of the 7 R&B categories and the nominees:

  • Best Female R&B Vocal Performance

    “Just Fine”
    Mary J. Blige

    “When I See You”
    Fantasia

    “No One”
    Alicia Keys

    “If I Have My Way”
    Chrisette Michele

    “Hate On Me”
    Jill Scott

  • Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

    “Woman”
    Raheem DeVaughn

    “B.U.D.D.Y.”
    Musiq Soulchild

    “Because Of You”
    Ne-Yo

    “Future Baby Mama”
    Prince

    “Please Don’t Go”
    Tank

  • Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

    “Same Girl”
    R. Kelly Featuring Usher

    “Disrespectful”
    Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige

    “Hate That I Love You”
    Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo

    “Baby”
    Angie Stone Featuring Betty Wright

    “Bartender”
    T-Pain Featuring Akon

  • Best R&B Album

    Funk This
    Chaka Khan

    Lost & Found
    Ledisi

    Luvanmusiq
    Musiq Soulchild

    The Real Thing
    Jill Scott

    Sex, Love & Pain
    Tank

  • Best Contemporary R&B Album

    Konvicted
    Akon

    Just Like You
    Keyshia Cole

    Fantasia
    Fantasia

    East Side Story
    Emily King

    Because Of You
    Ne-Yo

Grammy.com has all of the Grammy Nominees and categories.

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Posted by King on 12/10 at 08:30 AM
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Monday, November 12, 2007

Michael Jackson's New Ebony Look

The buzz is growing about the Michael Jackson cover story in the December 2007 issue of Ebony magazine.

It’s the 25 anniversary of Thriller.  Michael needs some positive publicity, hence “the king of pop” has granted access to Ebony.

The Brooklyn Museum in New York City was recently turned into a photo-shoot backdrop to stage “the neo-imaging renaissance look” for Mr. Jackson.

There’s a 2 minute plus video on the Ebony/Jet web site featuring magazine staffers who repeatedly justify the attention they are lavishing on M.J. by reciting his album/CD sales statistics.  It almost sounds like they are apologizing for placing him back in the spotlight.

Will Ebony do the hard reporting and present a balanced representation about the past 25 years in the life of the controversial Michael?

We’ll see.  I’m looking forward to reading it.

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Posted by King on 11/12 at 08:11 AM
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