Singer
Nina Simone dies at the age of 70
The
legendary jazz vocalist/singer Nina Simone
passed away last Monday (April 21) at her home in the south of France.
She was 70. The cause of death is yet to be determined but her manager
Clifton Henderson said she
had died of 'natural cuases' although it's believed she had been
battling cancer for some time.
The lady who had the rugged,
at times crusty voice was born in North Carolina, and was best known
for her interpretation of 'My Baby Just
Cares for Me' back in 1966. She also recorded the socially
conscious songs 'Mississippi Goddamn'
and 'Old Jim Crow'.
Simone straddled the boundaries
between pop, R&B, blues, folk, and jazz. Trained at Juilliard
as a classical pianist, she began her career as an accompanist.
She then signed to Bethlehem Records,
where she scored a No. 2 R&B hit and entered the pop top 20
in 1959 with George Gershwin's 'I Loves
You, Porgy'. She scored hits in the '60s with renditions
of blues standards 'Nobody Knows You When
You're Down and Out' and 'Trouble
in Mind' as well as an arrangement of Screamin'
Jay Hawkins' 'I Put a Spell
on You'. She is survived by a daughter, Lisa.
Source: ap.org and billboard.com
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Galactic
Mutherland's debut makes a big impression
In
recent months, there has been an array of new acts that has drop
some tunes that are just (in a word - brilliant) wicked but there's
no details on them or where they originate from or better yet
no web site of their own to draw attention to them (Bon
Garcon comes to mind immediately) and another act much
in the same vein is newcomers 'Galactic
Mutherland'.
They have an 5 track EP
out on Varsity International
and the tracks on there are just superb. 'Destiny'
features vocalist Tiffany Persons
and the vibe on this tune just sets you in motion for the rest
of the EP. Wonderful production, excellent instrumentation set
this one apart from the rest. It's a must have for any soul
enthausiast. Unfortunately it hasn't made it's way to American
soil yet so you will have to get it on line via 2-funky.co.uk
or onewayrecords.co.uk.
Don't miss out on this one.
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Red
Star Sounds Vol. 3 to be a 'Reggae' affair
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The first 2 releases showcased R&B, Soul and rap so it's
only fitting that the third installment of the Red
Star Sounds series, Red
Star Sounds, Vol. 3: Def Jamaica would be a reggae
affair. Released through the non-profit Heineken
Music Initiative in a joint venture with Island
Def Jam Music Group, the new album is due to drop
in August. It will feature reggae stars and hip-hop artists
collaborating on tracks. Some of
the collaborations slated for the album sees Method
Man and Redman
working with Stephen and
Damian Marley, Scarface
and Nokio (from Dru
Hill) dropping lyrics with T.K.O.,
Capone & Norega
teaming with Jamaican DJ Lexxus,
and Cam'ron teaming up with reggae
superstar Buju Banton. More
collaborations are expected; the final track list has yet to
be set.
Proceeds
from the album will benefit music education programs across
the U.S., as did previous editions 'Red
Star Sounds Volume I: Soul
Searchin' and 'Red Star
Presents Vol. 2: B-Sides'.
