The time is 'Now' for Maxwell's latest....finally
One
can hardly believe it but the latest release from 'Musze man' Maxwell is
about to hit the shelves (Aug 21st)...finally and not a moment to soon I
might add. This set has been delayed and pushed back since February but now
it's finally upon us .
The New
York native has taken the better part of 2 and a half years to follow up
1998's 'Embrya'
which saw mix reviews among critics alike (what do they know eh!) The
album amply entitled 'Now'
(how appropriate) sees the return of long time friends and collaboraters Wah
Wah Watson and Stuart
Matthewman (Sade's front man)
as Maxwell's signature sound is well represented from the word get go.
Stand
outs are hard to come by when it comes to the man and his music because
almost every track seems to top the last but for me 'Get
to know ya', 'Lifetime',
'Temporary Nite',
'Silently'
and 'Now/At the party'
shines the brightest and fans worldwide will once again say it's well worth
the wait..
__________________________________________________________________
Kardinal
Offishall shows some 'Ol' time Killin' in Miami
We
are fully aware that Canada can produce some fine talent when it come to
fusing the hip hop world with the reggae world and a fine example of this is
shown by Toronto native
Kardinal
Offishall (birth name: Jason
Harrow) who made a pit stop in
Miami recently to promote his debut release 'Quest
for Fire - Firestarter Vol.1'
The 24
old rapper showed he's got skills as he laid down the lyrics of his current
smash hit 'Barkardi Slang'
to the listening public at a recent stop to WEDR 99Jamz radio. The album is
in stores now and I must say that if you like a change of pace in your hip
hop/rap music then this is a disc you would like so hop on down to your
local record shop and give it a listen.
_________________________________________________________________
New
Melky Sedeck track is lead off single for movie soundtrack
The
year 1999 saw newcomers Melky Sedeck bursts onto the R&B scene with
their excellent renindition of LuLu's masterpiece
'To Sir with Love' from
their debut release 'Brother,
Sister' (MCA). With the success of the that
release comes their latest effort 'Kitty Kat
World' taken from the forthcoming
movie soundtrack 'Two can play that
game' in stores Aug 28th.
The
younger brother sister of rapper, producer extrodinaire Wyclef Jean (who
serves as producer on the single) shows another pleasing effort with The
Meters 'Just kissed my
baby' as the backbone to the track. Looks like
another hit for the duo and with big brother on the beats it shouldn't miss.
The movie (in theatres Sept 7th) stars Vivica A. Fox
(Soul Food, Independence
Day), Morris Chestnut
(The Brothers, The Best
Man), Gabrielle Union
(Bring it on, She's all
That)
and a cameo from the bad boy himself Bobby Brown
(A thin line between Love and
Hate).
The soundtrack features song from Damozel,
The Emotions and
Carl
Carlton.
__________________________________________________________________
Newcomer
Jill Dexter...just who is she?
You
most likely haven't heard of her music or her name but I can tell you she
can certainly sing. Julie Dexter is a
world-renowned singer / songwriter who has won numerous awards
internationally. A classically trained musician who writes, arranges, composes and
produces practically all of her material, Julie is considered by many to be one of the most important female
vocalists of her generation and has been dubbed by her fans as "The
UK's Queen of Soul."
Her influences in
music runs very deep with such legendary names as Abbey
Lincoln, Billie Holiday and
Nancy Wilson, as well as the new era movement
acts such as
Omar and Sade, Julie brings the essence of classic soul to the mainstream
forum. The EP is called 'Peace of
Mind' and it features 6 exquisit tracks
that wets the jazz, soul, reggae and rhythm lover in you. Notables include 'Ketch
a vibe', 'Sweet
Melodies' and 'Sweet
dub'. I urge you to get
ahold of this talented young lady's set and at only $8 for the CD it's worth every
cent. Don't miss out.
__________________________________________________________________
The
Isley Brothers latest proves to be 'Eternal'
Their status in the
music industry is 'Eternal' as the Isley Brothers enter their 5th decade as
the infamous group. The lads have been making music that makes us move to
the groove and set the mood to make babies for the better part of 40 years
with no sign of slowing down.
Now after a 5 year
stint from the spotlight the brothers return with their latest release 'Eternal' (in stores Aug 7th) a timely effort that features tracks produced
by Jimmy Jam and
Terry Lewis,
Raphael Saadiq and
R. Kelly to name a few.
Ernie' s signature voice shines as the par in both high and low barotones.
The 14 track set includes a duet featuring Jill Scott
(Said Enough)
with standouts which
include 'Move your body', the
Chic classic slow mover
'Warm summer nights'
(featuring Angela Winbush on background vocals)
'Secret Lover' and the title
track that's almost 9 minutes in length.
Another quality album for the
millenium from the brothers. I wouldn't overlook this set. The lead-off
single is the R.Kelly produced 'Contagious' playing at a fine radio station near
you (check out the video - it has a familiar feel to it if you catch my
drift)