Fresh out my inbox, nice visuals and international vibes from Siji/Alix Alvarez to their single “Ijo”.
“Shot on location in Lagos, Nigeria, where Siji has been rediscovering his childhood past following a 20yr plus absence, the colorful and visually arresting masterpiece showcases an open audition held for dancers drawn from the bustling metropolis.”
SIJI – ‘Ijo’(Official Video) from SIJI on Vimeo.
Another great interview from our fam Thomas Leo over at YouKnowIGotSoul.com, check him out and let him know we sent ya! Enjoy the interview.
YKIGS: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. I’m glad because this is a real treat for me, I’ve been a fan of yours since growing up, I grew up on your music, so I’m just glad you’re still here making that good music!
Faith Evans: Thank you! That’s good to hear, that’s always good to hear!
YKIGS: I also want to congratulate you on new album “Something About Faith,” how are you feeling right now?
Faith: You know what, I can’t complain. Things could always be better, but I look at it like the fact that people even care to hear Faith Evans music after all these years, that’s definitely a blessing to still be relevant in some kind of way to somebody.
YKIGS: I also have to mention I was at your show a few weeks back when you did B.B. Kings on the day your album released, and that show blew me away, you did an amazing job!
Faith: Oh you were there? Cool!
YKIGS: Yep! You had that place packed and rocking so it was really cool. What was it like performing in front of basically, I know you’re from Jersey, so in front of almost a home town crowd like that?
Faith: Right, and that’s the funny thing, because it was so many friends and family that I made sure was there, and it just felt like there was so much love, it was like a family reunion. Over the years, it gets better and better but every time I come home it was great for that show to be on the day of the album release and to be at home with all of them in there, because I was having a good time. And I didn’t even know that half of the people that were there, were there. If I had, I don’t know if I would have been as…I was just doing it for the crowd, I didn’t realize exactly people that I knew that were there, that I knew personally.
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This post was submitted by Tom Leo.
One of our favorite contributors, DJ Slam of You Know I Got Soul, recently spoke with R.L., formerly of the R&B group Next. Here, he talks about what he’s been up to, the industry, leaks and what it means to be a songwriter. Be sure to look out for his upcoming album — LoveMusic and follow him on Twitter for all the latest.
YouKnowIGotSoul: First off, let me start by saying you did a great job writing and singing for Ginuwine’s latest album, I really enjoyed “Orchestra” and “Open the Door.” How did this collaboration come about?
R.L.: I actually did about five songs on the album; I think its five records on there. I got a call from a producer who goes by the name of St. Nick, and he asked me if I wanted to get involved. Me and Ginuwine you know were cool for years since we did “The Best Man,” so I said “Of Course.” I went down and I ended up doing some stuff with St. Nick and they liked my work and asked me if I knew any other producers who would be good for the project. I brought in Oak, and we did some more records. There were actually a few more that I liked A LOT that didn’t go on the album, one went on the international version if I’m not mistaken. Over the years, we always said we need to get up and do something, and it’s a blessing for him to let me get in on the project, it was real nice.
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This is a reader contributed guest post from Tom Leo of You Know You Got Soul.
GFM has been big supporters of Donell, so we’re pleased to share this interview with you. Special thanks to Tom for conducting this interview.
If you’d like to contribute a review, post or feature — click the Contribute tab and submit!
Today I caught up with r&b legend Donell Jones to discuss everything from his TWO upcoming albums, to his collaboration with Big Pun, to the state of R&B music today. One thing I will say about Donell is he has always stayed true to his roots and made timeless r&b music. In speaking with him, I can definitely see that he “gets it” in terms of understanding the importance of making this type of music.
YouKnowIGotSoul: From an early age you began writing songs, and eventually started writing for other artists. How were you able to be successful in writing and where did you draw your inspiration from?
Donell Jones: I think I was able to be successful in writing because I came up around a lot of great songwriters. Like for instance, Kenny Green who wrote a lot of the Mary J. Blige stuff. He was on the Untouchables staff at that time, so I kinda learned a lot from those guys and I think that’s why I was successful with my song writing. Plus I came from Chicago and everybody that I met was in New York, so I came with a different flavor than most of the New York songwriters had.
YNIGS: Did you always want to get into music, or was there ever something else you had in mind for a career?
DJ: You know what man, to be honest with you, that’s all I really wanted to do my whole life, was to make music and just create new stuff, like new songs, and just be a singer man.
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Follow up post from Tom Leo, who you can check out here. In case you missed it, here’s his excellent review of “Who Knew“.
Today I was fortunate enough to interview r&b veteran Kevon Edmonds. He discussed everything from his new album, to the change in the music industry, to staying true to his roots. It was a pleasure talking with him, and I hope you enjoy reading.
Thomas Leo: First of all, congratulations on the release of your new album.
Kevon Edmonds: Thank you very much I appreciate that.
TL: For this new album, when you began the process of making it, did you set to go off in a different direction than your first album?
KE: You know, it’s been ten years since 24/7 and you know sometimes you feel you need to connect to the last project you’ve done, but so much time has elapsed that I wasn’t quite sure whether or not that was going to be the approach, to try and tie this into 24/7 and all of that stuff. I thought that I would start out fresh, just really try and get back to my roots of kinda where my music started, and the mindset was that I wanted to bridge my world of where I start with the world of r&b music here today.
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This is a reader contributed guest post from Tom Leo.
If you’d like to contribute a review, post or feature — click the Contribute tab and submit!
Growing up in a household with a family where music was seemingly always on in some fashion, there was never much doubt that Kevon Edmonds would follow in his older brothers’ footsteps and pursue a career in music. Although overshadowed at times by his most famous brother Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, there is no denying that Kevon has put together a very solid career.
While pursuing an education at Indiana University in 1989, Kevon would link up with Keith Mitchell and brother Melvin to form the group After 7. The group would go on to release three successful albums before disbanding in 1997 to pursue solo careers. During the next few years, Kevon would create a name for himself with his first solo album “24/7,” which eventually would be certified gold and produce the top 10 billboard hit of the same name. The album was packed with soulful slow and mid tempo jams that flowed beautifully from start to finish. However, as the years progressed, a follow up album never came and Kevon was basically unheard from.
Fast forward ten years, and we finally have that sophomore album from Kevon Edmonds…..if you can find it. In an attempt to purchase the album from Best Buy on release date, I was told the store didn’t get any copies and neither did ten any of the other ten closest locations. Eventually, after striking out at Wal-Mart, I was able to find a copy of the album at Target of all places; that has never been the first store I look for a new album release. With a copy of the album finally in hand, the events of the day added to my anticipation.
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This post was submitted by Thomas Leo.
OFFICIAL UK SOUL CHART DEBUTS ON STARPOINT RADIO……
A new soul chart has emerged from the UK. The official national top 30 soul chart is a major addition to the soul scene in both the UK and Europe. Broadcasting from the studios of Starpoint Radio in London and hosted by renown broadcaster JL the chart mixes the best of independent and mainstream international soul music. Since airing in July it has quickly established itself at the forefront of new music for soulful groovers and is unique in that it also airs contributions from the artistes themselves. To date the programme has featured amongst others , Teena Marie, Candy Cream , Excellent Gentlemen, Scherrie Payne and Tour de 4Force, Kenny Barnes, Aaron Mason, Down to the Bone and Astral 22 who have all appeared live on the show. Programme host, JL states ” What gives this chart the cutting edge apart from the fact that there is no other programme like it is the research by the team and listeners at Starpoint. A large number of tracks that chart have not actually been officially released yet and so I am literally preparing the programme right upto going live on air and this energy is projected to the listeners who themselves are keen to listen and support the new music. Its a very fast atmosphere where the quality of the music rises above all other considerations including the fact that I have to get through 30 tracks in two hours!”
The official UK soul chart airs every Saturday at 11am GMT at www.starpointradio.com and is repeated every Tuesday at 11am GMT also.
This post was submitted by JL.