Spurred on by a number of British New Wave acts like The Police, Elvis Costello, The Pretenders, Squeeze, and Gary Numan in the late 1970′s, the Second British Musical Invasion was solidified a few years later when our Artist of the Month Duran Duran ruled the video and airwaves. In 1983, Duran Duran along with groups like Eurythmics, Culture Club, A Flock of Seagulls and on and on were able to capture a 30% share of record sales. No small feat and the influence that this phenomenon had on music was not only felt during the height on the “invasion” during the mid-80′s but throughout the decade and beyond.

Many have written about the influence that this musical “invasion” had on Pop music but I’ve often thought about the influence that it had on other genres, R&B and Hip Hop in general. It was and continues to be an interesting phenomenon in the sense that you have a number of these acts from the UK citing Soul, R&B and Funk as primary musical influences and in turn their musical output influencing the contemporary equivalent of those genres during this era and beyond.

Let’s examine a more complete(not necessarily exhaustive) list of groups with significant presence during this time period.

ABC
Adam and the Ants
After The Fire
The Alarm

Bananarama
Belouis Some
Bow Wow Wow
Big Country

Culture Club
The Cure

Dead or Alive
Def Leppard
Depeche Mode
Dexys Midnight Runners
Thomas Dolby
Duran Duran
(more…)

Released in 2007, “So Much Better”, opened Carl Thomas’s foray into a mid-tempo two step vibe.

While this post is focusing on the underrated album, “So Much Better”, many would argue that Carl Thomas himself is underrated as an artist overall.

What always makes Carl Thomas stand out is that from his very first single he has mastered the way to allow a man express his feelings and show complete vulnerability while still making it clear that he is all man. That is a fine line to toe, and he always knows how to keep that crucial balance. (more…)

 ”Carl Thomas Comes Out Of Seclusion With New Album ‘Conquer’, Thoughts On Heavy D, Diddy”.

Read the Huffington Post article here

Carl Thomas’ fans have been anxiously awaiting his fourth CD Conquer. Especially those who fell madly in love with his debut CD Emotional. Hopefully they have given him the space to change and grow because it has been four years since his last album (11 since Emotional) and Conquer is different. While there is something to be said for remaining recognizable to your core audience, there is also something to be said for the artist who is brave enough to take a risk and not “reheat” what he’s done before.

The tracks on Conquer are contemporary, meaning they have the sound of a lot of music currently out now but this CD is not another beat-heavy, bass driven, so-called R&B album. Instead the songs are mature and have more of a pop feel. Especially the tracks “The Night Is Yours,” “It’s Not The Same”, “Running”, which also has an inspirational slant in its message (“Run the race to win. Win the race to live.”), and the title track “Conquer”.  The song is reminiscent of Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” in its execution and it would be interesting to see if pop stations or Thomas’ fans will embrace or reject the song due to the fact that Carl Thomas is a R&B singer. There is one song that fits into the current R&B landscape; the track “Round 2″.  The sound is hypnotic, but the lyrics disappoint because there are so many songs on the radio right now centered around a sexual rendezvous.

But, those who buy Conquer to hear Carl Thomas, the R&B singer, will be happy with songs like  “It Ain’t Fair”, “Long Distance Love Affair” and “Don’t Kiss Me”. “Long Distance Love Affair” has that old school, hip-hop flavor on the track and “Don’t Kiss Me” is a throwback to classic soul records. Both lend themselves perfectly to Thomas’ soulful voice. “It Is What Is” is a bittersweet tune about caring for someone who belongs to someone else and seems like the grown up version of “I Wish” (his #1 single from Emotional). Where as with “I Wish” he desired the lady and fantasized about being with her despite the reality of her situation, with “It Is What It Is”, he has no more fantasies about their relationship and the reality of it lets him see it clearly. It is what it is… instead of what he wishes it was. “You know, you know, that you’re still his for real though. As much as I wish things weren’t so different… it is what it is.” The song is also bittersweet because it was written by the late Heavy D.

Perhaps what will really satisfy the Carl Thomas fan is “Sweet Love”. Sweet love is… sweet. It’s also very reminiscient of a ’90s, “Jodeciesque”, slow jam.  Conquer is a mature album and most of all Carl Thomas brings a clear and strong vocal performance. Hopefully, he’s back to stay for a while.

Favorite tracks, “Sweet Love”, “It Is What It Is”, “Running”
–KKC

From the press release:

Download Conquer on iTunes

“Don’t Kiss Me” is the new single from Carl Thomas. His upcoming new album, Conquer is scheduled for release in early December.

From the press release…

New York, 2011 – After amassing an impressive collection of prestigious awards and penning hit songs for some of R&B’s most iconic legends such as Anita Baker, Beyonce, Usher, Brownstone, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Patti Labelle, and The Isley Brothers, esteemed Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Gordon Chambers is on the precipice of yet another exciting milestone in his career as a recording artist with the release of his third solo album, Sincere. Featuring production by The BeatBanggahz (Kenny Lattimore, Trey Songz, J. Holiday); A. Jermaine Mobley (Music Soulchild, Lalah Hathaway, Carl Thomas, Eric Roberson), and Chambers himself—alongside flavorful newcomers Darien Dorsey, Blake Melodius and Mike Severson, Sincere effortlessly melds a pop/ R&B sound with a classic soul aesthetic that is certain to surprise and delight contemporary R&B fans and soul enthusiasts alike. (more…)

Ron Isley during the Reunion Concert

Article by D K Harris / Photos by Hope West

If you were in the Atlanta metro area this holiday weekend, you had the great opportunity to experience “The Reunion” concert.  Even though there was no real indication as to why the concert was considered a reunion, no one seemed to care, as classic artists revisited their classic hits.  It was a genuine delight to not only attend the concert, but to see music lovers of all ages, from teenagers to the “grown and sexy” to the more mature crowd.  The concert proved once again that great music transcends both age and race.  (more…)

Some concerts are okay, others are pretty good, but only a few impact your thoughts and inspire your soul. One such concert will be touching the red clay of Atlanta, Georgia and bringing a melodic breeze  to the Chastain Park Amphitheatre. On Saturday, September 3rd,  the stage will be graced by three generations of soulful crooners that you definitely don’t want to miss. (more…)