Check out the new video for Joe’s new single, “Losing”. Joe always comes so smooth and sexy with his (especially in concert–if you can see him live, then do so), that it’s hard to take up any issues with him. But, “Losing” is different than what most of us have come to love and expect from Joe–a ballad showcasing the butter vocals. Not that he should stay in a slow-tempo box. Never that–in fact, he’s brought “something for the streets” before with favorites like “Stutter”. However “Losing” is so production heavy that at times Joe’s voice gets lost in the track, and vocals like his should never play second fiddle to the music. In any case, shout out to Joe for staying strong in the game for all these years and his new album The Good, The Bad, The Sexy hits stores on 9/27.

Joe | “Losing” (Visualized by Aristotle) from By Any Means T.V. on Vimeo.

“N.E. Heart Break”, the fifth single from the fifth studio album (and the first without Bobby, but with new member Johnny) Heart Break, is a dance-worthy tune about the highs and lows of being famous. BUT, let’s talk about the VIDEO! The video is a late 80s showcase/time capsule! Where to begin? The “M.C. Hammer” outfits, the purposely mismatched shoes, the high-top fades (with lines on the side) and the guest cameos from Malcolm Jamal Warner, The Boys, Shanice Wilson and Heavy D. and The Boyz. And… lest we not forget… Johnny dancing. LOL! You can see him looking at what the others are doing and trying to keep up, but he made up for that by KILLING his part! Let all the suckas know he was brought in to SANG! “You betta beware… it’s gonna getcha!”

When I first had the chance to hear Amerie, it was on her 2002 debut album “All I Have,” and I was quickly blown away. The album infused sounds from r&b, soul, and neo-soul, and had an overall polish to it. Her powerful voice over a series of mid tempo jams and ballads convinced me we had a new unique talent unlike anyone currently out. Not only did she co-write all of the songs on the album, but it featured no guest appearances which allowed her to take hold of the spotlight and use that to her advantage.

Amerie was able to further define her unique style on her follow up album “Touch” in 2005. This time, she added elements of hip hop, funk and jazz to the mix, along with some up-tempo songs, moving her still farther away from away from what anyone in the mainstream had even experimented with. This is perhaps even more evident on her international only release “Because I Love It” in 2007, where she managed to push the limits even further by applying her new sound to mostly up-tempo songs. Through it all, there was no questioning her voice, which is powerful and beautiful, yet strong at times.

By her third album, though, her style had moved away from a more subtle and soulful groove, to a more loud, in your face, abrasive brand of music. While it worked on some tracks, I’ve felt that despite her unique sound, she really moved away from what worked so well on “All I Have.” In fact, “Because I Love It” seemed to be in a totally different direction than her debut.
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This post was submitted by Thomas Leo.

This is a reader contributed guest post from Tom Leo.

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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.