To me doing a great cover song isn’t always about walking in the footsteps of it originators. Sometimes you have to take the music and picture it from a different angle to distinguish your voice and personal inflections. In this post you will see the song, Valerie originally written by Dave McCabe of the indie rock band, The Zutons recreated from 3 different perspectives. From its starting point, the song is given a pulsating rock and blues spin through The Zutons and later positioned with Amy Winehouse’s soulful interpretation on her second album “Back To Black”. Finally newcomer, Rudy Currence, in tribute to Amy, paints an interesting  picture of melancholy and yearning that pulls the heart of the song in a beautiful way. Check it out and tell me which do you prefer. (more…)

Taiye "Wild Afrikan" Samuel, Mable Abraham, Rudy Currence

My music adventures really take me to some very interesting places! One place I’m referring to are the studios of Beehive FM with Live from Plutopia radio personalities, Taiye “Wild Afrikan” Samuel and Mable Abraham. This dynamic duo is sure to spark debate, expose you to some great music and push the envelope of what you think. If you haven’t heard this “Plutopian” experience Monday -Thursday 2-6pm, you’re doing your ears a great disservice! Speaking of your ears, I also got a chance to sit in on DTP recording artist, Rudy Currence for his “in studio” performance on Valentine’s Day on Planet Plutopia! If you really follow me, you already know how much I truly like this artist. The best way I can describe my affinity is to say this:

Listening to Rudy is like closing your eyes and drinking the sweetest, purest waters. After your soul has been depleted from the current state of artistic dehydration, his music is delicious, refreshing, satisfying and essential to the future landscape of music.

Now with that said, let’s go behind the scenes with Live from Plutopia‘s live radio broadcast and Rudy Currence’s studio performance. Also, be sure to look out for Rudy‘s upcoming album, Black Keys and Blue Skies coming soon!!! (more…)

In case you missed our announcement post of Naturally 7, Rudy Currence and Ludacris performing on ABC’s The View, no need to worry. You know we always got you!! Here is their awesome performance of Quincy Jones’ Soul Bossa Nostra. Even though I was very vocal is my dislike of the P.Y.T. remake with T-Pain, I have to say this remake is a congratulatory interpretation of Quincy’s original song.  What’s so beautiful about this performance is Naturally 7′s  harmonic blend utilized as the instrumental foundation, Rudy’s voice which has a church inspired soulfulness and a touch of  Luda’s lyrical flow to complete this musical tribute to Quincy Jones. I thought it was a inspiring  performance that left you appreciative of real music and truly “bridging the gap” between the old and the new!!! Great job!!

Ok family, it’s that time again!!!

Time to push through the holiday rush, spike your favorite eggnog,  and pretend you really like that fruit cake you get every year! To help you get into the Christmas spirit, you may want to pick up Hidden Beach recording group, Naturally 7 with their newest release, Christmas: A Love Story now available on iTunes. For those of you who love the vocal purity of acapella groups like Take 6 and Boyz II Men, you will find yourself pleasantly pleased with this seven piece harmony group who showcase original interpretations of classics like Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Silent Night and Joy To The World. To catch this incredibly gifted group, Naturally 7 will return to the road November 23rd through December 13th as special guests on Michael Buble’s Crazy Love Tour.  Additional TV appearances will include ABC’s The View ,Wednesday, November 17th when they  join Ludacris and Rudy Currence to sing “Soul Bossa Nostra.” from Quincy Jones’ latest release, Q:Soul Bossa Nostra.

Now sit back and enjoy this full album stream beneath the hood!!! (more…)

I’ve been watching Rudy as an artist and I’m just delighted about his talent and musical range. With that diversity and his intimate approach with a song, I really believe he has the capability of touching a wide crossover audience with a unique soulfulness. Here he is at the Morehouse/Spelman Homecoming concert in Atlanta, GA.

Ya’ll will have to forgive me for hitting you up late with this good music. Ya’ll pray for ya girl!

Anyway, from the first moment I heard this song live at ATL Live on the Park, I fell completely in love with this cut. Needless to say I was ecstatic when Rudy hit me up with this new single from his upcoming album Black Keys and Blue Skies with DTP Records.  Now let me give you two reasons I like this damn song!

1. Standout lyrical line:  “I wrote this song on my heart cause I ran out of paper”. Men, anytime you mess up by forgetting your girl’s birthday, being late for a dinner date or simply being foolish as hell, you need to draw a heart and write that line in it! Better yet, attach it to a heart shaped diamond!! She’ll love it…I mean “you” forever!

2.  This song is so addictive to me that I  just can’t help but keep it on repeat. It leads you in through the “ear candy” of Outkast’ Elevators but builds beautifully through the accompanying chords introduced at the chorus and later makes that climatic chord change at the bridge.  I love songs that take me somewhere and don’t leave me at the same corner on Peachtree and 5th Street!

Big shout out to Mr. B. Cox for the production!!

RUDY CURRENCE “ANYMORE” by GrownFolksMusic

Untitled & Rudy Currence

Ok ya’ll as promised here are some of the video highlights from “ATL Live On the Park”. If you missed the pics from the event, make sure you check them out in our previous post. Also, be sure to check out DTP recording artist, Rudy Currence in his live performance. Everybody else was cool but he’s definitely an artist to watch!!! (more…)