Second Listen Sunday : Billy Ocean, Suddenly
My choice for this week’s Second Listen Sunday is a singer who had already been in the music industry for almost a decade before one of his songs dethroned Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You” and reached the Number One spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Slow Jam Saturday : Shelia E, Next Time Wipe the Lipstick Off Your Collar
Sheila E. was born into a musical family and gained recognition through her work with George Duke. In 1984, she released her debut album, The Glamorous Life, which quickly became a hit. The album’s title track and follow-up single, “The Belle of St. Mark,” helped Sheila achieve mainstream success
Cult Killer is a murderous waste of time
The film introduces us to Tallini (Antonio Banderas), a renowned private investigator and former Interpol agent on his latest job.
The Kitchen is a solid directorial debut from Daniel Kaluuya
Academy Award winner Daniel Kaluuya steps behind the camera for the science fiction film The Kitchen from Netflix. In addition to co-directing the film with Kibwe Tavares, Kaluuya also pens the script with Joe Murtagh.
Single Review: Corey Clark, 2nd Chance
Despite being must-see TV for some over the last two decades, I’ve always felt that singing competition shows don’t do justice in promoting R&B singers. Whether it’s The Voice or American Idol, male R&B singers never seem to get the recognition they deserve, and for the most part, they don’t win the show. A case in point is the singer Mac Royals, who was cut from the most recent season of The Voice.
Second Listen Sunday, Stevie Wonder, The Woman in Red Soundtrack
In the summer of 1984, music legend Stevie Wonder had already churned out numerous hits and two classic albums in the form of Songs In The Key Of Life and Hotter Than July. Stevie Wonder still had tons of music left, though, and would soon deliver his second soundtrack album, The Woman in Red, to accompany Gene Wilder’s same tiled film.
Slow Jam Saturday: Teena Marie, Out On A Limb
In the summer of 2005, I was two years into my Air Force enlistment when I had a DJ gig on a Saturday night. That evening, the news of Luther Vandross’s passing broke, and like most music fans, I felt sad. However, I also regretted turning down the chance to see him perform live in 2002. Since then, I have made it a point to see performers of yesteryear whenever possible. In 2010, adulting got in the way of me seeing the legendary Teena Marie. Sadly, less than six months after that missed opportunity, Lady T passed away.
Single Review: Teddy Pendergrass, Close the Door {DJ Soulchild Remix}
Remix Phenom DJ Soulchild kicks off 2024 with a fresh bop as he brings his talents to a Philly soul classic with his spin on Teddy Pendergrass’s “Close The Door. ” As fans of R&B music already know, the song is a classic soul and R&B ballad that oozes sensuality and romance. It was released in 1978 on Teddy’s Life Is a Song worth Singing album. The song highlights Pendergrass’s smooth and commanding vocals, which have become iconic in soul music.
Ted is a hilarious prequel series
Comedic television writer Seth MacFarlane brings one of his screen creations to the small screen in the prequel series Ted. The show is set in 1993; after the first film’s opening sequence and following a linear plot, the series depicts the early life of a sentient teddy bear toy named Ted, who lives with John Bennett (Max Burkholder) and his family in Massachusetts. John’s family members include his dad, Matt (Scott Grimes), mom, Susan (Alana Ubach), and cousin, Blaire (Giorgia Whigham). In the past, MacFarlane has mentioned that he’s always seen the character of Ted as one that’s character-based as opposed to premise-based, so there are numerous angles that he could have taken.
Ava DuVernay guides Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor to an career best performance in Origin
Multiple awarding film auteur Ava DuVernay reunites with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor for the harrowing biographical drama Origin from Neon film. DuVernay also pens the film’s screenplay, which adapts Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Isabel Wilkerson (Ellis-Taylor) has just become the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism, and fans are clamoring for another book following the success of her first novel, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration.
Second Listen Sunday: Color Me Badd, Time and Chance
For the first Second Listen Sunday of 2024, I wanted to highlight a group many consider a one-hit wonder despite having released four albums, the first of which went triple platinum. That group is Color Me Badd, and the album is their vastly underrated sophomore project, Time and Chance.
Slow Jam Saturday : Ralph Tresvant, When I Need Somebody
In 2024, it will be the 30th anniversary of two famous R&B albums, Boyz II Men’s “II” and Mary J. Blige’s “My Life.” As the anniversary approaches, I will highlight both albums in some way. However, for the first Slow Jam Saturday of 2024, I want to credit Ralph Tresvant, the lead singer of New Edition, and his second album, also released in 1994, It’s Goin’ Down. In particular, I want to highlight the album’s second single, “When I Need Somebody.”