Second Listen Sunday: Stephanie Mills “Christmas”
As we prepare to celebrate another holiday season, this week I wanted to give flowers to Stephanie Mills for Second Listen Sunday.
“Song Sung Blue” covers love, loss, and Neil Diamond at full volume
One thing that my friends and family will tell you about me is that I love a good musical biopic. Now and then, one catches you off guard, plays a familiar tune, and then strikes a chord that resonates deeply. “Song Sung Blue” from Focus Features and directed by Craig Brewer, who also pens the script, is one of those films.
Second Listen Sunday: Jennifer Hudson, “The Gift of Love”
Most of the standards, including “O Holy Night,” “The Christmas Song,” “Little Drummer Boy,” and “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” follow familiar structures. However, with Hudson’s rich and resonant voice, the goal isn’t necessarily to reinvent these classics but to interpret them. She treats these songs with respect, bending the notes just enough to make them her own without overdoing it.
Slow Jam Saturday: The Stylistics, “When You’ve Got Love, It’s Christmas All Year Long”
Often, when an artist releases a holiday album, it typically features the usual songs.
Second Listen Sunday: Brandy, “Christmas with Brandy”
As “the Vocal Bible,” also known as Ms. Brandy Norwood, concludes her co-headlining tour, “The Boy Is Mine,” with Monica, I decided to revisit her 2023 holiday album, “Christmas with Brandy,” for this week’s Second Listen Sunday and to kick off the holiday season.
Slow Jam Saturday : Coco Jones, “Skip My House”
Coco Jones is having an outstanding year. As the final season of “Bel-Air” recently kicked off, she got engaged and released a new single just in time for the holidays titled “Skip My House.” Co-written by Jones, Avital Margulies, and Sara Diamond, this catchy song continues the trend she started last year with her impressive EP, “Coco By The Fireplace.”
Second Listen Sunday: Boyz II Men, “Winter/Reflections”
As R&B fans anxiously await the start of New Edition’s Way Tour with supporting acts Toni Braxton and Boyz II Men, with the holiday season in full swing, I wanted to show some love to the guys from Philly for this week’s Second Listen Sunday.
Slow Jam Saturday : Johnny Gill, “Give Love On Christmas Day”
For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I decided to venture back to 1989 and show some love to Johnny Gill and his rendition of the classic holiday ballad “Give Love on Christmas Day.” Gill had just finished the successful “Heart Break” tour with his groupmates in New Edition and was working on his third solo album.
Second Listen Sunday : Amerie, “All I Have”
R&B fans were thrilled last week when the Black Promoters Collective announced the B2K reunion tour for their 25th Anniversary, titled “Boys 4 Life,” featuring co-headliner Bow Wow.
Slow Jam Saturday: Eric Bellinger, “Drive By”
Eric Bellinger, the talented singer-songwriter, is currently on tour supporting Jagged Edge’s “Cuffing Season” tour. In light of this, I thought it would be fitting to show him some love for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Second Listen Sunday: Cherrelle, “High Priority”
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I wanted to take my readers back to 1985 and show some love to Cherrelle and her second album, “High Priority.” Reuniting with producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the bulk of the album was led by the single “You Look Good To Me”.
Slow Jam Saturday: Zapp, “Computer Love”
For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to venture to Ohio and show some love to Zapp and their classic song “Computer Love”.