in music

Will Downing Will See You After Tonight

Reviews by Stanley Bennett Clay

Will Downing has always been an artist able to rise above challenges. For years he held his musical ‘own’ in spite of the blinding light of the late Luther Vandross's vocal virtuosity and attended superstardom. But Downing’s deeply felt baritone tremor and whispery upper register drip with a soulfulness lethal enough to drop the most prudish pair of panties.

His latest CD After Tonight is a lush testament to his intoxicating vocal gift. Even after contracting the rare and severely debilitating muscle disease Polymyositis in the middle of producing this collection—he sang several cuts from a wheelchair—he was able to complete this first rate croon-fest seamlessly, save for, perhaps, the surprisingly profound and inspirational “God Is So Amazing” which stands out as a reflection of life and it’s many blessings. Sung with a near prayerful humility, it is a touching triumph for Downing, and a telling recognition of his triumph over adversity.

Posted in music on December 13 2007, 10:59PM | Read More | Comments (3)

Listen Closely To BlakkBoy Blue(s)

Mark Corece Reviews

As a DJ in college and an artist myself, I tend to be extremely critical when it comes to reviewing music. We live in a society that embraces misogyny, homophobia and a myriad of other oppressive forms of expression. So when asked to review Tim'm's new CD, Black Boy Blue(s), I knew I had to listen closely to be just that critical.

BlakkBoy Blue(s) is a true recollection of the essence of hip hop. It resurrects the music that told stories that we could relate to — the ghetto rooted music that uplifted us and helped us get beyond our struggles. With track titles like "Asphalt," "Sleepless," "Man up," and "Positive," this Cincinnati-born, Arkansas-raised artist evokes thought with his subtle lyrics and no-nonsense truths about life.

Posted in music on October 12 2007, 1:58PM | Read More | Comments (8)

Lost And Found With Ledisi

When I first heard of Ledisi a few years ago, I didn't even know how to spell her name. As I wrote in my 2003 review, "It took me awhile to find Ledisi's CD. I heard about her a few months ago and looked around unsuccessfully to find her. I looked again recently only to be disappointed again. Turns out I was misspelling her name." But despite the name glitch, I concluded that her debut album was solid. "The highs are very high and the lows aren't that low. At this rate, Ledisi is sure to gain more favorable attention in the future," I wrote.

As she has grown in popularity, Ledisi's new challenge is not so much name recognition but name pronunciation. She pronounces her name like the green stuff in salad (lettuce) with a "y" on the end (led-dud-see), but people still get it wrong from time to time. That's one of the things she revealed when I sat down to talk to her last week about her new album, Lost and Found, released yesterday. As I told her in the interview, I have a good feeling about the album, and not just because it was released on my birthday.

Posted in music on August 29 2007, 10:54AM | Read More | Comments (10)

It's Time To Grow Up, R. Kelly

(WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT) I was riding in a livery cab on my way downtown last night while the driver was listening to the latest R. Kelly CD. I had seen a video recently of Kelly and Usher doing a song called "Same Girl," and so I asked the driver to turn it up so I could hear it when it came on. It was actually a cute little song.

But after the song ended, the next "song," called "Real Talk," was a shocking, expletive-filled, misogynistic tirade against women. With the liberal use of the F-word and the B-word, it's no wonder that some observers are angry at him. Next month Kelly goes on trial in Chicago for criminal charges of child pornography for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with a 13-year-old girl. I'm not ready to convict Kelly before he has his day in court. (In America, criminal defendants are entitled to a presumption of innocence.) But before he even gets to court, R. Kelly needs to think about some of the tasteless and offensive music he's putting out.

Posted in music on August 3 2007, 1:31PM | Read More | Comments (28)

And The Winner Is...

The music industry's biggest night isn't the Grammys anymore. It's the American Idol season finale. But I wasn't excited to watch the show last night. I did not get to watch the show live because I was on CNN doing Paula Zahn Now, but when I got home I didn't rush to the DVR to watch the recording either. I admit, I've been heartbroken ever since Melinda got booted off last week.

At first, I didn't think she could make it, but as the weeks wore on, it became clear that Melinda was the most consistent contestant. She almost always won rave reviews from the judges and she was never in the bottom with the voters. So without Melinda in the finals, would the American Idol season finale still interest me? The quick answer is yes. For some reason, I didn't really care too much who won, but I did enjoy the show.

Posted in music on May 24 2007, 8:54AM | Read More | Comments (17)

You're Gonna Love Her

LaKisha

I'm changing my favorites for American Idol. Just yesterday morning I expressed my support for Antonella Barba, LaKisha Jones and Melinda Doolittle, but after watching last night's show I have to replace Antonella Barba with Stephanie Edwards. Stephanie kicked off the show with an inspired rendition of Alicia Keys's version of "How Come You Don't Call Me." Melinda hit it with Aretha Franklin's "Since You've Been Gone." But it was LaKisha Jones who brought down the house with her show-stopping finale performance of Jennifer Holliday's legendary "And I Am Telling You."

The women were head and shoulders above the men from Tuesday night's show. In fact, the women were in an entirely different class. It's still way too early to make predictions, but I can't see any of the men who can sing as well as the top two or three women. And no one can belt out a song better than LaKisha Jones. Based on the women's show, Amy Krebs should be packing her bags for Seattle. Nicole Tranquillo and Haley Scarnato are also in danger of going home.

Posted in music on February 22 2007, 12:01AM | Read More | Comments (25)

Not Ready To Make Nice

Memphis, TN -- Hollywood sent a message to Washington last night. By selecting the Dixie Chicks to win nearly all the top prizes, the music industry basically put President Bush on notice. I know it's just entertainment and it's just a TV show, but I couldn't help feeling the power of politics in the air last night. I watched the Grammys with my young godsons who really don't know much about the Dixie Chicks, but as I explained the controversy to them, I couldn't help feeling a sense of history.

It was just a few years ago in this country when the right-wing lunatics were ready to ban the Dixie Chicks because the group's lead singer, Natalie Maines, had criticized George W. Bush. At the time, America was consumed with shallow, self-congratulatory xenophobia poorly disguised as patriotism, and war-loving citizens attacked the peace-loving French by renaming "french fries" as "freedom fries." Yes we were a stupid people back then, just a few years ago. Whooped into a war frenzy by 9-11 and the Bush war buildup, we lost sense of who we are. The Dixie Chicks were among the first to remind us, by challenging the president on his lies.

Now the majority of Americans are finally coming around to the truth. But if the American people can stand up to the president and the Dixie Chicks can stand up the president, why won't our elected officials stand up to the president?

Posted in music on February 12 2007, 10:28AM | Read More | Comments (19)

in music

Reviews by Stanley Bennett Clay

Mark Corece Reviews

buzz bin