On Feb. 3, 1959, a trio of young rockers—-J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly—-simultaneously lost their lives in a plane crash shortly after take-off. The day became a tragic anniversary in the annals of music history and became known to fans of rock-and-roll as “The Day The Music Died.” For those… Continue reading Losing Our Rhythm: Broken Hearts & Silenced Voices In 2016
A Q&A With Kem: New Goals and New Beginnings
It may have been four years since his holiday CD (What Christmas Means) and two years since his last stellar R&B set, Promise To Love, but that doesn’t mean that Kem hasn’t been mad busy. Not only is he marinating on new ideas for music in 2017, he’s in the throes of another exciting project… Continue reading A Q&A With Kem: New Goals and New Beginnings
Overlooking Racism, Enabling Racism: Helping America (Freely) Hate Again
In the 1984 comedy film, Beverly Hills Cop II, Eddie Murphy’s character, who was under surveillance, kept a pair of cops from following him by sneaking out of his hotel, running across the street and putting a banana inside the tailpipe of their vehicle. Hours later, he’s relocated and told, by the new undercover cops,… Continue reading Overlooking Racism, Enabling Racism: Helping America (Freely) Hate Again
CD Review: John Legend’s “Darkness & Light”
…..If you’re expecting a continuation of the messages in John’s 2013 CD, Love in the Future, it’s not going to happen. The lush and velvety love songs from Future have been recalibrated into an unvarnished, stream-of-consciousness type of set that explores the widening dimensions of his life as a man, a citizen, and artist. Sound… Continue reading CD Review: John Legend’s “Darkness & Light”
Concert Review: The “King & Queen of Hearts” Tour Hits Dallas’ AAC
Pain, passion and partying all the way through—- clouds and chilly rain may have loomed outdoors, but thousands of fans enjoyed the heartwarming soul of newcomer Ro James and co-headliners Maxwell and Mary J. Blige, who regaled the nearly packed-out Dallas’ American Airlines Center on Friday night. Mary J. Blige was the first up of… Continue reading Concert Review: The “King & Queen of Hearts” Tour Hits Dallas’ AAC