……What the sixteen tracks will demonstrate, beyond Joe’s trademark finesse and sincerity, is his understated intensity and ease with a variety of styles and subject matter; Damo Farmer, Derrick “D.O.A.” Allen and Gerald Issac anchor his explorations into both the familiar and unfamiliar. We know Joe is proficient with the boudoir skills (“Lay You Down”)… Continue reading Joe’s “#MyNameIsJoeThomas,” CD Review/Preview Link
Tag: featured
Our Babies, Our Legacy, Our Gratitude
Dear Darius, Nia and Layla, Another year has flown by and we are now on the verge of welcoming 2017. All three of you, at different levels, continue to grow and mature, solidifying your personalities and testing your limits along the way. Your childhoods, although stable, have been impacted by trends and changes that we… Continue reading Our Babies, Our Legacy, Our Gratitude
A Tribe Called Quest’s “We Got It From Here…..” CD Preview/Review Link
……In comparison to their pedestrian (and likely obligatory) 1998 release, ironically entitled The Love Movement, We Got It crackles with energy and inspiration. Phife’s pitch mellowed with age, but his familiar cadence won’t be denied, matching Q-Tip rhyme for rhyme on the urgent opener, “The Space Program” and rolling into Jamaican patois on the blistering… Continue reading A Tribe Called Quest’s “We Got It From Here…..” CD Preview/Review Link
Alicia Keys’ “Here,” CD Preview & Review Link
“Segregation, determination, demonstration, intergration, aggravation,humilation, obligation to our nation.” The Temptations’ 1970’s hit, “Ball of Confusion,” although released in the 70s, aptly describes of the world today. The contentious election cycle aside, issues like police brutality, racial profiling, and foreign/domestic terrorism keep people buzzing about what should happen next, and that’s Alicia Keys brings forth… Continue reading Alicia Keys’ “Here,” CD Preview & Review Link
Rollin’ With Ray-Ray: An Evening With Raphael Saadiq (2009)
Chill, coy and of course, mad cool—-I have been a fan of Tony Toni Tone since they hit the music scene in the late 80s/early 90s and met them for the first time when I worked the request line at a Dallas radio station. I was on my way out the door when I saw… Continue reading Rollin’ With Ray-Ray: An Evening With Raphael Saadiq (2009)