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On March 8th, Melky Jean (Wyclef's sister) will release her new album, Care For Haiti. "Better" is the album's debut single and all proceeds will go to CARE (a non-profit organization providing aid to Haiti for more than 50 years).
- uhkeem
Britney's back! This is the first single from her forthcoming album (due in March) and there's already a ton of hate going around right now regarding this song. But her hardcore fans seem to enjoy it. I have no strong opinion yet until I hear it thumpin' in the club.
However, it is now a record-breaking single setting a new one-day precedent for a #1 single on iTunes within only hours of its release.
Do you like???
- uhkeem
Jay-Z is doing it big over at Roc Nation! He has a number of female singers on his label so some will thrive and others will fail. This talented young lady deserves her time to shine though. "Good Girl" is the second single from her forthcoming album (no release date yet). What do you think???
Check out this excerpt from her official bio...
With all of the stars that fill our sky, there are very few that shine as bright as Star Roc/Roc Nation's newest signee, Alexis Jordan. With flowing red hair, just as vibrant as her personality, 18 year-old Alexis possesses an emotive, awe-inspiring voice that is packed with a power strong enough to brighten our entire world. "I only sing songs that are from my heart," says the singer/songwriter compassionate young woman whose music promotes positivity and self-respect. "Because if I can't feel it, it's not going to come out right" she adds.
Just an FYI from wikipedia about the Freemasons...
Freemasons are a dance band from Brighton, East Sussex, England. The act consists of producers Russell Small (who is also one half of the house production duo Phats & Small) and James Wiltshire (who also works with Phats & Small under the alias 'Jimmy Gomez').
Her 1st single/video below called "Happiness"...
This was her big break...
- uhkeem
What artist isn't a Prince AND Michael Jackson fan??? Songstress Corrine Bailey Rae covered a handful of her favorite love songs of all time for The Love EP to be released digitally on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14th). Prince's "I Wanna Be Your Lover" is just a taste of what's to come.
See Corrine's comments below (courtesy of SoulCulture.co.uk) concerning each track...
‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’
I met Prince in London at his gigs at the O2 and he gave me loads of encouragement. I was amazed by the gig but even more impressed by the aftershow he did in a small venue where he tore up on the guitar and played other people’s songs too. This is one of my favourite Prince songs and gives me the chance to sing the kind of sexy, rhythmical music I love but never seem to write. Getting the chance to do this song was a dream.
‘Low Red Moon’
Belly were one of the prime influences on my first band Helen, where we had a real indie/DIY ethic. I was addicted to their album ‘Star’ as a teenager and learnt loads about guitar playing just listening to them. They made me realise the most important thing in music was to express yourself and get your ideas across, without worrying about playing like a virtuoso. We had such fun playing this song, it’s like an aggressive 60′s science-fiction soundtrack.
‘Is This Love?’
My mum was the Bob Marley fan in our house which I loved, because although my father is Caribbean, he didn’t much care for reggae. Little examples like this meant I grew up learning that you could be yourself and never had to be a cliché because of your ethnicity. And Bob Marley is such an incredible songwriter, which means you can approach his songs in so many ways. I wanted to put ‘Is This Love?’ into 6/8 and bring the tempo back to underline the poignancy of the lyric, and then Steve Brown arranged the piano part into something reminiscent of Carole King or Aretha Franklin’s gospel-soul piano style, which gave it a whole extra level. When guitarist John McCallum added in this Hendrix/Curtis Mayfield sound, it brought in a whole American doo-wop dimension too. So it’s like a whole bunch of my favourite influences in one beautiful song.
‘My Love’
I first heard ‘My Love’ at an event for Paul McCartney at the White House, where I was invited to play. A string section played the song and I was struck by the fragility of that ascending melody on “My love does it good”. I was also really touched by Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney’s relationship; their mutual respect and the fact they had known each other so long. When we recorded this song the harmonies and keyboards were definitely influenced by Stevie’s sound.
‘Que Sera Sera’ (live)
‘Que Sera Sera’ is a song we have been closing our gigs with all over the world. I love Sly and the Family Stone’s version, how he takes what feels like a nursery rhyme in Doris Day’s lovely hands and turns it into a philosophical outcry, declaiming “The future’s not ours to see”. Sometimes I attack this lyric angrily, sometimes I’m all peaceful and surrendered to it. What an amazing song. We recorded this super-long version in Washington D.C one night when the magic in the air meant we didn’t want to get off stage. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed playing it.
- uhkeem
Official Press Release
Universal Motown artist Erykah Badu, best known for her eccentric style and cerebral music, has announced that she will be joining theEvent for a full set prior to Prince's performance.
Tickets went on sale Saturday January 8, 2011 at 12:00 Noon CST at www.princedallas.com.
This all-inclusive soiree boasts music, art, food, spirits and more. Along with the rare performance by Prince and Erykah Badu, entertainment will include music from The Goss-Michael Foundation scholarship winners, guest DJ's, a silent auction, as well as additional special guests to be announced..
theEvent will be held in Downtown Dallas at the site formerly known as Reunion Arena on Reunion Boulevard in an exclusive custom designed climate-controlled performance tent.
Proceeds benefitting The Goss-Michael Foundation. "One of The Goss-Michael Foundation's missions has been to encourage the talents of young artists, both visual and performing, through our statewide high school scholarship programs. With the funds raised at this one-of-a-kind event, students will be able to reach for their dreams. Prince is an artist that hundreds of millions of people around the world admire. Our scholarship winners and all of us are honored that Prince has selected The Goss-Michael-Foundation as the beneficiary" says Joyce Goss of The Goss-Michael Foundation.
"Single Ticket $1500 Contribution" includes general admission, open bar and food stations.
"VIP Nest for Six $12,000 Contribution" includes VIP admission, reserved lounge style seating for six, dedicated server for drinks and food.
"Head Table for Ten $25,000 Contribution" includes VIP admission, plush stage side seating for 10 and dedicated server for food and bottle service.
Friday, February 4, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.
Stay Tuned to www.Twitter.com/theEventDallas
GET YOUR TICKETS HERE:
- uhkeem
Jenkins Johnson Gallery
Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm
Reception, Thursday, January 13, 6 – 8 pm
Beth Hoeckel, Volcano at Night, 2010,
(digital c-print, photographic collage, 30 x 20 inches, edition of 6)
(Danelle Manthey, Mannequin, 2010, 24 x 36 inches, edition of X)
Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to announce a group exhibition of multimedia works featuring images of women and girls by artists including Ryan Bradley, Caleb Cole, Dru Donovan, Emile Hyperion Dubuisson, Maggy Rozycki Hiltner, Beth Hoeckel, Conor King, Carey Kirkella, Danelle Manthey, Pamela Murphy, Vanessa Prager, and Claire Stigliani, curated by Alyssa Menegat. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, January 13 from 6 to 8 pm.
Jenkins Johnson Gallery
521 West 26th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10001
212-629-0707 fax. 212-629-4255
alyssa@jenkinsjohnsongallery.com
www.jenkinsjohnsongallery.com
Double Exposure: African Americans Before and Behind the Camera, showcases 90 vintage photographs from the Amistad Center for Art & Culture’s historical collection of art and artifacts with photo-based art by contemporary African-American artists. The exhibition Organized by the Amistad Center for Art and Culture at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of art in Hartford, CT, opens to the public at the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora at the University of Maryland on Thursday, January 20, 2011. An opening reception will be held on Wednesday January 19, 2011 from 5pm to 7pm. The exhibition will stay on view until Friday, March 11, 2011. The Gallery will be open two additional Saturdays, February 5 and February 26, 2011 from 11am - 4pm.Please Note: Entrance to the Driskell Center is through the set of doors under the Driskell Center sign.
Double Exposure, curated by guest curators Lisa Henry and Frank Mitchell, illuminates the persistent interplay between the past and the present in African American photography. The exhibition highlights and explores the African American experience by bringing together photographic works from the 19th and 20th centuries by artists who expressed the experience of race through the use of personal, cultural and historical images. The exhibit delves into the interconnected reality of the past and the present for African American photography as well as concepts of identity and memory through visually theorizing the shifting relationships between black cultural memory and contemporary photographic storytelling.
http://www.driskellcenter.umd.edu/
Miguel just dropped his second single "Sure Thing" from his debut album All I Want Is You. This guy offers something different to the world of R&B. He's eclectic enough to cross over to pop audiences, but can still entertain an urban audience as well. This is tough to do in music today.
Here's an excerpt from his official bio:
It doesn’t happen often. But every once in a while a young artist comes along who has the chops, vision, range and creative conviction to change the game. Miguel is among that chosen few.
Let’s start with his voice: The Los Angeles, California, native has one of those raw honey falsettos that oozes into your soul and stays there, even after the music stops. Billboard Magazine exclaims, Miguel, 24, “offers both the sweetness of Babyface and the passion of R. Kelly.” Yum.
Then there’s the power of Miguel’s pen. This Scorpio doesn’t just write lyrics. He paints aural portraits—of his loves, his heartbreaks and his kinky little fantasies. “To me, the best songs are the ones that show how vulnerable, how human we all are,” says Miguel. Penning Asher Roth’s “His Dream,” Mary J. Blige and Musiq’s “If U Leave,” and co-writing on Usher’s Raymond V Raymond album, Miguel says, “For me, writing is like making steak and potatoes into a Happy Meal—how do I work in that substance but keep you coming back for more?”
With the album tracks on his ByStorm/Jive debut, All I Want Is You, Miguel certainly delivers. Through his longtime partnership with LA-based underground stalwarts Fisticuffs, and his visits with veteran boardsmen such as Salaam Remi and Dre & Vidal, Miguel has cooked up a truly genre-bending mélange of sounds. On the same platter, you’ll find traces of the Cali avant garde hip-hop he picked up from his high school homie Blu; the funk, electro and classic rock he borrowed from his crate-digging Mexican-American dad; and the big, rich harmonies of his African-American mom’s traditional soul.
“Overall, I call my style ‘eclectric,’” says the crooner who considers himself a mashup of Prince, Lenny Kravitz and Pharell Williams. “It’s edgy and it defies category, but it still reaches the people.”
- uhkeem
Black Abstraction is the new group show at Harmony Hall Gallery in Ft. Washington, MD. The show will showcase the work of twelve amazing artists from DC, Maryland and Virginia exploring and expanding the boundaries of contemporary abstract art production. The show is curated by registrar, art journalist, private dealer and now curator Jarvis Dubois.
The exhibition opens to the public Monday, January 17. On January 22, 2011 the gallery will host an artist talk from 3:30 - 5p which will be followed immediately by the reception 5-7p Saturday, January 22.
Check out this recent live performance of the Billy Joel classic "Just The Way You Are" sung by former J Records' recording artist Emily King. According to wikipedia, she is now a free agent and still performing! Emily came on the scene in 2007 with her East Side Story debut album. She wrote most of the material and also worked with legendary songwriter/producer Chucky Thompson on the album. However, it was released in the year of Alicia Keys. It wasn't going to work especially with the two of them on the same label. But it's good to see her still kickin' ass...
Also take a listen to two of my favorite tracks from Emily's debut album! "Colorblind" should have been the 1st single! :)
This one below is called "Never Be Lonely" and it's one of my favorite songs to come along in a long time! I have to OD here (lol) with the lyrics so you can understand how serious this song is...
Here I sit and wonder of a life that was
But some how that's gon away
This morning I woke to find my love had gone
For reasons he did not say
Funny how things are never what they seem
But oooooh can we go back to where we used to be?
Oh, if I could have yesterday
I'd make it so you never go away
And I would never be lonely
I'd give anything to hold you once again
I prayed that you could love me until the end
And I would never be lonely
Once we shared out world and anything I'd give
Simply to see you smile
This man was the center of my happiness
If only for a short while
Funny how things can change so easily
But oooooh can we go back to where we used be?
Oh, if I could have yesterday
I'd make it so you never go away
And I would never be lonely
I'd give anything to hold you once again
I prayed that you could love me until the end
And I would never be lonely
There was a time when I thought that love could never, never change
There was time when you'd hold me close
You'd take away my pain
Well how those days
What happen to forever?
Oh, if I could have yesterday
I'd make it so you never go away
And I would never be lonely
I'd give anything to hold you once again
I prayed that you could love me until the end
And I would never be lonely
Upcoming Shows
February 4th
92YTribeca w/ Jesse Boykins
$10 admission doors open 8
February 23rd
Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2)
196 Allen st. 9:15
www.rockwoodmusichall.com
- uhkeem
I don't normally like to compare many artists, but they're the only two artists I've ever heard sing this song. It's Jennifer Hudson's version of The Color Purple on Broadway theme song "I'm Here" (performed at this year's Kennedy Center Honors celebration) versus Fantasia's personal touch on it.
Who owns it???
- uhkeem
Shout out to Soul Culture TV in the U.K. for posting this Youtube vid! Marsha Ambrosius covers Teena Marie's "Yes Indeed" from her 1981 It Must Be Magic album. The song will appear on Marsha's forthcoming Late Nights & Early Mornings album. This is not a live performance, but instead a sneak preview into her album. She speaks briefly after the song about it being Teena-approved and one of her all-time favorite songs. Finally! - this album is coming to light after over a year of speculation!
Also, check out the original version below...
- uhkeem
Above is Tiffany Evans' new music video for "I'll Be There" from her forthcoming Ms. Evans album. Below is where she came from. This post also includes her 2004 debut single "Let Me Be Your Angel" (a Stacy Lattisaw cover and please don't say 'who?' lol).
- uhkeem
Remember when Lauryn walked away from her recording career back in '98? I'm not at all making comparisons. I want to point out some parallels. Jazmine Sullivan is the type of artist that creates from a place deeper than her pockets. Soon after the holidays, Jazmine tweeted that she is walking away from recording at this moment to find herself. Let's give her the same amount of respect we gave to Lauryn please. Yes - Jazmine has much more to accomplish, which all more of a reason for her to come back...when she is ready. During my recent interview with her, she mentioned that she has found love and I believed her. I also got the sense that she doesn't want to sacrifice her personal life for her career.
Just be patient, she'll return sooner than later. In the meantime, check out one of my favorite songs by her from her latest Love Me Back album out now! Interesting album title btw...
- uhkeem
Classical musician/pop singer Josh Groban pokes fun at one of America's biggest douchebags - Kanye West. I hope Kanye doesn't take this seriously and fire off some crazy egotistical response. This is actually pretty creative and hilarious! Check it out!
- uhkeem
Out of Place
Curated by Noah Simblist
January 15 - March 5, 2011
Opening reception Saturday, January 15th 6 - 8pm
Curator's talk begins at 7pm
The exhibition will include six international artists, many of whom rarely exhibit their work in the US, more often showing in Europe or the Middle East. For instance, this will be the US premier of Yael Bartana’s film, Mur i Weisa (Wall and Tower), last seen at her recent solo exhibition at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm.
The premise of the exhibition is related to Edward Said’s description of his memoir Out of Place (the namesake of the show) as “a record of a lost or forgotten world.” He was referring to the Palestinian condition of exile – a displacement that creates a gap between both physical spaces and states of mind. But this notion can be thought of in more general terms, serving as the starting point for a group of artists who explore placelessness as it is manifest in Israel-Palestine. Being in one place, but consumed by the memory of another, produces works that are uncanny, combining familiar and unfamiliar contexts into something strange.
Out of Place will be on view at Lora Reynolds Gallery, 360 Nueces, Suite 50, Austin, Texas 78701 from January 15 - March 5, 2011. GALLERY HOURS: Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. For further information please visit our website, www.lorareynolds.com, contact Elizabeth Spheeris at 512.215.4965 or elizabeths@lorareynolds.com.
Collette Blanchard Gallery is pleased to present Dead Reckoning, a selection of new collages, sculptures, and photographs by Yeni Mao. The exhibition will be on view from January 7th – March 2011, with an opening reception on January 7th, 2011.
Yeni Mao’s recent body of work uses a diverse artistic lexicon of nautical, animal, botanic, and martial arts film references to explore the cyclical regeneration of history. The artist is particularly interested in the distortion of inherited cultural narratives, in his words: “the magical and superstitious way we navigate our own reinvention as we move around loosely through space, via immigration and extradition; and time, via history and tradition”. Mao’s first solo exhibition at Collette Blanchard Gallery addresses these moments of transformation and deliverance.
The central installation, Dead Reckoning, for which the exhibition is titled, is a sculptural homage to explorer Zheng He. This installation, a large construction of multiple toy boats hung from the ceiling to create an artificial horizon line, captures the dichotomies in Zheng He’s legacy as hyper-masculine eunuch, and the flip of historical global power bases. Slippage between historical fact and the generation of myth becomes fertile territory for Mao. The use of the term Dead Reckoning to describe the formulation of cultural evolution outlines the conceptual core of the exhibition.
Mao’s engagement with the distortion of cultural references is also reflected in the exhibition through photography and collage, harnessing the reproductive properties of the photo medium to appropriate the fight scenes of martial arts films, as well as addressing the way kung-fu mythos is processed through time and cultures. Mao’s potent series of C-prints The Battle Wizard represent the heroes in ethereal transformative situations. An allusion to Italian Futurist Anton Giulio Bragaglia, these prints attempt to capture the metaphysical with photography. The collage Enter the Invincible Hero, one of a series of rich, meticulous collage works, further deconstructs the image sequence, utilizing kung-fu fight scenes to Muybridge-like effects. The multiple figures are used in a painterly, mark-making way in collective forms referencing natural forces. Mao alters the original meaning system behind the martial arts mythos to suit his own purposes.
Originally from Ontario, Canada, and having spent time in Sweden, Taiwan, and studying at the Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. Mao currently lives and works in New York City. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, at venues including Ise Cultural Foundation and chashama, both in New York; ROM Gallery for Art & Architecture in Oslo, Norway; and Shang Element Contemporary Art Museum in Beijing, China.
For more information, please contact the gallery at 917.639.2912 or gallery@colletteblanchard.com http://www.colletteblanchard.com
SPLASH II - GROUP EXHIBITION
January 6 - February 26, 2011
CARA BARER | ODETTE ENGLAND | CORNELIA HEDIGER
DOUG KEYES | SARAH LYNCH | HELEN SEAR | PHILLIP TOLEDANO
Featured in the exhibition will be a selection of photographs from Sarah Lynch's exquisite still life series, currently featured in the final issue of Portfolio Catalogue. Doug Keyes' Becoming Language and Collective Memory were shown in January 2010 and attracted a good deal of attention, including private commissions. Phillip Toledano, whose A New Kind Of Beauty photographs created quite a storm, is now in pre-production with a monograph on this extraordinary body of work.
With two solo exhibitions already presented at the gallery, Helen Sear has gone on to be awarded a Creative Wales Award and is currently working on a monograph and retrospective exhibition, scheduled for Fall 2012. Upcoming artist, Odette England was recently awarded the Hotshoe Photofusion Award and is represented in the exhibition with two artworks from her Attentional Landscapes series.
Cornelia Hediger, who made her debut at the gallery with her series, Doppelgänger, in September 2008, is in production with new work that is scheduled to be launched in Fall 2011. Introduced for the first time, at Klompching Gallery, is the work of Cara Barer, with her impressive photographs of books reconfigured into sculptural forms.
In the back room, we are featuring Lisa M. Robinson (from January 12th), with photographs from her highly acclaimed Snowbound series. Robinson's new body of work, Oceana, will be premiered at the gallery in March 2011.
KLOMPCHING GALLERY
www.klompching.com | info@klompching.com | +1 212 796 2070
111 Front Street, Suite 206 | Brooklyn NY 11201
Gallery Hours: Wed—Sat, 11am—6pm and by appointment.
Extended Hours: 1st Thursdays DUMBO Gallery Walk, 11am—8:30pm
YOU'RE AN A**HOLE FOR BUYING THIS
The SUCKADELIC Art Toy Universe
Opening Party: January 11, 2011, 6pm
Closing Party: January 23, 2011, 3pm
OPEN EVERYDAY 11pm-6pm
521 W 23RD ST, NEW YORK, NY 10011
The Boo-Hooray Gallery reluctantly announces the first SUCKADELIC retrospective gallery exhibition. Intentionally confusing, misleading, disappointing and really funny, the limited edition parodies of action figures reverberate with a vicious wit and are oddly eyeball-pleasing in the manner of all kinds of toothsome 20th/21st century collage and montage art.
The toys and their aggressively situationist piss-take packaging comment on pop culture commodification and the consumer habits of compulsively shopping kidults: The very process that made KAWS, Takashi Murakami, and Michael Lau art-stars on the Art Basel Miami/Armory Show/Venice Biennale tip.
One of the most respected despised and influential figures in the art toy movement for the past decade, the SUCKLORD has been producing handmade bootleg action figures in very limited runs, each selling out immediately. As the plot thickens, the work of the SUCKLORD is widely collected in fine art circles, and has been auctioned at Christie’s, Freeman's and Phillips.
This exhibition marks the first time the entire SUCKADELIC catalogue will be exhibited in one place. For the duration of the exhibit, a SUCKADELIC SUCK-SHOPPE pop-up store will be open. Original artwork, sculptures, silk- screens and paintings will also be for sale.
The work presented in this exhibit is a documentation of my struggle to reach the top of a sinister pyramid scheme; A culture-jacking enterprise where ruthless-yet-compelling super-criminals compete for the imaginations of fickle consumers and a relentless media machine.
The 100 page exhibition catalogue will be available as a limited edition of 500 numbered copies. A deluxe signed limited edition catalogue of 50 copies with an exclusively created SUCKADELIC figure will also be available.
If you show up on opening night, you’ll have the opportunity to meet the characters from the SUCKADELIC Universe. We can not guarantee a pleasant experience: the SUCKLORD, his nemesis Vectar the Intolerable and their cast of super-villains don’t really get along and have been prone to serious falling-outs, resulting in laser gun- battles and sulking.
The exhibition is curated by Johan Kugelberg and Simeon Lipman.
Boo-Hooray is the pop-up/parasite gallery curated by (mostly) Johan Kugelberg that once in a while shows up in New York or Tokyo or London or Paris or Stockholm or hey maybe your hometown?
Boo-Hooray: boo-hooray.com/suckadelic
Meet the SUCKLORD: http://boo-hooray.com/suckadelic/meet-the-sucklord/
Palma's work most often consists of sculptural pieces and large-scale installations created from mechanized, industrial and sundry other found objects. The various elements are incorporated in intricate, cyclical and/or self-sustaining systems. Palma's projects routinely explore the world's hurried technological development, proposing alternative, and often ironic, paths that could be taken with the same technical knowledge at our disposal.
Palma's activity unfolds as that of a sculptor, draughtsman, electrician, engineer and scientist. Enamored of boy's toys - guns, tools, trucks, cars, planes, boats - and all sorts of gadgets, Palma transforms these items of play into protagonists in his animated organisms, simultaneously reflecting the menacing monumentality of industry and critiquing its dominance over our civilization. Both fascination and suspicion abound.
In the show's eponymous work an iron structure supports a large, rotating disc. On top of this disc a myriad of objects; male and females dolls, militaria, geopolitical maps, vehicles and tools of all kind - a chaotic mess. A fighter plane conceals a surveillance camera and records the disc's rotation, a projection of which is screened in real time in another locale. Watching the footage it is easy to believe in the recorded image more than in the actual thing. We forget easily, but through the image, we believe. Reality is thus presented as a curiosity, as its facsimile appropriates the de facto authority of apparent verity.
Based in Lisbon, Portugal, Palma has exhibited worldwide, most recently at the Bloomberg Space and Whitechapel Gallery in London, at Prospect 1 in New Orleans, and Biennial Zer01 in San Jose, California. In April 2011 he will present a major retrospective of his work at the Contemporary Art Museum of the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal.
PLEASE CONTACT THE GALLERY FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Nicholas Robinson Gallery
Marsha Ambrosius is a die-hard. She first appeared on the music scene back in 2002 as part of the duo Floetry. After three full-length albums, the two girls split and went their separate ways for reasons neither of them is truly willing to divulge. I'm sure creative differences was a large part of the problem since Natalie does spoken-word rap and Marsha is a soulful singer.
Fast-forward to 2011 and Marsha is finally ready to drop her solo debut project called Late Nights & Early Mornings. "Far Away" is the second single and it's bigger than just a song. Marsha has chosen to contribute her voice to the anti-bullying movement sweeping the country. This video is testament to how strongly she feels about this topic, which is always refreshing to hear from such a soulful artist.
America is finally ready to have THE conversation and I know equal rights will soon follow! SUPPORT TRUE TALENT!!!
- uhkeem
It has been confirmed by her manager that Teena Marie has passed away at her home in California. Apparently, her body was discovered by her daughter and reports state that Marie suffered a severe seizure about a month ago. The true cause of death will not be determined for some time as her body is now at the coroner's office.
Marie's accomplishments in R&B need not be trivialized. Considering how difficult it can be for a black recording artist to record pop music respectfully, I argue it is equally as difficult for a white recording artist to do R&B music. Fellow soul singer Eddie Levert commented today that "she was one of the blackest people I know".
From Wikipedia:
Teena Marie (March 5, 1956 - December 26, 2010) was an American Grammy Award-nominated singer–songwriter–producer. Marie, nicknamed Lady Tee, (sometimes spelled Lady T), was a protégée of late funk legend Rick James, and was notable as one of the few successful white performers of R&B. She played rhythm guitar, keyboards and congas. She also wrote, produced, sang and arranged virtually all of her songs since her 1980 release Irons in the Fire. She said it was her favorite album. She had a daughter, Alia Rose, who, as of 2009, sang under the name Rose Le Beau. Marie died on Sunday, December 26, 2010, at home, as announced by her manager, Mike Gardner.[4] She was 54.
R.I.P. Lady Tee!
- uhkeem
In yet another challenging year, there are reminders everywhere of how wonderful life is and how blessed we are to simply be alive. To you and yours here's to a safe holiday, blessed new year and the wisdom to appreciate and live in the eternal moment of NOW! There is NO PAST, and there is no future. There is ONLY RIGHT NOW! Appreciate it, embrace it and always do your best in it.
Urban Pop Life will return with a new look, new contributors and new content in January. Get ready for a new level of POP in 2011.
Love and respect,
Ricky Day and the UPL staff.
George Michael's FAITH
The album that made George Michael an icon to generations is being celebrated with three commemorative packages:
1. Faith: Deluxe Edition
Limited edition, numbered box set presented in black-and-gold-foiled slipcase, with:
• CD of remastered 10-song album
• CD of remastered 7-inch and 12-inch singles and B-sides
• 180-gram vinyl replica LP
• DVD with BBC interview, original EPK, and 7 promo videos (approx. 100 mins.)
• 60-page hardbound book with interview, rare photos and memorabilia
• Memorabilia envelope with 5 art prints, poster, tickets, and Faith tour pass
• First 2,000 orders receive a specially-designed, numbered art print
• AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY at GeorgeMichael.com (pre-order now - ships January 31, 2011)
2. Faith: Special Edition (includes two CDs and the DVD)*
3. Faith: 2-CD Remastered Edition*
*both released February 1, 2011
- uhkeem
R&B singer Keyshia Cole speaks candidly with Ryan Cameron of V-103 in Atlanta about her broken family and how she is trying to find the road to forgiveness. Take a listen to the interview below...
Also, Keyshia's new album Calling All Hearts drops today (12/21)! I commend Keyshia for the growth she has displayed throughout her career. She deserves happiness after all she's been through. And congrats to Keyshia on finding love with her fiance and newborn baby!
From her official bio:
Keyshia Cole’s journey -- from the mean streets of Oakland and an adopted family to achieving her dreams as a singer-songwriter -- is one of today’s truly extraordinary and inspirational success stories. Since 2005, when her debut CD The Way It Is was released, Keyshia has scored two #1 R&B/Hip-hop albums and seven #1 singles, two of them platinum. In addition, she has scored six Top 40s on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart.
Her 2nd album, 2007’s Just Like You debuted at #1 on Billboards R&B and Hip Hop chart (#2 nationally) and was propelled by three #1s, the platinum “Let It Go” featuring Missy Elliott and Lil’ Kim, “I Remember” and “Heaven Sent.” “Shoulda Let You Go” featuring Amina hit the Top 10. The groundbreaking album garnered Cole four Grammy nominations, including for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best Contemporary R&B Album, and an American Music Award nomination.
In 2008, she released her third album, A Different Me, which also debuted #1 R&B and again #2 nationally, with the R&B Top 10 singles “Playa Cardz Right” featuring 2Pac, “Trust” featuring Monica and “You Complete Me.”
Keyshia has also delved into the worlds of television and film. Most notably, her critically acclaimed BET reality series “Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is” became the #1 most-watched series in the network’s history during its three-season run from 2006-2008. She also played herself in the movie “How She Move” in 2005. In support of Calling All Hearts, Keyshia is planning for an all female national tour in the new year.
- uhkeem
Listen to 10-year-old Vicus from South Africa singing All-4-One's "These Arms". There's something special about this kid. Hope he gets a chance to truly expose the world to this talent on a grand scale.
- uhkeem
Last night Leica Camera hosted a reception to celebrate Chiun-Kai Shih’s Live Portrait Exhibition from 7PM-9PM at the Levi’s® Workshop. The reception showcased portraits of celebrity friends and candid shots of Workshop patrons created earlier that day by famed Fashion Photographer and Conde Nast China Contributing Creative Director Chiun-Kai Shih. Photographer Chiun-Kai Shih is chiefly known for having captured some of today’s most iconic fashion spreads for various Conde Nast Publications including Vogue Germany and GQ Taiwan, as well as InStyle, Entertainment Weekly and The New York Times. In his work, Chiun-Kai Shih focuses on people’s energy - capturing unexpected moments to create sparks of excitement and true emotion. Complimenting his exceptional photographic style, Chiun-Kai Shih will shot with the Leica S2, a supremely professional camera that features flexibility, durability and easy operation combined with industry-leading resolution and image quality. I was fortunate enough to be asked to pose for a portrait along with my partner in crime fashion stylist and Ford Models agent Tayo Fajemisin. Check out our image as well as a few others from the show and some shots of the events guests having a blast.
You can see a sampling of the portrais here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leica_camera/sets/72157625494536917/with/5269411361/
The Levi's® Photo Workshop is a temporary public facility that features a professional-grade production studio, vintage camera rental, digital design stations, exciting printing equipment, and a shop full of bits and bobs to keep you shooting in style. Although there are some important local pioneers collaborating here, these resources are really for everyone. So, whether you're a point-and-shooter, a trained professional, or somewhere in between, you are always welcome to visit and develop your craft... or your film!
18 WOOSTER ST
NEW YORK, NY 10013
(212) 343-1206
Public Transportation:
Canal Street / Tunnel - N / R
Canal Street - 1 / 2
Canal Street - A / C / E
Spring St - 4 / 6
Here we are again with a compelling live performance by Florence + the Machine singing "Cosmic Love" on the David Letterman Show. First off, who conjures up that kind of arrangement? Secondly, please understand that most late night talk show hosts don't just give out compliments to the live music guests. David especially keeps it real. They've learned how to speak around their negative thoughts and still make the guest(s) feel at home. "What a machine?" is what David said to the band while clapping his hands in their direction. Look out for this band! They have a following now, but I think it's about to swell significantly.
Hurry and watch these before they get snatched down!
This video was shot very much from an audience perspective, however I think Florence killed it. Her voice transcends like few other singers out today. I love this song in particular as my previous post illustrates HERE. SUPPORT TRUE TALENT!!!
- uhkeem