Kevin Whalum

Released in September 2008-lovely track

Clumbsy Boy-this life of mine

This oddity has earned a place in my heart mostly because it sounds like it was made in the 1990t's.....

Cyne-Never Forget Pluto!!

Yeah bummer that really-one day your the last in the Solar System-then suddenly you are nothing...! It's Clyde Tombaugh I feel for....

Tyrrell Ft. Nanar -As I Listen

Lovely stuff (in a trippy dippy way-gasp !! Rock Style way) from an interesting compilation....

French Stuff 1-Quinze- Oublions [3:27]

From a Cd handed out free with a French Music Magazine- I do really like this......

Victoria White Keep on

Nice !!!!!!!!

Roddy Rod-I hear you talking....(Actions Show)

Hip Hoppery which I like because I'm a sucker for Johnny G Watson....

Rhett George-Breathe....

Smooth stuff.....

Jaheim - Roster

Yet another Bonus Cut-and highly popular on the Modern Soul Scene- which is perhaps because it's squeaky clean-chicken in a basket and being honest a bit dull.....

Joe (2) Approach

Bonus track from his 2008 CD (which is highly underrated)-this is just excellent stuff.....

Mario Step Out !

For an artist without an official release in 2008 this guy has been very popular this year. I like this leak a LOT-though you'd never guess why?- Well it reminds me of Finesse by Glenn Jones ! Yeah I have no idea why because it hardly sounds the same-and yet.....?





Hey this is my Blog and I can be just as mental as I want!!!

Jelani Face

One of those throw away Urban Light songs that somehow appeal to me-sonorous and somehow sad......

Strange Fruit Project Presents S1 - Music Box

Like this CD ! (mind you ought to know this by now-assuming anyone reads this...)

Two great tracks:



and yet another Little Brother Theme-about "when the Party is over..."

IC Green

Kinda like the Indie track-reminds me of Tank slightly....!

Tony Tatum Faith

Truly excellent Gospel set-one of a few class tracks....

J Rowe- dem Things

Recent CD and a tune that simply hooks me in.

Jason Walker Sister Spoon

Really like this track so I sent it too a few people but to be honest non of them liked it much! I do though it reminds me of imprompt2 in the horns and it's a lazy bluesy number that I thought Richard Searling might of played?
Shows you how wrong I can be....

Nick Colionne Melting Into You ....

I played this on the SCR show (see links) and expected it to be more popular-on account that you don't get many baritone voices on tracks these days. It's taken from a quite obscure Smooth jazz CD-but had the leading Modern Soul DJ's picked up on it-then I sure you might of heard it.....

Craig Amaker -Call on Me

Uneven Gospel set for sure but this track has something about the Mitchell Jones style (IMHO)

Yaw -Where would you be...

Rather nice track by Yaw featured on the excellent Brownswood Bubblers Series...

Timeless.....

Tru the Wind-its Stokley and Nicolay !

Just one of my fave fave tracks!! Kinda opened up a lot of music for me this one!

Vula- If you want it....

Love this track and nice to post up the Video....

TL- Caught Up

One of those can't give up on ! Somewhere in there is a track I like but try as I can I just can't get rid of the dreadful Rap.....

Come my Way-Althea Rene

Popular and classy track from her CD.....

The globetraddas - love

Taken from an excellent Jap Compilation called Saudade Cocomo -this is just great!!!

One Sound-Don't you Know

From a rather uneven indie CD a track that I've come to really like. It has something dirge like about it-kinda timeless (?)

G Frequency-Nobody Knows

One of my fave tracks of the year-never seem to tire of it-and the talent of Mr P,
Excellent CD as well...

Lamone - [Eclectically Speaking #03] Smile [4:05]

From a late 2007 release but featured on several Modern Soul Radio shows throughout 2008 Lamone's CD Eclectically Speaking has some rather good tracks on it.

My choice though is this-anything that uses Electric relaxation can't be bad

The Pain of it all....

Tribute to Park 106 and place-or as it was on 18th November Park 106 and Pain

The man adds to the wit...

Jai Reed-You were there

Nice indie Gospel CD- this is rather nice....

How Long will you need Me !

Must have played this a thousand times this year- I blame that 60t's sounding sample..

Lone Catalysts from the Square Binizz CD

Bob Baldwin-New Urban Jazz

As it goes this sounds more like Kero One-which for the smooove scene-ain't no bad thing..
Nice CD too

Joe (1)- Family

It's been a bit of a year for Joe- a label change, a new CD and some very odd interviews where he slags off R Kelly-in a "lost my mind" way...

He cropped up early in the year with this made for the Roscoe Jenkins Soundtrack.

As always Joe tends to deliver....

Connor Reeves – Whatever Gets You Through

Odd one this- Quite popular in the early part of the year...See here amongst other places
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/ronnieherel/20080211.shtml

I doubt it's 2008 though (2007/6)-but I associate it with this year

It took me a few plays to get into it- but eventually I was won over by a few plays by Greg Clifford....

Superior Stuff for sure-its a bit dark-and it builds.... It's Soul Music

Gina Loring Feeling Good

Another Feb 2008 release which I left on the shelf till I read Stevie's review on B2B. He described it very well-quite positive-and he wrote "It's got a live drum sound"

Indeed it has....

Erykah..kah..kah.....

From her Amerykah CD released in Feb 2008-the first track to really grab me from it....

Day 26-The New Northern Soul

The X factor-I've watched it when Leona Lewis Won-but you know-who gives a shit?
Apparently in the US they have something called MOTB (match of the band?)...4 ?

I've no idea what I'm writing here-I like Soul Music-it's a personal thing...

This is great-huge fat pop-tastic Soul tune-in a 2008 style (or a 2006 One Chance Style).


One thing for sure 2008 has been a year when I've enjoyed music because of interacting by writing about it with other people-A few people at this place in particular:

http://back2basics.biz/index.php


As for this-you know I just don't get it? Nobody will include this in a best of list and yet it's just perfect Soul Music-It's dirge like-with huge 90t's keyboard bleeds-it's FAT. But apart from the peeps in the link above- It'll be passed over.

Out of respect to the greatest leak masters of recent years -This is there version with the "Black N Beatz Vibes Baby" spoiler... (love those peeps)

Canton... suggests another way....

I like lyrics-and I like Gospel so you know sometimes I listen and assume it's ironic (Like in say Pennies from Heaven). Sometimes though some words in Gospel are like the singers and the melodies-the best I ever hear.

"Fred Hammond-It's not what you say"-is the example I quote to the majority of people who step back and think I'm a nut job. Check it out and regardless of what you believe try and tell me that those words aren't a lesion to all of us.

Canton Jones Song Hater Day has something special also about the lyrics-understanding-giving-behaving decently-in search of getting through another day.

Timeless classic for me.....



....flesh make you wanna do things.....
Really ?-Shit thats me f*cked then

Musiq-who is he ?

Different strokes to different folks-so it appears. I always think of Womanopoly a song so clever lyric wise (least to me)-I just have to respect the guy...Mind I'm perhaps the only person that thinks that.

This track was on one of the Special Edition re releases this year-not the best to many- which I understand- but we all look to different strokes....

Stokley Williams, Mint and the Tigga

Just awesome !! That vocal floors me-it's perfect-Definite pick for my Karaoke song at the Office Xmas party- "..all of a sudden- ah- you turned around-nd-nd"-Wow talk about phrasing-the man is a genius! As for Phonte-he's ok-"...four in the morning getting crazy text messages..." (Note-I think he means sending them)

The CD is ESSENTIAL !!!

February the 14th 2008

2006 Demo from Brutha (who have had a lot of leaks this year but none as good as this) just seemed right for the day in question...

"-So I sign off quick and just go back to doing what I usually do-"

Substantial - Sacrifice -The wake up call

The Sacrifice CD is another Hip Hopeful quality CD with a Nujables connection.
I recall reading a post on EMS talking about what tracks people would have as ring tones. I laughed a lot when I read it because this particular track has been my phone alarm for quite a few months.......Won't tell that lot though-they would never get it...

(smiles)

Freddie Joachim-In WithTime-24/7

Really like this Hip Hope Jap CD and fast Freddie J is a talented bloke... The CD features a great version of the old chestnut "You Remind me"-but it's this smile along track featuring Aloe Blacc that deserves to be heard.....

Homeless-Charlie Wilson

In with the very best of the year IMHO (or top 10 material). Huge commercial cash in with the MTV series "Fatherhood" but regardless Charlie is special.

One of the happiest memories I'll have of listening to music in company this year-or any other for that matter.....



Rather hopeful quote from earlier in the year....(20/06/08)
see

http://www.rnbmusicblog.com/charlie-wilson-homeless/

Charlie Wilson has debuted a new song,earlier this week.The track is titled “Homeless” and is rumored to be on the singer’s upcoming album “Supa Sexxy”,that will be released on September 16 through Jive records.’Homeless’ is vintage Charlie and it could become a hit with some help from urban radio stations.

It was a hit but the CD never materialized

Tonex 3

Yet another track from Naked Truth-using King Heroin by James Brown-and sounding good.....

Tonex 2

From his Naked Truth Mix tape. I just love this - I don't know why?

"It don't just make sense to me"

Ralf Gum /Monique Bingham-Edit

Soulful House some call it ( like those who spend money on Traxsource and Juno)-to me it's Sushi (as in Kandy). The template is Disco (or will always be to me)-and I left Disco behind a long time ago. Course the post Disco up tempo stuff has had moments of brilliance. I could trot off a huge list but won't be condescending to you all.

I'm happier in my own music comfort zone-and I'm quite intimidated by the House peeps-who pour scorn on the likes of me (for good reason at times). Every now again though I take a decent bit of Sushi and try to get it down to under 4 minutes or get rid of 4 minutes of endless druming (turn it into a SONG)-for example this edit of a mix-of a mix-and so on...

Johnson and Johnson -Gods in the Building

This is the year of the 60T's revival-causing old men to post on EMS "I heard this on Radio 2-Thank god the youth of today acknowledge the real soul of the 1960t's...." Gravitas to the revival was added by Raphael Saadiq-but whole CD's were ruined by jumping on the band wagon. I've spent a lot of time since 1974 knocking Northern Soul-so NS types who know my views tend to dismiss me.Meanwhile some claim that in 2008 Soulful House is the NEW Northern Soul.

Growing up in the North West even though I didn't like Northern-doesn't mean I don't know what it is. So if you seek Northern in 2008 then this track by Hip Hop outfit Johnson and Johnson comes a lot closer (even if it takes a detractor to notice)....

Jean Grae-My Story

One of my very best of the year without a doubt. Perhaps the finest Gospel track of the year too-though it's not really Gospel-except.....

The Story told is about abortion from a pro-life point of view and at times it has haunting lyrics. The Chorus is chilling...

"When the rain falls down I know it's falling for me-and only for me-And when the pain comes around-no where else I rather would be-I know what I've done- Please Forgive me"

Which is real Gospel guilt...

Her reflections at the end of the song are moving

"But it's never over-even if we have a child-they could of had a brother or sister or both-I'm thinking about another life that almost got close-praying that in another time we could of changed posts-If I could reverse time I would-I don't know what I'd do?-honestly it's not good-I'm Sorry"

Jazmine 1

This should be the year of Jazmine. The Woman had a huge number of leaks tied together in home made compilations throughout the year. Some of these go back a few years but the quality is just astounding....



Not released on her 2008 CD !
Neither was this-which picked up a bit of play time in Modern Soul Events



As for this one Music Featuring Floetry (from 2006-?) which I hadn't heard before this year-is just lovely.(I've played it a LOT of times).... ALL I HEAR IS MUSIC!!