POP & ROCK SHORT TAKES by John Gaddis Estella Dawn, Spooky (Purplestar Records, 2020) At twenty-three years old vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Estella Dawn has been quickly garnering fans with smartly crafted lyrics and melodies layered Read more
by John Gaddis Take a group of seasoned professionals, add that to a group of mutual friends that are also seasoned musicians, add in infectious grooves, expertly written horn lines and you have Brass House Unit or its acronym Read more
by Constance Tucker Kandace Springs might be a new name to you, but she certainly will win you over the moment she begins to sing. Her early recordings include a self-titled Ep (2014), Soul Eyes (2016), and her latest Read more
by John Gaddis It is hard to compare Prince’s genius to modern day artists, though the plethora of artists is almost growing to a glut, there seems to be less and less genius in the stacks of product that Read more
Constance Tucker Macy Gray is back with her amalgamation of jazz and R&B flavorings. Most jazzers love both genres as they offer the soulfulness that each genre has to offer. Mack Avenue most notably tied to the jazz genre has Read more
by Amad Franaquer Hassan Thankfully there are artists like Linda Calise who are still interested in doing a combination of their tunes and ones by other artists that they reinvent and put their own spin on. One such great artist Read more
by Constance Tucker I had the opportunity to review Carter’s debut offering in 2012, Carter Calvert is back with a hard hitting offering entitled It’s a Man’s World, with two household names in jazz at the production and arranging helm, Read more
by N. Esset “Woman” is soul songstress/poet Jill Scott’s fifth album, and the follow-up to her #1 album “The Light Of The Sun”. It’s more of what we’ve come to expect from Scott, with horns and strings amped up for Read more
by A. BLU De Novo Adagio (intro) – A short and simple intro that showcases the classically trained skills that some may have forgotten Ms. Keys possessed. Would have been lovely if this were longer with lyrics attached. I wonder Read more
by Amad Franaquer Hassan In today’s music scene it is common for musician to mix jazz, soul and funk, because so much music has been assembled around that meeting since the early 1970s and the musicians of today naturally grew Read more
