June 12, 2008
One of the illiest voices in R&B ever. Her voice sounds just like the record live. Who am I talking about… Regina Bell!! That’s right, Regina Bell. When I was younger I seen her perform on T.V. and that shit messed me up. You don’t believe me? Watch this:
June 12, 2008
The writers and producers of the original “Ghetto Heaven” Common did a cool version but this shit was going the flux off!!! I’m serious, me and Killa was just yakkin about this joint. I never heard anything else from them but this is a CLASSIC!!! Here’s a Bio from Vh1 and the video:
The Family Stand consists of Dallas, Texas, native Sandra St. Victor, Jeffrey Smith, and Peter Lord, a native New Yorker. Lord and Smith originally answered to, Evon Jeffries and the Stand, and recorded under that name two years prior to becomingthe Family Stand. Though they have three albums to their credit, their biggest fame has come from “Promise of a New Day,” a tune co-written with Paula Abdul and sung by the former Los Angeles Lakers dancer.Jacci McGhee, replaced St. Victor on Connected, their latest CD, released in 1998.St. Victor left to solo, coming out with Mack Diva Saves the World on Warner Brothers Records. The members have played with the top names in rock, Smith, as a saxophone player. Lord, a vocalist and keyboardist, earned a degree in musical composition from Howard University and played with bands from the D.C. area. Returning to New York, Lord teamed with Smith and produced and wrote for Miki Howard, the Mac Band, Donna Allen, Good Fellaz, Will Downing, Corey Glover, and Ali to name a short list. St. Victorattended the University of Kansas and studied classical music. Moving to New York she became in demand as a vocalist on the road and in the studio working with Freddie Jackson, Roy Ayers, Chaka Khan, Nile Rodgers, Kashif, Glenn Jones, and others. The Family Stand’s first LP Chain, produced the single “Ghetto Heaven,” a favorite in discos, none of the Atlantic LP’s other songs’ “Sweet Liberation,” “In Summer I Falled,” “Chain,” or “Twisted,” broke out. A second LP Moon in Scorpio, appeared on East West Records but had too much rock and not enough soul for urban listeners and failed to register; they didn’t release another CD until 1998, the much ballyhooed Connected, on Elektra/Asylum Records. The album loses the tripping acid sound and delves heavily into the brand of soul that made the ’70s musically exciting. When it didn’t sell, Elektra released them at their insistence. During the six years between albums, Lord and Smith, added McGhee and concentrated on writing and producing. Don’t be surprised if the Family Stand rises again, it’s hard to keep a good, talented group down. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide
June 12, 2008
Not quite but you know they made a song called “Don’t Disturb This Groove”… a mothasucking Classic!!! FANGGGG!!!! I was little braddah vibing to the joint. It always sounded like freedom to me. A spacey feeling that I didn’t want to stop! HAAA! Check out this Bio:
The System was an American synth pop band from the 1980s.
The two band members were vocalist/guitarist Mic Murphy and seasoned session keyboardist David Frank. The band was founded in 1982 in New York.
Their first album Sweat in 1983 featured the classic club hit “You Are in My System,” which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the band’s first successful single. In 1984 they released their second album, X-periment. Frank’s expertise in recording studio technology gave the material a sound that many felt was ahead of its time.[citation needed] Indeed, the heavy use of synths and electric percussion was a step beyond the disco-influenced flavour of the previous album, and Murphy’s soulful vocals gave the songs a definite R&B flavour. Besides the upbeat electronics-laden tracks, the album also introduced a more mature and pop-friendly quality, evident in tracks such as “Promises Can Break”, “I Wanna Make You Feel Good” and “I Can’t Take Losing You.”
The System performed the energetic title track of their 1985 album The Pleasure Seekers on an episode of the hit NBC series Miami Vice. Other standouts on this album include the more melodic and down-to-earth “It Takes Two”, as well as “Love Won’t Wait For Lovin’” and “This Is For You”.
Their song “Rock N’ Roll Me Again” became famous in the 1984 action comedy Beverly Hills Cop with Eddie Murphy. They would also reach #23 on Billboard’s R&B chart with the title track from the 1988 Eddie Murphy film Coming to America. All of this success occurred while they were contributing their talents to projects such as the Scritti Politti album Cupid & Psyche 85, Phil Collins‘ “Sussudio,” Chaka Khan’s “I Feel for You,” and “This Is My Night,” and Mtume’s “Juicy Fruit,” among many others.
The System’s greatest success came in 1987 with “Don’t Disturb This Groove,” from the eponymous album. The single reached #1 on the Billboard R&B chart and #4 on the Hot 100. Murphy and Frank parted ways professionally in 1989 but reunited in 2000 for the album ESP, which also featured a reworked version of “You Are In My System”.
Murphy recorded the solo album Touch and charted in 1991 with a single from that project. Frank has found more recent success as asongwriter and producer, most notably with his work on Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle” in 1999 and teen girl-group Dream’s “He Loves U Not” in 2000. Both were big hits.
They also share their name with an anarcho-punk band. (From Wikipedia).
And of course, the video!!
June 12, 2008
What ever happen to the fly groups from the 90’s? There was a couple of groups that had some joints like Jade, H-Town, Brownstone, TCF Crew and others! Not saying that I was a stone cold fan of these groups but… some songs got through. Let’s see what I’m gonna reminisce on…
Cassandra Lucas (b. East Harlem, NY) and Charisse Rose (b. Bronx, NY), the two members of Changing Faces, met each other while studying at New York’s Music and Art High School. Following their high school graduation, the two went their separate ways, withLucas studying sociology at Hunter College and Rose studying criminal justice at John Jay. Although both women were pursuing degrees, they hadn’t given up on music and frequently performed as session musicians, singing demos, jingles, and background vocals. Within a few years, the two met again when they were hired as the touring supporting vocalists for Sybil.
Lucas and Rose stayed with Sybil for two years before deciding to team together as Changing Faces. The pair returned to New York, where they worked at a dermatologist’s office in Manhattan during the day while recording demos at night with producer Dinky Bingham. Despite the long hours working on the demo, it wasn’t a tape that led the group to Big Beat Records; it was the fact that they were heard by Kenny Smoove, head of Big Beat subsidiary Spoiled Rotten, as they sang on the street. A week later, the group had signed to the label, which was a subsidiary of Atlantic, and they had begun recording their debut.
Changing Faces‘ first two singles — “Stroke You Up” and “Foolin’ Around” — were written and produced by R. Kelly, the hottest urban producer of the mid-’90s. The two singles reached the R&B Top Ten in late 1994, with “Stroke You Up” peaking at number three on the pop charts as well. Changing Faces‘ eponymous debut was released in 1995 and went gold on the strength of the two hits, even if the third single, “Keep It Right There,” stalled at number 49.
Changing Faces returned in 1997 with their second album, All Day All Night. Kelly produced “G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T.,” the first single from the album, and it was their biggest hit to date, reaching number one on the R&B charts and number eight pop. Their third release, Visit Me, followed three years later. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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June 12, 2008
I finally figured out what I was going to use for Thursday. As you can tell, I didn’t have a Thursday category but that has changed. R&B(Soul) Thursday’s People!!!!! I will post some info about Soul Music. Maybe some videos, artists you may have never known about, albums to check out… all of that. So with that in mind, Let’s start with Leon Ware. BLAMMMMMMM!!!!
One of the true unsung Soul warriors, Leon Ware has quietly written a stunning variety and breadth of classic soul music over the last 40 years. Born and raised in Detroit, Ware joined Motown in the late 60s and by the early 70s was one of that label’s key writers – often at the expense of his own singing career.
Ware’s first major composition, the Isley Brothers’ “Got To Have You Back,” appeared on their Soul On The Rocks CD, and Ware helped Michael Jackson launch his solo career with “I Wanna Be Where You Are,” a classic cut that has been remade dozens of times (most notably by Jose Feliciano and Chaka Khan). But perhaps his most memorable contribution at Motown was his thematic disc with Marvin Gaye, I Want You, considered by many to be among Motown’s greatest albums of the 70s. The album was originally written by Ware for his own use, but he ended up handing Gaye a masterpiece, with Ware’s production and songwriting taking Gaye in a musical direction markedly different than eitherWhat’s Goin’ On or Let’s Get It On.
By the late 70s, artists outside of Motown were clamoring for Ware’s help, and over the next 20 years he wrote dozens of wonderful cuts that became hits for artists such as the Average White Band (“If I Ever Lose This Heaven”), Peabo Bryson (“Lovers After All” with Melissa Manchester), the Main Ingredient (“Rolling Down a Mountainside”), Jeffrey Osborne (“Forever Mine”) and Maxwell (“Sumthin’ Sumthin’”). His work as a producer and backing vocalist also continued with artists such as Bobby Womack, El DeBarge, Teena Marie, Billy Griffin, the Isley Brothers and, most recently, Michael McDonald.
Unfortunately, while he was making hits for others, Ware’s own singing career often suffered. Despite recording a handful of critically acclaimed albums for Motown and Elektra during the 70s and 80s, he remained a secret to many outside the music industry.
Ware continued to record sporadically in the 90s, but at the end of that decade began a new period of productivity and a more concentrated effort to establish his solo performing career. He released Candlelight to good response and followed it with Love’s Drippin’ and Deeper over the next couple of years. Most recently, in 2005 he released A Kiss In The Sand on his own Kitchen Records.
Ware signed with the reborn Stax Records in 2008 and will be releasing his Stax debut, Moon Ride, on August 12.
By Chris Rizik
And to add, this is the Album you should get. Classic in my eyes. My big homie Aaron put me on like 2 years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. Also, one of the things the writer forgot to mention is that he also worked with and wrote/produced for Minnie Riperton, FISKKKKKKK!!
