Ugly Part of Me

If you are looking for some cool out music, something mellow and inspires you to light a few candles then check this out. The song is called Ugly Part of Me brought to you by the smooth voiced Avery Sunshine. Off of her self titled debut album, Avery sings a smooth song explaining how that ugly side of her reared its ugly head and caused her to "trip out" on her man. This is an apology and it's a damn smooth one.

Her entire album harkens back to the early days of Floetry and early Jill Scott, I think she is cut from a similar cloth as those exceptional artists both vocally and lyrically. This song however stands out as far as I'm concerned from all the rest because of it's beauty and significance. For a Black woman to admit that she has that ugly side feeds into that stereotype of the "angry Black woman". She sings lines like I don't know about you but I got an ugly side and Sometimes, sometimes there's just some things I can not have which are very powerful. To me this song is both heavy and beautiful and I can't stop listening to it.

Check this tune out and see if you don't feel the same way I do about it. Maybe you won't be able to stop listening to it either. Enjoy.

Give It To You

I was digging around in my collection of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis songs and this song popped me upside the head. For those that thought Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake were the original white R&B crooners allow me to refute that claim with this artist and this catchy tune. The artist is Jordan Knight and the song is Give It To You off his 1999 release Jordan Knight LP. Jordan who was once part of the questionably talented New Kids On The Block had his biggest hit with this song which which was written by Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jordan Knight, and Robin Thicke and produced by Jam and Lewis. This song pretty much paved the way for Robin and Justin to be the artists they are today. It showed that white male singers could and would be accepted by Black audiences.

The song is fun. Seemingly inspired by carnival music and arranged in such a way that you would have to imagine it was fun crafting this song. It starts off with that carnival music and then Jordan comes in riding the bassline singing "You say it's been too long / Since you / Had some. You say I turn you on / Like the fire that's burning inside / You think that I'm the one (you see in your dreams) / I know what you mean". Basically it's yet another song about about a guy trying to get some. However, this song is a lot of fun to listen to.

The carnival vibe comes back into the song twice more, once at the bridge and the outro. What surprised me about this was that Jam and Lewis had a hand in creating it but the more I listen to it their influences are all over it, as are Robin Thicke's, especially in the vocal layering department. Either way, you may hate Jordan as a singer and artist and that's your prerogative or you may have forgotten all about this song as I did but maybe unlike you, I'm glad I found it again. Enjoy!

Bittersweet Faith

When I first heard this song I was immediately hit by the musicianship and the strings. I was online one late night just looking for something new musically that I hadn't heard before and I was just punching things in my search engines. I came across a few things that night but this song was the shiny gem of the bunch. The name of the song is Bittersweet Faith by Bitter:Sweet. It's off of their 2006 release "The Mating Game" and this song will make you bop your head, I swear.

It has a tango feel to it at first and then the strings and percussion come in and that adds the groove. Then the vocals by Shana Halligan come floating in over the track giving it an added dimension. Now granted, Shana isn't the strongest of vocalists but her voice is just another instrument added to the mix. You can almost disregard what she's singing about because the track has grabbed you and won't let go. My favorite part of this song is when Shana begins the second verse, all the instrumentation drops away and it's just her, the strings, and the bass. Lovely.

I like this song a lot and if you give it a chance you just may become a fan of Bitter:Sweet yourself. Enjoy!

Sunrise

I fell head over heels for this song when I first heard it and every time it comes up on the playlist I smile. It transports me back to a time when everything was genuine and true in my life and hardship and heartbreak seemed miles from shore. The song is "Sunrise" by the immensely talented Norah Jones off of her 2004 release "Feels Like Home".

I don't know if it's the easy laid back feel of the song, the beautiful melody, or the piano, guitar, upright bass, and knuckles on wood accompaniment that makes this a favorite of mine. Maybe it's Norah's voice or just the overall sweet sentiment. It's a well arranged song and the voice layering is pitch perfect. I don't know about anyone else but this song definitely reminds me of home. That's why it'll always be a favorite of mine.

Luna Negra

One of my all time favorite songs is Luna Negra by Rey Ruiz. It's not one of my favorite salsa songs, it's one of my favorite songs period (and I don't even speak Spanish). Whenever I hear it I just want to dance and I always remember how I felt when I heard it the first time, it gave me goosebumps because I had never heard anything like it before. Sure I've heard some great salsa songs before ever hearing Luna Negra but for some reason this song struck a different chord in me and I was an instant fan.

It's a song about serious heartbreak and how a man finally knows what pain is like when his love walks out on him. He then sees a Black moon but holds on to the hope that one day he and his love will be re-united again to see another morning together. Ruiz' voice is like silk and the music with the muted horns is simply pure perfection.

Like I said earlier, Luna Negra is one of my all time favorite songs. If you take a listen to this classic it may become one of your all time favorite songs too (even if you don't speak Spanish). Enjoy!

E.R.

One of the most underrated soul and r&b singers to hit the scene in the past decade has to be without a doubt the artist simply named Joe. I am a fan of this talented man because he rarely ever lets me down. Usually he releases quality songs that are catchy and entertaining and why he's not on the level of an Usher or an R. Kelly is a true mystery. Maybe he needs to release a sex tape or something or get caught driving drunk. Maybe that would give his career the push it needs to get him out of the middle of the pack with the Avants and the like.

The song E.R. is a catchy and creative song that's a head nodder and foot tapper for sure. Off of his 2008 release New Man, E.R. was the first song on the album and it was a tone setter. The lyrics are witty and the hook is memorable and the song is layered in so many ways both vocally and musically which I like. It's a well arranged song and while Joe doesn't have the pipes of say a Jaheim, he's still a very capable singer and gets the most out his gift.

This song was the first single and it failed to catch on but I am a fan of this tune and of Joe's. Give it a chance and you may be too. Enjoy!

My Right Eye

I haven't blogged in a while for a few reasons. Some reasons were personal and one reason in particular was I was allowing some new readers to catch up from digging through the archives (there are a LOT of songs on this blog o'mine...lol). I'm back now though so I hope all you new people are all caught up, this train is about to leave the station and this is the perfect song to leave said station to. When I first heard this song I was struck by it's ethereal sound and it made me pay attention. The artist is Laurie Anderson and in this case the word artist fits perfectly. Laurie Anderson is not just a musician but a performance artist and sculptor.

My Right Eye is off of her 2010 album Homeland and it's not really a song I can break down, it's more a song you just have to listen to. A song you have to listen and pay attention too. It's a song with no real hook or structure but it's damn addictive. It's intense in it's easy nature and cinematic in sound and scope, like it could be the song the end titles run to at the end of a movie.

I don't know if this song will make you a fan of Laurie Anderson like it did me. I thought the song was worthy of being shared and listened to. I hope you enjoy it.