Album in the Crosshairs: Saoul — Seldom Oddity EP | Special Edition | self-released | 2019

Saoul wants you to taste the bread. And be sexy while doing it. Plus, he has a new release, Seldom Oddity, to help you along … The unsuppressed, sensual funkiness of the multi-instrumentalist’s EP mirrors writer James Baldwin’s admonition to view sensuality — despite the unequal and on-the-brink times we live in — as a […]

Album in the Crosshairs — Annabel (lee): I Came Across a Dreamer; Youngbloods, 2018

Three dreams, guided by a polaris of better times, but for the most part pursued by somber realities while awash with indulgent compositions, vocals and lyrics. Count Richard Ellis and Sheila Brown Ellis of the group Annabel (lee) among the shortlist of creatives who can solidly deliver on such an angular approach to storytelling. Their […]

Album in the crosshairs — Patsy Moore: What Surprises Us (2018)

In 2018, music of the flesh thrives hard while its more soulful counterpart ironically gives up more of its ghost, leaving the responsibility of holding down what remains to a shrinking handful of singer-songwriters like Patsy Moore, who reverently treat music as the spiritual nexus of mind and body. Moore’s latest album, What Surprises Us, […]

Happy Wrecka Stow Day — this post is probably not what you think

About the title of this piece — we’ll deal with that in a moment. I own records — and still buy them — but I don’t celebrate Record Store Day. Record stores — particularly when taking into account what they’ve been through — are only Barney Fife’ng themselves by selling high-priced releases on the day […]

Bruno Mars and cultural appropriation, part 2: the bake

The fried-rice-and-chicken-wing-theory of Blackness gets too much shine at times. We’ll dig deeper into that point later. I want to continue my thoughts from earlier today about Bruno Mars and cultural appropriation by asking a silly question: what is Blackness? Also, what credentialed person or process gets to determine someone else’s Blackness? No, this isn’t […]

Bruno Mars and cultural appropriation, part 1: the shake

To the folks who continue to drone that performer Bruno Mars is guilty of cultural appropriation — leave him Alone. Yeah, I always thought Bruno Mars played Cruise Ship Funk — the safe stuff that’s deodorized to a sucralose state of Middle-American acceptamce where listens invoke Peoria-grandma-approved happy faces, trying hard to keep a beat. […]

An album (or two) in my head 0066

I listened to Harriet Tubman’s latest album again — it’s crazy Deep Space Blackout, where the all-so-dope trio sees our Colson Whitehead and raises it with an ion thruster. Spaceways, Inc. is smiling all the way from Saturn. I’ve also been getting my sway on with a dancefloor-friendly release of vintage Metal, blended into Afrobeat. […]

Happy Born Day, Joni.

Wishing healthful birthday blessings to Joni Mitchell, who turned 74 yesterday but battling a rare and painful disease. I’ve been playing her Ladies of the Canyon album and thinking about how her music is ageless — still enjoyed by adults of all ages. Truly one of the most captivating songwriters in music history. Care to […]

In Loving Remembrance of Muhal Richard Abrams

The passing of Muhal Richard Abrams is another one of those somber events that took me a while to process. I have so many thoughts. So many emotions, wrapped around memories. Abrams’ music helped to secure my love for the avant-garde side of Jazz music. Unlike some of you, I didn’t come out of the […]

WATCH LIVE: Cellist Aniela Marie Perry Plays 24 Hours Straight

Sheila Ellis from the band Annabel (lee) made me aware of a pretty badazz event taking place right now: Aniela Marie Perry is playing for a straight 24 hours and blending musical styles to support the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund — a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to musicians in need. Among her many projects, […]