Janelle Monae's got me wanting to do the "Tightrope"

I already loved the song, but the video makes it that much more catchy. I'm looking forward to her new album, which comes out May 18th. That's right around my birthday...hint, hint, hint...(smile). Enjoy the video!

Dedicated to the end of a decade...

Yesterday on Twitter, I suggested that "Bag Lady" by Erykah Badu is a song of this decade. It is actually a song of a lifetime. While the song speaks mainly to the ladies, I think that the message of the song relates to everyone, men and women alike. We are at the end of a decade. We're coming up on 2010 folks and it makes sense to leave the baggage that you've been carrying behind. It hinders you; fears, bad relationships, vices that are controlling your life, you, we, have to leave it behind. Go into this new decade free of burdens. Like the song says: Let it go, let it go, let it go, let it go...

Methodical Throwback

I was watching Fuse off and on last night; they were airing Michael Jackson Takeover, which showed many of his videos and snippets of different celebrities talking about what MJ meant to them and music in general. In light of that, I just wanted to post one of my favorite videos. Enjoy!

My thoughts on Robin Thicke's cd "Sex Therapy: The Experience"

When I heard that one of my favorite singers was coming out with a CD this year, I was extremely excited. Robin Thicke is one who could sing the phone book and have you in love. I just knew that I would be buy this CD on the release date, especially after hearing the title single "Sex Therapy". However, I began to hesitate when I heard there would be a bunch of guest appearances on this one. Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, Estelle, Jazmine Sullivan and Game; I'm not a serious fan of any those listed, so featuring them was not about to make me spend my money.

The cd starts off okay, I suppose, with "Mrs. Sexy". The song has a nice little beat to it and it led into "Sex Therapy", my grown & sexy song, nicely. At that point I expected it to pick up. When I heard "Meiple" featuring Jay-Z, I was underwhelmed. After listening to it several times, it grew on me; it's still not my favorite, but I no longer have my face screwed up while listening to it. I forgot about "Make U Love Me"; I had to listening to it again in order to remember to include it in this post. So I guess that says more than an actual comment on this song *smile*. "It's In the Mornin'", featuring Snoop Dogg, is a real nice laid back song, so I think that one is a winner (even though I think Snoop needs to go sit down somewhere). "Shakin' It For Daddy" featuring Nicki Minaj kind of threw me for a loop, not necessarily for a good one either. I love the beat and can definitely see it being a great workout song, but it just seems wrong for a Robin Thicke cd *shrug*.

"Elevatas" featuring Kid Cudi has an interesting sound. I do not dislike it but it also wouldn't make my list of favorite songs, on this CD or in general. There is one part of the song where I thought that J. Timberlake made a unlisted guest appearance and I thought to myself "NO! Robin please stay sounding like yourself!" Not that I dislike Justin, I'm a fan of his as well, but I want these two to keep their sounds separate from each other, if that makes sense. Moving along to, and past, "Rollacoasta" featuring Estelle. The chorus has this 70s sound to it, at least I think it's the 70s; once I heard something about "strobe-lights" I figured that must have been the sound they were going for. This song failed to strike any chords withing me, so I could take it or leave it. Actually scratch that, I could leave it. "Million Dollar Baby", featuring Jazmine Sullivan, is one that I enjoy, but then I love Marvin Gaye, so the "Trouble Man" sample was a winner in my book. "2 Luv Birds. Next! "I Got U" and "Jus Right" are two good ones with nice beats that make you want to grab someone and dance. That said, the last bit of the CD is fairly "blah" to me. The phrase that comes to mind when I think of something to sum up my feelings on this one is "Quality vs Quantity"; there were plenty of songs, but there were plenty that I could have done without.

Maybe my gripe with this cd is that I think certain people need to have a bunch of other singers and rappers featured on their albums, but Thicke isn't one of them. I think that if you are talented, you can carry an entire album on your own. Past albums have proven, to me, that Thicke is more than capable. "Sex Therapy: The Experience" did not have that Robin Thicke feel to it. It sounded like an average R&B album, nothing too special about it. I wanted to see him in concert again and was planning to do so in January when he performs in Chicago, but there really isn't much on this latest album that I want to hear him perform live. That saddens me because I am a huge fan of his music. All that said, it's an okay album, but the only reason I "might" buy this one is due to the fact that I have a slight case of OCD when it comes to having complete sets of things. This means that since I have "A Beautiful World", "The Evolution of Robin Thicke", and "Something Else", I will probably feel the need to buy this to add to my set. So it has nothing to do with the music and everything to do with my disorder.

Maxwell + Common + Chrisette Michelle = Music at it's best!

An evening with Maxwell, Common, and Chrisette Michele? What an AMAZING concert! Each performer brought their A-game and made the price of admission totally worth it.


I wish I had been able to listen to Chrisette's entire performance, but my focus was on getting to my seat (a nice long journey, but when you make a last minute decision to go to a concert out of town what more can you expect). I listened to her sing Epiphany while I bought a concert t-shirt and from what I could hear, mind you, I'm surrounded by hordes of people within the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, she sang beautifully! Now, I had not listened to her latest cd, so I did not know the titles of all the songs she sang. However, I know that when she sang "Fragile" and "I'm Okay" I got chills! She sang those into submission....if I hadn't been in the nosebleed section during this part of the show, I would have stood up and stomped my feet! If you have the opportunity to see her live, I suggest you go because she sounds spectacular! She sings the song, she does not yell the song at the listener, lol...


Now, I've seen this next artist perform live a few years back during a tour with John Legend and De La Soul. He gave his all during the performance and I can honestly say that Common gave his all during this performance. He was on stage for a while (and I did not mind at all!); I think he performed more songs than Maxwell, I could be wrong. He started the show with "Forever Begins" which got me rocking my head and by the time he told everyone to "Go" and "Testify", I was waving my hands and dancing in my seat (like I said, I was so far up there was no way that I was about to stand up and dance, lol). I love all his songs, but I was waiting for one song in particular and the man did it! Once the beat for "Punch Drunk Love" started up, folks lost it and everyone was hyped! He singled out a woman in the audience (and I was instantly envious...) and performed "Come Close" to the music from D'Angelo's "Lady". It was an endearing performance, especially when he started to sing a little of the original song, lol...The entire audience appreciated a MJ interlude where the DJ played "The Way You Make Me Feel" and when Common came back to the stage he went into a tribute to hip hop, performing bits and pieces of some of the classics (I would have written down the titles, but I was feeling to good to be worried about that at the time, lol). The atmosphere was pretty electric; everyone was loving the hip hop tribute and when Common started to break dance folks stood up and rooted him on! The man is in great shape *wink*...My suggestion is, as it was with Chrisette Michelle, if you get the chance to see Common perform live, GO SEE HIM!


To round out an evening of great music, the man of the hour walked out onto the stage and roar of the crowd was awesome! At this point, I reached for my camera, since I was able to move to a club seating area (thanks to Reads4Pleasure, a fellow Twitter person!), however I realized that I lost my camera! So I had to trace my steps back to the mezzanine seats. Luckily, my camera was laying underneath my original seat (Thank you God!) So I rush back to my new seat just in time to watch Maxwell perform one of my all time favorites "Get To Know Ya". Maxwell and the live band sounded GREAT together! I've always loved that particular song because it is so smooth and the horns set it off...hearing it live made it that much more great! I was looking forward to hearing quite a few of my favorites and for the most part Maxwell had me covered. Of course I wanted to hear songs from his new cd, but it was great to hear some classic Maxwell, like "Til The Cops Come Knockin'", "Ascension", and "Lifetime". There were wonderful moments where the entire audience, probably hundreds, if not thousands, of people singing along. He was very interactive with the audience, very energetic. He performed two of my favorite songs from his new cd, "Cold" (I love the latin sound and hearing it live made me wanna dance with somebody!) and "Playing Possum" (the guitar in this song grabs my heart every time I hear it!). I loved the stage setup, especially the starry projection on the stage screens (that made the performance even more touching). While I would have loved it if he had performed "Whenever, Wherever, Whatever", "Suitelady", "This Woman's Work", and "Stop the World", I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Of course he performed "Bad Habits", with the lights low and Maxwell crooning, you better believe that this is a show to see with the one you love...I had to laugh 'cause he told the fellas in the audience that he was setting them up to get some love and he most definitely was. There was such a sensual feel to his portion of the show. He ended the show with "Pretty Wings" and received audience participation because everyone was singing the song with him. It was a great performance, especially when the "feathers" fell from above. And I was tempted to leave the area where I was seated to go down to the floor and grab some "feathers" but after really looking, I could tell it was paper, lol...

All around, I have to say that this was a wonderful concert and I suggest that you the next tour. This show left me feeling wonderful and I am so glad I decided to go! I floated all the way home! If you missed this one, I'm sure there will be another tour since Maxwell's second cd in the trilogy comes out next year.

(Chrisette Michele photo courtesy of Odellia via Photobucket)
(Common photo courtesy of famefatale_photos via Photobucket)(Maxwell photo courtesy of kalikarla via Photobucket)

Newly Released Michael Jackson song..."This Is It"...

Here's the new song from Michael Jackson (R.I.P. MJ)...it still feels surreal that he has passed away and this is a posthumous release...smh...Anyway, enjoy the song! I love it!

Good Morning!!! GET UP!!!

My morning motivation song! Thanks for putting me onto this Krystal = )

MJ Tribute

Dwele really did Human Nature justice...truly beautiful. Figured I would post this since they have finally laid MJ to rest...RIP MJ...

What's in my cd player in the summer? These three are a must!

I love music and the following songs are not only apart of my summer soundtrack, but they are apart of my life soundtrack...

Summertime by Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

This song is the straight up truth when it comes to describing what goes on during the summer! And when the radio stations start to play it in preparation for the beginning of summer, it amps me up!

Summer Breeze by The Isley Brothers

I love to roll my windows down in the car in the evening and have this playing. The summer breeze caressing my face and blowing through my locs...yeah, summer breeze makes me feel fine...

Golden Time of Day by Frankie Beverly and Maze

I love listening to this song right after work, in my car with the windows down, when the sun is starting its descent. Actually, this song works no matter what season we're in. Whenever the sun is starting to make its transition, it's the golden time of day. But summer is the best season to have that moment.

Let's Go Back...Way Back....

Check out this video...one of the best ever...

Is that the end....NO!

Remember back in the 80s and 90s, music made you feel good? Well, here's one of my favorite videos (all-time fave) and it should be no surprise that it's a Janet Jackson video...I mean really, who doesn't have a fave video or song from Janet or Michael? If you do...no offense...you need to get yourself checked out 'cause something is wrong with you : ) Anyway, enjoy...

Forgot how much I loved this song...

ATL was coming on while I was at home during my lunch break and this was playing at the start of the movie...I figured I put this on my blog....

What New Releases Are You Excited About ?

I absolutely love music; my day feels empty unless I've listened to some great music. That said, I am a person who constantly checks website for information on upcoming CD release dates. Yes I still buy and listen to CDs; I enjoy them the way some people love vinyl albums. Anyway, I've searched and listened to the radio to find out who will be coming out with CDs this year and I'm extremely excited about some. Here's my list (in no order of importance):



1. OutKast - I love everything that they come out with...as individuals and as a duo...



2. Syleena Johnson - She has such a great voice...



3. Mos Def - I love Mos!!!!!! Can't wait to hear the new CD...



4. D'Angelo - I've been waiting for a new one from him and supposedly this is the year...



5. Maxwell - Every time I hear him sing, I become even more of a fan...



6. India Arie - She made me pick up a guitar...now I just need to learn how to play it, lol...



7. U2 - I've loved this group since I was a kid...With Or Without you started it...

So far these are the only ones that I've heard are releasing new music this year...do you know of some others? If so, please leave comments and let me know....