Big Bub - Tug Of War (2 CD Set) Living In The Flesh/Dying Of The Flesh

What do you get when you put together a double album titled "Living In The Flesh" and the other "Dying Of The Flesh"... Fredrick Lee "Bubba" Drakeford's (known to world as "Big Bub")soul between the secular & gospel world creating the spirtual "Tug of War". Before his 9 year hiatus "Big Bub" has left us with the new jack laced hits "Him or Me", and "Girl I Got My Eyes On You" as the front man in the group"Today". In 1992 after Today disbanded "Bub" started a successful solo career with his debut album "Comin' At Cha" featuring the hits "I Don't Mind" and "Tellin' Me Stories", he continued on to release two more albums "Timeless" (1997), and "Never Too Late" (2000). "Big Bub" has returned to the music scene with the strong gospel driven vocals that he blessed the world with nearly a decade ago (and I must add some serious writing & production credits for artist Mary J. Blige" and "Horace Brown" to name a few)

PRINCE - LOTUSFLOW3R

In the year of 1981 after opening for The Rolling Stones and being booed & having garbage thrown at him on stage (Those boos can also be heard on the track "Pop Life" featured on Prince and The Revolution's 1985 album "Around The World in A Day") who would have thought that Prince would become one of the greatest and most creative artist of our time. Now after being solely relevant in the music industry for 33 years with just as much released/unreleased albums to match, many accolades including the biggest being accepted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, as well as the UK Music Hall of Fame we are now introduced to this... Lotusflow3r a 3 CD set that consist of two albums of new released material Lotusflow3r/MPL Sound, and the third introducing his new protege Bria Valente with Elixer.

Introducing... Bria Valente - Elixer
On her 10 track debut album she breathes feminity into each track seductively with Prince musical styled arrangements. The opening track "Here Eye Come" is the perfect foreplay for the opening with lyrics like "Don't ever stop what cha doing, I feel like the dirty blond girl in 9 1/2 weeks" only prepares you for the session waiting on the remainder of the album, other stand out tracks include "Another Boy" a nice radio friendly single (which was featured on his new website earlier this year . Amongst my favorites are "Something U Already Know" and the perfect closing to the album is the title track "Elixer" which has a duet with the one & only artist himself. At 50 years old Prince shows you that Apollonia will not be the last woman to purify herself in Lake Minnetonka.

Prince - LOtUSFLOW3R/MPLSoUND
The combination of these two albums are 21 songs for fans that shows Prince after all this time still creating excellent music. "A Colonized Mind" is so politically correct that it is not even funny, Prince is far from being Preachy but when he records such a song it is something that definitely must be heard. If you haven't heard 2001's Maxi Single of "When Will We Be Paid? which includes the Powerful duet with the soulful Ms. Mahogany Soul Angie Stone "U Make My Sun Shine", you must find a way to lend your ears to this, it is unfortunately discontinued but can be purchased used from amazon.com here . The track "Dreamer" is The Rock and Roll of Prince at his best, if you were not fortunate to see him perform it live on Jay Leno please let me help you with this and i will let the live footage speak for itself.
On MPLSoUND I have some personal favs such as "Here" and the beautiful romantic "Better With Time" which picks up where "Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife" left off a song on another three cd set "Emancipation" released in 1996. He proudfully notes on "Ol' Skool Company" "The White House is Black, now we need to take radio back" and i must agree indeed we do, indeed we do. I am ending my review based on the opening track on the Housequaked style laced groove "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" where he simply boasts just that and I must comply there never will be

The Best R&B/Soul Albums of 2008

On his 3rd Album




One of the most creative and prolific albums of 2008. Former lead singer of the Oakland hit group Tony Toni Tone' has recaptured the sound from artist such as Sam Cooke, Curtis Mayfield & Marvin Gaye (to name a few) and poured it all into "The Way I See It". The Lead single "Love That Girl" puts you into a time when there was real music. This is a big one for the Neo-Soul movement indeed.