Born to Party

Captured at the peak of T. Rextasy, ‘Born To Boogie’ is the Ringo Starr-directed 1972 film of the Godfather of Glam, Marc Bolan. Featuring live versions of T. Rex’s greatest hits, recorded at their famous Wembley concerts, the film also includes a legendary jam session with T.Rex joined by Ringo Starr and Elton John, and a mad hatter’s tea party with Catweazle and (Bolan/Bowie producer) Tony Visconti…

Although it has been completely overshadowed by the "official" CD and DVD versions of Marc Bolan's epochal rock and fantasy movie, this original attempt to re-create the soundtrack is nevertheless a worthwhile package. It targets not the full-blown glory of the film, with its dramatic in-concert centerpiece, but rather an overview of memorable moments - the string-powered "Children of the Revolution" that closes the album, the Mad Hatter-style "Tea Party," Bolan and Ringo Starr's madcap "Some People Like to Rock" routine, and so on. Of course, there is plenty of live material here, and the band sounds great - this was T. Rex at the peak of their powers, and while there are better-quality recordings out there, none recapture the sheer magic of the occasion like this one. Again, if you own (or intend to pick up) the CD soundtrack, you have no need to hunt this down as well…

In his 2000 debut album, Craig David merges smooth-soul crooning with a cascade of glistening keyboards, circling guitars, and sophisticated rhythms. Displaying a healthy marriage of current R&B vocal stylings and U.K. club/dance fused beats, David's music skillfully evades feeling robotic and cold, while still sounding pristine and immaculate. As an artist who is in his late teens, he conjures up a personal and revealing work that delves into both his mature sound and youthful attitude. Co-writing and co-producing with Mark Hill of the British garage act the Artful Dodger, David wraps his scorching-cool vocals around a mellow attack of keyboards and drums, while distinctly focusing on romance, relationships, and clubbing.

Thirty years ago, on April 3rd, En Vogue started its reign as one of the most successful female vocal groups of all time. The EV30 celebration gets off to an early start tonight with an appearance on the groundbreaking hit music drama Empire, currently in its sixth and final season. Even sweeter, their performance of “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” is featured in an episode where series star Taraji P. Henson makes her directorial debut.