With "Dedication", Beady Belle has drawn together all the threads of inspiration at the core of who she is and has woven a brand new tapestry that is vibrant, organic, energetic, cool, emotional, intimate, and unequivocally funky. Soul and R&B have always been close to Beady Belle's heart, and with "Dedication", she is fully immersed in these twin worlds. "I associate this music with the 70's," she says. "It's recorded live with old, original instruments. Raw and unpolished. With the groove as an unstoppable engine. It's a tribute to my great heroes - Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway and Aretha Franklin, while there are whispers of younger Soul artists like Alicia Keys, Raphael Saadiq, Lauryn Hill and Frank Ocean."
Sixteen-time GRAMMY® award-winning songwriter and one of the most successful producers in history, musical icon David Foster performs songs from his unparalleled catalog along with friends such as Katharine McPhee, Pia Toscano, Loren Allred and more. Revisit hits like "The Power of Love", "The Prayer," songs from The Bodyguard and so many more.
This concert film captures R&B legend Curtis Mayfield's appearance at the 1987 Montreux Jazz Festival. The set list consists of a dozen songs including such classics as "Pusher Man," "Freddie's Dead," "People Get Ready," "When Seasons Change," and "It's Alright."
Perhaps because he didn't cross over to the pop audience as heavily as Motown's stars, it may be that the scope of Curtis Mayfield's talents and contributions have yet to be fully recognized.
Never heard of Jay Owens? Doesn't matter. Owens' obscurity is something the somewhat laborious liner notes go to great lengths to establish, as if it were a badge of honor. The key, however, is the music's timeless soulfulness; after a couple of listens, you'll swear you've been listening to it all your life. For the record, Owens has made noise previously as a touring sideman for such greats as Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Aaron Neville, Etta James and Bobby Womack. But on his debut recording, he moves to center stage with the grace and poise of a veteran. What's more, the dude writes all his own songs. A generous thirteen of them are included on this album, originally released in 1993…
A stunning second set from Hiatus Kaiyote – a group we already loved the first time around, but who really blow us away with this amazing little record! The style is this incredible mix of cosmic keyboards and soulful vocals – but not in a way that's like any of the other oft-tread paths in that combination on the market at all. Instead, the group almost put the keyboards first – working from some Herbie Hancock electric 70s mode, but very much with their own style – then find a key place for the sublime singing of Nai Palm – a vocalist who's got this style that's heavenly, and almost with her own sort of electricity as well. Individual tunes are great, but the whole thing really works together as one long sonic trip – a mindbending journey through tracks that include "Prince Minikid", "Shaolin Monk Motherfunk", "Laputa", "Borderline With My Atoms", "Swamp Thing", "Fingerprints", and "The Lung".