I think I'm in love...

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That's My Jam! "Close To You" by Maxi Priest (1990)

That's My Jam! After 7 -- "'Til You Do Me Right" (1995)

Braxton Hospitalized

R&B singer Toni Braxton was taken to a a Las Vegas hospital today after she experienced some chest pains. The 40-year old singer was diagnosed in 2005 with pericarditis, a viral infection of the heart. She has been the spokeswoman for the American Heart Association ever since.

Braxton has been in Las Vegas for a couple years performing five shows a week at the Flamingo Hotel. She has recently said that she is working on a new yet-to-be-titled album due this summer. About the album, Braxton says "There will be no dance songs. I'm going back to my old style."

Another Case of Lip-Synching on SNL

Janet had the flu or something and couldn't make it to SNL, so Mariah Carey stood in. And, with some of the worst lip-synching since the Ashlee Simpson disaster, boy did she blow it.

You wonder if she even knows the words to the song.

Back to the Future: Janelle Monae

She’s “an alien from outer space,” and she’s landed on our planet to save our minds and ears from the bland and sometimes mental-asphyxiating State of Music.



This Electric-Funk-Punk-Rock-Pop-Gospel-Jazzy chanteuse’s name is Janelle Monae Robinson.

A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Ms. Robinson moved to New York and then to Atlanta. Her local performances in Atlanta created a buzz; subsequent to that buzz she hooked up with Big Boi and Andre3000 - The ATL duo began featuring Monae on their projects including : the Idlewild Soundtrack. As a demand grew for her gifts, she independently released Metropolis Suite I of IV: The Chase on The Wondaland Arts Society label she and fellow artists started.

Clean, jazz influenced inflections, with a little gospel fire and dashes of classical describe her singing voice. Her music is everything all rolled into one, a new kind of soul music: cybersoul to be exact. The music is complex, but purist; the sounds splash into the listeners’ ear like a bright gestural abstraction painting.

The masses heard the call and answered. The music had created such an underground frenzy that to date 10,000 copies of the album have been sold, and they did so independently.

Metropolis Suite I of IV: The Chase is more than just music or just an album, it’s like an “ear-movie.” Janelle Monae tells the story of Cindi Mayweather: a cybergirl-android from the year 2719 who fled Metropolis because she dared to listen to her heart. She somberly and soulfully sings of hope, imagination, freedom and love. One may not know where the artist and character begin or end, but the message is undeniable. Songs like Many Moons (my personal favorite and one of the best songs ever written produced and performed) have lyrics like:

“Your free but in your mind, your freedom’s in a bind. Revolutionize your life and find your way out.”

“When your growing down instead of growing up, tell me are you bold enough to reach for love?”

One of the reasons I can really dig her music is the message: not only does it bang like a black rocker on Sunday morning, but the messages are so positive – Listen to Sincerely Jane.

"I really just want to encourage and inspire people to use their freedom in a positive way and in a way that is inspiring to other people. I want to continue to pass down the seeds of change within the world. I think that it can start with just one person. Just like a rumor can get carried on, so can inspiration. I just want to be that person that is always constantly aware of my many gifts and talents. I just want to be able to use them to the best of my ability and to never hold back. It's up to me to help change the world, I cannot look at everybody else, I can only do what I can do. So thats what I want to do with my music, I want to inspire people creatively and artistically to be free" Monae shared in an interview with ymib.com

The colorful creativity doesn’t stop at the music, it finds it way into the marketing of the music as well. Masterful artwork by Sir Chad Eric Weatherford, and the Cindi Mayweather Protection Program are examples of the Wondaland Arts Society’s cool.

The music itself will be released in four parts; Suite I of IV was already released (and is available for just five bucks on the artists website). According to a press-kit from janellemonae.com the Suite idea came out of "the observation that the iPod generation no longer buys or listens to entire albums, they listen to playlists. They grab their favorite three to four songs. This release schedule allows dynamic artists such as Janelle Monáe to always stay fresh: she will always have a new chapter or musical world to visit, a new song raiding blogs and earbuds.”

There is so much that can be said about artist Janelle Monae (her captivating performance style and unique dress) and her partners. I don’t remember how or exactly when I first came across her music, but every since then I’ve been hooked. Some of the latest news on the intergalactic artist is her partnership with Bad Boy Records. According to Bad Boy, Suite I and II of her album will be released and a video will be shot for Many Moons!

Earthlings: welcome to the future of music....and it rocks out with so much soul!

The Grammys Rocked

There were several highlights in last nights 50th Grammy Awards, but a few stood apart from the rest. Kanye West's vulnerable tribute to his mother, the Beyonce-Tina Turner show-stopper and, of course, the awkward and weird but absolutely genius Amy Winehouse certainly made the show that showcased several genres of music. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come and maybe the Grammys can become relevant once again. If you missed the performances I mentioned, check them out below.