Whenever Duane Powell over at Soundrotation endorses anything, you better stop what you’re doing and LISTEN. The group he brought to my attention is the awesomeness of KING, a trio, Amber and Paris Strother (twins) and Anita Bias, who are currently based in California. The opening song, “The Story,” is this beautiful blend of harmonies, that has this whimsical 80s groove, that’s pop and futuristic, and warm all at the same time. It actually reminds me of The Rah Band’s “Clouds Across the Moon,” a time when nothing mattered other than having fun—”The Story” evokes those feelings within—and it’s quite fitting that the lyrics to the song are about moving to a place where one can be free.

The three-song EP The Story encompasses a good range of what to expect down the line from these super talented ladies. It hits stores tomorrow, March 1st through Amazon and iTunes, and you can preview it on their website www.weareKING.com. Check out the video to “The Story” below.

One thing I love about a Peter Hadar show, is he likes to put a spin on it. It’s never just “Peter Hadar,” there’s always a twist. When he released his EP last year, Full Time Lover, it was “Peter Hadar with Dynasty Electric.” Now, scheduled to perform at New York City’s SOB’s tomorrow night, February 24th at 7pm, the show is called “Amusement Park” which is hosted by Va$htie Kola & R.I.P. The Ruler, and featuring Ninjasonik, Moruf, Tecla, Judah Tribe & LA. Check out the promo video for the show below, and if you’re in the New York City area, go to the show. Let’s put it this way—I’m intrigued by what Mr. Hadar has up his sleeve!

Hadar has a quite a lot going on at the moment—the SOB’s show is the start of his new monthly showcase that will take place in NJ and NY, entitled Amusement Park;  an indi-movie about his band; a new EP Entree Gourmet, with new singles and videos to follow, starting with the song, “Stuntin‘” in March; and his new album Take Off Victoria, which is scheduled to release in the fall.

J*Davey have been off the radar for a minute. The last release we received from them was the start of their The Great Mixtape series last April, starting with Boudoir Synema.  The Evil Christian Cop — a 5-song EP, that’s available for free download — begins with a soft pop-like down-tempo cover of Nivana‘s infamous “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which compliments Jack‘s voice; the staid version brings forth how great a song it will always be.

With the release of this mixtape, J*Davey announced their tour, which kicks off in San Francisco through to Austin for the SXSW music conference in March, in April they’ll tour the East, and then in May they’ll tour Europe. Fellow West Coast rapper blu will join them during the tour. (*San Francisco date is March 10th at 330 Ritch and the New York date is April 5th at S.O.B.s.) I’m quite looking forward to this as I’ve never seen them live and heard they give a great show.

Check out the tune and video below of J*Davey talking about their upcoming plans, then head over to Bandcamp to get your digital download.

French producer, Tomatom the French aka Yult, has teamed up with London-based singer-songwriter Tanya Auclair for his new project The Animal Inside EP. Yult is one of those producers who cannot be pigeonholed; his sounds pull from many disciplines, styles and genres, such as jazz, hip hop, afro beats, and dub. The pairing of Yult with Tanya Auclair is perfect match. Tanya’s no stranger to the alternative scene — her debut EP Thrum was released last summer, and was a solid display of her vocal abilities; the sound arrangements were minimal and allowed her to layer her vocals to fill each track. If you didn’t get a chance to hear it, you can check it out here. The opening track, “Inland Empire” is about reclaiming your land, but is actually about taking back your life, being in control and the production flows like a tribal warrior to a beat. If The Animal Inside was to be compared, it has the darkness of Portishead but also the playfulness of Lee Scratch Perry, then add Tanya Auclair‘s vocals and songwriting makes each song complete. The Animal Inside released today, and the first 1000 downloads are free; so you better click here to get it! Check out “Mark Your Way.”

With Radiohead opening the flood gates a day early to purchase their new album, The King of Limbs, which they’re calling “the world’s first newspaper album” is a major treat! Packed with two clear 10″ vinyl records, a CD of the album, large sheets of artwork, and 625 tiny pieces of artwork, for under $50. A bargain really. For those strapped for cash, there’s a digital only format available for download from their website also. As an even bigger treat, the first single off the album “Lotus Flower” saw the release of its music video. Featuring Thom Yorke dancing before the camera; he is a certified Rock Star! So energetic. I didn’t know he had it in him to be such an expressive dancer! Check out the video below, which was directed by Garth Jennings (The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy), and choreography by Wayne McGregor (I would have LOVED to have been a fly on the wall for rehearsal!) – clearly Wayne McGregor is transformative! He made Thom Yorke, the King of Limbs!

I will be sinking my teeth into the new album… more to come on that! To purchase The King of Limbs, go to http://www.thekingoflimbs.com to purchase whichever format fits your budget.

No matter what Raphael Saadiq does, he always has that ability to move you. Initially, I was not gravitating towards the 60s retro style he’s embracing right now. But then I had to eat my words after hearing the single “Good Man” a couple of weeks ago. He has managed to bring back an era and make it interesting to experience again. In a way, it’s genius — Raphael gets our parents to reminisce about their teen years through his music and we, get to hear something that technically is “new”. A win win scenario. The video below was shot by esteemed photographer and filmmaker TONE while on tour with Raph last year, using behind the scenes and performance footage as he talks about the concept behind Stone Rollin‘, which is scheduled to release May 10. Enjoy the video below.

Have you ever heard a song that stops you in your tracks? “Place in My Heart” does just that, where its astral and expansive textures seep into your soul and fondles, ever so slightly with sounds reminiscent of Radiohead (Kid A, particularly). Multi-instrumentalist and producer, Taylor McFerrin, recently signed to Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label, an excellent fit for him; for now his talents have the support to be truly set free. “Place In My Heart” features the vocals of Philadelphia-based multi-instrumentalist, Ryat, whose voice is like a somewhat sedated Björk — which works perfectly on this track.  The hauntingly beautiful video directed by Simon Benjamin, emphasizes Ryat‘s hook, “You say love, keep on trying. I say love, keep on trying,” as one of the characters falls from love and the other tries to bring it back and go to it. Powerful.

Check out the video below. Also visit Taylor’s Soundcloud page to hear what he’s been up to. “Place In My Heart” will be released March 1st. We are definitely looking forward to Taylor’s forthcoming release on Brainfeeder.

The idea of Erykah Badu being mass-produced actually gives me goosebumps. That would be some serious on the edge girl power! And not the lightweight Spice Girls nonsense either. “Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long” (my favourite track off New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh album) puts Erykah on an assembly-line like conveyor belt, against what could be an architectural blueprint. The video, directed by alternative music producer Flying Lotus (who recently directed the video for Bilal‘s “Levels“), seems to have a running theme of creating interesting and visually compelling metropolises as he whets his appetite in the world of videography. Check out the video below and let me know your thoughts.

“When Love Has Grown” is one of my all time favorite duets; it makes me wonder what happened to the idea of beautiful duets in today’s R&B. At the time of the recording, in 1971, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway were both signed to the same label, Atlantic Records where the two went on to collaborate together, in addition to this self-titled LP.

Classically trained pianist, Roberta Flack was born in 1937 in North Carolina, and raised in Virginia. She was one of the youngest to ever attend Howard University where she was awarded a music scholarship. While playing and teaching to make a living she was discovered by jazz musician Les McCann, who later introduced her to famed record producer Joel Dorn, whom she went on to record her first LP with. In addition to recording with Donny, she went on to make 14 studio LP’s and two live albums. She is still recording today and currently is working on a The Beatles interpretation LP. She is known for many songs, but largely in the hip hop community when The Fugees did a cover of Flack’s “Killing me Softly”.

Donny’s story is one of extreme talent taken away too soon. He lived a short life but captivated so many with his voice and spirit. Born and raised in Chicago Illinois around 1945 Donny grew up in a musical home where his Grandmother was a Gospel singer. He too, was a Howard University alum, where he studied music. In his musical career, Donny would work with Curtis Mayfield, The Staple Singers, and Carla Thomas. His songs were also performed by artists such as Aretha Franklin. He and Roberta had an undeniable chemistry together and Atlantic Records took notice of this by encouraging the production of an the album. Donny went on to record six LP’s and three live albums.

“When Love Has Grown” starts off simply with a gentle piano that accompanies their voices with hints and splashes throughout the composition. The song is sweet and sad; you hear both happiness and pain as the violins come in. The most striking feature of the song are the incredible voices of Roberta and Donny, who have such a deep and strong vocal range. While many vocalists have trouble deciding whose voice goes where, they show with the fluidity of their harmony what a “duet” can be. The line about “the sun has surely made its final dawning” is incredible! It is something you could listen to in making up or breaking up, but the point is the union.

Take a listen and share your thoughts.

“When Love Has Grown” by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway

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It still amazes me when I come across people who have no idea who James Dewitt Yancey better known as J Dilla and/or Jay Dee, was. I suppose, when one’s talents isn’t visual but auditory and sensory, our fickle society is quick to dismiss, ignore, or give that credit to someone else. J Dilla was one of music’s most influential hip-hop artists. Yet, commercially, his name still is relatively unknown. Recently I dropped Dilla‘s name in a conversation with one of my girlfriends, who didn’t know who he was. I pulled out the commercial Janet Jackson‘s “Got ’til It’s Gone” reference, to a surprised look of “Oh! Nice.” His style marked the era from 2000 to his passing. He affected hip hop and its counterparts, to a point that we say, “it’s a Dilla like beat.”

The tune below “Real Dilla Quotes (Nothin’ Like This)” is produced by DJ Applejac, where he takes great soundbytes from people who knew, will always love and respect J Dilla. A beautiful piece which captures the essence of what J Dilla stood for in his short, yet impressionable life (in 2006 at the age of 32 he lost his battle with the lupus disease).

Rest in Peace Jay Dee! Donuts are Forever!

Real Dilla Quotes (Nothin Like This) by Applejac

We all would love to have intergalactic powers, but unfortunately, we don’t. After being inspired by the book, Quadrivium: Number Geometry Music Heaven—a book which looks at the relationships between the number, geometry, music and cosmology as a way of understanding the nature of reality (sounds heavy…MUST read!)—UK producer Eric Lau, sat before his mixing table and created Quadrivium; an exploration of these concepts. “Star Trekking” is that tune—you have to sit with it, listen to it, and bask in it as your mind travels through space and sounds. Quadrivium is set to release Feb 25th on Kilawatt Music through iTunes, Spotify, eMusic with a limited press in vinyl. Check out the tune below and watch the short video where Lau talks about Quadrivium – it will open you up!

Amp Fiddler is back and STRONG! I instantly got excited when our friends over at Put Me On It shared the video for “Stylin’ Free“—produced by Ben Dubuisson, under moniker of Hundred Strong, which featured Amp Fiddler on vocals.

The title and opening track of the album, “Stylin’ Free” has this hypnotic groove,  with a reggae vibe while Amp Fiddler‘s raspy vocals tell the tale of wisdom and nonchalance as his woman insults him about being crazy; his response is simply, “I’m stylin’ free.”

Ben Dubuisson, a UK-based producer from Bristol, hit the scene back in the mid-90s and produced work with different labels under the moniker of Purple Penguin. He’s also the head behind the buzzing Bristol club, Native, which sees many of the worlds hottest DJ’s on the 1′s and 2′s.

Stylin’ Free, is Dubuisson‘s third album which features a great mix of artists—the aforementioned Detroit singer Amp Fiddler, London-based rapper Serocee, Holly Backler, J Todd, Joseph Malik, Pete Simpson. What’s refreshing about this album, is how it returns to a sound which distinguished UK soul from the US, with its timeless productions reminiscent of groups such as Brand New Heavies and Young Disciples. Amp Fiddler is featured on three tunes (“Stylin’ Free“, “Time“, and “Mood Swing“) and skillfully taps into three levels of relationships – commitment, energy, and freedom; Holly Backler‘s unusual vocal style on “One Thing” causes you to hone in on her bravado as her stories unfold; Serocee‘s direct London rapping style grabs you in; J Todd has a rock/funk vocal style and the two songs he’s featured on are two completely different in make up—”How Good Is It” which has a vintage funk feel and “Find A Way” more contemporary R&B; Joseph Malik‘s haunting and off-kiltered ”Gravestone” (it is about loss); and the most soulful tune on the album provided by Pete Simpson on “You Make Me Feel“.  Stylin’ Free is a very solid album which shows Dubisson‘s evolving creativity — definitely a career to watch.

Stylin’ Free hits stores February 14th (I think the Amp Fiddler songs determined its release date), and a remix of “Time” by Andreas Saag is set to release later in the month.

Check out the medley below of “Stylin’ Free” feat. Amp Fiddler, “Make You See the Light” feat. Holly Backler,  and “Time” feat. Amp Fiddler and let me know what you think!

Hundred Strong

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It’s pretty amazing when a new artist makes all the right moves, displays true artistry, and then joins the list of most anticipated albums to come in 2011 in the independent music scene. Since 2009, James Blake has released a slew of impressive works in the form of two- to four track EPs, where the UK producer’s last single saw him bring his own voice to the forefront, on his cover of The Fiest‘s “Limit to Your Love.” Now at the helm of his self-titled debut release, James Blake is a sensory overdrive experience. His incorporation of quirky sounds infused with R&B and dubstep, and laced with his unique and heartfelt vocal styling…is just nice work!

James Blake releases February 7th and is available for pre-order at James Blake’s online store. Get your orders in! And in the meantime, listen to the sampler below. Enjoy!