Sang On Sistas

On Saturday, after a wonderful day with Maya Azucena, I traveled to Annapolis to see some of my favorite artists at the Soul Sista Serenade hosted by SEI Entertainment and Rams Head Annapolis!

I am a big fan of Yahzarah [of course] and Sy Smith but had never seen Maya Azucena or Conya Doss perform live.

Let me say that the line up was genius, every lady had a different style and a different sound there were no carbon copies.

Yahzarah hosted but also belted out a few songs in between each artist.

The opener was Maya Azucena or Maya who? as her website reflects lol. From spending the day with her I knew she was quirky and she displayed this on stage. Now i don’t say quirky in a bad way, it was rather refreshing to have someone so organic. She performed my favorite song of hers, "Junkyard Jewel", to which she beat boxed in the middle (told ya...quirky). She also did a song called "Warriors" where she displayed her rapping skills. To be quite honest I wasn’t sure how the audience would take her. There were a lot of older audience members and I wasn’t quite sure what they would think....THEY LOVED IT! After her set the place erupted. I guess young or old good music is good music!

The lovely Purple St. James took the stage again and did a tribute to the late Michael Jackson by singing "Billie Jean"

(the footage below is from the date at the Birchmere provided by RED Soul)

Yahzarah has the amazing ability to recreate a song into her own image and the reflection is always so beautiful.

Next up was Sy Smith and she came out as a FUNKSTER [wild glasses and flat fro to match]. She told the audience that she woke up feeling like a funkster so she’s a funkster and maybe the next day she would feel like being a stripper...an audience member yelled out "be a stripper today"....that person had wonderful timing lol.

Sy did a slew of songs from her latest album Conflict including "Aquarius Rising", "Spies" and "Fly Away" (which is getting spun heavy on WHUR). Sy has incredible vocals and was certainly complimented by her background singers. Hands down her performance was the most polished of the night. She ended with a tribute to MJ in which she recounted her meeting with him only weeks before his passing as she auditioned for his upcoming tour as a background singer. Sy is funny, talented, and one of the best performers ever and I wish that more tributes like hers and Yahzarah's were televised instead of infuriating public displays such as the BET awards...but I digress.

Purple blazed the stage once again with her song "Last To Leave", which is also being rotated on WHUR. When the smoke cleared and the standing ovation had been seated she introduced Conya Doss.

I was excited to see her set. She was the other performer I had never seen live. I can safely say that a good amount of the audience was there to see her. Most knew her songs and there was a comfortable vibe that took the room. I really enjoyed her performance; her background singers were wonderfully talented and added to her show. I could see why she was one of the new spokespersons for the McDonalds coffee line.

After her set The Purple One took the stage and introduced a special guest...The Floacist! It was a wonderful and beautiful surprise! She performed the MJ song "Butterflies" and chopped it up in a manner that was just so undeniably smooth. Yahzarah crooned behind her and it was a tribute that I think Michael Jackson would have been proud of.

(Video is at RAMS HEAD done by RED Soul)

Then all of the ladies took the stage and did a combined tribute to MJ, a beautifully harmonic tribute that I really think invoked his spirit because though the mood all night was one of fun and excitement a feeling of peace was left at the end of the show.

Each artist left with a few new fans. After the show I saw a mass of people with several cds and stood in line to have them signed by all of the soul sistas. It was a great night and I’m glad I took the trip.

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This is how we celebrate the King of Pop?

After the surprising passing of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, last week, everyone knew that the 2009 BET Awards would pay tribute to him in every way possible. But we did not think it would be this bad!




"The only thing missing tonight was fried chicken and watermelon" someone commented through their status on facebook.




Where do I begin with the cultural embarrassment that was the BET Awards?

How about I start at the end.

Li'l Wayne and his random entourage jumping around stage singing their single "Every Girl in the World". A song about how they would like to...um... "experience every girl in the world". Can Someone PLEASE explain to me why they 12 year old girls on stage?! Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

But what about the fact that someone should be losing their job right about .... now. Doesn't the FCC have a rule about an 8-second delay. Shouldn't you be able to handle bleeping out the explicit language during a live show? They do it on ANY OTHER network ALL THE TIME! Please let me know who I need to send my resume to.




And Ving Rhames? Did I really just witness the end of your career? Yes, we all know that BET LOVES airing Baby Boy when ever they can and it was funny seeing Tarji Henson and Tyrese do the whole little "I HATE YOU JODY!" spoof, but Jamie Foxx made a great point - you really couldn't tell if Ving Rhames was acting or he was serious. It was kind of scary.




Oh, and clearly he didn't get the memo that it was just the BET Awards. Not the BET VIDEO awards. That's something you might want to check out before you start acting loud and belligerent on national television.




Beyonce' - I know that everyone seems to love you when you perform on stage but I'm not everyone and that performance last night was boring. And that outfit? What was that?




I was surprised to see that Ne-Yo was brave enough to take off his hat last night. The "Malcolm X glasses" kind of took away from the enormity of his head. But since when was everyone crazy about Ne-Yo? Now, I'm not going to fake like I don't like some of the guy's music, but he was EVERYWHERE last night. Did I miss the memo that he was co-hosting with Jamie Foxx?




T.I.'s ummm.... woman? Tiny? He couldn't have picked a better spokeswoman on his behalf? And why is she and Toya [who i guess had Li'l Wayne's baby] getting their own show? Don't get me started on Frankie and Neffe getting their show [no I did not watch Keisha Cole's show so I don't know or care how funny or drama packed they are!] Did I miss the day that BET said that they were handing out shows to just anybody?! And is there a second go-round because I personally believe that my day-to-day would make an EXCELLENT show! Shaking my head [smh]




Oh and I hope, I really, really, REALLY hope that Martin Lawrence and Jamie Foxx aren't really doing that movie. What was it called? Skank movie? Smh...




Ok there were some good parts on the night like, Janet Jackson coming out and speaking on behalf of her family. "I shed a thug tear" commented one of my Twitter friends.




And Ne-Yo and Jamie Foxx performed "I'll be There" as the last performance. Well done guys.




And the tribute to the O'Jays was nice, but the "Soul Train guy" did talk forever...But they did not have to get up on the mic and point that out!

In all honesty, if that was the show that was suppose to be a dedicated to Michael Jackson and his achievements for black music.... I'm sorry, Mike. I really, really am.

Eventually, there were some awards given out. Although we only saw about half of them....

Video of the Year: Beyonce Knowles - "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"

Best Male R&B Artist: Ne-Yo

Best Female R&B Artist: Beyonce Knowles

Best Male Hip-Hop Artist: Lil Wayne

Best Female Hip-Hop Artist: M.I.A.

Best Group: DAY26

Best New Artist: Keri Hilson

Viewer's Choice: T.I. feat. Rihanna - "Live Your Life"

Best Collaboration: Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain - "Blame It"

Video Director of the Year: Benny Boom

Centric Award: Jazmine Sullivan

Best Gospel Artist: Mary Mary

Best Actor: Will Smith

Best Actress: Taraji P. Henson

Best Male Athlete: LeBron James

Best Female Athlete: Serena Williams

Humanitarian Award: Alicia Keys and Wyclef Jean

Lifetime Achievement Award: The O'Jays

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Up Close and Personal w/ Maya Azucena

Enjoying the breezyness of a lazy but beautiful Saturday afternoon, led to an Up Close and Personal moment with Maya Azucena.

With the sounds and smells of Hollins market to the left and the yummy goodness of Sweet Tooth to the right, Maya was packed with music and info and good spirits to give an inside look into who she is and what she does.

Her early influences of Prince, Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind and Fire reflects the same passion she strives to put forth in her own music. "What I especially like about those 3 is that their music has social messages but yet they are still mainstream because their music is something to groove, noting that this is something that many mainstream artists cannot afford to do nowadays."

"That's one of the pluses to being an indie artist," Maya says, "You don't have the pressures of someone with a budget tell you what to do and how to do it."

Maya has been blessed with the gift of the pen [being a songwriter] and the gift of voice [being a singer], but if she had to choose between the two...

"Oh man, I guess i would say performing because I like to connect with people. Being able to touch and connect with your audience, I truly enjoy. But, I also like to write because there are specific things I have to say that I want to put out there."

Thus far in her career, Maya has had the opportunity to perform with eastern European artist Gibonni, an experience which led her to win a Croatian grammy. She's also worked with Stephen Marley but she would looove to work with Anthony Hamilton, and who wouldn't?

"His voice is just amazing," she gushed as she reminisced over a time when she shared the same bill as him and he was the first one to give her love with open arms after her performance.

"I would also love to work with The Foreign Exchange and Phonte. I love their latest album "Leave it all behind" [I told ya'll that cd is rockin!]

As for what the future hold for her, she can't really tell. "That's more in God's hands, than mine. I would look at it as more of a mission than a goal, and I would love to perform internationally [Jamaica and South Africa]."

Well, for the near future, Maya is off to rehearsal for her performance tonight in Baltimore, MD at Ram's Head Live. If you're in town definitely look her up, she'll in DC tomorrow and Newport News, VA after that.

Make sure you also check her out on http://www.mayaazucena.com/

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Thanks for the hits, Mike! Rest in peace.

I received a text message last night from a frantic friend questioning whether the proclaimed King of Pop, Michael Jackson had past. Just as I went to respond and reassure him that no, he's still alive. I got another text which the same concern.

So, as any responsible journalist would, I had to check to see where these rumors were coming from. Turn to CNN. The headlines flashed:


MICHAEL JACKSON HOSPITALIZED
Sources: Jackson suffered from a cardiac arrest


E! News was the first (after TMZ) to announce that he had died, but they quickly stopped running that as breaking news.


So for the next hour my roommates and I stayed to our TVs - one on CNN, one on MSNBC, the other on FOX, comparing information.


Around 6:30 pm, reports began coming in that he had indeed passed away at the tender age of 50.


I refused to believe it as CNN only showed:


LA TIMES: MICHAEL JACKSON DEAD
CNN has not confirmed


And once CNN revealed that they had confirmed from the LA coroner that he had passed, I had no choice but to accept the cruel reality.







Michael Jackson, 2-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, 13-time Grammy award winner,, will be truly be missed by MILLIONS of people around THE WORLD.


In his solo career alone he sold over 700 million albums, as some billboard toppers struggle to sell 1 million.


As a dominant musical icon, Michael seemed untouchable as he had hit single after hit single as his 6th album release remains till this day the BEST selling album of all time, selling over 100 million copies. No one else comes close.


With songs that made you want to dance, love your boo or really reflect on what's going on in our world today and dance moves that Usher and Ne-Yo wish they could perfect, Michael Jackson has influenced music during our lifetime and for years to come. Gypsy Soul and the world will miss you dearly!

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Jaspects FUNK UP Ear Candy!

It really didn't matter if you didn't have a seat at Ear Candy on Monday night at Teavolve. Honestly, who needs a chair when music is just DEMANDING you to get up and GROOVE!?

And if you were feeling just a little bit too cute to groove, Jaspects' really didn't care because they had their moves! They definitely put on a show!

Comprised of former Morehouse music students with time spent in the band [shoutout to my band heads!] and the choir, the music they produce is funky and eclectic - an undefined, a chaotic mixture of hip hop, jazz, rock, and flavor that produces an insatiable desire to jam!

And jam they did with tight jeans on and polkadotted shirts and vests!

They opened up the show with a medley of songs which included "The willy wonka song" - a walk down childhood memory lane indeed!

Musically the group has a diverse background as each member comes from various states within the good ol' US of A. "Students of jazz, but children of hip-hop" they've decide to bridge the gap between the two so that they're no longer separate but fused into a funky harmony.

Jaspects’ latest album The Polkadotted Stripe embodies Jaspects’ thesis as it interrogates the idea of musical, social, and political freedom. The concept of the group’s fourth effort procures from the world of fashion. Delving deep into research, Jaspects learned that the fashion truth bastardizing the marriage of polka dots and stripes is man-made. Therefore, Jaspects’ The Polkadotted Stripe inquires: “What is truth?” Upon much discussion and studying, Jaspects recognized that in most instances reality is well, relative. With that in mind, The Polkadotted Stripe defined is someone or something that debunks the notion of social standards.

I highly suggest that you get "ya funk on" and grab a copy of The Polkadotted Stripe. The must listen to tracks are "Unifunk" , "Play On", and the title track "Polkadotted Stripes"

You'll have to listen to them yourself to find out!

Oh, and Jaspects warn don't skip a track, "you'll cd player will explode if you do!"

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Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man

When I first heard that Steve Harvey had a relationship book for women I thought, like most people, "how is funny man Steve Harvey going to help me!?" But once I got my hands on the book, I definitely wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Now, as a personal disclaimer, I'm not on the prowl for my husband - to - be, but there's no harm in getting an insider's look at the complexities of a man!

Steve Harvey didn't do it all on his own. He enlisted the help of relationship expert Denene Miller and several informal focus groups of men and women with relationship experience to gather their opinions. He also references segments from his Steve Harvey Morning Show, in which mostly female callers would call in with common relationship issues.

Overall, the book gives a good insight as to how a man truly thinks, acts and feels [according to Steve Harvey], and I honestly took most of it to heart. Why? Because Steve Harvey and my dad are about the same age, and a lot of what he was saying in the book are a lot of the same things my dad used to tell me as a teenage, and I would roll my eyes and suck my teeth, acting like I don't care.

But after experiencing relationships of my own, talking with my girlfriends, and reading this book, you begin to realize that you're not the only one going through the trials and tribulations that comes with a relationship.

When it comes to breaking down the title of the book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man... in a nutshell, Steve Harvey is explaining how a self-respecting women should maintain herself - establishing standards, understanding how he truly feels/thinks about you before getting in too deep, and coming with some type of "90 day rule" to actually know what he's about before you just go on and give him your cookie!

As far as the "Think like a man" part - he gives a good insight as to what drives men - truly understanding their motivation. Men are constantly being judged based upon who they are, what they do and how much they make - all this affects their mood.

Honestly, the first 2 sections of the book - "The Mind Set of a Man" and "Why do Men do What They Do?" where the most interesting to me. Now, I'm not saying that Steve Harvey has all the answers to the behaviors of all the billions of men in the world, but he certainly gave a few "ah ha!" moments as I compared situations in his book to my real life drama.

The book is certainly not a revolutionary breakthrough, and its not going to solve all your relationship woes just by reading it. It's different type of relationship book not written by a complicated doctor, but rather a man who has been there, done that, seen it and bought the tee-shirt, and is simply trying to convey lighthearted advice to the billions of females out there. That man just happens to be Steve Harvey. And the book happens to be pretty good!

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‘Confessional’ Soul for Ear Candy Lovers…

Last night Ear Candy was SHUT DOWN by arguably two of the finest men to ever hit the Teavolve stage, Jaiden the Cure and Russell Taylor. Rt! as he is known , brought a sultry and exciting acoustic experience to Ear Candy that should prove to be a tough act to follow. In promotion of his July 14, 2009 release, Confessional, Russell filled the place with smooth but powerful vocals about love and life to close out the show. The Philadelphia native sung with all the swag of a true East Coaster, but spoke to the audience in between songs with a warm and inviting down-south twang.

“This song is for all the artists in the room,” Taylor explained during the introduction to the title track of his first release, Somewhere In Between. The song shares the feelings of Russell as a young artist, struggling with the plight of being who he is, a musician, despite the urge to go find a “corporate gig” and “make the most money, as soon as possible.”

And had it not been for his following his own advice and for the encouragement of friend and fellow Indie Soulster Eric Roberson, his first EP may never have happened. The loss of a P&D deal for his first album proved daunting for the young artist, but not defeating.

“What? You’re good!” He described Roberson’s reaction to hearing tracks that would later make up Somewhere In Between. “Just throw that thing together and put them out! Don’t worry about it.”

Taylor followed that advice, bringing “the hardest working man in Indie soul today” to the Teavolve stage last night.

A leader on the Indie Soul scene, some seem baffled as to how Russell Taylor has resisted the urge to sell out, or in this case, make hits for a more pop audience in order to propel his career forward. His answer to that question seems simple:

“People have villianized Pop…” he began. “If you make songs that appeal to a broad audience that don’t distort the artistry of your music, that’s called good business.” He finished simply but profoundly with, “If you do stuff that you don’t want to do in order to sell records, that’s selling out.”

Singing all over the place, from London to New York, Taylor is no stranger to live shows. Engaging and charming on stage, it’s no surprise that the self-proclaimed introvert prefers live shows over recording in the studio. “I love live shows because I can control everything,” he described with a Cheshire cat grin on his face before he slapped his temples in distress and lowered his head to meet the table. “Now in the booth,” he continued with a sigh, “I feel like someone has put a chain link over me…I feel so oppressed when I’m in the studio singing into that microphone.”

Taylor kept it “all the way real” the whole night, belting songs that showcased his theater background and his broad range of influences, reaching all the way from Chaka Khan and Patti LaBelle to Foreigner and The Indigo Girls. In his last song, he stopped half way through, leaving us drooling for more in an attempt to “compel you to go get Confessional, and bring me back here soon so I can sing those songs for you”.

And he couldn’t have been more right!

Me & RT

Thank you to Diamond Digital Photography for the images!

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EYE Candy at Ear Candy!!

Last night was unofficially but very officially

L A D I E S NIGHT at Ear Candy!

The very handsome Jaiden "The Cure" AND Russell Taylor performed and it was definitely double the talent and double the pleasure!

Jaiden kicked off the night singing a few songs that are featured on his mixtape (which was definitely worth the run to the ATM to get cash to buy!) He sang a No Ordinary Love by Sade, B4 We Ever Kiss and my personal favorite - Borrow Your Cap - which is also feature on the Ear Candy Chronicles Mixtape Vol 1.

As if his charming good looks weren't enough to win the ladies over, Jaiden also proved that he had the voice to go with it! As his croon falsetto'd the night away!

So, he's blessed with good looks, great vocals, what more could we ask for? How about his personality?!


I had the great honor of being blessed with sitdown time with Jaiden and he was great! Easy to talk to, funny, and had lots to say about anything! Definitely one of my favorite interviews to date.

















Jaiden "The Cure" hails from Long Island, NY but was an army brat. He lost his father at the age of 4 and spent most of his life thereafter with his mother and taking care of his brother. As a self professed "latchkey kid", he also knows his way around the kitchen
and can work a broom and dustpan [[major points]] .


Spending time by himself led him to the piano and his mother quickly noticed his gift and directed him to piano lessons.

His musical influences started at an early age and were stretched waaaaay across the board.

At school he would be into rock and pop, but would come home to gospel, jazz, R&B and hiphop. But the defining "this is what I what to do moment" came after D'Angelo's voodoo tour.

Fresh out of high school, Jaiden had the awesome opportunity of writing for Lauryn Hill, but he kept his head. "I didn't get a big head because I know that even at the highest level of the game its fleeting".

Recognizing himself as a writer first, his resume is QUITE impressive - Case, Carl Thomas, Jeannie Oretago along with the aforementioned Lauryn Hill. But his record as a performer is also just as noteworthy as he recently toured through Africa with Shaggy and Estelle and has been jet setting with Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, P. Diddy (or Puffy which he's being called today), John Legend and Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park.


With all the geographical experience under his feet he says his favorite would have to be any place with blue water and white sand - Grenada.


But his trip to Africa in which he visited
many countries in South Africa gave him a great sense of attachment.

And his most interesting tour experience?


"Well, I'm going to start this story and then you can probably figure out the rest for yourself" Jaiden said his killer smile. "I was in Europe on tour with Puff and Snoop and the name of the tour was "Puff puff pass to Snoop"....sooo....yeah...you know that was interesting" LOL indeed it had to be!


Jaiden says his ultimate goal for his ever-growing career "is for my music to touch and reach as many people as possible" [cue awwwww machine]


Great personality, great vocals, great looks, Jaiden was the total package at last night's Ear Candy and I can't WAIT for Gypsy Soul to bring him back!


Besides, SOMEONE owes me a photo op with him!!! AHEM!!!

Gypsy Soul crew (minus one member...smh) & Jaiden

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Access Granted

On Tuesday, June 9th, it was blazin outside but that was nothing compared to the fiyah everyone experienced by the vocals of Yahzarah!

Gypsy Soul was behind the scenes for a BET J production filmed at Club Love in DC that will air in the fall featuring some great poets and artists. Yahzarah, a strong supporter and client of Gypsy Soul, was among the performers and we were able to catch her sound check.

Take a look below to see Miss Purple's sound check singing "Where I Is" off of the upcoming The Ballad Of Miss Purple St James with a new release date of July!

Thanks to BET, Ingrid B, Flip and everyone that made that o so very hot day bearable!

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UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL - HEZEKIAH AND KIMBERLY NICHOLE

On Saturday, June 6th, Sweeth Tooth not only had some of the best desserts in the area waiting for you to devour, but Hezekiah and Kimberly Nichole were also there for you to get "CONNECTED"!

I got the chance to sit down and talk with both artists.

First up : Hezekiah

With his mixtape being released back in May and Hez still receiving the good praises for it! With good reason! If this were the 1990s I would say that this mixtape [CURE FOR THE COMMON SOUL] is "da bomb" but with respect for the year we're in....just take my word that its HOTT!

So what is going in Hez's world? He's working on CONSCIENCE PORN, his next album that will feature [but is not limited to] Raheem DeVaughn and Cody Chestnut [release date still unknown]

His favorite song off the up and coming album is - Here's to th

e World - a song for the whole to get and toast to! And from the way he described it - its a party song. The song that as soon as you get in your car, you're looking that track to get the trip started R I G H T!

With this upcoming album, he knows that there's always the opporunity to gain more followers but also the risk of losing some - the same debate every artist faces with each new project. However, he isn't staying scared in his shell. Hezekiah describe his upcoming album as "progressive, real forward and trendsetting". A word he was somewhat hesitant to use because, as he admits, the REAL start of a trend is very RARELY ever the one who gets the merit for it! But of course, that is NOT going to stop him from doing what h

e loves! [Aren't we glad for it!]

And let us not forget about Johnny Popcorn! Hez's alter ego and scapegoat for those REALLY good times. Johnny Popcorn, the raw, "pimp" side of the more conscience Hezekiah, will release his album in September with Tony Whitfield .

In the meantime, Hez is steadily focused on getting that "happy place" in his career. The place where he is continuingly making the music he loves, his fans love and respect.

Act 2 : Ms. Kimberly Nichole

The last time I saw Kimberly Nichole, she was singing her heart out on stage at Eden's Lounge!

What's change since then?

Kimberly Nichole: Well, I now work in the corporate world, I'm full time music. The con to that would be that sometimes it gets overwhelming. But that's also a pro because I'm learning how to use the people around me to help me and divide up some of the work.

Kimberly Nichole is working on her first album - Yellow Brick Journey - a title inspired by The Wiz. The CD, like the movie, encompasses the "journey of life", love, courage, strength - the highs and the lows.

"It's a fun album!" Kimberly said of her current project "it has a soul foundation of course, with some pop, rock influences."

"I want my gift to provide for me" Kimberly says confidently as she talks about her future goals for her career. "I'm not going to say I don't want the fame and the money but I want to be able to live comfortably and I want my children and their children and their children's children to have the same"

Special Thank you to Diamond Digital Photography for the photos & Sweet Tooth for allowing Gypsy Soul to coordinate the media meet and greet at the venue!

Tomorrow night - Gypsy Soul is offering more treats as Jaiden "The Cure" and Russell Taylor perform at Teavolve for Ear Candy - rsvp at rsvp@gypsysoul.info for $5 tickets! $10 at the door! See you there!

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