I Know You Care

I ran into this song today and I was so moved that I had to share it. It's a beautiful song and the money spent on purchasing it is for a good cause. The song is I Know You Care by artist Ellie Goulding.

The melancholy melody and the poignant lyrics that are accompanied by the images of suffering children may bring tears to your eyes, they brought them to mine. That's the point though, to bring home the suffering of the ones that are supposed to be protected, cherished, loved.

This is off of her album entitled Halcyon Days which was released on August 27th of this year. This song is the first single and I thought it's worth sharing and definitely worth purchasing. I bought it, will you? Enjoy.

Love's In Need Of Love Today

I was sitting around mulling over the recent tragic events of the day and for some reason, this song came to me. Not the original but Najee's delicious version of the Stevie Wonder classic Love's In Need of Love Today off of Najee's 1995 tribute album Najee Plays Songs in the Key of Life. Stevie's song is an amazing thing to behold, and I honestly think Najee and his soprano saxophone does the song justice. Especially when the strings come in at towards the end, sublime.

There were so many shootings and deaths today that I literally thought the world is in need of some love today. So I thought to blog Najee's sweet sax playing one of the greatest songs by one of the greatest artists of all time and introduce it to you. You may have never heard this version of Stevie's song, you may have never even heard of Najee for that matter, and if that is the case then I am happy to make the introduction :)

Back in 1995 I gave this album to my parents for Christmas, they are BIG Stevie Wonder fans, and they had so much fun playing (blasting) it throughout the house that entire day. I can still see the smiles on their faces as they danced and sang and hummed along with Najee. It's a memory that is so vivid it's like it all happened yesterday, and it came to me today as I watched the news. Love truly is in need of love today. Enjoy!

Crowd

The name of this commercial is Crowd. Close your eyes and pay no mind to the commercial. Listen instead to the music and let it's awesomeness wash over you, enjoy!

Dear Mama

Comprised of the samples of Sadie by The Spinners and All My Wildest Dreams by Joe Sample, Tupac Amaru Shakur crafted one of the greatest hip hop songs ever created. Dear Mama was the platinum single off of his 1995 album Me Against the World. The first time I heard it I couldn't believe my ears and it confirmed for me the truth about Tupac, he was uncannily empathetic. This was a rapper that didn't run and hide from his emotions like so many others have done and still do.

Tupac was killed 17 years ago today and when he passed it felt like someone I knew, someone who was a close friend of mine was taken from me. It wasn't until I heard his song My Block though did the tears over his death finally fall. I cried for the same reasons fans of Marley and Lennon cried, because the man who made such impassioned songs like Dear Mama and My Block was gone forever. That eventually there will be no more new music by him and that silence would become deafening. Thankfully he left those and a massive collection of songs behind for us to enjoy and for that I am eternally grateful to him.

May you continue to rest in peace Tupac, and thank you for everything.

It's Time

This is a really fun song and though it has been played to death, I liked it enough to include it on my blog. Also, if you've never heard this song then it's my chance to make an introduction. The name of the group is Imagine Dragons and the name of the song is It's Time off of their 2012 release Night Visions.

The magic of this song is obviously supplied by the ukulele which keeps the melody and gives this song a unique sound. I think the song kind of falters during the chorus when there is no ukulele, but thankfully they bring it right back. I also like lead singer Dan Reynolds voice even if I don't quite get the lyrics of the song, but that's not all that important.

This is a fun song and with most fun songs the lyrics really aren't important. At least not in my opinion, what do you say? Enjoy!

Got To Be Real

This was my roller skating jam back in the day, back when roller skating rinks were safe and EVERYWHERE! There were three rinks within a square mile of my house growing up, but enough about that. Got To Be Real by Cheryl Lynn was THE party starter and it definitely did it's job. It's an uptempo jam that is on fire from the first note to the last.

The lyrics are scarce and easy to remember, and that's because this song was meant for cook outs, barbecues, and disco's and that's it. Released back in 1978 off of her self titled album, this song went as high as number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and to number one on the R&B charts. It's got an undeniable groove, that bass line is some serious piece of work, and Cheryl's voice soars over the track with amazing energy.

This is one of my feel good songs, meaning when I need a pick-me-up I cue this puppy up and let it rip as loud as I can. Got To Be Real never lets me down, it always brings a smile to my face. A lot of that may have to do with me remembering all the fun I had on my roller skates. Enjoy!

any time, any place

This album marked the beginning of the end. This was the album that destroyed the myth and defaced the facade. The album where everyone finally realized there was something else to Janet Jackson we never fully understood. It started with the album cover of her 1993 release Janet. I'm sure jaws dropped everywhere when the album hit the shelves, her standing there, naked with arms raised, and someone else's hands covering her breasts, a true OMG moment. It was Janet shedding the image of little miss innocent, putting Penny from Good Times away forever, and the song Any Time, Any Place definitely helped to say goodbye to that image of her.

Any Time, Any Place is a seductive, sultry, and playful song written and produced by Janet, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis. With lyrics like In the thunder and rain / You stare into my eyes / I can feel your hand / Moving up my thighs and a chorus comprised of I don't wanna stop just because / People walking by are watching us / I don't give a damn what they think / I want you now, Janet was definitely making a statement that things would never be the same again.

This is my favorite song off the Janet album, and I can listen to it all day, just not the entire album. When Janet made the change to grow up, that album seemed like it was all about sex and nothing else. That was too bad because she ceased being nuanced. Yes, while growing up does definitely include sex, there's a lot more involved in being a grown up, and I think her projects starting with Janet missed that boat. Enjoy!

Media Luna

The group Deep Forest has done some incredibly profound and ambitious music over the years. I became aware of them when their most famous song Sweet Lullaby was used to sell Sony TV's. Once I heard that song I was hooked because it was unlike anything I had heard before, and when I come across music like that, I become transfixed on the creators of that music. I then bought everything Deep Forest released. Some of it was good, some of it was decent, and some of it was absolutely amazing. Media Luna falls into the latter category.

Off of their 1997 album Comparsa which was recorded using the indigenous people and instruments of the rain forest in South America, Media Luna always stirs something deep with me. It's like it grabs a firm hold of my soul and shakes it from its slumber. The music is amazing and the vocals are simply stirring.

Deep Forest are comprised of Eric Mouquet and Michel Sanchez who hail from France, they have sold millions of records worldwide and have contributed to countless charities. As I stated, these two men have done some very ambitious work over the years, but nothing they have done has ever moved me like Media Luna. Enjoy!

Lay Down

This is one of the sweetest songs I have heard and this song stayed is SUPER heavy rotation when I first heard it. The group responsible was Floetry and the name of this babymaker is entitled Lay Down. Off of their 2005 album entitled Flo'Ology, Lay Down garnered some serious underground love. Flo'Ology didn't sell very well here in the states, but people know THIS song, and cite it as one of their favorites of the groups.

It's a simple song with a really cool message. Where two people decide to stay in bed and chill together and talk, laugh, play around, and make love. It's arranged nicely and the strings in the background during the chorus' are a great touch, it gives this song an even warmer feel. 

Sadly this was Floetry's last album. The two young ladies, Marsha Ambrosius (The songstress) and Natalie Stewart (The floacist) had a falling out when Marsha wanted to do a solo project and the two have never worked together again. Luckily though before they split, they left us this beautiful thing in their wake. Enjoy!

ifiwouldaknew (girlnextdoor remix)

From the day Musiq Soulchild hit the music scene, he's consistently shown to be the epitome of the phrase "recording artist". The original version of this song appeared on his first album Aijuswanaseing. That album not only displayed a collection of well written, well crafted, and well preformed songs (not to mention a weird way of spelling), but it also showed that he was someone that could stick around for a bit. His second album, Juslisen which dropped in 2002 proved it.

ifiwouldaknew, the last cut off of Juslisen was the perfect way for that album to close. An uptempo banger, using the classic DeBarge groove from their hit Stay With Me, ifiwouldaknew definitely urges you to the dance floor, whether one can dance or not. What I love most about this song though, it's a reunion song. Another well written joint from Musiq.

Play this song as loud as you can, get lost in the groove, and it will make you want to get up and shake what ya mama gave you. I kid you not. Enjoy!

Rain

Wally Badarou's album Echoes was the very first album I bought that was electronic/instrumental based and I loved it. It was propelled chiefly by it's top ten hit Chief Inspector (which rocks), but one of my favorite tracks off Echoes was the last track, entitled Rain. It's the perfect last song for almost any album because of it's melancholy feel. It feels like saying goodbye to an old friend, which in turns makes you want to listen to the album all over again. Pure genius.

There's not much to this song, a simple piano, some rain effects, a synth patch here and there is all there is really. What makes this song one of my favorites is the melody. It's just a truly beautiful song and I can put this on repeat and never tire of it. It brings me back to a time in my life when music was just becoming my best friend. When music was that undiscovered country, and I was nothing but a tourist trying to get the lay of the land.

Echoes is an amazing first album by an amazing talent, and if you can find a copy then I highly suggest purchasing it. It will not disappoint in any way, and if somehow it does, you always have Rain to look forward too. Enjoy!

Take Care of Home

The first time I heard Dave Hollister sing was at a Patti LaBelle concert. He was a discovery of hers and she brought him on stage to sing a duet with her and I was impressed. I then began following his career and when he dropped Chicago 85 the Movie back in 2000, a classic soul, R&B album chock full of superior material, anyone who was aware of Dave knew an album like that was just a matter of time.

There isn't a bad song on Chicago 85, and there are more than a few stand out hits, but my favorite is Take Care of Home. Hitting you with an infectious groove, this mid tempo ballad is basically an instructional manual to the men on how to treat their woman. With a chorus like Maybe if you take care of home / You don't have to worry about your girl and lyrics like Hold her hand when you walk through the mall cause you know she likes it / Do all the little things you used to do If you were clueless before you heard this song, there is no excuse for anyone could make for not making things right with their lady afterwards.

Weird album title notwithstanding, Chicago 85 is a classic album that propelled Dave Hollister into rarefied air. And if you like this song I highly recommend One Woman Man by him, it's another soulful and skillful testament to Dave's songwriting and singing abilities. Enjoy!