Music Recommendations

Steppes of Creation

Music Recommendations

Must Have

India.Arie : Acoustic Soul

India Arie's silky smooth lyrical stylings make this CD a necessary item for anyone's music collection. Acoustic Soul is aptly named for the soulful richness of the music and its ability to make the listener empathise with whatever mood is set by each track. And as for setting the mood, "Brown Skin" has been on repeat in my cd player for I don't know how long.

After hearing this CD, you'll know who she is

Jill Scott : Who Is Jill Scott?

What can you say about this CD that has not already been said? Tracks like A Long Walk and He Loves Me (Lyzel In E Flat) prove that this poet and singer-songwriter is a force to be reckoned with. Check it out.

Sweet and Sassy

George Benson : Anthology

Listen to White Rabbit through the stylings of George Benson and the song is redefined. He takes contemporary music and makes it his own. Smooth, original, sultry is the only way to describe his music, and Anthology gives an excellent broad spectrum of it.

Voice of the Revolution

Gil Scott-Heron : Evolution The Very Best of Gil Scott-Heron

Most know him for his prolic work, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. He is the voice of revolution and change for not just the seventies, but for all of us. He spoke with an eloquence and commanding manner which woke up and shook whoever happened to hear him. To hear this brother speak is to hear the voices of hundreds of years of knowledge impressed into one man. This CD is a collection of some of his best work, to be shared with a new generation.

Strong Message

Bamboozled : Soundtrack

An extrordinary soundtrack for an extrordinary movie. The talent alone on this CD makes it worth giving it a listen. The message as a whole, however, is worth giving an entirely new perspective to our society. Misrepresented People and Blak IZ Blak make for a strong opening while Erykah Badu, India Arie, Angie Stone and other talent keep the party going.

The Sexy Trio

TLC : Crazysexycool

TLC truly outdid themselves on this cd. The tracks live up to the aptly named compilation and ensures the trio's place in charts for years to come. It seems that girl power stayed in R&B even after Salt N Pepas departure.

Pulse

This compilation includes fantastic dance tracks of the 90's including Crystal Waters, Snap!, Cece Peniston and just about everybody that made that decade's dance music incredible.

Music Recommendations Cont'd

Reigning Songbird of South Africa

Miriam Makeba : Africa

Following a three decade long exile, Miriam Makebas return to South Africa was celebrated as though a queen was restoring her monarchy. The response was fitting as Makeba remains the most important female vocalist to emerge out of South Africa. Hailed as The Empress Of African Song and Mama Africa, Makeba helped bring African music to a global audience in the 1960s. Nearly five decades after her debut with the Manhattan Brothers, she continues to play an important role in the growth of African music. Makebas life has been consistently marked by struggle. As the daughter of a sangoma, a mystical traditional healer of the Xhosa tribe, she spent six months of her birth year in jail with her mother. Gifted with a dynamic vocal tone, Makeba recorded her debut single, "Lakutshona Llange," as a member of the Manhattan Brothers in 1953.

as taken from her cdnow.com biograghy

This CD is a fine example of her unique talent and incredible gift. It is filled with beauty and a passion that will make the listener want to furthur their knowledge of her music.

Sultry Blues Diva

Etta James : At Last

From her sultry tones to the signiture hip shake in all her performances, Etta James is a Blues Diva. This CD captures some of her best work including songs like At Last and I Just Want To Make Love To You. For her generation and generations after her, she was a true innovater, procuring an independance unavailable to most women of that time making it acceptible, even welcome, to stand up and be aggressive when it came to getting what you want.

A Diva Foursome

Billie Ella Lena Sarah!

Four reigning Queens of Jazz and Blues on one album. Four women who's talent has yet to be surpassed and who's names have become synonymous with the word Diva. Billie Holliday sang with such rapture and pain that it could bring tears to one's eyes. Ella Fitzgerald "The First Lady of Song" is aptly named for her incredible range and premier style including scat and be-bop. Sarah Vaughn (my admitted favorite), or "The Divine One" as called by her musical peers, has an exquisite voice and a range only matched by her peer Ella. The two are tied for the crown of the greatest female jazz singer of all time. And last but not least, the incredible, beautiful, and always insatiable, Lena Horne. As talented as she is beautiful, and the women is gorgeous, she has lent her voice to such songs as Stormy Weather and made them smolder.

Ms. Legs

Tina Turner : The Collected Recordings - Sixties to Nineties [BOX SET]

Husky Voice, Sexy Legs, Unbeatable Will. Everything about Tina Turner is Incredible. This set is an anthology of her work past and current. It captures her evolution as an artist and showcases her indomitable spirit.

Girl Power in R&B

Salt N Pepa : Blacks' Magic

Maybe it's the feminist in me, but I love Salt n Pepa. Their lyrics talk of strength and solidarity and their presence demands respect. This was some of their best work, though all of their CDs are great.