This song is my favorite duet probably ever created. Lauryn and D'Angelo's voices blended so well together. the song simply states that because of the love they have, nothing else matters in the world. The vamp at the end when D'Angelo is repeating "nothing but you" and Lauryn is free styling over him is beautiful.
"Nothing Even Matters" is off The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the album she won five Grammys for. This is my second favorite song off the album ("To Zion" is the first) and it fits perfectly on the album. Let me know how you feel about this song.
Alicia Keys caught me with her first CD. He voice was different from what was on the radio and she could play the piano as well. Songs in A Minor was a great album and is still my favorite of her catalogue. It is being re-released this month as a collector's edition for the 10th anniversary.
"Caged Bird" is my favorite song of this album because it's so simple but still so deep. It's about wanting to be freed from what people want you to do and do whatever it is you want. To show off your true talents instead of being safe. Let me know what you think.
Missy is one of my favorite rappers so she had to be on this list. "4 My People" was from her third album . . . So Addictive. Missy made an impact on the music world with her inventive beats and out of this world videos.
"4 My People" gets me excited. In college, this was the song me and my roommate would put on while we were getting dressed to go out. This song is in heavy rotation on my workout playlist. I can't help but rap along to this song. And it features a verse by Eve which is even better. Check it out below.
Since it's Black Music Month, I've decided to take this opportunity to write on this blog more often. So going forward I will post some of my favorite songs every day.
Boyz II Men is my favorite group of all time. I've been a fan of them since they first came out. The first CD I ever owned was II. The combination of their four voices made them the special group that they are. Nathan, Michael, Shawn and Wanya make up the most popular group of the 90s. Michael with his deep bass voice talk singing on some of their more popular songs. Wanya who could beg with the best of them. And SHawn and Nathan who stood out when necessary. They were it for me. Michael has left the group but they continue to make music and entertain their fans.
It would have been easy to chose one of their Grammy winning hits but some of my favorite songs are album cuts. "I Finally Know" is off Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya, their fourth studio album. This song is about realizing that the person you've been looking for has been right there the whole time. I like this song because it is basically saying not to dismiss someone as a love interest because they are a friend. Check out the song below and let me know what you think.
I recently had the chance to meet with Tiffany Starks and find out more about her, her music and her thoughts on today's musical landscape. We went off topic a little when we started discussing the state of current music, but I had a great time speaking with her.
I had an opportunity to speak with a profoundly talented young man making his mark in the gospel world. Will Brown is the leader of the group Will Brown and Another Level. They are a small group located in Newark, NJ that was started about five years ago. I had a discussion with him about why he does what he does and what he hopes to do. In the first section, he discusses his background, gives some info on Another Level and how he writes music.
In the second part of the interview, he talks about his musical progression, an album that he loves and what type of impact he hopes to make in the industry and the world.
This is the second six-month installment of my assistance with Harambee Records. At this point, we are getting closer to producing an album for Will Brown and Another Level. In order to ensure that everything is done properly, the correct protection is needed. I helped Will Brown secure the proper copyright information for the fourteen tracks on the album. It is also important to make sure that everyone involved in the songs gets paid correctly. Splitting the copyrights properly between the parties is a timely process and took about a month to complete.
While this is going on, it is important to keep the groups in the public eye. I helped find venues for other live events for both Tiffany and Will Brown & Another Level. They were also asked to sing with other artists in the area. I assisted in the review and approval of the live contracts for these events. I also made sure that they had transportation to the concerts to ensure they arrived on time.
During the recording process I learned the importance of different types of engineers for the studio. There is a tracking engineer who handles the basic music for the track and then you have a recording engineer who makes sure that the sound is correct when recording the vocal parts of the song. It is also important to have the proper producer with the correct engineer. I researched the mastering engineer for Will Brown’s project since it is in the final stages of creation.This person will finalize and polish the product for distribution and duplication to the masses. Below there is a clip of a studio session going over the little things that can come up in song when reviewing for final mastering.
Over these last twelve months I have learned so much about the recording process and how much work it takes to put out an album. I will continue to work with Harambee Records because even though it’s a lot of work, the fun is seeing the final product. I haven’t see a final product yet so I want to stick around for that.
