Uh-Huh, Another Case of a "MSJ"- Missing Slow Jams

Listening to current Slow Jams today make me laugh at times at how corny and extra-suggestive they can be. The other day I found a old-school Slow Jam CD that I made back in '97. The first track on that piece was Luther Vandross "Superstar/Until You Come Back To Me". Hands down maybe the best R&B slow jam written! At the very beginning of that cut Luther sets the mood for a song about a man yearning for his long gone love.

I wanna tell you, baby
The changes I've been goin' through
Missin' you, missin' you, oh...oh...
Till you come back to me
I don't know what I'm gonna do
N-n-n-no, n-n-no

I miss songs like 'Sensuality (Parts 1&2)' by The Isley Brothers, Maxwell's 'Lifetime', Marvin Gaye's 'Distant Lover' (the live version is a beast) or Prince's 'Adore'. Don't get me wrong today's slow jams are great to bump for the beat and such but, the content within the songs don't carry any weight. When R. Kelly made his solo debut in 1993 with '12 Play' the world was caught on fire! Yes, his lyrics of sex and lust were not hidden well but his pen game was so tight that they were eventually overlooked. 12 Play spent nine weeks atop the R&B charts during this period. Hell, you can't even get a single to stay number one for ten days nowadays. Songs like 'Sex Me (Parts 1&2)', 'Your Body's Calling' and 'Bump N Grind' may not have had the sincere and tasteful approach of a Marvin or Stevie Wonder song but they did help redefine and shape the Slow Jam genre. 

How do we define what makes a good Slow Jam? Ask yourself that question. Some may answer that they want a romantic song that they can make babies to or something they can play at their wedding for the first dance, and others just say they want a soft-smooth song to play at work. I guess over the years songs have parted away from the object of love in general and focused on the act of just getting some. Singers like Anthony Hamilton, Eric Roberson and Lalah Hathaway are throwbacks in the sense of creating great songs that simply exhibit the art of the Slow Jam. 

It is funny that over my years of being in radio and just a lover of music in general, that I always find myself gravitating back to the classics, or to songs that capture those characteristics. Hell, I know over the years music goes through it's changes and folks got to eat--I get it. But can we just find another way to express "love and emotions" through song rather than wanting to have the neighbors know our names? Well, I'm off to listen to some Carl Thomas, MJB, SWV, Aretha Franklin, MJ and Donnell Jones amongst others. I guess this case is still cold until we find that ever elusive Slow Jam.

Click Here for some of the best Slow Jams

Share your thoughts with me and email at Stretch@radio-one.com

Twitter: Stretch166

What are some of your favorite Slow Jams?

Morning Meditation

My mornings always start off with a good prayer and some silence with the Lord. During my commute to work I normally listen to sports talk but today the Holy Spirit encouraged me to listen to one of my favorite gospel songs by Kurt Carr. I hope you enjoy and this brings a blessing to  you.

Watch "Kurt Carr - Thats Why I Praise You" on YouTube

Fresh Faces To Vibe To...

What up folks!? Yes, I know it has been a minute since your boy has down you right. Please accept my deepest apologies but I have been grindin' something terrible! :) So do me a favor and open your ears to some new and exciting talent! Yes, we all know the music business is becoming more and more desolate but with more and more artists like The Weeknd and Elle Varner coming the future is oh-so bright! So take a listen to here to some "new kids" on the block. And on a side note that Weeknd jam stripper song for sure! So ladies let out your inner Diamond when you listen to this joint!

Hidden Gem Found!

So here it is a rainy summer evening in the DMV, and I'm listening to this young lady sing like the most precious canary you have ever heard. She first came to my attention from the radio station that I work at on the weekends in DC, 93.9 WKYS(Plug! Listen to me Saturday 9am -10am and Sunday 6am-10am). We had this contest looking for the next star in the DMV set to blow. Well, this young lady took that literally to heart cuz' she can blow for sure. Ladies and Gentleman let me introduce you to Ari Lennox! When I first heard her she reminded me a lot of Chrisette Michelle, with her raspy tone and distinct delievery it is very captivating. The self-proclaimed rock, soul, afro-jazz artist wowed everyone during the "Next DMV Star" competition, thus allowing her to win and grab a recording deal with Koch Records. This past weekend she killed at the Russ Parr Splash Bash. The same stage that held the likes of Destiny Child's Kelly Rowland. So if you haven't heard of her now is the time to get on board and ride the wave with this sister.

Peep out her performance of "Random Heartbreaks" with another bad dude David James from the group Ndelible.



Congrats, to you Ms. Lennox! May you continue to blow and shine bright like the star you are! Get familiar with her folks! She is dropping her first EP/Mixtape in August. Be sure to catch her on BET's "106 & Park" on August 24th! Spread the word on this talented lady.

http://www.arilennox.com/

Twitter: @arilennoxmusic

Summer of 1998!

As we face this heat during the summer months my mind has traveled back in time to the summer of 1998! That was a good time for me as a young adult and in my love for music. I had just graduated from college and was working at 92Q in Baltimore, where we were getting ready for our Summer Jam concert! During that time there were a lot of great songs on the radio. I'm talking about music that had a purpose and had your head going from side-to-side to the beat and rhythm. It's funny I wish I could take a time machine back in time to some of my favorite times in my life. It is even more amazing how music has played a major factor in my life as well. So, I thought I would share a little play list of some of the hits in the summer of '98 that made me rock out. This is just a taste of what '98 had to bring so don't go getting on me for missing shit! :)



Next - Too Close



Wyclef Jean - Gone Till November



Dru Hill - How Deep Is Your Love



Monifah - Touch It



Missy Elliott & Da Brat - Sock It 2 Me



Deborah Cox - Nobody's Suppose To Be Here



Master P - Make Em Say Uhh!

Alison In Wonderland!!!

There is not much I can say about this lady other than "she is effin' awesome!!!" If you have never heard of her or seen her live let me be the first to say, "World, allow me to introduce you to Alison Carney!" She is a beast! A talent like no other and just a all-around cool ass chick! Peep out her latest EPK "Alison Wonderland", I guarantee you won't skip a song as she captures your mind and soul with each note. Enjoy!

Why I Love Adele!

So sue me for watching "Dancing With The Stars" but it is my secret delight. I was geeked when I heard Adele was going to be on there performing. There are a lot of folk out there that claim they can sing but Adele surpasses them ten fold! She is so hot and in demand right now, so much that tickets for her performance at the 930 Club in DC are going for like 3G's from scalpers. I love me some Adele but I'm not parting 3G's for her though. LOL. Good thing I know folk. If you are not familiar with Adele I urge you to get caught up with this wonderful and gifted singer. Yea, she's British and wait for it....white, but who cares?! This woman can blow. And I would go on the record to say she is hands down the best vocalist out there right now! I dare anyone to say well what about Rihanna, Keri and Beyonce'. Please don't play yourself! Her cover of the Rolling Stones "Rolling In The Deep" is truly amazing! See for yourself below.



Her album "21" is currently number on the charts. So do yourself a favor and go cop what I call musical magic to your ears. You won't be disappointed. Trust me.

Mint Condition - 7 Album Review

It is hard for me to sit here and write this review for a group that has been stellar and consistent in their craft for more than 20 years! Not hard that I think they are not appealing now but hard for me to imagine that time certainly does fly by. The release of their 7th studio album coincidentally called "7" shows us why this band (yes band) has been able to survive and inspire for the past 20 years. This album is some sort of a reunion for die-hard Mint Condition fans with the return of Keri Lewis. The album is laced with 11 tracks that show you the growth that the group has made over the years. Those of you hoping to hear smooth melodic slow jams that made you fall in love with them years ago, you have another thing coming. There are some very funk ladened tracks on here that showcases Stokely's very distinguished voice. Tracks like "I Want It" and "I Can Ease The Pain" are reflective of that statement. In a day in time in music where real musicianship is either a lost art or just totally forgotten Mint Condition shows us that it is still alive and well. Songs like "Caught My Eye" and "Not My Daddy"(co-written by Kelly Price), show us a glimpse of the past that made us all fall in love with this group 20 years ago. My suggestion is that you put this album on right now and just close your eyes and let MC take you to a place where all you need to do is  just relax and relate.

https://sites.google.com/site/stretchsworld/Not_My_Daddy.mp3
https://sites.google.com/site/stretchsworld/Caught_My_Eye.mp3

Brother Where Art Thou Soul? .

As I sit here listening to Sam Cooke belt out "A Change Is Gonna Come" something struck me that over the last 20 years in R&B, there has been a problem...it's called "SANG-ING!" 

Yes, there are some great singers currently out there but most of them you may not even heard of since they are indie or so far underground it will take Chilean miners and 3 moles to find them. I miss the days of Donny, Luther, Stevie, Bobby (not Brown) Womack, Otis and Al just to say name a few. There are a few cats out there now that have most definitely been influenced by the kings of yesteryear. Such as R. Kelly, Jaheim, Bilal, Anthony Hamilton and Raheem Devaughn. It is crazy to me how soul music is perceived now. If it isn't overproduced with catchy hooks it doesn't sell. Hell, they don't even care if you can sing now. It's all about having that 15-minutes of fame song that will be on the Top 100 Digital Charts. I don't know about you but just like how I like my women, I like my music with--substance. It doesn't take a genius to write "Birthday Sex", hell I can get sex when it's not even my birthday! But it does takes a genius to write "Rocket Love" and to sing 


"I longed for since I was born 
A woman sensitive and warm  
And that you were 
With pride and strength no one would test 
But yet have feminine finesse 
And so much more"

Now that is what you call a song. 


I know how things happen in cycles and phases but I sure hope that the phase of wack music ends soon. I want my soul back and I want it now! I wish I could have lived and experienced the early Motown years or had a chance to see Black Moses (Issac Hayes) in concert. Don't get me wrong I love music if I didn't I would have never got into radio, programmed for both Yahoo and AOL Radio, worked at Bad Boy. But I do have an issue with the lack of love in music today. So I say this my fellow lovers of music...let's get some soul back into our music! I would hate to raise my kids on BS tunes! Bring on the SANG-ING!!!


Check out some flavor from some of the torch carriers of soul music! Eric Roberson, Bilal and Anthony David. Enjoy. 

De La Soul - Timeless

Today was an epic day for music but for Hip-Hop in general! One of the most influential groups in Hip-Hop was inducted into the Library of Congress for their debut album 3 Feet High and Rising. They join the likes of Public Enemy, Tupac Shakur and Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five. This is an epic accomplishment for the 3 MC's from Long Island, NY. So shout out to to 3 of the best to ever pick up a mic--Maseo, Posdnous and Dave.

I have many favorite De La songs that make my day but since this honor is from their first album let's take it back to '89!! Once again much love for these Native Tongue members for this honor and accomplishment.