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?

Soulful Treats!

Guess who is back? Sorry for the delay on not hitting you all up on my musical love and desires (shotout to Rick James--Darkness!!!!)but you all know how it is when your looking for a job. Well do you? Any who, since I have moved from Gotham City back to Bmore I have been on my grind so much that I have not taken any time to listen and find some healing sounds of life...MUSIC!

So this past weekend I did just that and went to Best Buy to find me some golden gems to massage my ears. I think I came out like a champ too! I was able to score some classic's from Marvin Gaye "Let's Get It On", The Jacksons "Goin' Places", Amy Winehouse "Frank" and to a soon-to-be classic Melanie Fiona "The Bridge". And for good measure I bought myself a $25 gift card for iTunes! But the piece de resistance was a friend of mine lacing me with a dope book called 'The Rough Guide to Soul and R&B'. Oh man! What a great book that is so detailed with history to playlists to great images.

Well back to what I copped at BB! So I gave Melaine Fiona's album a lot of love this past weekend. I love her voice. She is such a standout singer that embodies the soul of her soulful predecessors before her. She shines on tracks like 'Walk On By', 'Priceless' and my fav 'It Kills Me'. If there is one album that you would want to spend some loot on it is hers. Yes, she may not sell Rihanna numbers or shake her ass like Beyonce', but there is one thing that I'm sure she will do well and that is SING!

I must admit that I did not know that Gamble & Huff worked with The Jacksons at all. So I was quite surprised that when I copped their 1977 album 'Goin' Places'. You can most definitely hear the Philly sound in this album. You clearly hear it in the song 'Find Me A Girl', where MJ lets it all hang out with his search for that right lady. He sings he's going to make good, good lovin'! Whatcha gonna do? LOL. This album slide under my radar but it is laced with great production and the sounds that built the 70's disco-soul-pop era. MJ and his brethren bring that up-beat spirit and feeling that made America love them for a lifetime!

Lord knows I love me some pre-cracked out Amy Winehouse. Now that she is supposedly sober and has some new 'boobies' she can lure me in again with her soulful voice.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Bonus*

One of the best to ever do it, Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr... If you can't get any a$$ from playing any song from Let's Get It On, well you Sir or Madam you have no game!

Son of Soul

I must say there is some great things about being in the business “we” call the music biz. Yes, there are the bad things like getting laid-off, getting fired, did I mention laid-off? But let me harp on the good such as seeing a great singer shine on the stage doing his craft. I had that opportunity last night/this morning as I saw Raphael Saadiq do his thing at S.O.B.'s in New York. Now this in not the first time I've seen dude perform. But for some reason that I can't seem to explain this was his best performance out of the many times I've seen him.

I knew the night was going to be a good one once I walked in the spot and the DJ was banging some ATCQ, Kane and LL (did I mention I missed Hip-Honor's for this?) and that had my head bobbin' and my attention caught. Everyone must have been loving the vibe in the spot last night. I saw some Asian dude doing his best "So You Think You Can Dance" moves all night. You can tell this dude has watched "Moonwalker" one to many times. Shout out to Mike J! His lady friend was not that much better she was spazzing all over the place. It looked as though she was having an epileptic seizure. If rhythm came in the club and slapped her she still wouldn't have gotten it. LOL.

The night started with Emily King opening up with an acoustic set of songs. I love Emily, I truly do but she was boring. So let me move on. I knew the night was going to be a soulful one when the DJ played Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The National Anthem" to bring on Rapahel. By the way I, feel so patriotic when I hear that version. When Barack becomes Prez and I become Secretary of Music, I will take the proper measures and make Marvin's version become the official version. After a moment of reflection thinking of Barack as President, Raphael hit the stage in proper fashion. He was decked out in 60's attire letting everyone know that it's going to be a soulful night. He went right into "Love That Girl" off of his newest CD "The Way I See It". The dude had the choreographed moves down packed with his background singers. If the look of the one-time great leader singer David Ruffin of The Temptations was his hook he did him justice.

Raphael may be one of most under-rated singers/performers of my generation. This dude is a hell of a singer, writer and producer. He knows how to put on a show as well. The crowd went nuts as did I when he went into Lucy Pearl's "Dance Tonight". Although there was no Dawn Robinson his background singer did her thing (Sidebar - Why do some singers feel the need to stretch their eyes when they sing? This chick did that and it bugged me out. Please singers don't do that) they took it to "If I Had No Loot" which the shit in 93!
'
The show was laced with hit after hit with a touch of new joints in there as well. When he made it to the Tony!, Toni!, Tone! set the crowd was in this dudes hand's. "Lay Your Head On My Pillow" started it off followed by "It Never Rains In Southern California" to "Anniversary". The vibe was just right until this lady looking like Miss Roper cut in front of me so she could see. Damn you, Miss Roper!

This was one show that I greatly appreciated and enjoyed. There are perks to being in this biz and last night was one of them. Shout out to my girl Kathy Baker at Columbia for getting my late requesting ass in there! Raphael certainly didn't disappoint giving a "GREAT" show, and he closed out with a new joint of the album called "Sometimes", which has a gospel sound to it and it flows nicely. I was feeling the vibe and typing my notes for this blog until this drunken girl tried to slap my phone out of my hand. She is lucky that the song was spiritual because I felt one coming! Needless to say she didn't delete my notes thus this blog.

So do yourself a favor go and get Raphael Saddiq's newest album "The Way I See It". You will be taken back to a time when music was music and where singers actually sang. And while you're at it pull out some old Saadiq from his Oakland days with the 3 T's and Lucy Pearl and even his solo-releases. Thank you God for quality music! Let me go I have to get my shortie a log cabin up in Wis-can-sin! ;)

Don't forget to turn it up cuz' The Music Ain't Loud Enough!

Videos

Love That Girl-http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/--184533174

Be Here-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0xrEjfz6qQ

Without You-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v8nD9pc70s

Whatever You Want-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HVpTaQ8q7Y&feature=related