All About Love
Ok. to be honest, I really don’t listen to any of Miley Cyrus music. Come to think of it, I really don’t listen to her father’s (Billy Ray Cyrus) either. However, this new song she’s got called “Flowers,” has a pretty catchy tune. It’s right now ranked at #2, on the Billboard Top 100 charts. Not really a “dance song,” but the beat is enough to at least make your head bop up and down. Check it out, it’s a cute song.
I just heard this song on internet radio today. “Bless You,” by, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas! I love this group, and for the life of me I can’t remember hearing this song growing up. Well, it only speaks to the vastness of talent, that we can’t possibly and humanly hear them all!! Great stuff.
Not to pat myself in the back, but…. I’m really happy that my grandfather exposed me to so many different types of music. There is no doubt that this is why I have a blog today! I have a playlist filled with classic country music! This list contains classic country by the likes of Willie Nelson, John Denver, Randy Travis, and The Judds! Checkout this playlist, Country Classics!!
Hi guys!
I have put together a smooth playlist for you. This playlist contains what I call “easy listening, from the soul perspective.” Artists include, my favorite Curtis Harding, a new song from Devon Gilfillian, Al Green, and Mayer Horthorne. I think it’s a nice playlist. I do hope my followers enjoy it. Click on the playlist here –>> Easy Soul.
You’ve got to be pretty up there in age for my followers to remember this song from the legendary Paul Anka, Puppy Love.
Here is a great song by ABBA that we don’t hear too often anymore. The song is called “The Winner Takes It All (1980).” This was one of ABBA’s many hits of the 80s. They’re from Sweden, and became a HUGE sensation in America. In Sweden, their popularity was on the same level as The Beatles!
I think this was the only song I ever liked from Bonnie Tyler! In fact, I think she was a one hit wonder. However, if you never listened to this song before, I recommend looking for the original song on YouTube. The reason being, as she gotten older, in my opinion her voice became harder to listen to. Now she sounds like she’s been smoking 10 packs of cigarettes per day. Yeeeeshhhhhh. It’s A Heartache.
Oh my goodness! I must had put this song on repeat 10-15x yesterday!! They don’t make music like this anymore. I will truly miss Olivia. She dropped some amazing music through out her career. Today’s generation of musicians don’t know how to make music like this… I honestly Love You.
Welp! 🤗 I had some extra time before bed, and decided to make another overdue playlist 🤣 I know my young followers wouldn’t know what to do with this new playlist. But, for those of us older folk, I know that there are a lot of songs you remember! These songs are perfect for that new boyfriend, or a husband that loves to reminisce on the old music too. This playlist includes artists such as Carla Thomas, Patti Drew, Mary Wells, and Dorothy Moore! Enjoy! Expressing My Love – Volume One
It’s been awhile since I’ve heard anything from Herbie Hancock. The song “Stars in Your Eyes,” released in 1973, and then re-released digitally in 1980. I’d say the song was a moderate hit in my neighborhood. Not a super-favorite, however, it’s a great chill-out song to play for small get together with others, if you’re in that Black nostalgic mood. The song highest peak was #8 across internet streaming platforms. Check it out!
There aren’t too many hip hop songs from back in the day, where I considered them one of my most favorites. However, this song happens to be one of them. “Teach Me, Tease Me,” by Foxy Brown, Case and Mary J. was legendary in my opinion. I don’t know if I can say the song was the greatest of all times, but, certainly I feel it’s a song worthy of adding to any musicophile’s playlist. It peaked #14 on the Hot 100 Billboard Chart. I can’t stand Foxy Brown, but, I got to admit, her voice worked for this song. Then again, there were two other talented artist on the song that sort of made up for her lack of vocal talent. Just my opinion guys. It’s an easy listening type of hip hop that most can enjoy!
I have to make a confession to you guys. Ever since I saw that Whole Foods commercial with this song in it, I’ve gone crazy I think.. I absolutely love this song. This 1963 song was a huge hit 4 years before I was born. I’ve listened to such a variety of music growing up, I can’t say for sure I’ve heard it before. But man…. If this was out on a 45rpm record to day, I would have certainly played this to the ground. LOLOL It has a catchy tune. This girl group is loud, yet talented. Their harmonization on this record reminds me a lot of groups like The Bluebells. I highly recommend my followers check the song “Every Beat Of My heart.” In fact, I’ve heard quite a few of their music since then. Look for them on your favorite streaming service.
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Now, first off, I never heard of Lee Fields and The Impressions. Surprisingly, they’ve been around since the late 60’s, and I’m kind of a shamed that I never heard of them, ’cause their music is darn good. I guess this only proves just how vast our music culture actually is. You know, his music and sound reminds me a lot of Charles Bradley (in fact, he kind of looks like him too). I’ve searched hard on the net, and I can’t seem to find any of his songs on the billboard charts. However, I did see an article written about him on the Billboard website. That is such a beautiful thing, this can only mean that he has worked with a lot of big names in the business, and the fact that Billboard recognizes his contribution (a long with his band) to music is huge (despite not landing anywhere on the charts)!
I đź–¤ the fact that he kept practically all his albums’ vibe Black old school!
I love the fact that he kept his vibe old school. In fact, I had no idea that most of his albums in the last 10-15 years where not 70s music. The classic authentic(ness) was unreal! The soul in his voice was so present… It was phenomenal guys. I’m not sure if my young followers could understand. But, this was what people of my age group considering real talent, real soul, and real voices. I don’t even have a song to recommend, because I’ve liked so many. If you love jazz and soul music, definitely listen to these guys album, “Big Crown Vaults (2020)” The first song, “Two Timer,” I really loved. But, I think I’ve enjoyed the entire Album. Check it out!
I don’t think it’s my imagination, but finding album stats are becoming harder and harder to find. In my opinion, “Rhythm Nation,” has got to be Janet’s second, most successful album of her career (next to her “Control” album)! Or if not, it is my second most favorite Janet Jackson album! Almost all the songs in this album were in the top 10 range, and just about all her videos were perfect as well.
Now, I have to be honest, normally I’m not attracted to albums like these because there are some portions of the album that are political. Yet, there is enough diversity in the album that still managed to catch my attention. I think the best songs (and videos) from this album are “Escapade,” “Alright,” “Black Cat,” “Love Will Never Do,” and “Rhythm Nation.”
Oh man, I found a beauty of a gem here! This is a relatively young band called “The Fightnrs.” I never heard of them before to be honest. However, I stumbled upon a cover they did called “I’d rather Go Blind. I’m not sure who originally sang this, but I first heard this song, it was song by the late, legendary Etta James. I loved the way she sung this song! This reggae cover is smooth, and I really appreciate the fact that they kept the old ska feel to the music. This song sounded so authentically classic, I was in disbelief that these young dudes came up with a musical interpretation I could jive to.
These talented young men are from Queens, New York. But their music travels in time to Jamaica, in the Rock Steady, 60s era. I enjoyed their cover so much! I don’t mean to sound like I’m putting down other artist that do old covers; but at the same time, it’s incredibly rare that young artists/bands keep the spirit of the original songs they’re doing. Everyone wants to do something “different for a change.” Whatever the hell that means. Look them up, I think you’ll enjoy their music too (that is if you love reggae).
It’s sort of troubling to me, when I think about just how fast music streaming is moving (including YouTube). Between the fast movements of social media/streaming services verses the old folk who simply isn’t interested in tapping in to what streaming has to offer; I realize it’s very hard to measure the level of appreciation we still have for classic music. Classic music such as one of Celine Dion’s album “The Colour Of My Love (1993).” It’s been a REALLY long time since I’ve heard anything of Celine on either mainstream radio or radio streaming. It’s a shame because she’s had many, many hits. But, I suppose with America’s culture shifts, if there are people who still do remember Celine, would be mostly likely associated with her Titanic theme song.
One of my favorite hits from this album, is her cover of Jennifer Rush’s “The Power Of Love.” I feel that both artists have done an amazing job with this song. I’m not sure if I like one over the other. “The Power Of Love,” is definitely one of those “made for females” romantic songs. We don’t talk about it much, but woman can make romantic music too. Another amazing song from this album is her cover of “When I Fall In Love,” featuring Clive Griffin. If you are a fairly good singer, I can’t see how anyone could screw this song up! It’s a simple love song, with easy notes that almost anyone can carry. Check out this classic album, and add it to your favorite streaming service.
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Well, I don’t know if this was Teddy’s greatest album, but certainly no doubt it was one of his popular ones. One of the biggest songs I remember from this album is “Love T.K.O.,” this song was almost anthem like in the Black Community. This was a song that almost everyone enjoyed listening to when I was growing up. It’s a shame, we lost an incredibly talented voice at a young age. This is why it’s important to keep our Black music history alive. Oh, yeah, check out “Feel The Fire,” another huge hit for Teddy.
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You know, I hadn’t realized just how stunningly beautiful Aaliyah was until after her death. The media showed lots of candid photos I never seen before. We tragically lost an artist that could have been just as large as the late Whitney Houston maybe? But, because this is of a different generation from mine, a lot of her music I didn’t connect with. However, there are a few songs I feel are worthy mentions. I really liked the song she did for the Dr. Doolittle soundtrack called “Are You That Somebody,” and I also liked “More Than A Woman.”
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Song: An Old Fashioned Love Song
Artist: Three Dog Night
Album: Celebrate TTDN Story 1965-1975
Genre: Soft Rock
Unless your preferred music listening has always been rock, you most likely forgot about this group, or never heard of them at all. I don’t think they’re necessarily an obscured band, but I definitely think so among general music fans (especially 30 and younger). When I look at their streaming numbers, relatively speaking they’re not really that high. However, this doesn’t mean they didn’t do great music in the rock genre. To be honest, I hadn’t listened to their music for a really longtime. There are so much great classic music that exist, neglect of our old favorite classics is just bound to happen. It wasn’t until I started lookin’, that I actually realized how many songs they’ve done that turned out to be some of my favorites.
If There Is A Such Thing As Quality Rock Music
You know, I still don’t consider myself a “rock expert.” However, I’ve always said to myself, if there is a such thing as “quality rock music,” I think Three Dog Night’s name would be on that list. They’re one of the very few rock bands that create real love songs that actually borderline between soft and hard rock. I can’t think of too many bands that make these kinds of music. Surprisingly, one of my most favorite songs by them was one of the least played on music streaming. “An Old Fashioned Love Song,” for some reason was one of my favorites. Thinking back, the song sort of reminded me of one of those early eighties travel commercials. You know, one of those vacation resorts ?. However, their biggest hit of their career was actually a song called “Joy To The World.” You know, I still couldn’t figure out the meaning of this song. I think what threw me off was the title. It automatically sends a message that this is a xtian song, but it’s not. Perhaps the lyrics in the song were cryptic. Then again, maybe it was just one of those quicky songs where random sentences were put together. We had a lot of those in the 70s & 80s. America’s “Horse With No Name,” was another annoying song I couldn’t figure out. WTF?? Anywayz…… Although I can’t figure out what the hell the song meant, it had an awesome tune that made it popular.
Joy To The World – The Lyrics Didn’t Make Sense To Me!
Throughout the band’s existence, they’ve gone through a heavy turnaround rate. It’s amazing how many members they’ve gone through, and yet they still managed to pump out hits. Today, the band is unrecognizable. If it were not for their brand name, and the consistency in their music, I wonder if they’d still have that faithful fan base? Checkout some of their other awesome hits. Such as, “Mama Told Me (Not To Come),” “One” (I always mistaken “One,” for a Beatles song), and “Black and White.” Lastly, I want you guys to check out a cover that was first made popular by Otis Redding. It’s called “Try A Little Tenderness.” Wow!! They sounded amazing! In my opinion, they tore this song up! I really appreciated that they kept Otis’s spirit in the song. Very nicely done for all you old Otis fans out there!
Song: Playlist
Artist: Various
Album: Playlist: 37 Awesome Reggae Covers (2021)
Genre: Sweet Reggae
This was probably my most difficult handpicked playlist yet!! ? I know it seems like I say that all the time, but it really is true. These days, it’s really hard to find a good cover song. Because either the artist’s voice don’t fit the song, or the musical arrangements are just terrible. I much prefer the 80s covers and older. I know a lot of artist feel like they can sing and do anything the want. However, as a fan of music I beg to disagree. I think a true artist is honest enough to know when a song doesn’t suit them, and if you try to force sing it, it only makes it sound worse. I think the most problem I usually have is with the musical arrangements, particularly today’s cover songs from certain countries. Many cover songs today (both Reggae and some American songs) appear to have a distinct sound; tunes that sound as though the artist purchased their first Yamaha keyboard (earlier models) with artificial drum beats and other electronic “push button” flat sounds that try to mimic other natural instruments. These kind of equipment makes the end product sound outdated, karaoke*ish, and sometimes like an amateurish live performance. Therefor, I’m extremely particular about the covers I listen to.
I’m Extremely Particular About The Covers I Listen To!
So, now that I’ve aired out my pet-peeve, I’d like to draw your attention to a great female reggae artist known by one name, Fiona. Fiona recorded a few covers, but my most favorite cover she did is a song called “You Don’t Know My Name,” which was recorded by Alicia Keys. It was upsetting to know this got so little plays on the streaming platforms, because in my opinion this song is freakin’ amazing! So much great music overlooked. I guess the young people aren’t interested in true love songs anymore; they’re only interested in what they can jiggle their ass to. Another amazing cover I highly recommend you check out, is a female artist known as Natty Bong. She released a cover called “Royals,” which was written and performed by Lords. Natty Bong’s cover got over 5.5M plays from just Spotify alone. It’s a really great song! Check it out!
Enjoyable Cover Songs Are Harder To Find These Days!
Let’s go back a little further in time. 1961 to be exact, when the late Peter Tosh released his cover of a song called “Here Comes The Sun.” The late Peter Tosh recorded this song with the legendary reggae band, The Wailers. “Here Comes The Sun,” was originally written and performed by The Beatles (if I’m not mistaken). I’m shocked as to how many reggae musicians done so many covers by them. Then again, I forget that their are a LOT of British reggae performers.
The Most Shocking Was Bob Marley’s Cover!
I have to say, I think the most shocking cover I ever heard was by the late Bob Marley, when he recorded a song called “Sugar Sugar,” which is the original theme song for the 1968 TV cartoon, The Archie’s. The reason why Bob’s cover shocked me was because, of all the diverse American covers made in to reggae, I just never pictured someone like Bob Marley to do this kind of music. Perhaps it’s because my mind associated his music with political messages, and cartoon themes just wasn’t on my radar. Today, I could see it, but not then. Check out my playlist, I have plenty more surprises in it. I hope you enjoy!
Song: Hungry For Your Love (Club Version)
Artist: Hanson & Davis
Album: Can’t Stop (c. 1988) (2010)
Genre: Freestyle
O-M-F-G!!!!!! Talk about obscurity!!! ? These guys were thrown into obscurity like a Barry Bonds’ fast ball!!! Then again, let’s be honest… The whole freestyle genre kind of died along with it’s cousin disco (shortly after). I don’t think that enough credit has been given to the freestyle genre. Perhaps this was because this music was predominantly produced by the poor Black & Latino communities. Make no mistake, freestyle was a money machine. Yet, you’d never know it in the 80s, because mainstream news never really gave it the time of day (unless there was no other news to report).
Great Memories Of Being In The Record Shop!
Listening to freestyle music gives me many fond memories of spending hours upon hours in the record shop. Shit, I remember being in the record shop for so long, I had back pain a many of times, because I was slouching over looking for that “gem” of a record. Back then, shop owners would play a record for you before you bought it. Some record shops even had multiple turntables with their own headphones, as each customer had an opportunity to play the music before they buy. That whole experience made music so personal, and I really really miss that. Now, vinyl records are not only a luxury, but a rare specialty that costs music fans significantly more.
I’m Dumbfounded That These Guys Aren’t In Any Greatest Freestyle Hits Album!!
I’m really devastated and shocked that these guys do not appear in any of the classic freestyle compilations. Well, at least I have never seen any. Their song “Hungry For Your Love,” was so popular! I literally don’t understand why it did not register anywhere on the top 100 charts, or even the top 200. I heard this on the radio ALL the time! Talk about overlooked talent! There was a category I didn’t even know existed, called “U.S. Club Plays,” which I guess it was the equivalent of poor people’s dance music, or music that wasn’t considered “real mainstream music.” In this category, the song reached #16th position. Other than that, they got no real recognition. The duo broke up after only about 3 years.
Song: Fast Car
Artist: Tracy Chapman
Album: Tracy Chapman (1988)
Genre: Modern Folk
I’m pretty sure that anyone under 20 years of age has never heard of Tracy Chapman. As far as I’m concerned, I most definitely consider her a classic music legend. I also consider a huge legend of the LGBT community as well. For someone of the LGBT community to receive such a positive and accepting response globally was and is still very rare. Only a handful of LGBT icons have reached mainstream level. Perhaps the most widely known are Elton John, Melissa Etheridge, K.D. Lang, and Boy George. They’ve all made music that is literally timeless! We can listen to this kind of music in any point and time, and never feel their music sounds “dated.” Artists today just don’t have that kind of skill anymore. This is what happens when your career is purely driven by money, and not by the art of music.
I Always Thought She Was A Handsome Young Man! LOL
I was about 21 years old when her album called “Tracy Chapman (1988)” came out. I think I heard her smash hit on the radio “Fast Car,” then I went around begging my friends to tell me who that person was singing on the radio. Back then, cassettes was still the preferred way to consume music. When I first saw her picture on cassette, I said to myself “wow, that’s a cute guy.” Now, keep in mind, guys still had “Tracy” as a first-name, and sometimes both guys and girls would spell it the same way. So I still had no idea he was actually a she at first. LOL I really didn’t care to be honest, I was just digging her music. “Fast Car,” reached #6 on the billboard charts. Pretty impressive for a new LGBT artist on the scene at the time.
It’s Unfortunate That Her Peak Success Only Lasted Her Second Album!
Although only one song from this album was a hit, the entire album is quite good! I consider her music a “modern folk” type music. I haven’t enjoyed good folk music like that since Jim Croce. The entire album is relaxing, and it is playable from beginning to end. This is one of those “coming to age,” type albums. Come to think of it, that kind of music was very common for the 80s. You should check out “Across The Lines,” and “Baby Can I Hold You,” are two of my favorite songs from the album. Her next huge hit would be a song called “Give Me One Reason,” from her “New Beginning (1995)” album. The song shot up to #3 on the Top 100.
