Back in the summer I did a shoot with the super talented Harry Leonard. It took me forever to get these images but it was well worth the wait. I think I was in top shape and there is a certain happiness and freedom that comes across in the pictures.
Check out Harry Leonard's website
Friday, December 28, 2007
Harry Leonard Photoshoot
Thursday, December 13, 2007
HEAVy Album review
Artist: HEAVy
Album: JazzMoney$$
Genre: Soul/Electronica
Get ready for the new school. New York duo HEAVy are set to make a major impact with their debut LP JazzMoney$$ on BBE.
Read the review
Monday, December 10, 2007
Chris Brown "Exclusive" Review
Chris Brown
Exclusive
Jive Records
6.0 out of 10
By Norman Mayers
Chris Brown emerged in 2005 with his hit song “Run It” which was basically a rip-off of Usher’s “Yeah” or any number of similar cuts. But don’t hold it against him. Chris Brown is a talented performer in his own right. The performer has appeared in a few movies (Stomp The Yard) and apparently had people talking after his performance at the 2007 VMAs. His sophomore album Exclusive is pretty much what one would expect from an 18-year old major label R&B singer’s album: up-tempo beats from the hottest producers, hip-hop swagger, high profile guest stars, and cheesy ballads. While the album stumbles in a few instances it mostly stays afloat thanks to the A-list collaborators and a suitably charming turn from Chris Brown himself. It’s no classic, but it is better than it probably should be.
Chris Brown is definitely not a singer. None of Exclusive’s 14 tracks and 2 bonus tracks reach the vocal power of Usher or even Justin Timberlake for that matter. But this is contemporary R&B, not classic soul. Brown has the perfect formula to reach his audience of club-hopping teenyboppers. The overall sound of the album is dancey and this is established immediately with the opener “Throwed” and its DC gogo-infused vibe. The list of guest stars is impressive and appeals to a wide range of listeners. T-Pain, Will.I.Am, Big Boi, L’il Wayne, Kanye West, and the Game all show up. Producers such as Scott Storch, Will.I.Am, and Jazze Pha create some excellent beats. The best tracks, specifically “Picture Perfect” with its rapid-fire verses and pounding 808 and synthesizer stabs, and “Gimme What You Got”, a slinky number that rides twinkling electronic effects, are creatively constructed pop masterpieces. Brown is also a lot more sincere and a lot less arrogant than many of his contemporaries and this shines though his music. Lyrics like “I’m genuine with it, I ain’t trying to put no pimping in it” from “Hold Up” play up Brown’s fresh-faced youth, a welcome change from all the bad boy sex crazed talk we usually see in R&B as of late (I’m looking at you T-Pain). But like most R&B that is club oriented, the ballads fall short, and Exclusive is no exception. Here the ballads just suffer from lame, redundant, and derivative production. Those Stargate guys keep recycling Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable”; this time they have repackaged it into a track called “With You.” Fortunately there are only 5 slower tracks so the overall vibe of the album isn’t affected.
Chris Brown is definitely riding on the coattails of artists greater than he is but he is still a talented performer who can deliver high-octane club hits. With Exclusive he showcases his penchant for teaming up with the right collaborators and delivers a rather solid sophomore release.
Purchase this album on Itunes
Chris Brown Website
Chris Brown on myspace
Friday, December 07, 2007
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Nu-Soul Artists Get Grammy Love!
The nominations for the 2007 Grammy awards were announced today and a whole bunch of artists featured on the Nu-Soul site got some nominations. Check out the list and buy the music from these artists dammit! They deserve your support.
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
- Just Fine
Mary J. Blige
[Geffen] Purchase track - When I See You
Fantasia
Track from: Fantasia
[J Records/19 Records/S Records]Purchase track - No One
Alicia Keys
[J Records/MBK Entertainment]Purchase track - If I Have My Way
Chrisette Michele
Track from: I Am
[Def Jam Recordings]Purchase track - Hate On Me
Jill Scott
Track from: The Real Thing
[Hidden Beach Recordings]Purchase track
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
- Woman
Raheem DeVaughn
[Jive Records] - B.U.D.D.Y.
Musiq Soulchild
Track from: Luvanmusiq
[Atlantic Records] - Because Of You
Ne-Yo
[Def Jam Recordings] - Future Baby Mama
Prince
Track from: Planet Earth
[Columbia/NPG Records] - Please Don't Go
Tank
Track from: Sex, Love & Pain
[Blackground/Universal Motown
Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
- Same Girl
R. Kelly Featuring Usher
Track from: Double Up
[Jive] - Disrespectful
Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige
[Burgundy/Sony/BMG] - Hate That I Love You
Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam Recordings] - Baby
Angie Stone Featuring Betty Wright
[Stax]Purchase track - Bartender
T-Pain Featuring Akon
[Jive]
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
- Walk A Mile In My Shoes
Otis Clay
Track from: Walk A Mile In My Shoes
[Echo Records] - All Night Long
Randy Crawford & Joe Sample
Track from: Feeling Good
[PRA Records] - In My Songs
Gerald Levert
Track from: In My Songs
[Atlantic] - I Apologize
Ann Nesby
Track from: This Is Love
[Shanachie/It's Time Child Records]Purchase track - I Am Your Man
Ryan Shaw
Track from: This Is Ryan Shaw
[One Haven/Razor & Tie Entertainment]
Best Urban/Alternative Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
- Make A Baby
Vikter Duplaix
Track from: Bold And Beautiful
[BBE]Purchase track - That’s The Way Of The World
Dwele
Track from: Interpretations: Celebrating The Music Of Earth, Wind & Fire
[Stax]Purchase track - Daydreamin'
Lupe Fiasco Featuring Jill Scott
Track from: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
[1st & 15th/Atlantic]Purchase track - Fantasy
Meshell Ndegeocello
Track from: Interpretations: Celebrating The Music Of Earth, Wind & Fire
[Stax] - Dream
Alice Smith
Track from: For Lovers, Dreamers & Me
[BBE Records]
Best R&B Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)
- Beautiful Flower
India.Arie & Joyce Simpson, songwriters (India.Arie)
[Universal Republic Records; Publishers: Gold & Iron Music Publishing, WB Music Corp.] - Hate That I Love You
M.S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen & Shaffer Smith, songwriters (Rihanna Featuring
Ne-Yo)
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam Recordings; Publishers: EMI April Music, Sony/ATV Tunes] - No One
Dirty Harry, Kerry Brothers & Alicia Keys, songwriters (Alicia Keys)
[J Records/MBK Entertainment; Publishers: Lellow Productions/EMI April Music, Book Of Daniel Music/EMI Music Publishing, D. Harry Productions] - Teachme
Ivan Barias, Adam W. Blackstone, Randall C. Bowland, Carvin Haggins, Johnnie
Smith II & Corey Latif Williams, songwriters (Musiq Soulchild)
Track from: Luvanmusiq
[Atlantic; Publishers: Nivrac Tyke/Universal Publishing, Latif Music/Universal Publishing, Tetra Grammaton/Universal Music Publishing, Melodic Piano Productions, HC 1030 Publishing] - When I See U
Louis Biancaniello, Waynne Nugent, Erika Nuri, Kevin Risto, Janet Sewel & Sam
Watters, songwriters (Fantasia)
Track from: Fantasia
[J Records/19 Records/S Records; Publishers: Breakthrough Creations/EMI April Music, S.M.Y. Publishing/Sony/ATV Tunes, Break North Music/Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Wayne Writers/Sony/ATV Tunes, J. Sewell Publishing, Golden The Super Kid Music]
Best R&B Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)
- Funk This
Chaka Khan
[Burgundy Records] - Lost & Found
Ledisi
[Verve Forecast]Purchase album - Luvanmusiq
Musiq Soulchild
[Atlantic] - The Real Thing
Jill Scott
[Hidden Beach Recordings]Purchase album - Sex, Love & Pain
Tank
[Blackground/Universal Motown Records]
Best Contemporary R&B Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)
- Konvicted
Akon
[SRC/Universal Motown] - Just Like You
Keyshia Cole
[Geffen]Purchase album - Fantasia
Fantasia
[J Records/19 Records/S Records]Purchase album - East Side Story
Emily King
[J Records]Purchase album - Because Of You
Ne-Yo
[Def Jam Recordings]
Best Dance Recording
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.)
- Do It Again
The Chemical Brothers
Tom Rowlands & Ed Simons, producers
Track from: We Are The Night
[Astralwerks] - D.A.N.C.E.
Justice
Gaspard Auge & Xavier de Rosnay, producers; Gaspard Auge & Xavier de Rosnay,
mixers
Track from: †
[Ed Banger/Vice/Because] - Love Today
Mika
Jodi Marr, John Merchant, Mika & Greg Wells, producers; Greg Wells, mixer
Track from: Life In Cartoon Motion
[Casablanca/Universal Republic Records] - Don't Stop The Music
Rihanna
StarGate, producer; Phil Tan, mixer
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam] - LoveStoned/I Think She Knows
Justin Timberlake
Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass &
Timbaland, mixers
Track from: FutureSex/LoveSounds
[Jive/Zomba]
Best Electronic/Dance Album
(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)
- We Are The Night
The Chemical Brothers
[Astralwerks]Purchase album - †
Justice
[Ed Banger/Vice/Because] - Sound Of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
[Capitol Records/DFA] - We Are Pilots
Shiny Toy Guns
[Universal Motown] - Elements Of Life
Tiësto
[Ultra Records]
Category 4
Best New Artist
(For a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist.)
- Feist
- Ledisi Purchase Music from Ledisi
- Paramore
- Taylor Swift
- Amy Winehouse Purchase music from Amy Winehouse
Monday, December 03, 2007
Shoot with Justin Monroe
I recently shot with the brilliant Justin Monroe. His work is amazing as he seems to create whole new worlds and tells a complete story with his images. His work is very edgy though and sexy. I was game for it though. I shot mostly in front of a green screen. I was painted up to look like some sort of warrior from the depths of hell. A sexy warrior with a hot ass though. LOL! I had to pretend I was pulling people into hell (namely a priest and a Beverly Hills citizen in Gucci clothes!) Can't wait to see the finished work.
Justin Monroe's website
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