ERGH! I'm running late. Meeting the crew for some pre-Dark Knight Nando's! But, before I go I had to post this tune. Teedra Moses is back ya'll. I was never a big fan, but this tune is bangin'. Check it out!

Teedra Moses - "Be Kool"

Aiight, I'm off to spend a couple hours with Batman!

Peace, Love & Teedra Moses

Speeakz

I guess this is supposed to be from her album that we have been dying for "The Young Lioness." The track is called "So Cool."

DONNIE HENDRIX

more free music?!!? yup... but this time its something old.

i updated the discography to include a mixtape i had done a few years back named the vainglorious remake album. like this shit is OLD yall, i had pressed it up and given it out at scribble jam or some shit. i dont really remember. i do know that i put alot of work into the songs and its a nice snapshot of where i was as an mc.  i found it as i was pokin around my hard drive lookin for a few songs for our upcoming show on the 23rd.

and while doing so i also figured something out... i have a mixtape done. lmao... man o man. alot of yall have heard some of these songs already but there are one or two that nobody on earth has heard. dont worry you wont hear any of them via this post, im holding the tape hostage until next year probably, maybe i'll give it out as an xmas gift to all my readers... (no jay elect-o (no snark))

i have to touch up a few of em and record a verse here and there but for all intents and purposes this baby is ready to go. i was worried about the songs being dated (read entourage) but who the hell cares... ITS FREE MUSIC DAMNIT! YOU GONNA COMPLAIN ABOUT SOME SHIT YOU GET FOR FREE!?!?!

still need cover art and ill prolly get low key to mix em if he aint too busy n shit. anyway in no particular order here's the tracklist...

rapheal saadiq - chic ft teedra moses
toni braxton - take this ring
the slyvers - misdemeanor
dj mitsu - right here ft dwele
omarion - entourage
j*davey - no more
amerie - thats what you are
stevie wonder - do i do
cassie - ditto
the heartattack - right now

okay im headed out to the wonderful party... holler

No matter what I do, can't get away from you

Call me everyday

And that shit ain't never cool

Gettin on my nerves, I think its time you knew..

Only gave you my number coz drinks made you cuter plus

You were lookin sad and lonely..

But thats all it was, just put you in the game and

Here you go complainin, whats up with you?"

Losing guys is a very delicate skill which most do not possess. I'm pretty sure I'm one of those wenches who for the life of me cannot accomplish this amicably. But it gets to a point where you don't give a fuck about that, you just want them out of your face.

I'm a panicker. I'm already quite reluctant to be held back by being committed to a guy I'm not sure about, but when one who I know I don't and won't ever want comes pushing himself into my life, I get antsy. I wanna put that shit out, and fast. Thats just too bad for him and I don't care. Its fair game as far as I'm concerned, if you put yourself in it then rejection is an option you better be ready for.

However much this situation occurs, I've never known the right way to go about it and its one of those things I'll actually ask advice for. My business is my business and I like people to stay out of it, but once the pressure is on for me I get desperate for the loopholes and easy way out clauses. That said, I know there are many girls as frustrated as me when it comes to this and so I'll validate their feelings with some pearls of wisdom. Bad advice is better than no advice.

The Guy Who's Rolling In On The Friend Vibe (That Sneaky Bastard)

Has it gotten to the stage where any platonic friendship you had with a guy is automatically forfeited once you haven't seen him in a while? Any intensive background work you had done in the past turns to shit, they forget completely how you stabilised them as a friend. This one is tricky because there is no feasible way that you can avoid giving them your number if they ask. And once you've given them your number, you're practically forced to reply to their messages in the name of said friendship. Coz you know you write back to your mates. And they know that too. So its a catch 22.. He gets his reply, even though you don't want to, but you have to because you're trying to keep on the light and easy friendship side.

A variation of this, which is also quite common, is the guy who's already your friend but decides his slice of the cake isn't big enough and now he wants the whole thing. The greedy pig. I mean, this guy could be someone you thought was a close mate and suddenly he switches shit up on you. Maybe he just broke up with the girlfriend that was holding him back, or a drunken night out gave him the wrong idea. Whatever, its happened, we're here, lets deal with it. You have to decide whether the friendship is worth keeping, because honestly theres not much left of it now that he's butchered it with his new found emotions.

This guy has the upper hand as I've already mentioned, because he knows you're gonna reply. Well my dears, if thats how he wants to play, then fine. We're gonna turn the tables with some retaliatory sneaky shit like he's served us. When you reply, be blunt, half hearted and rude. No smileys, no lol's, no xxx. If the conversation has gone to a whats on for the weekend type thread, mention seeing some 'guy you like'. Always name this guy, so he can be in no doubt that its not himself. And if he replies too much, you can prematurely decide the convo is over and stop replying. Friends know that friends don't care when this happens, because someone is always more busy or less bored than the other.

"So many times you guys will come step to me

I guess you call yourself booking me

But do I look easy? It ain't easy..

Well it never hurts to try

I just might let you call me

I hope you don't plan on buggin me

That would be ugly.."

The Rejected Date

You've gone on a date with this guy who you thought was okay, and who you've realised is a douche for whatever reason you pin it on. Basically this guy thinks he's onto a long term thing, when you know its lost the magic. Unless you want to keep going on boring, awkward dates to make him happy then you have to say something slightly more potent than 'I'm busy'. You can just ignore his messages, but c'mon girls, that's just plain rude and you hate it when guys do that to you. Man up where they can't (the pussies) and give this guy an end line. Make it cliched, who cares, but say something. Some favourites:

"I don't think I'm ready for something like this, sorry."

"I have to concentrate on my career/study right now."

"This just isn't working for me."

Be nice about it, thank him for good times or whatever. He's probably going to hate you even though you do this, but he can't hate you with valid reason and thats the clincher. When you walk past and he tells his mates you're a bitch, he won't be able to give them a reason thats not pathetic. "She barred me," is just code for "I'm a reject," and most guys don't want to say this.

Bar/Club/Supermarket Guy

This one is kind of awesome because he's just met you and doesn't know a thing about you. You can get creative and tell him you're leaving the country to pursue a career in journalism over in Palestine, that you have strict parents who plan to arrange a suitable marriage for you, or that you just plain old have a boyfriend. The more outrageous the better, because even if its unbelievable he knows he's just been barred. Also, you get the ego boost without any of the traumas.

It's easy to leave someone hanging, but you leave yourself open to continued contact later and its generally not nice to be so cold. A sense of decency is what separates the dogs from the mutts, and if I'm going to be a bitch I'd prefer to be a purebred with pride intact and not a mongrel from the streets. Think about how you would be like to be treated before you take action.

"Well I don't think you realise

That you don't even have a chance

When I spit my g at you I bet you won't know how to act

Its that bad..

I lick my lips and then I think about how sweet my touch is baby

So to feel me must be hot

Well if you didn't know, you know now

Exactly how its going down.."

I ran across a video of another cover of Mr. West's "Flashing Lights." Any other day I would have ignored it, but it's Teedra Moses. Hopefully, this confirms that another mixtape is in the works for Tee. The fellow Louisianian, has written for Mary J. Blige and Raphael Saadiq. So, she's worthy of our attention here at SoLowe. Teedra reminds me of the settle funk from the 80's (Cherrelle, Tina Marie, etc.). In fact, she started writing to Prince's songs. Her debut is solid and worth your attention: Complex Simplicity. Listen to her collaborations with Raphael.  They're pure gold. Her underground songs are solid also: "Doin You," "Ur U 4 Real," and "Wassup." Her label, TVT, is in financial trouble; so, her sophomore release Young Lioness is in limbo. But in the mean time hit up her myspace and tell her solowe sent cha!

there is no news in the revelation that celebs lie about their age but it doesn't get any less ridiculous.

they can get caught out by their voting records like ashton kutcher, resentful ex-classmates or their own desire to purge themselves and tell the truth, thus angering their publicist.

alicia keys

enemy of the stars, wendy williams, claims that rootsy alicia isn't quite so authentic and is a few years older than she claims. her apparent maturity suggests that this could be true. she debuted in 1997 with 'sexy thing' on the men in black soundtrack.

amerie

her opening offer was 1982. no one bid. do i hear 1980? *crickets* ok, 1978? going once...

beyonce

who knows if that 1974 birth certificate is real? bee looked about 27 ten years ago and rumour has it this wouldn't be the only secret she's managed to keep. personally i think she may be telling the truth and just had a bad case of the catherine zeta joneses. just think how old she would look if she wasn't spending an alleged 20k a month on her beauty regime.

jennifer lopez

achieved career nirvana and sang like a canary (once) when faced with police interrogation, and admitted to being born a year earlier than previously stated. hey, who else can we do this to?

kelis

shaved a year off her age in her early career until a la guardia classmate blew the whistle. others claim its more like five years. i just don't see the point...she's not that type of girl. i'm going to try and be tactful here....it just doesn't make a difference, you know?

madonna

apparently her publicist made her lie about her age in the early days, but madonna herself revealed that she was two years older, having been born the same year as wacko. bet the leotard botherer wishes she had those two years back now that the big 5-0 is approaching.

michelle williams

made the mistake of standing in front of a banner reading 'class of 1989' for a yearbook photo. lol. even if that was just an old banner, everyone is too ready to believe she looks old enough to be 37, so it doesn't matter if it's true or not.

smooth

without a shadow of a doubt the most barefaced liar on this list. check her 1990 videos on youtube when she was apparently 11. although nothing would surprise me in that family i think chris stokes has an older sister not a younger one. a source claims that she was actually 34 a few years back - you do the math.

snoop

wiki says he could be anything up to 41 years old by now. which makes sense seeing as how he's been on the scene since i was at school...and i'm not going into how long ago that was right now...

teedra moses

i've mentioned her age on here before and been told off (well, as far as you can tell someone who isn't bothered). the wiki changed pretty quickly from 82 to 76 and that's only three years off the truth. progress.

yep, we were punk'd like a wet cat.

i knew before this debacle that miss moses is slightly a hood rat per seagram's gin tour several years back, but the lack of punctuality on friday offended my judgment & my $$. that ire was so strong, i expected vocal excellence, wardrobe genius or some stellar musing to imp my anger. needless to say she fell flat as empathy vacated reason 3 hours earlier. i lingered long enough to hear take me, which was 1 of 2 songs i wished to hear, though welcomed & equally spent.

the fashions were.. mmm.... ground-breaking? (as there no pictures.) i saw boot cut denim & dress shoes! regular fit denim & over sized button-downs! all the key trends this season. & i jest. somewhere, people lost touch with getting dressed as this involves evoking a statement. what's a statement? its a cohesive thought reflective of temperament containing proper balance, colour, silhouette, harmony & lines that's forward. what i witnessed? an androgynous see of sameness, while wasting my statement in limbo.

in the words of a foxx with a sultry method, we ain't coming here no more.

agreed,
venus.as.a.boy

Once again, this is not the post I planned for today.  However, this is probably a good way to round out Women's History Month. Normally, I would give ya'll some rudimentary collage of pictures and some videos. I just don't have it in me today.

I am coming down with a case of the nasties and I can tell it's going to be a bad one if I don't nip it in the bud. I don't even know if getting that 'Tussin down in it is going to work. Ya'll pray that it does. A sista is on the move. I got a date with Sy Smith tomorrow night and will be up in NYC this weekend enjoying Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The show has got to go on.

I came up with the idea for this post while riding home today, berating myself for the fleeting thought I had last week that it would be "nice" if I got sick again like I did a couple of years ago when I lost 12lbs in three days.  I couldn't hold anythingon my stomach, not even water. Folks, be very careful what you let enter your mind.  Lizz Fields' excellent album, By Day, By Nightwas caressing my ears and I got to thinking about how I wish I could hear more of the soul sistas (and brothers) with true talent on the radio instead of the bs they play fifty eleven times a day.

I don't have the energy for that rant.

Anyhow, here's a list of female soul singers that I enjoy. Not an exhaustive list BY ANY MEANS. It's just what I captured from the 'pod and my Myspace friends list. I didn't even go through my cd's. We would have been here all night!

• Algebra Blessett
  myspace | 'Behind the Groove' interview
• Angela Johnson
  myspace
• Ashley Phillips
  website | myspace
• Brown Baby Girl (female member)
  website | myspace 
• Carol Riddick
  website | myspace | interview on Honeysoul
• Choklate
  website | myspace | interview on Honeysoul
• Conya Doss
  website | myspace | interview on Honeysoul
• Deborah Bond
  website | myspace
• D'Nell (female member)
  website | myspace
• Goapele
  website | myspace | interview with Honeysoul | "Closer" post
• Hil St Soul (new album hit stores 4/29!!!)
  myspace
• Jaguar Wright
  website | myspace
• Joy Denalane
  website | myspace | interview on Honeysoul
• Joi
  website | myspace | interview on Honeysoul
• Ledisi
  website | myspace |interview on Soul Bounce | "Take Time" post
• Leela James
  website | myspace
• Lina
  website | myspace
• Lizz Fields
  website | myspace
• Lizz Wright
  website | myspace
• Liv Warfield
  website | myspace
• Marie Tweek
  myspace
• N'Dambi (the beautiful inspiration for my profile pic)
  website | myspace
• Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
  website | myspace | concert review
• Stephanie McKay
  website | myspace
• Sy Smith
  website | myspace | interview on honeysoul
• Teedra Moses
  website | myspace | concert review | "Cut Buddy" or "Celibacy Blues" post
• Trina Broussard
  website | myspace
• Vivian Green
  website | myspace | "Affected" post 
• Yazarah 
  myspace | concert review

If you haven't already, get into these artists. Purchase their albums. Support real music.

Again, this is not the list. It's my list and it's not exhaustive, by any means. Please feel free to add your favorite underrated female soul singers in the comments. I am always looking for new inspiration. Look out for more posts using songs from artists like these.

I love me some Teedra Moses, but it seems that this chick just can't catch a break. Her first album was nothing short of superb but she totally went under the radar. Now she may be without a home. Turns out that her record label, TVT, is preparing to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy. Somebody somewhere needs to sign her quick because she's such a great artist....and one with a very loyal fan base. Whenever her name comes up there's always at least one person in the room or several people in a web comment box there to defend her.

Source

It's been almost a month since this concert, but life comes at you fast. Besides, I had a little ranting and edumucating to do before I could get back to the music. Never fear. I'll always come back to the music.

I have to credit Butta with first introducing me to Teedra some two years ago. On a couple of occasions, I was consulting the expert on must-have albums I needed to have in my collection. She always put Teedra's 2004 release, Complex Simplicity on her list of favorite albums. I downloaded some songs and gave them a listen, but was more excited about seeing her perform live . That's when an artist truly cements their place in my heart. Leave the stage in flames and you'll have a fan here for life.

I missed her when she came to the area last year. So when I heard she was coming back and that Eric Roberson was opening, I was all over it.

Ya'll already know how I feel about the Erro concert experience. He never disappoints. He rocked with us for well over an hour, well beyond what you would expect from an opening act! The man loves the music and performing for the fans. I believe with a case of Gatorade up there, he could stay all night.

Of course I got some video.

New music from an upcoming album that I hope we'll see sometime this year:

Head To Toe

At most shows, Erro takes random words thrown out by the crowd and freestyles on the spot...and the song actually makes sense! Plain and simple, that is pure talent because most times the words are extremely random.

Freestyle

By the time Teedra took the stage, the natives were restless, to say the least. One thing I can say is that Teedra has a strong fan base. They adore her and I think a fight would break out if anybody said anything bad about Miss Moses!

For her female fans, her songs have that relatable quality. You can identify with what she's going through because you've been there and done that ghetto love thang.

It's sassy and in your face, while still being classy. On You Better Tell Her, she lets her man know, "You better get that bitch told tonight!" After all, she's wifey and it's her name on the accounts.

For the men, you got this pretty, ride-or-die chick that keeps it gangsta but can easily flip it and get sultry and sexy, letting the man know she just wants to be with him.

Be Your Girl

Backstroke

As you'll notice, the crowd knows each and every word to all of her songs. At times, you could barely hear her. I can imagine that's got to feel good to an artist to have fans that have let their tapes rock til their tapes popped - and know all the words to your songs.

I think so too, Teedra. 

The only criticism I have is that her headliner sets are way too short. It paled in comparison to Erro, who was opening for her! Seems like it should have been switched. I understand the same thing happened the last time she performed in DC. I heard several fans complaining about the price of the tickets in comparison to the show they got. They were there to rock with Teedra til the break of dawn! There were several songs she didn't do and I felt she could have done some material from her upcoming maybe never coming release, The Young Lioness. Her fans are chomping at the bit and she left them wanting. That's not always good.

Fortunately for her, someone was there to save the day. The crowd she attracts is similar to Raheem Devaughn's and so it was no surprise that he showed up and did a number at the end of the show.

Prototype

What I appreciate about artists like Teedra, besides her talent and stage presence, is the fact that she is so appreciative of her fans. She was very humble and sincere in thanking us for supporting her and loving her music.

On another note, although Teedra is not an independent artist, her humble spirit reminds me of why I will always support independent music. These artists are still hungry and are grateful for the people that are buying the tickets to the shows and dropping the money for their albums.

Despite the brevity of her performances, Teedra has something special and I'll always support her music and her live performances.

For more information, visit her website or her Myspace pages:

Teedra Moses

The Young Lioness

More video from the show on my YouTube channel.

Gnarls Barkley - Run (Listen)

Gnarls Barkley (Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse) returns to the scene with a highly energetic and rock laced track that is different from their "Crazy" success. This track isn't a hip-hop club banger, but I can see people going crazy over this track. Also, you listen to this while working out to get your blood flowing. The production has a very organic sound - as if Motown decided to speed up their music by 100% - with a layered approach, each sec there is a different sound or element - Danger Mouse has grown so much as a producer since his Jemini days. I like this...alot.

G-Unit - I'm Leaving (listen) / G-Unit - Bottom Girl (listen)

I'm Listening - *Yawn* Is this 2000? Okay, 2001 or 2002? Because this sounds like a leftover track from the then-classic G-Unit mixtapes (in retrospect, they were hot mixtapes at the time, but now - I can't get through one track). *Yawn* Why are they dissing Fat Joe? Do they still have beef? WTH - can we grow up 50 Cent? At least he gives J. Holiday props on "I'm Leaving."

Bottom Girl - This is a little better. I can see this song getting radio play, despite the fact it is reminiscent of G-Unit's first album, Beg for Mercy. What's up with 50 singing? He used to diss Ja Rule hard for singing, now I feel like I hear him sing more than an R&B singer. Lyrically, I think this song is for the ladies...in a respectful way? I don't know - you can never tell with these guys. One song they are talking about "I love you like a fat kid loves cake," next song they don't give a "shit about a bitch." I wouldn't be surprised if the album version of this song is "Bottom Bitch."

Teedra Moses - Who Knows (Musiq Cover) (Live from Blakeslee Studio) (listen)

Every time I listen to Teedra's voice, I just feel every word she sings. I intrepet her vibe as so sweet and geniune that I don't think she is singing, I think it's a testimony of what she's been through, despite the fact that this is a cover, it sounds like her heart went into every word sang. Amazing cover, amazing song, just amazing....

Post your Review of these tracks!  Will "Run" bring "Crazy" success?  Does the G-Unit tracks confirm that G-Unit's reign on top is now over?  Please show my girl Teedra some love! 

as long as the world keeps turning, girls will do each other down. fact.

top 5 mean girls

1. heather chandler (heathers) - so mean they made her drink bleach.

2. regina george (mean girls) - so mean she found herself under a bus.

3. benny (pretty in pink) - so mean people wished they would shrivel up and fall off

4. tom tom (13 going on 30) - so mean she aged really badly

5. taylor vaughan (she's all that) - so mean she got dumped by a reality tv star

download here 

702 - where my girls at

finger waggling late 90s style. its a good job 702 had the attitude cos they sure as hell didn't have the vocals. they inexplicably survived into the 00s.

blondie - rip her to shreds

the original bitch bash from deborah harry, who was old enough to know better even then.

blu cantrell - girl please

blu taunts beyonce about her former relationship with jay-z. i'm pretty sure she won't be the last, especially if they have/do get married. mya has also reportedly bumped uglies with joe camel but he was apparently only one of many...

brandy and monica - boy is mine

teen bitch anthem. apparently these two were not particularly fond of each other in real life either.

destiny's child - fancy

after letoya and latavia were ousted, and farrah proved a liability, the trio let rip on their third album and this one was clearly aimed at anyone who thought they were better than the queen bee and her army of skanks.

isyss - oh no she didn't

isyss were a marginally successful group who can best be described as 'sub destiny's child'. edit: oh ok they were a bit better than that but fell foul of the early 00s music industry download panic.

lucy pearl - don't mess with my man

well, with the recent controversy between dawn robinson and her husband this seems relatively tame. if en vogue can be compared to the original destiny's child, dawn is beyonce, terry is kelly, maxine is latavia and cindy is soooo letoya.

michelle - you don't know michelle

....i'm going to go with electro. i don't really know how to describe this. like a cross between freestylers, deejay punk roc and 80s hiphop girls carmen.

mokenstef - he's mine

i could never quite get my head round this one. you know someone has slept with your man but instead of dumping him you focus on her? sack him!

salt-n-pepa - i'll take your man

...and they would. you didn't mess with salt and pepa in the 80s. or spinderella for that matter.

teedra moses - you better tell her

apparently too cute to fight. again, why stick with a man with other women on the go?

toni braxton -  he wasn't man enough

not content with having dumped the man, toni's needling his new girlfriend. oh we've all done it...

Daydreaming about you all day
In school can't concentrate
Want have your voice in my ear
'Til ma comes and says it's too late

You Give Me Something- James Morrison, Undiscovered

You give me something
That makes me scared alright
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try

No One Else- Amel Larrieux, Morning

Swift as a wind song
You sang the music of an honest bird
I waited for some contradiction
But truth was ringing in your every word

Killing Me Softly- The Fugees, The Score

I heard he sang a good song,
I heard he had a style,
And so I came to see him and listen for a while
And there he was this young boy
Stranger to my eyes

Wreckless Love- Alicia Keys, As I Am

I couldn't know how
Far it would go
I couldn't know if
This was for sure
We just could not
We just could not get enough of it baby , let's go

For A Lifetime- Teedra Moses, Complex Simplicity

Your guard's up, and your heart's cold
This might be the one
But you will never know
You're holding onto pain from so long ago
You gotta let it go, you gotta let it go
Oh, and I promise you're gonna find love

KC Chicks- Adoless, My Fly Mixtape

Aint nothin' like a KC chick

This Boy- James Morrison, Undiscovered

I'm scared
Of all this emotion
For years I've been holding it down

Better Man- James Morrison, Undiscovered

I'd be lost, so lost, without you

Prototype- Jazmine Sullivan, unreleased

I hope that you're the one
If not, you are the prototype

the principal objection to r&b, from those who remain unenamoured, is usually the tendency for certain singers to attempt to fit ten notes into a space where one will suffice.

its often viewed as showing off and the results are often hysterical, and i don't mean funny. whilst a good range and the ability to scale is impressive, it can detract from the meaning of the lyrics. how many times have you sat there and cringed whilst a singer trills their way through an entire album?

vocal gymnastics aren't big and they're not clever.  plus - they're just so 90s,

top 10 offenders/songs

1. christina aguilera - singing anything. i hate her voice. oh look its a little girl with a big voice. lets see what she can make it do...

2. mariah carey - singing ballads. i actually think the whitney criticisms are off - she controls her voice too well to make this list. on occasion, mariah's lunacy shines through her vocals. bless her.

3. kelly price - on 'friend of mine', she actually sounded the death knell for the melisma that had built into a crescendo up until that point in the 90s. too much.

4. beyonce - especially the dangerously in love ballads and most of destiny fulfilled. she was constantly trying to outsing kelly and michelle. and seems to have gone nuts since letoya crashed onto the scene and jennifer stole her thunder.

5. mary j.blige - now i love mary, and god knows if anyone should be histrionic, she's had a hard time of it. but i like her better when she reins it in.

download here

aaliyah - the thing i like

too cool to coo. i heard that aaliyah's laidback style was due to her undivalike tendency to allow the backing track to play centre stage and let her vocals wash over them. so effective.

alicia keys - a woman's worth

content with showing her all round musical ability with her vocals only one of the instruments at her disposal. which is the mark of a real musician. she remains classier than her contemporaries and will far outlast them.

amerie - crush

maybe the reason amerie isn't as successful in the US is her apparent refusal to screech and holler. i think she has a nice tone to her voice and knows she doesn't need to dress it up that much.

angie stone - wish i didn't miss you

it would be easy for a curvy lady like angie to overcompensate with her impressive range. oh and this is one of the best uses of a classic sample, ever.

beverley knight - queen of starting over

sounding more like aretha as time passes, and one of the only r&b singers who is actually good enough to oversing if the mood requires. i just wish she didn't feel the need to MOR all her work.

sarah anne webb (d'influence) - there can be

criminally overlooked singer sarah anne webb has since left the group to be replaced by a host of others. and it doesn't sound like d'influence anymore.

deborah cox - sentimental

ok, now that she's a gay icon, some of deborah's vocals are sailing close to the edge. but when she arrived in 1995, she was the queen of understated cool with this 2 step classic.

leona lewis - what you do to me

leona could so easily have alienated last year's x factor viewers by oversinging but she managed to rein in her musical upbringing and used her range appropriately, rather than unnecessarily.

n'dea davenport (brand new heavies) spend some time

acid jazz was never about excessive vocal gymnastics anyway, but n'dea is a prime example of a powerful voice not trying too hard.

sade - the sweetest taboo

sade just doesn't look like someone about to holler and whoop. and i can't think of a single occasion in her lengthy career when she would have needed to stoop to that level.

shola ama - you're the one i love

honey voiced shola has always been the uk's understated export and it may have cost her in some ways. which is a sad indictment of the industry.

teedra moses - be my girl

ok so, i have criticised the smokescreen surrounding teedra's real age lately and been scolded. what i will say is that she's grown enough to realise that runs are for kids.

When I tell people about Teedra Moses I always get one word – “who?!?!” Teedra in one word to me is – amazing. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, Teedra! So let me give you a little info on this beautiful singer and songwriter as to why she adds up to amazing for me.

Teedra Moses debut album “Complex Simplicity” was released in 2004. Teedra and producer Pauli Pol produced the album. Her first single, “Be your Girl” was what made me fall in love with her voice. Teedra tells a tale about a guy that she has a crush on but she’s too shy to approach him. So instead, she dreams that maybe one day that they will be together and show him that it’s much more than a silly crush. The way Teedra sings this song; she makes you believe that she has already fallen in love. “You’ll Never Find (A Better Woman)” was her second single featuring Jadakiss. Now, I don’t know of anyone who can not relate to this song. Teedra goes through the makeups and breakups with her man, and tells him reasons as to why he will never find a better woman and she will not find a bigger fool. She writes and sings about things that her listeners can relate to; life and all its pain and struggles. She also had to deal with the fact that she lost her mother. In “I think of you (Shirley’s Song),” she explains how she felt the day her mom passed and it is sung with so much passion that you can feel Teedra’s pain and healing process.

Teedra has also written for several artists. A lot of people do not know this but Teedra wrote Christina Millian’s biggest hit “Dip it Low”. You can also give Teedra credit to writing, “Here We Go” from Trina’s “Glamorest Life” album. “So Lady” from Mary J. Blige’s multiplatinum album “The Breakthrough” and “You Finally Made Me Happy” from Macy Gray’s album “Big”. Teedra has also written for Nivea and Teairra Mari. Overall, she is a very talented songwriter.

Whenever Teedra is in town, I have to see her perform. And for anyone who has seen her live can relate. She puts on an excellent performance and sings like there is no tomorrow. If she is not in concert, you can catch her on mix tapes until her highly anticipated album is released. I have been waiting so long for some new material from Teedra. To this day, I still bump “Complex Simplicity”. It will be on my shelf as a classic. Teedra Moses Sophomore album “The Young Lioness” will be released early 2008.

Here is a little footage of Teedra performing "You'll never find (a better woman)". This girl puts on a good performance. Check her out!

oh yes, this is a sequel. there are definitely more than one post's worth of prince jackers.

download here

alexander o'neal - innocent

well, alex was in a band, flyte time, with prince in the 70s. so it's natural that their sounds would evolve similarly. especially with jam and lewis on production duties. i heard something about alex being spotted on kilburn high road looking confused last week. wtf if a soul legend doing on kilburn high road? shopping in primark?

cassie - me and you

no she can't sing, especially not live, but the general consensus is that she's getting away with it cos she has hot beats courtesy of er, her man ryan leslie. this sparse track is 'kiss' for the 00s. but not as good, obviously.

damage - ghetto romance

a very turn of the century sounding track from the boys and i'm not sure why it reminds me of prince exactly but i want to include it so...here it is.

janet jackson - if

in your face funk. janet, like prince, was never afraid to use rock in her production. she was also never afraid to tell it like it is which is probably they were my two favourite artists of the 80s. this track is every bit as hectic as 'my name is prince' which was out just a bit earlier.

karyn white - hungah

karyn's earlier efforts were 80s machine funk and new jack swing respectively but for her third album she stripped her sound down somewhat.

mario vasquez - cohiba

the first time i saw mario on american idol i thought he had the potential to perform like prince, if not to be such an all rounder.  i'm not sure why this project has stalled...

natural selection - do anything

well this track fooled me the first time i heard it. the call and response chorus is very 'erotic city' and the beat is like a slowed down 'extra loveable'.

nicole scherzinger - steam

there are no shortage of prince-style beats in 2007, which is just as well as nicole isn't interesting enough without them. i'm not sure what all the fuss is about here. this will be another flop due to deluded self-belief that she's as interesting on her own.

paula abdul - my love is for real

after cartoon cats and ethereal ballads, paula's third album tried to channel prince and probably was more credible although not at all a success. her vocals are the problem. i find it incredible that she now judges others and that simon cowell has managed not point out the irony.

ryan leslie - rock u

to me, most of next selection's beats are an attempt to recreate the buzz around early 80s prince. are ryan and cassie the new prince and vanity? probably, which is proof of the decline in quality and talent in the music industry.

spl2rge - scuse me

bear with me on this one - if prince had been born in london not minneapolis, twenty five years later, this is the kind of music he would have been making.

teedra moses - backstroke

well, teedra lies about her age but she does make decent music. this is very 90s prince.

wow, looking at this autumn's release schedule you'd think people still bought cds. i'm joking...

 anyway, here are some of the more anticipated albums due over the next few months.

download here 

leona lewis - bleeding love

album due november

well, this isn't going to halt those mariah comparisons, and it's a canny move much like mariah's debut 'vision of love'. midtempo, not too r&b, not too MOR, not too pop. i think she's done the right thing, and watching the new series of the x factor, and hearing them say they're looking for someone even better than leona this year could prove tricky.

mya -walka not a talka

album due...who cares?

apparently some people still care about mya's album getting pushed back for the hundredth time. why? she's crap. she can't sing and even lumidee has had better songs than this. she's a hook singer, at best, or perhaps a victoria beckham. as in, the one who doesn't get to sing much in a group with at least four others.

teedra moses - take my love away

album due...once you've forgotten her real age

i really like teedra moses but i just checked her wiki and it says she was born in 1980. um, i remember reading that she was born in 1973 like her ex-husband, and then elsewhere that her management try to cover up her age, hence the delay in this album. must be annoying when they are people like me with an eye for detail.

keyshia cole - shoulda let you go

album due...late september

i like keyshia. i don't think she's the greatest singer but i do get the mary comparisons. the only criticism i would put forward is that so far her material doesn't appear to have moved on that much. not necessarily a bad thing.

craig david - 6 of 1 thing

album due november

at one point it looked like bo selecta had killed his career but craig is back looking better than ever. the collaboration with kano won't hurt. he appears to have stopped referring to himself in the third person as well. which is why avid merrion picked on him in the first place no doubt. i did laugh a lot at that ''wack' is american for 'shit'' line...

alicia keys - no one

album due november

well, 'no one' is both vintage alicia and also a slight departure in terms of vocals, so its the best of both worlds so far. she's going to sell whatever as she's tapped into most markets, and inhabits that rare space of cool and commercial.

ashanti - you can't deny it

album due december

irv gotti's recent revelations and the resulting fallout may push this back further. clearly she's keeping schtum so the inc don't let her flop. i don't understand the hatred some feel towards ashanti, she's just kind of there. been in the right places at the right time i suppose.

chilli - gliding

album due january

why someone like chilli would need akon to steer her career is beyond me. in a sea of faceless, talentless r&b girls, I'm sure someone with a tlc pedigree and a usher-related story to tell could find a better deal. luckily it turns out none of it was true. she is getting on a bit now though.

d'angelo - really love

album due ?????

anything from d'angelo is welcome. the downside of the digital age is that so many quality artists struggle and have to wait so long for some backing. by the way, maxwell's record label, i'm walking to you too.

jennifer hudson - special

album due early 2008

well ok this one has been pushed back too but she has been slightly busy. can't wait for the satc movie. time will tell whether her big personality draws her into more and more film roles and away from the recording studio. and as she blew away beyonce in dreamgirls, i wouldn't fancy the chances of anyone releasing at the same time.

jill scott - hate on me

album due late september

i like the bigger sound she's going for here. the laidback neo soul is nice but this sounds fresher. i wonder what made jill more successful than angie stone in the end? both are on a level talentwise but jill seems to have come out on top.

lauryn hill - lose myself

album due...about 8 years ago

ok so she didn't want to do another 'miseducation' and that's her choice. creative and personal freedom is all very well and good but she doesn't exactly look happy as the freakshow she's turned into. don't hold your breath, judging by this track it might not be worth it anymore.

mariah carey - love

album due november

well, how to follow the career saving 'mimi'? hooking back up with longtime collaborators bone thugs'n'harmony is a start. i don't doubt the album will be quality, i just hope she continue to keep the ballads to a minimum. and starts to acknowledge the fact that she's pushing 40 and puts on some clothes and stops singing about 'boys'.

teairra mari - missing you

album due...when she gets a deal?

better than rihanna in most respects, she fell down on likeability. jay-z totally misread the market on this one - disliked by parents as a bad influence, feared by her peer group as more experienced and annoyed the fuck out of those older and wiser by acting like she knew it all. she can sing though and with the right image and material should make a comeback.

trey songz - wonder woman

album due october

trey occupies an interesting space as a bad boy with eloquence. hopefully this contradiction in marketing terms can be overcome as his debut was solid but flopped badly.

Say things I do not mean,

But in all of my frustration,

I'm just trying to make you see,

I'm still here for you,

My love won't let it die..

I know its been a while baby but,

I need you to take me there tonight.."

Lately there has been a lot of talking going on, and it just seems to make things difficult. For someone who has been trying to spend time chilling at home, listening to music and studying, I have had a lot of dialogue from too many people. Where's the quiet relaxation I was looking for? All my friendships have suddenly become so complex and involving. Man, thats just not how I kick it.

My last close group have all disbanded. Theres this word "fakeness" going around, its always in my head now. Those kids, apparently the trust is gone with them, but a few are still around. They just do my head in. Is anything they say real? I just barred contact with most of them, save myself some headaches.

My oldschool friends are still here for me, we live our separate lives and meet up weekly for a drink or two. My mates in that group are all male, all contacts I've had for years. These are the people I drank with, when drinking was new. The thing that kinda creates tension there is the girlfriends who seem to think I'm after their man. So unfair. And how can I be cool to them, when I hear what they say about me? How can I be rude to them, when they're my best friends other halves? The thing that pisses me off is, that they talk. I'm a private person, I don't gossip and I hate my name being mentioned. But somehow I always seem to be in the centre of the circle of bullshit, without having done anything. The last thing said about me, was when one of those friends gave me a lift home, and suddenly that was me making a move on him. Far out, you girls are struggling for ammo or what.

Its really hard not to engage in all their dramas, especially when they're concentrated on myself. I don't want to retaliate, but its in my nature to be straight forward with people, so I can't talk to them without clearing the air on what has been said about me. I should be flattered I suppose, that people spend so much of their time and energy thinking about what I'm doing, or might do next.

Ultimately, the kind of relationships I want are without any dependency on each other, nothing I say affects you, nothing you say affects me. The only person I can change is myself, so why bother spending time worrying about what anyone else is doing? Let people talk, let them do as they like. Take it into consideration and move on, but don't let it bring a reaction from you. Don't give anyone the opportunity to rule your life.

If people compliment you, don't let it make you proud or happy. They're only saying because they are in a good mood, and who are they anyway? Don't give them the authority to choose whether how you look or act is satisfactory. In the same sense, an insult will never hurt you if you don't give it the power to. I'll be as happy as I let myself be. I have to detach from this ego inside of me that says Luli is this, Luli is that.. I'm not in a group, a sub-category, a column. I'm not the clothes I wear or the music I listen to. I'm just an awareness, a thinking and watching entity that overlooks what my physical and mental being is doing. How can I limit myself to a title, and its definition?

That was my mistake, becoming involved. I'm too fiery, and I have a sharp tongue. When I react, it can get bad. Thats why I like to stay out of these episodes. If you cut out all the shit, you just get back to you. I've always been a more solitary person, I love to hang out with groups but I'm just comfortable by myself, working away, doing my thing. Keeping independence is vital, when you let others in too much you get confused by all the opinions they push onto you.

"Here it is, Ima make it plain,

Ima lay it on the line,

Mostly I feel you're just a waste of my time,

But oh, I want ya, I got to have ya, really don't need you..

But its the way you love me, that keeps me thinking papi.. Oh I..

Oh papi, I sit and think about all of the things that we go through,

And I wonder why I stay wit ya,

But theres something in your backstroke.."

So, about the other reason I decided to write today. I'm sure everyone has that person, that always seems to get them back around, when you know they are no good for you. Lately I started hanging out with that person again. Its been a bit of trauma to my little face, because I have that guilt of hiding it from my sister, and my other close people. I love the affection and interaction, but it can only really be poisonous to me..

And the other part of it, was we decided on a kind of friendship where we see each other, and kiss and leave it at that. It was even arranged that we could pick up other people, as long we weren't dating them, and the situation would continue. Three days into it, and I've already called it off. I'm not sure if I can keep physical shit like that separate.. Like I'm buying some clothes down at the shop, I might just pick up some affection on the way back, then go home and finish my assignment. It became sorta a moral dilemma to me, and I couldn't help but to feel cheapened by it. I hated it that much, when he called it 'friends with benefits' I scowled and called him a dickhead, the equivalent to a Luli hissy fit.

"For one," I spat, "I'm no longer your friend. And two, you're not getting any benefits! This is just a make out session."

"Ok take it easy.. We'll just call it lust." He said. See how cheesy he is? How could I handle that kinda crap 24/7 if we were to be together? I'm just a no nonsense kind of person. Romance is completely wasted on me.

In the end, it was the sneaking and lying that made it unacceptable for me. I appreciate affection and hugs, and the good conversation, but if I have to conceal how I'm getting it, then its not really right to do it, is it? Don't do anything you're not proud of.. or whatever it is they say.

Plus, I can always find a real man..

"This poor heart of mine

Still feel I can find

A love to call my own

I gave him good love

Made him feel like a man

Now I need someone new

And I want someone like you..

He will come and rescue me

I know one day he'll come for me

He will come and save me

And I'm waiting, and I'm waiting.."