It beggars belief that today will make it two years since Michael Jackson passed. It’s no less shocking even after all this time.
Once in a while I’ll get a hankering to listen to one of the three classic albums he made with
Quincy Jones between the late 1970s and late '80s. Recently it was the turn of
Bad: an album I’ve dubbed in the past as Michael’s best ‘pop’ album. And it is unabashedly pop.
Having shown signs on
Thriller of moving away from the pure funk/soul rhythms of
Off the Wall, with
Bad Jackson and Jones threw themselves wholeheartedly into the more commercial, synthesised sounds that characterised that particular decade.
There was a noticeable absence of the sweet soul contributions from Brit maestro
Rod Temperton with whom Quincy and Michael had made such beautiful music before. No doubt many saw this as selling out to a degree but if they were going to soften their sound, my goodness,
Bad was the way to go about it.
Marsha Ambrosius embodies soul. Ever since “The Songstress” appeared as the scene as part of neo-soul UK duo Floetry her honest personality (which translates through her singing talent) has positioned her as one of the top talents in soul. At London's Islington Assembly Hall on the 24th of February, the singer showed off just why we can’t get enough of her, as few others on the music scene match her exuberance and vulnerability.
As much as I would like to ignore the controversy surrounding the new 
As I sit here on the bus, composing this piece on my BlackBerry, the guy next to me has his headphones up real loud. He can't be that old, 14 or so. I'd usually be annoyed, but today I'm not. It's 'Billie Jean'. It’s such a familiar and distinctive sound, I’d spot it from a mile off. There's not many souls who wouldn’t recognise that drum intro, bass line and 3 note synth motif. Even though the album is as old as I am, 
I learned too much from 
There are a handful of artists who, on discovery, change the way I listen to music. Without question the first one to start the trend was Steveland ‘
Ten years into the 21st Century and Hip Hop is now one of the biggest grossing industries in the world today. Forget the music – the clothing, films and TV deals have all played a part in establishing this way of life as one of the biggest phenomenons. To think it all started off with just two turntables and a mic...
As 2010 dawns, its time to take a look at what has had the streets and discussion boards talking; the artists, the controversies and sadly, the losses. The Hip Hop Highlights of the Decade...