VitaRhythms

Teena Marie (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010)

2010-12-26T23:50:00.005-05:00

I am so thankful that I had the incredible fortune to speak with Teena Marie in June 2009. It was a great experience interviewing one of the great artists of our time. She was a musical innovator and a true lady with a gentle, compassionate spirit. I already miss the presence of her spirit, energy, and light in the world.

My sincerest condolences go out to her daughter, Alia Rose, the Brockert family, and her manager, Mike Gardner.

Rest in Peace, Lady Tee.

Read "The Revelation of Teena Marie"

Leaders of the Revolution

2009-12-27T19:21:00.009-05:00

It's supposed to be about the music, but in fact the record business lives and dies by the marketing and promotional campaigns that let the world know that there is new “product” out there for people to consume. Old school record company campaigns have a certain structure – recording act signed to major label finishes record, A&R picks lead single with input from radio promotion and sales execs, advance music is sent to trades and consumer publications for reviews and features, single goes to radio along with video, followed by a promo tour of local radio stations, record stores, and media outlets, etc. Hopefully radio plays the song (or is paid to play the song) and phone research says it’s a hit, it scales the charts, BET or MTV play the video, and a lot of records are shipped to record stores. Hopefully a good percentage are actually bought by music fans (if they can find it) before a gazillion are returned to the label which then charges the artists for everything it cost to produce and promote the record. The artist owes the label a gazillion dollars and then they are dropped. Oh, and the record company keeps ownership of the master recordings to exploit when it is financially advantageous to them.

Wendy and Lisa played this game for years following their stint with Prince and the Revolution. After being fired by Prince they signed with Columbia and Virgin and released three albums, Wendy and Lisa (1987), Fruit at the Bottom (1989), and Eroica (1990). There were some true gems on those records. Wendy and Lisa features Wendy’s emotive guitar playing that recalls John McLaughlin of Mahavishnu Orchestra and Carlos Santana. Fruit at the Bottom features the funk of “Are You My Baby,” plus “Satisfaction,” their now classic collaboration with former Time guitarist Jesse Johnson, as well as the whimsy pop of “Someday I” and “Lolly Lolly.” Eroica mixes the duo’s rock sensibilities with Lisa’s lush piano arrangements. For fans, these records made it clear that Wendy and Lisa made huge contributions to Prince’s sound on Purple Rain (1984), Around the Word in a Day (1985), and Parade (1986), as well as unreleased projects like the Dream Factory, and Crystal Ball, and the sessions that became Sign o’ the Times (1987). (I would also throw in 1999, even though it is not officially a Revolution record, because Lisa’s vocals on “1999” and Wendy and Lisa’s on “Irresistible Bitch” are integral to the sound of that album and its B-sides. Ditto for Lisa’s background vocals on “The Stick,” by the Time, and “The Dance Electric” by Andre Cymone).

Of course, the record companies did not know what to do with Wendy and Lisa. They wanted them to dress in skimpy clothing made of leather and lace, and generally make records that sounded like retreads of “Kiss.” After surviving producer Trevor Horn, Wendy and Lisa found a niche as composers for film and television, and were able to release their next album, Girl Bros. (1998), completely on their own. Girls Bros. was released at the dawn of the Internet age of music when artists could by bypass the old school way of releasing records and connect directly with fans. The album was raw emotionally and musically and made its way to fans via independent distribution and word of mouth. Still, Wendy and Lisa would not fully realize the potential of the Internet age of music until they released White Flags of Winter Chimneys one year ago this month. White Flags of Winter Chimneys showed that the ten years between albums that included personal trials and professional successes had only strengthened their musicianship, and friendship. Songs like “Balloon,” and “You and I” demonstrated that Wendy and Lisa’s music had become more luxuriant but with a completely new level of intimacy. Songs like “Invisible” showed a depth of emotional honesty that the duo was not able to convey on previous records. With White Flags of Winter Chimneys, Wendy and Lisa moved beyond the opacity of fan favorites like “Waterfall,” “Song About,” and “Mother of Pearl,” and toward the clarity that comes with being comfortable in one’s own skin.

However, it is Wendy and Lisa’s willingness to share that “skin” with fans that sets them apart from other artists who have used the Internet to distribute music in 2009. This year, Wendy and Lisa made themselves accessible to fans alike via Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. They played shows and then hung out with fans. They drafted their fans to make a video for "Salt and Cherries." They made paid content and free unreleased music available on their website. They hosted radio podcasts that included new music from innovative artists and interesting conversations. They used these forums to answer questions about their music, their personal lives, and their time with Prince and the Revolution. And they did so with an appreciation and respect for their fans and at some risk to themselves (angry phone calls from YOU KNOW WHO). In doing so, they successfully straddled the film and TV composing world (appearances at the Music in Media Conference and USC Women in Film forum) and the pop music world (reminiscing about making Purple Rain in the June issue of Spin). Fans benefitted the most from all of this activity. Wendy and Lisa discussed their relationship (they were a couple but now are just best friends and musical partners), how motherhood has changed each of them, the links between being movie geeks and successful film composers, and of course, Prince.

Prince fans, who have always had to endure a tortuous level of contrived mystery mixed with a true desire for privacy, found Wendy and Lisa’s conversations with fans and journalists refreshing. Lisa’s June 13^th podcast that featured Dez Dickerson, Matt Fink, and Bobby Z. telling the story of how Prince and the band were so excited to be opening for the Rolling Stones in 1981 only to be pummeled with trash by a hostile audience (while Wendy watched from backstage alongside Tina Turner) was a real treat for fans. From playfully calling Prince a “fancy lesbian” to the revelation that he fired them in the same house that the Menendez brothers killed their parents to their feeling that Prince has been distant because he feels cannot condone who they are to the reasons why there won’t ever be a reunion of Prince and the Revolution (“He doesn’t believe in Matt, Mark, Bobby, Lisa or I,” Wendy told prince.org), Wendy and Lisa said things this year that would have made a record company publicist do a double take but actually endeared them to fans even more. And never once did they come across as anything but authentic.

That authenticity makes Wendy and Lisa’s efforts to promote White Flags of Winter Chimneys just as important as the album itself. Fans had already respected their musicianship and enjoyed their personalities. Their honesty, openness, and willingness to be accessible made experiencing their music even more alluring. It may not be possible to quantify the results on a Billboard chart or with a platinum record plaque. However, is clear that they (and their team) worked hard to get their music to their fans and their fans love them for it.

Of course, fans can’t wait to hear what Wendy and Lisa will have to say, musically and otherwise, in 2010. And if record companies are still around in the next decade, they would be wise to follow these leaders of the revolution.

The Jacksons Face the Long Road Back

2009-12-24T17:14:00.008-05:00

I'm usually not one for so-called reality television but when I heard that the Jacksons were making a show for A&E I had to check it out. Like so many others, I grew up with the J5 cartoon series and remember that beyond the phenomenon of Michael Jackson and ascendancy of Janet Jackson, the other brothers - Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon - each helped sell millions of records as the Jackson Five on Motown and as the Jacksons on Epic/CBS. (Other sisters Rebbie and LaToya had their moments in the sun as solo artists, too, as did youngest brother Randy who released a solo album in 1989 but declined to participate in the show). Each went on to enjoy solo success. Jermaine had 21 Top 40 R&B hits (22 if you count "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin'" his 1984 duet with Michael that garnered massive airplay bit was never officially released as a single). Among these are three Number One singles - "Daddy's Home," "Let's Get Serious," (a funk masterpiece written and produced by Stevie Wonder), and "Don't Take it Personal." Marlon's "Don't Go" went to number 2 on the R&B chart in 1987 and Jackie had a Top 40 R&B hit in 1989 ("Stay"). Tito fostered hit albums for his sons as 3T in the mid-90s.

The A&E show - The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty was conceived before Michael's death in June and chronicles the four brothers as they try to pull together a 40th anniversary album and tour. None of them appear certain that they can pull off the project or even if it is a good idea. As they work on choreography in a dance studio it is clear they are rusty and that time is not on their side (Jackie is 58, Tito is 56, Jermaine is 55, Marlon is 52). Yet the biggest stumbling block is their hesitancy. They know the stakes are high. Michael is about to open fifty shows at the 02 in London and the brothers have to re-energize the Jackson brand. But before they can get back in the groove they have to face old wounds and fresh trauma. Conflicts between Jermaine and his brothers come to a head in the first episode with Jermaine revealing his anguish over being forced to choose between The Gordys and the Jacksons in 1976 (Jermaine was married to Motown Records founder Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel at the time and felt loyal to the label as it was the first musical home of the Jackson Five). Jermaine breaks down as he shares the pain he felt at being separated from his brothers when they headed to CBS' Epic Records and ostracized by father Joseph for staying at Motown. It is a cathartic moment that turns the show into the Jacksons: Family Therapy but is nonetheless gripping as it captures the four brothers coping with the legacy of their famous family name and the patriarch who pushed them hard to make it so.

Though absent from the show, Joe Jackson haunts the series like a specter. As Tito starts to oversee a recording session with his brothers Jackie tells him "Don't be hard on us like Joe Jackson." "I can't help it - I look like him," Tito retorts. When the brothers can't find their groove in the studio, mother Katherine (who should be a candidate for sainthood for all she has had to endure) encourages them to go visit to their childhood home in Gary, Indiana. Tito and Marlon make the trip and while the brothers are in the house Tito asks Marlon if he thinks Joe was harder on him than his siblings. Marlon says yes. During Jermaine's confessional the brothers reveal that Joe kept them in the dark about the move to CBS right up until the contracts were in front of them and then about Jermaine's subsequent separation anxiety. The brothers hug through tears and seem to be ready to work together.

Then came June 25, 2009.

Episode two finds the brothers coping with their brother Michael's death and what could have been a moment of exploitation is treated rather gracefully for a reality TV show. It is a small segment of the show but Michael's death looms large over the rest of the episode, and the series. Tito acknowledges to Marlon that he can't stand thinking about Michael dead - "His body just sittin' their in that mortuary." Just as Michael's voice and persona propelled the Jacksons to international prominence, and his solo success kept a Jacksons reunion out of reach, his now eternal absence acts as a force that deepens his brothers' struggle to regroup. Jermaine starts to waver on his participation in an upcoming performance and skips a photo shoot. Jackie, Tito, and Marlon always seem to find a way to get together but Jermaine's choice seem to emphasize his separateness from the group suggesting he's still not quite over 1976. By episode three, the brothers are working more on individual projects than on their work as a group. Tito and his blues band open for Gladys Knight in the U.K., Marlon heads to Africa to work on a economic development project, and Jermaine is in India collaborating with Bollywood stars. Jackie stays behind in the States wondering how he's going to get his younger brothers back on track for a show they're obligated to perform in four weeks.

The Jacksons have always personified the drama of the American family chasing the American dream. Yet, they have paid a high and public price for their success. The media has thrived on scandals that have been hard to ignore - Joe's infidelity and illegitimate daughter; Jermaine and Randy both having children with the same woman; LaToya's nude photos, forced marriage, abuse, and exploitation at the hands of a criminal manager; allegations of abuse against Michael; Janet's secret marriages and infamous Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction. Indeed, too often the drama has overshadowed the talent behind countless pop music classics. The truth is the Jacksons are unlike any other American family but they still have family problems that everyone can relate to - they don't always get along, they've been hurt by each other, and hurt by others. This makes the Jacksons: A Family Dynasty worth watching. If viewers watch this reality show long enough they just might see these under-appreciated icons do something different - keep it real.

New episodes begin airing January 3, 2010.

Johnson's "Penetration" Takes Listeners to Another Dimension

2009-11-20T20:43:00.018-05:00

After waiting thirteen years to listen a new album from Jesse Johnson I wasn't sure which Jesse Johnson would blast through my headphones. Would it be the funkateer guitarist from the Time who proved he was every bit as integral to the Minneapolis Sound as Prince, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis via albums such as Jesse Johnson's Revue (1985), Shockadelica (1986), and Every Shade of Love (1988)? Or would it be the hell-blazing Hendrix-influenced rocker who let loose on Bare My Naked Soul (1996)? The answer is neither. Johnson has just released Verbal Penetration following a successful run of Vegas reunion shows with the original members of the Time (Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jellybean Johnson, Monte Moir, and Jerome Benton). The album shows Johnson in fine form but is more California crunk than Minneapolis funk.

It is difficult, and perhaps unfair, to compare an artist's new album to their past work. While fans are usually eager to hear how an artist has grown, they still want an inkling of the sounds that turned them on in the first place. Indeed, Johnson makes no apologies for hits like The Time's "Jungle Love," or his own "Be Your Man," and "Love Struck" - he name checks them on Verbal Penetration. Yet the new album is almost completely devoid of anything sounding like his previous work. In some ways, this is refreshing. Johnson tries some new things - he sings most of the tracks in falsetto, paying homage to one of his heroes, Curtis Mayfield. He showcases his jazz influences on tracks like "Propaganda," and "Ali vs Frazier." But he also falls back into old tricks. He uses a vocoder on "U and I R We R Us" that recalls Roger Troutman and channels Sly Stone (with whom he recorded "Crazay" in 1986) on "100 Watts of Funky" right down to the verse of "I want to take you higher."

Then, Johnson shakes listeners out of their slumber with the spoken word bombshell (voiced by veteran music journalist and author Steven Ivory) "Slave 2 R Freedom." The lyrics are audacious in their call for a people to lift themselves out of a toxic culture that is decimating them.

Then things get trippy. "Redemption for the Soul, Enlightenment for the Earhole" is another spoken word piece. This one depicts a society in the not-so-distant future that is ruled by a repressive regime named the Nuorennus Realm that bans music and creative expression. Somehow Jesse's new album is smuggled into a gathering and it is so good even the thought police who knock at the door want a copy. The track plays like a sci-fi rock bio read aloud. Even stranger is "Meditation 01: Astrolology," another spoken word track about the demotion of Pluto as a planet relating to a prophecy about the government and the "Resurrection of the Moorish Nation." "Meditation 02: Self-Love" carries over the theme of the Moors being the true heritage of black people and rejects the "nation-less" "moniker" "African American." Tracks like these make Verbal Penetration come across as inaccessible as Prince's 2001 Jehovah's Witness-saturated the Rainbow Children and Johnson as spacey as Sun Ra.

That does not mean there aren't moments of sonic pleasure for longtime fans on Verbal Penetration. Fellow alumni of the Minneapolis Sound Sue Ann Carwell (who played with Morris Day and Terry Lewis back in the day and whose 1988 album Blue Velvet was written and produced in part by Johnson) and Eddie M. (Sheila E.'s sax player until 1988 when he guested on Jesse's Every Shade of Love) make guest appearances as does longtime Johnson collaborator David Cochrane. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis proteges Bobby Ross Avila and Isaiah Avila supply the music for "Reflections," a staged interview with Johnson. Songs like "Slo Burnin'," "Sheila Rae," and "In the Key of Nudity" recall Johnson's early work. "Don't Throw Yourself Away" "We R So Strong" are positive and uplifting. "Verbal Penetration," and "Propaganda" are hard-hitting, truth-seeking, and funky all at the same time. They are just few and far between and what's in between is sometimes interesting, sometimes bizarre, and undoubtedly stimulating.

It's just not satisfying.

The last time I saw Jesse Johnson in concert was in 1994 at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. He had the boldness and confidence to play all new music from what would become Bare My Naked Soul. No one had seen him since his abrupt departure from the Time following a reunion for the band's fourth album, Pandemonium, and Prince's film Graffiti Bridge in 1990.

When Johnson took the stage an audience member shouted out "Jesse, where you been?"

"Learning," he replied.

Indeed, Johnson has learned a lot since coming out of Rock Island, Illinois, shooting to fame following Purple Rain, enduring personal problems, and a record business so blind to his talent that it took him thirteen years to release a new album.

One thing he hasn't learned is subtlety.

Ndegeocello Shares Her Soul on 'Devil's Halo'

2009-11-11T20:56:00.007-05:00

Anyone who thinks Meshell Ndegeocello is only relevant to music because of "Wild Night," her 1994 #3 pop hit with John Mellencamp, is missing out on an artist who eight albums into her career continues to surprise audiences. Devil's Halo, released in October, is a blend of melancholy and honesty channeled through funk and rock. Tracks like "Lola," and "Mass Transit" sound like something out of Prince's Dirty Mind era without sounding derivative. The sparse groove of "White Girl" and dark lyrics of tracks like "Bright Shiny Morning," "Blood on the Curb," and "Die Young" may challenge some listeners but they are engaging nonetheless. But it's her bold cover of Ready for the World's 1986 hit "Love You Down" that's most undeniable. The song shows the R&B roots Ndegeocello so brilliantly shared on Peace Beyond Passion (1996), Bitter (1999), and Cookie (2002). In doing so, Ndegeocello moves away from the esoteric dance of Comfort Woman (2003) and The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams (2007) and she does it without compromising anything.

Geraldo Comes Full Circle

2009-11-08T10:20:00.009-05:00

Geraldo Rivera started out his career with all the credibility and success a journalist could possibly want - lawyer for the Young Lords, reporter for ABC News's New York City affiliate and later Good Morning America, and 20/20. Then he descended into the madness of Al Capone's vault and daytime trash television via his syndicated Geraldo talk show. He pushed his way back from infamy through stints on CNBC and later Fox only to bungle his bid for journalistic integrity by revealing military locations while embedded with a unit in Iraq. Rivera became a pop culture punchline marring any possibility of being taken seriously as a journalist.

Somewhere along the way however, Geraldo quietly got back in touch with his Puerto Rican roots. He probably had been in touch with them all along as far as his private life went. The son of a Puerto Rican father and Jewish mother, he maintained a home on the island, and raised his children with just as much puertorriquenismo as Jewish tradition.

Then, in 2008, he was asked at a seminar "Geraldo, are you even Hispanic?"

Of course, Rivera was offended, and rightly so. This event (along with his observations and experiences over his forty year career) was the catalyst for his 2008 book His Panic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics in the U.S. and his recently published the Great Progression: How Hispanics Will Lead America to a New Era of Prosperity.

With these two books, Rivera puts to rest any doubts about his cultural authenticity and in the process he restores his integrity as a journalist. In the Great Progression, Rivera describes himself as "Boricua to the core" and this informs his rhetoric about immigration, U.S. relations with Latin American countries, Puerto Rico's colonial status, and Hispanics' impact on the military, the labor movement, sports, entertainment, and the economy. Rivera makes some keen observations about Latino life in the United States and the challenges Latinos faces as they strive for social mobility. He recognizes the many contributions Hispanics make to every day life in America. At the same time he places blame for the dismal state of poverty and lack of educational advancement Latinos experience with both the social structures (institutions, neighborhoods) that hold them back as well as some Hispanics themselves. He moves the debate beyond government policy to include a struggle between the jibaro and the jaiba - the hard worker versus the hustler, the "striver" versus the "scammer." In doing so he calls on young Hispanics to take responsibility for themselves even while he rails against government policies that promote a culture of dependency.

Rivera's best work in the book comes in his essay "Ending the Educational Siesta" where he rightly sees reforming public schools and strengthening families as central to lifting Hispanics out of the "semipermanent caste" they find themselves in today.

It may be difficult for people to take Geraldo Rivera seriously, and he knows it. By his own self-deprecating admission, "My claim to fame is that I have been made fun of by Saturday Night Live in four different decades." Yet, the Great Progression is a worthwhile read for Latinos of all backgrounds who aspire to live and prosper as patriots in a land of acculturation and Americans who aspire to move beyond the politics of fear. And maybe we can stop running the other way whenever we encounter Geraldo Rivera. Because in truth, Geraldo Rivera es uno de nuestra gente y es muy chévere con nosotros.

The Other Side of the Man in the Mirror

2009-10-30T19:52:00.011-04:00

While the death of Michael Jackson has left many questions the new movie documenting his would-be live comeback, This Is It, leaves no mystery whatsoever: Michael Jackson was in control. From the start This Is It reveals that Jackson was involved in every facet of the live show's creation and execution right down to the band cues. Jackson clearly knew what he wanted for the O2 concerts in London. He knew exactly how he wanted the show to look and sound. Far from the drug addled recluse the media had hounded for twenty-five years, the Michael Jackson on display in This Is it is a master performer in command of his stagecraft. He doesn't look fragile or helpless or exploited. In fact, he comes across as the spiritual leader of a musical force complete with veteran soldiers (director Kenny Ortega) and new recruits (several young dancers who earned the chance of a lifetime to work for Jackson). When director Ortega asks Jackson "How will you know its your cue?" Jackson responds "I'll feel it." Ortega has no choice but to let it be - not because Jackson is the star of the show but because Jackson knew what he was talking about. The production staff tried to talk to Jackson in the language of technical jargon but for him it was just a feeling. Jackson's technical direction to the band emphasized words like "simmer" "sizzle," and "nourish" to lead the show where he wanted it to go.

Watching Jackson, a larger-than-life figure, on a giant movie screen has certain drawbacks. It is hard to get past the tattooed lips, prosthetic nose, pale white skin, disheveled hair, and oversized mismatched clothing that suggest a man hellbent on obliterating his self-image. It is also difficult to ignore the criticism leveled at the show's producers (AEG Live) by Jackson fans who think the movie covers up the truth about Michael's addiction to prescription drugs.

Yet, watching the film you wouldn't think there was a problem. Did the demons only come at night when the onstage adulation was gone and Michael was alone, perhaps trapped in thoughts that would not allow him to rest and pushed him to gamble with Propofol? The vitality and agility he displays in This Is It unequivocally tells viewers that he did not expect to die. He jumps up and down with the athleticism of a teenager, not the frailty of a fifty year old has-been pop star on drugs. The footage also makes clear that Jackson was no doped up puppet of AEG's. He was more than involved with the production. He was crafting a show worthy of his title ("the King of Pop") as well as his talent.

Still, a lot of the moves and props for the This Is It show are just amped up versions of what was used for the Bad, Dangerous, and History tours. I saw most of this stuff when I saw Michael on the Bad tour at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1988. And so much choreography leaves little room for the spontaneity that makes live performances so memorable. However, after watching the film, there is no doubting Michael's power as a live performer. And at times he even looks like he is having fun. During "Stop the Love," with dancers standing in for his famous brothers, Michael is smiling as if the moves made him recall the feeling of being on stage with his brothers. He turns the end of "I'll Be There" into a joyful gospel inflected message of "I love you" to both of his parents and his brothers. He also playfully showcases his cinematic aspirations during "Smooth Criminal" and gives a convincing performance of "Billie Jean."

This Is It also shows that Michael was no diva. He knew exactly what he wanted but was indeed human. He encourages band members even as he pushes them ("It's time for you to shine," "We'll be right there with you") and is not afraid to 'fess up to his own mistakes ("This is why we have rehearsal"). He also indicates that he knew the stakes were high and that people would be watching the show hoping for the spectacle of a disastrous performance and so he tells the band, dancers, and crew to "believe," "have faith," and to have "endurance." This makes the closing song in This Is It, "Man in the Mirror," all the more eerie. Michael may have looked in the mirror at himself and felt he could not bear to see his world without trying to numb the pain behind his eyes. Yet, as the film demonstrates, death was not his plan. And that's the tragedy that This Is It reinforces. Michael never got the chance to make the changes in his own life that might have made him happy on stage and off.

Bienvenidos a la Fiesta

2009-10-18T11:34:00.009-04:00

President Obama marked Hispanic Heritage Month this past week by inviting several well-known artists to participate in Fiesta Latina - a musical celebration at the White House. Among the Ambassadors of Hispanic sounds and culture were Jimmy Smits (Puerto Rican), George Lopez (Mexican), Eva Longoria-Parker (Mexican), Thalia (Mexican), Jose Feliciano (Puerto Rican), Gloria Estefan (Cuban), Marc Anthony (Puerto Rican), Jennifer Lopez (Puerto Rican), Los Lobos (Mexicans), Pete Escovedo (Mexican) and his daughter Sheila E. (Mexican).

Hispanic Heritage Month has always seemed such a strange recognition. It is spread over the middle of two months - September and October - to coincide with the anniversaries of independence of Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Coincidentally or not, Hispanic Heritage Month also coincides with Columbus Day - recognition for the man most associated with the mass murder of innumerable indigenous people. Lumping all these anniversaries and holidays together fits well with Hispanic Heritage Month's lumping together all "Latinos" as if they were all one homogeneous group when in fact it is a heritage bound together by a common language and some shared cultural attributes but is in reality made up of several distinct cultures. The people of Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Cuba, Bolivia, Honduras, El Salvador, Paraguay, Panama, Peru, and Spain have many things in common but each are a distinct people. So while most "Hispanics" are naturally glad to go along with the celebration (even as many of their brothers and sisters endure immigration raids that separate children from their mothers, xenophobic political rants, outright discrimination, and perpetual colonial status) Hispanic Heritage Month is like most aspects of their relationship with the United States - awkward and bittersweet.

American culture treats "Hispanics" as something of a novelty - like a flavor of ice cream or a spice one adds to the recipe cooking in one's melting pot. This was on display during the recent Monday Night Football game between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. Marc Anthony (a partial owner of the Dolphins along with Gloria Estefan) sang the national anthem as his wife, Jennifer Lopez, cheered from a skybox. Estefan sang the "Are You Ready for Some Football?" theme song with country legend Hank Williams. The NFL had a Hispanic referee announce the first penalty of the game in Spanish. And it all took place in Miami - that tropical paradise that doubles as the home base of the Cuban exile community. The package was as neat and original as a Hallmark card.

Anthony, Lopez, and Estefan have undoubtedly experienced this novelty-ism before. When Anthony had his big English-language hit "I Need to Know" in 1999 after many successful albums in Spanish he was riding the crest of a Latino pop culture tidal wave that also included Ricky Martin's "Livin' la Vida Loca." Within a week of each other in May of 1999, both Time and Newsweek splashed Martin on their covers as the herald of a new cultural revolution. In doing so the media highlighted Latinos' otherness as if they were a coming plague rather than acknowledging a people who were already on the U.S. and contributing to the advancement of civic and cultural life.

The record business rode the bandwagon and rushed out records by Latino acts and pushed Anthony and Martin for swift follow-ups to their English-language hits. However, by the time Martin and Anthony obliged America was already searching for the next novelty. Both Martin's Sound Loaded (2000) and Life (2005) flopped and he has not released an English-language album since. Anthony took his time trying to balance his salsa roots with his new found pop success. He hedged his bets and released albums in Spanish and English simultaneously. While Anthony's fans supported the salsa album, English radio failed to produce a hit. Anthony went back "underground," continued to record in Spanish, endured the scandal of leaving his first wife (Dayanara Torres) for his first love (and now second wife) Jennifer Lopez, and is now preparing for a tour in advance of releasing new music (something few artists of any nationality can do successfully). Lopez herself recorded an album in Spanish that by some accounts outsold her most recent album in English. Estefan has not released an album in English in six years but has released four albums in Spanish since her last top ten English pop hit in 1994. Billboard's Hot 100 Chart of top pop hits currently boasts just one Latina - Colombia's Shakira. To the record business, "Latino" might as well mean "disco." The revolution is over.

So where have the superstars of Latino pop culture gone? They haven't really gone anywhere. They are at the Miami Dolphins game and at the White House. And what are they doing there? Proving to Americans that Latino artists do not have to sell out to be successful. Demonstrating that Latinos can be part of American life without having to assimilate every aspect of their being. Showing that Americans can be acculturated to Latino language, politics, food, art, and music without threatening to tear the fabric of the American republic.

Latinos are over being a novelty. They are over being the flavor of the month. They are not a silent epidemic or merely the emerging majority. They are the people of Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Cuba, Bolivia, Honduras, El Salvador, Paraguay, Panama, and Peru who are also Americans. They are people of the Americas lovingly reminding their American brothers and sisters what they have known for years - we were here from day one along with the people of the first nations.

We were already here.

We were always here.

Welcome to the fiesta.

Photos: Reuters, AP, Time, and Getty Images.

Friends, Fans, Fams, and Patrons to Prince – “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?”

2009-10-04T15:30:00.012-04:00

There’s been a significant amount of focus on this year marking the 25^th anniversary of Prince’s landmark Purple Rain album and movie. While that work of art stands today as the zenith of Prince’s commercial popularity it is but just one of many high notes in a career built on rebellion. From the start, Prince was a rebel - standing out from the crowd in Minneapolis and getting signed by a major label; insisting on and securing the right to write, perform, and produce everything on his albums from the first; pushing racial, social, gender, and sexual conventions with his songs, albums, videos, and live performances; pushing for and getting a major motion picture made and released; challenging the industry and his audience by refusing to follow up Purple Rain with another album that sounded the same and instead releasing avant-garde fare like Around the World in a Day and Parade. He declined interviews, retired, unretired, directed a black and white movie (Under the Cherry Moon), and played surprise shows instead of mounting a proper tour. The songs he issued as singles - “America,” “Mountains,” “Anotherloverholenyohead” - were gems to fans but anathemas to commercial radio – and he knew it . He did not stop there. He built Paisley Park in the outskirts of Minneapolis as both a utopian space for his own creative output and a challenge to the notion that New York and L.A. were the only places to make records. He pushed the record label he worked for, Warner Brothers, to release a three-album set before settling for a two-disc masterpiece (Sign o’ the Times). On a whim decide to make a concert movie instead of touring in the U.S. (Sign o’the Times). He pulled the Black Album just days before its release. When compact discs became the rage he flouted the idea that you could skip to the individual track you wanted to hear and made the CD for Lovesexy one-long track. “Batdance” was not a proper verse-chorus-verse song but it still was a hit. Even though his previous two films were not commercial hits, he still made Graffiti Bridge. He added rappers to his band and featured them prominently on Diamonds and Pearls (even though he had slighted rappers on the Black Album). He released an album named after an unpronounceable symbol that combined the symbols for male and female and then dropped a bomb on his 35^th birthday by taking that same unpronounceable symbol as his name.

Undoubtedly, he alienated the industry as much as he challenged them. Through it all fans supported his moves even though they had dwindled from the commercial masses to a loyal core. They did not always like or understand his actions (alienating or firing most of the musicians he worked with like the members of the Time, the Revolution, and the Family or spending his creative energy on Vanity, Apollonia, Robin Power, Carmen Electra, Tony M.and Mayte). Still, they were with him in sticking it to the Man.

Then they became causalities and even targets in his war for control of his musical output.

Prince’s career since 1993 has been well documented. I just read the excellent series of articles on prince.org that chronicle his battle to end his contract with Warner Brothers (http://prince.org/msg/7/317254). I also just read Ripped by Chicago music critic Greg Kot. Released this past May the book chronicles how the Internet revolution has destroyed the record business. Kot’s book includes a chapter titled “Is Prince Nuts?” It is an excellent review of what Prince has done since being freed from his contract from Warner Brothers. Taken together one can see that Prince has continued to rebel against the system over the last 16 years.

For some strange reason though he has also spent this period of time pushing away his fans (or "fams" as he sometimes preferred to call them because "fams" is short for family while "fan" is short for fanatic) with bizarre actions, disingenuous pronouncements, and poor customer service. In 1994, he said Prince was dead and that his spirit told him to change his name. He likened his plight to that of Cassius Clay changing his name to Muhammad Ali and he wanted the same kind of respect. What he didn’t say was that the name change was just a means to extricate himself from his contract from Warner Brothers (although fans suspected as much and he eventually admitted to it in 2001). Fans packed his club gigs in 1994 and 1995 and indulged his choice to play whatever he wanted (new songs instead of hits) whenever he wanted (usually between midnight and 3 a.m.) wherever he wanted (his now defunct Glam Slam clubs in Minneapolis, L.A. and Miami or the Palladium in New York). His album sales were now in the hundreds of thousands instead of the millions but fans bought "the Most Beautiful Girl in the World," Come, the Gold Experience, Chaos and Disorder, Emancipation, New Power Soul, and Rave un2 the Joy Fantastic. They were rewarded with the NPG Music Club that had them pay a lot of money for a subscription that yielded relatively little output while it was in operation (their lifetime members were voided when the site closed). They bought the Rainbow Children in 2001 – a musical return to form that bordered on a masterpiece despite the fact that it was laced with Jehovah’s Witnesses propaganda. Fans delighted in Sheila E.’s 2003 Family Jamm concert where many alumni of the Minneapolis Sound gathered to support her charitable work. Members of the Time, the Revolution, the Family plus Jill Jones, and Apollonia were there. Prince made a donation but was a no-show. Still, fans cheered as Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and came out to the Musicology tour in the millions. They supported 3121 and Planet Earth in large enough numbers to top the album charts and end up as modest commercial successes without any significant radio airplay. Some fans even paid $50 for 21 Nights, a oversized book of fashion photos that came with a live CD culled from his 2007 London tour.

So how has Prince thanked his patrons? He sent the Web Sheriff after them and issued cease and desist orders to fans and others who used images of him on their websites. Beyond wanting to cleanse the Internet of illegal bootlegs and tamper down on file sharers trading his music without paying for it, he wanted to be in complete control of his image and lock his content up behind a gated digital garden. During the whole “free the music from the clutches of the evil record company” drama Prince said repeatedly that music should be free. However, he did not mean free as in “provided without, or not subject to, a charge or payment.” He meant free as in “exempt from external authority, interference, restriction, etc., as a person or one's will, thought, choice, action, etc.; independent; unrestricted” (thanks Dictionary.com). This year he used his freedom to release Lotus Flow3r and MPLSound (along with Bria Valente’s Elix3r) via Target for about $12. Three for $12? Great deal if you want to shop at Target and great for Prince since Target paid him for a one-way shipment of CDs that could not be returned if they did not sell through. However, if you were a computer savvy die hard fan, he asked you to spend $77 for a subscription to lotusflow3r.com. You got the same three albums (minus the Target exclusive track “Crimson and Clover”) available at Target, access to some old videos from his catalog, and, several months later, a tee shirt. The video sphere is cool but cumbersome to navigate. There are some treats there – “The Undertaker,” “Creep” from Coachella, “When Eye Lay My Hand on U,” from the recent Montreaux Jazz Festival. Still, this is an artist who is literally sitting on a mountain of unreleased music and video and who is constantly creating new music. For the same $77 fans could have purchased ten albums or a few songs, a few albums, and maybe a concert DVD from Amazon.com. The updated version of “No Light in a Large Room”? That one went to the Montreaux website for streaming. The rehearsal performance of “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” That one went to Dr. Funkenberry’s website for streaming. Okay, at least fans got to hear them, right? Something new on lotusflow3r.com? Nope.

Reports are that Prince is having problems with his hips but refuses to have replacement surgery because he follows the Jehovah’s Witnesses. He doesn’t use lotusflow3r.com to communicate with his fans so we’re all in the dark. Okay, his privacy should be respected. We’re just worried about his health. Fans also know that his chronic condition means he is limited in his ability to tour (lotusflow3r.com offered pre-access to concert tickets but he only played a few shows outside the U.S.). So all fans have is a website that they paid for access to that has some cool stuff but is grossly underutilized. Oh, and they don’t have new records from the Time or the Family because of issues over the rights to those names which Prince owns. So those musicians are not free to record and share music under those names because Prince owns them (just like Prince was not free to record and share music the way he wanted to because "Prince" was under contract to Warner Brothers). Oh, they’ll be getting albums by F-Deluxe (the artists formerly known as the Family) and a long overdue solo album from The Time’s Jesse Johnson (he doesn’t own that name) soon. And one of the best albums of the year and campaigns to share it with fans came from Wendy and Lisa. Fans delighted in White Flags of Winter Chimneys and the candid interviews Wendy and Lisa did to promote the album.

(Fans were disheartened however to hear that Prince still has issues with his former band members and other associated artists and that there still seems to be this schism between his being all about peace and love and inclusion while insisting on separatism from those who might not conform to his current beliefs about people living in the world.

“Imagine you could rid the Earth

Of anyone you choose

Which ones would you need the most

And which ones would you lose?

Do we want to judge another

Lest we be judged too?

Careful now... The next one might be you.”

– Prince - “Planet Earth”).

In any case, what fans probably won’t have is something new to enjoy on lotusflow3r.com. What happens when 2010 rolls around? Do they lose access? Are they going to be asked to fork over another $77? Yes, there are still three months left in the year and he’s rehearsing for something but I’m not optimistic. It is unlikely that in an era when music superstars like U2 barely sell a million copies of a good album that Prince will ever hit the high numbers of his previous releases. So all he has left besides Paisley Park and his deep well of talent are his fans who are also his patrons.

But I have a feeling that Prince has already said everything he has to say about this on MPLSound – “No More Candy 4 U.”

It's Always Been Sheila E.'s House

2009-10-02T23:26:00.008-04:00

When most people think about Sheila E. they think about her big hit "the Glamorous Life" and her long friendship and collaborations with Prince. That association might be enough to last most artists a lifetime. However, a closer look reveals the reason why so many Prince fans (an probably Prince himself) love Sheila so much. Even before she burst on to the radio in the post-Purple Rain frenzy, she was a musician who had already established herself by playing with Billy Cobham, George Duke, and Lionel Richie. That's why Prince's work on 1984's the Glamorous Life was downplayed and why publicly she scoffed at being compared to Vanity and Apollonia. Nothing personal - Sheila was friends with them both - but she was no protege. She came from a family of musicians (Pete Escovedo, Coke Escovedo, Alejandro Escovedo), learned from them, paid her dues as a session and touring player, and then became famous. And even then she did not just trade on her fame angling for the next "fifteen minutes". She helped Prince stretch into new areas of jazz and funk. Sheila was one of the few alumni of the Minneapolis Sound - Eric Leeds and Wendy and Lisa being the others -who could move Prince to use the bold new sounds he did on records like Around the World in a Day, Parade, Sign o' the Times, the Black Album, Lovesexy and Sheila's Romance 1600, and Sheila E.

And still Sheila has always had an audacity all her own. She gamely mixed it up with hip hop heavyweight Run DMC in the 1985 movie Krush Groove. And witness her 1986 appearance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson as she sings "A Love Bizarre" and then segues to the drum kit for the instrumental "Merci for the Speed of a Mad Clown in Summer." This is not the standard three minute pop song performance. It's seven minutes of exquisite musicianship in Prime Time. That's why Prince asked her to be his drummer in 1987 and why she endured after leaving Paisley Park. Her work as a musician has stood the test of time. Today she continues to make bold moves playing with her family and friends, winning Gone Country (beating out George Clinton, no less!), continuing her work in music therapy and philanthropy (the Elevate Hope Foundation), and testifying before Congress for artists' rights. Check out these clips from the early days and let's hope we hear and see more of Sheila out there soon.

That's Sheila playing with George Duke in 1978 on "Reaching for It."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov2Z7LCIBqA

That's Sheila in Lionel Richie's 1983 video "Running with the Night."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PnhlXLHKAE

And here's Sheila and her band tearing up Johnny Carson's stage in 1986.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCBSkHl68M0

Janet Jackson's Guts and Grace

2009-09-14T21:34:00.004-04:00

Janet Jackson displayed maturity, style, and dignity as she handled what for anyone else would be private grief with public grace at the BET Awards, and at both the televised memorial for and the recent interment of her brother Michael Jackson. Then Sunday night she stormed the MTV Video Music Awards in New York with her stirring performance of “Scream” in honor of her late brother as Jennifer Lopez, Pink, Alicia Keys, and Beyonce cheered in awe and excitement. Even in her anguish, she came across assured, even a tinge indignant, as she sang the hit duet from 1995. At the time, she said she recorded the song when Michael needed her to “have his back,” as the world turned against him amidst lurid allegations. On this night in 2009, she confidently carried the family’s flag as her brother Jermaine and father Joe watched from the audience.

At the same time, she undoubtedly was telling the world she was back. Following the VMAs, Janet surprised her fans with a gift of new music on her website (“Make Me” produced by Rodney Jerkins). Later in the week, the new issue of Harper’s Bazaar hit the stands with a cover story that includes memories about Michael, and confirmation of the rumors that she and Jermaine Dupri are no longer a couple. She also discusses her upcoming film, music and book projects.

The last five years have been rough for Janet: the infamous 2004 Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction; three consecutive disappointing albums that were mishandled by producers and record companies; the end of the dream team she comprised with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; ending her contracts with both Virgin and Island Records; a U.S. tour with soft ticket sales that ended early due to illness; the end of her seven-year relationship with Dupri; and now the death of her brother, Michael. To the world, he was the biggest superstar since Elvis Presley and the Beatles but to Janet he was simply the big brother she loved to the core. That's enough to make the average person crawl in bed and stay there. And yet here is Janet doing exactly the opposite of what we expect of her – continuing to work, making public appearances, giving an interview, teasing us with a new song from an album that won’t be out until 2010. As she told Harper’s Bazaar, “Now at least I know that I can step to the plate and not crumble when I’m needed. When it comes to something like this that is so, so serious, so painful, so traumatic, I can handle it.”

The VitaRhythms Interview

2009-07-26T21:01:00.019-04:00

Teena Marie had faced adversity in her life before but nothing prepared her for the tidal wave of calamity that engulfed her over the last five years. Her last album, Sapphire (2006), lost steam after the New Orleans-based Cash Money label that released it struggled to survive Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. While staying at a hotel, a picture fell off the wall and struck her in the head. A Sub-Zero refrigerator (typically 7 feet tall and 500 pounds) fell on her (barely 5 feet tall). She had a seizure at the 2008 Essence Festival. Beyond physical afflictions, she endured the loss of her musical soul mate, one-time lover, and longtime friend, Rick James, who died in August of 2004. “For a while I thought I was cursed,” Lady Tee told me on the eve of the release of her thirteenth album, Congo Square. “I was in a lot of pain and it’s really amazing to me that even though that pain I could write some really joyful music.” That sense of joy permeates Congo Square, named in honor of the landmark in New Orleans where African and Creole slaves in the 1800s would assemble every Sunday and enjoy unfettered expression in song, dance, and culture before returning to a life of oppression. Teena Marie tapped into this sacred ground to commune with the spirits that energize her music. During our conversation, she rattled off the names of nearly a dozen of musical influences who “live” at Congo Square - Louis Armstrong, John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin, John Lennon, Led Zepplin, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Minnie Riperton, Erykah Badu, and Jill Scott. “I thought that it would be awesome if Congo Square would be the address of all the musicians that have ever come through…” she said. “Even from back in slavery times when on those Sundays the West Indians drums must have sounded really incredible and powerful and mystical and deeply spiritual and joyful and then through the whole jazz era …all the blues musicians…the great R&B musicians…and the musicians today that are still trying to keep great music alive…”

The result of this spiritual journey is her most appealing album in years. Congo Square finds Teena Marie sounding as contemporary as ever on cuts like the sultry “The Pressure,” “Baby I Love You,” and “Milk N’ Honey” while channeling old school R&B vibes on tracks like “Can’t Last a Day” (featuring Faith Evans), “Lovers Lane,” and “Marry Me.” She brings old school R&B and Hip Hop veterans MC Lyte, Howard Hewitt, and Shirley Murdock along for the ride and then heads over to jazz central for the title track, “Congo Square” (featuring George Duke) and “Harlem Blues.” On the way, she treats long time fans that grew up on the lyrical intricacies and throbbing beats of hits like “Behind the Groove” and “Square Biz” to a slice of guttural funk on “Ear Candy 101.” Indeed, Congo Square is both a musical education for the listener and the foundation for Marie’s creative rejuvenation.

New Orleans has long held a special, almost transcendental, place in Teena Marie’s heart. “I really love New Orleans and New Orleans has always really loved me and it’s always felt like a second home from the moment I got off the plane years ago,” she told me. What she did not know back then was that she had family ties to the city as well. While making Congo Square Teena literally dug up the roots she references on the album’s title track. “Right as I finished the record in December, as I was mixing the record, I actually found out my ancestors are from New Orleans.” Her cousin revealed that Teena’s father and uncle had lived in Louisiana before moving to Texas. “My great grandmother Laura Collins was actual married in the St. Louis Cathedral, which is right next to Congo Square. And I never knew any of this. That deep mystical connection that I felt back then - it was really [all from that] and really true…and that’s so amazing that I could have found this out 40 years ago but I found it out upon completion of Congo Square.”

The revelation of her family’s connections to New Orleans was the culmination of a spiritual rebirth and creative renaissance that has largely eluded post-Katrina New Orleans. “I don’t think it will ever be the same and I think it was intended like that… I think it was an intentional flooding of the Ninth Ward. I believe that. And because of that a lot of poor people had to …die… or go somewhere else and it’s really just a sad thing.”

Marie saw this same kind of thing play out in her hometown of Venice, California where she grew up a few blocks away from Oakwood, a neighbor predominantly populated by poor Blacks. During the Sixties, these residents were all that stood in the way of the kind of commercial development that could fit nicely with the rest of Venice’s reputation as a tourist Mecca. Gentrification executed in the guise of “urban renewal,” code enforcement, and rezoning forced many poor residents of color out of their homes. Marie has long lent Oakwood an air of regality by dubbing it “Venice Harlem” but to most people it was just the ghetto. Government officials alternated between deploying social service agencies to meet the needs of disadvantaged residents and then threatening to pull funding for such agencies just as they were making progress. Cries of “urban removal” in the Sixties segued to shouts against the heavy-handed “community policing” of the Seventies that led to clashes between black youth and the cops. Mexican-Americans who turned the ghetto in the barrio also faced harassment by the police but that did not turn Oakwood into a model for the Great American Melting Pot. Blacks and browns were as distrustful of each other as they were of the police and government. By the time Teena Marie graduated from Venice High in 1975, the school population was 51% white, 27% Latino, 11% Asian, 9% black, and 2% Native American. By the turn of the decade, not much besides the racial and ethnic composition of the community changed. Oakwood was still poor and became a hot spot for gang violence. By the mid-Eighties, one-fifth of Oakwood residents were still living in poverty and crack cocaine fueled crime even as yuppie gentrification pushed through and the greater Venice area attracted a more affluent populace. Fast-forward nearly 25 years later and sadly the headlines are still the same. Residents fight to hold onto their homes in the face of persistent code enforcement and encroaching development while they watch gangs and police battle it out for the streets.

The two locales that resonate deeply with Teena Marie sound strikingly similar. The thousands of people who have remained in or returned to New Orleans are fighting to stay in trailers, rebuild homes, reunite families, and stay alive amidst soaring murder rates, racial tensions between blacks and Latinos, and scarce jobs. It did not take a massive storm to reveal the fissures in Oakwood as it did with Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans yet both teeter on the edge of existence. “You know if you go into the French Quarter – nothing really was damaged in the French Quarter because it’s [on] higher [ground]…so the damage was easy to fix,” notes Lady Tee. “But outside the city it’s still really going to take years to rebuild. I think certain people will never be able to go back, you know, because, they just don’t have the money to go back. And I think that was what was intended, really.”

Clearly, it riles Marie that the city that serves as Congo Square’s inspiration continues to be in such a sad state. She gives voice to the city’s suffering along with her own on cuts like the bluesy “the Rose N’ Thorn” where she acknowledges the risk of pain one takes in order to experience the beauty of life. Growing up in and around Oakwood, Marie took lots of risks, perhaps more than the typical young white girl coming of age in the Sixties. She hung out with black kids and the white kids called her racial epithets and chased her home for it. As painful as that was, it did not stop her from rolling with Blacks, Latinos, and Asians at Venice High School. That does not mean she shied away from having white friends. Yet, even in those early days, Black culture and music moved Teena Marie in a way that would lead her to become known as “Off White,” “Casper,” “Vanilla Child,” “Brown Sugar Covered in Snow,” and eventually “the Ivory Queen of Soul.” Perhaps it started when she heard her brother playing Sly and the Family Stone records or her sister playing Smokey Robinson records or her parents playing Sarah Vaughn records or when she heard Al Green’s “Tired of Being Alone” for the first time. Whenever or whatever it was, Teena Marie’s brain was wired for soul music. True, she was cosmopolitan enough to enjoy Crosby, Stills and Nash, and the Beatles, and her parents exposed her to classical music but R&B music seemed to set off a chemical reaction in her brain. She showed an interest in performing at a young age. By eight, she was singing in church, in front of orchestras, in television commercials and had a bit part in an episode of the Beverly Hillbillies. By 10, she was singing at weddings (most notably Jerry Lewis’ son’s wedding). By 13, she had her first band. During high school, she worked the local R&B club scene and then set her sights on Motown Records.

Motown and the King of Punk-Funk

By that time, Motown had moved from Detroit to Los Angeles and had added movies and television to its portfolio. In 1975, Teena auditioned for a role in a television pilot called Orphanage Children. The networks did not pick up the show but the gig did get Teena in front of Motown executive Hal Davis and then founder Berry Gordy. Gordy plucked her from the show’s talent pool and set her to work on songs with various producers. Surprisingly, they could not find a groove and several years would pass without the release of Teena Marie’s debut album. Meanwhile, Teena lived with Berry Gordy’s brother, Fuller, and his wife, Winnie Martin Jones, Fuller’s daughter, Iris, and Winnie’s daughter, Jill. That made Iris Gordy, Jill Jones, and Teena Marie something akin to sisters. Iris would become an executive at Motown, and Jill would later establish her own career working with Prince. It took another “brilliant genius,” Rick James, to find that perfect combination of producer and artist to launch Teena’s recording career. James had been all set to produce Diana Ross’ next record and had gone as far as to write a track, “I’m Just a Sucker for Your Love” for the project. James intended the song to be duet, but when he found out Ross only wanted to record a few songs with him he passed on the whole project. Around the same time, Winnie Martin Jones and Iris Gordy were pushing James to work with Teena Marie. Teena and Rick had already met in the Motown offices when Teena was singing and playing on Stevie Wonder’s piano. James was impressed and Teena was smitten. After listening to some of Teena’s demos, James agreed to work with Teena and he wrote and produced her debut album, Wild and Peaceful, in 1979.

The fact that Motown did not know what to do with Teena Marie up until that point had little to do with the fact that she was white. There had been other white artists on Motown. It had everything to do with chemistry and together Teena and Rick had it. Still, Gordy hedged his bet and declined to put Teena’s picture on the album cover, a decision she took in stride. “I probably wanted my picture on the cover but was more into the fact that I was working with Berry Gordy and he was a brilliant genius,” she says today. Laughing, she says, “I was like ‘whatever Mr. Gordy wants to do is cool with me.’ He was like ‘Let’s let this music stand on its own and then we’ll show them the picture later.’ I don’t know if it worked or didn’t work but people loved it.” The album hit #18 on the R&B album chart. “I’m Just a Sucker for Your Love,” a duet between Marie and James, hit #8 on the R&B chart in June of 1979.

While Wild and Peaceful undoubtedly bears James’ fingerprints it is no less a Teena Marie album. Far from being James’ protégée, Teena immediately distinguished herself with the beautiful ballads “Turnin’ Me On” and “Déjà Vu (“I’ve Been Here Before)” and then declared “I’m Gonna Have My Cake (and Eat it Too)” on the jazz-infused song of the same name (co-written by Teena).

Teena moved from ingénue to enchantress with her second album, Lady T, released in 1980 and produced with Richard Rudolph, best known for his work with his wife, the late Minnie Riperton. It opens with “Behind the Groove,” a tour de force that radiates with throbbing bass, irresistible percussion, luscious horns, and vocals that cast a spell on listeners. The track only went as far as #21 on the R&B chart but its impact, like the album that spawned it, was so much greater. Teena wrote or co-wrote all of the album’s songs save one (“Now That I Have You,” originally intended for Riperton). She moved from the swinging funk of “You’re All the Boogie I Need” to the breezy “Why Did I Have to Fall in Love with You” with ease. She also co-produced the album with Rudolph. Moreover, on the album’s cover was the shimmering image of style and grace that was Lady Tee. If Wild and Peaceful was a debut then Lady T was an announcement that Teena Marie was for real.

Lady T matched the chart success of its predecessor (#18 R&B) and just missed the Top 40 of the pop album chart. Yet, people were taking notice of the color of her skin as much as they were her music. While Marie downplays any conscious attempt to defy racial categorization, race was clearly on her mind. She sang about “rainbow colored people happy as can be” on “Déjà Vu (“I’ve Been Here Before)” from Wild and Peaceful and how “it would be bliss if we were color-free” on “Too Many Colors” from Lady T. If scientifically black is the absence of color and white is the combination of all colors then it is fitting that Marie planted herself right in the center of the spectrum. Culturally and musically, she was bridging two worlds. “I don’t think people should be restricted to singing a certain kind of music,” she says straightforwardly. “All black people don’t just love soul music. Some of the greatest opera singers in the world are African American females. So what – they’re not supposed to sing opera because they’re black? That doesn’t make any sense to me. That’s what’s in their hearts, that’s what’s in their soul… Music is a reflection of the soul that we have.”

Handling all songwriting and production in a bid to show Motown the depth of her talent, Teena put all of her soul into her next album, 1980’s Irons in the Fire. The album opened with a pulsating bass line that ushered in “I Need Your Lovin’,” a sumptuous track replete with string orchestration, piano, and horns. Beyond showing her technical prowess, Irons in the Fire was a meditation on the dialectical nature of love. On “I Need Your Lovin’,” Teena eschews the pursuit of material security in favor of love’s spiritual bonds. “Chains” finds her in ecstatic bondage to all-consuming love. On the lush title track, she calls out for a divine hand in coping with the vagaries of romance. At the same time, “Irons in the Fire” gives voice to her defiance toward the naysayers who said she couldn’t have it all – a self-directed career, passionate love, and unity with a higher power. She carries this theme over to “You Make Love Like Springtime,” a track infused with Latin-jazz that evokes Marvin Gaye and thanks God for the rejuvenating power of romantic love.

This love gave Lady Tee such a head rush that she couldn’t stop singing about it. 1981’s It Must Be Magic celebrated the mystical power of love on the album’s title track, “365,” and the masterpiece “Square Biz.” “Square Biz” is a dance floor declaration of real love wrapped in funk. Yet It Must Be Magic also acknowledged the pain of love, particularly unrequited love, on songs like the fervently hot-blooded “Portuguese Love,” and achingly blue “Yes Indeed.” That same year, Teena recorded “Fire and Desire” with Rick James for his album Street Songs. Though it was never released as a single, the song became a staple on Quiet Storm radio and an affirmation of Rick and Teena’s intense love affair. When they performed the song at New York’s Madison Square Garden on the Street Songs tour in September of 1981, New York Times reporter Stephen Holden couldn’t help but notice how the two "sustained a level of erotic intensity that has seldom been seen in a large arena. By comparison, even the steamiest exchanges between couples such as Ashford and Simpson and Teddy Pendergrass and Stephanie Mills seemed tame." While James denied having a conventional romantic relationship with Marie, they were indeed a couple and Teena was talking about it on It Must Be Magic.

James’s charisma was matched only by his audacity and Teena was able to see these sides of the King of Punk Funk both on-stage and off. In 1980, Prince opened for James on the Fire It Up tour. James complained that Prince stole his stage moves and according to Marie, Rick paid Prince back by stealing his gear. “Back then people weren’t really programming their own synthesizers,” says Teena. “Prince - you know – he’s a genius... he was one of the only one’s who could really do that – probably him and Stevie [Wonder] were the only one’s really doing it…[Prince] was programming all his synthesizers and setting the presets with his own sound and …at the end of the tour [Rick] took [Prince’s] synthesizers.” Teena cannot help but chuckle as she recounts the story. “He took them to Sausalito and he actually used them on the Street Songs album and then he sent them back to [Prince] with a thank you card. He was a piece of work…and a brilliant genius, too!”

Teena later found herself wedged between the two future legends when she went on the road with Prince. “We were on the Dirty Mind tour together… [Prince and I] never had a problem. We would kick it…neither one of us drank so after the concerts we’d go and sit and have our little orange juice or whatever. He had a lot of respect for me. There were some nights that I would come on stage and I would kick his butt, you know, and [afterwards] he’d walk by me and go “Whew! I have to work hard tonight’ and there were some nights that he would come by and say ‘I whooped you! I whooped you tonight!’ so it was really awesome and he’s always been really wonderful to me.”

For James, however, it was a different story. “I don’t think Rick really liked the fact that [Prince and I] were friends but you know….The rivalry to me as I look back on it - it was really Rick. It wasn’t really Prince. It was more Rick than anything. I never really saw Prince feeding into it too much. It really actually saddened me because I think the two of them would have made some amazing music together. It would have been ridiculous…but you know…it was what it was…I’m not really sure why it started. Rick always said it was because Prince snubbed his mother.” Indeed, James claimed that Prince had insulted his mother at the 1982 American Music Awards by refusing to give her an autograph. The mood should have been celebratory - Teena was nominated for Favorite Soul R&B Female Artist and Rick won Best Soul/R&B Album for Street Songs - but Rick was having none of it. Backstage, Prince’s manager at the time (the late Steve Fargnoli) hastily arranged for Prince to apologize but James ignored him. Even today, Teena views the story skeptically. “I really find that hard to believe and if it did happen, I don’t think it was intentional because Prince just isn’t that kind of guy. So it could have just been unintentional where she was around and he didn’t see her, you know what I’m saying? And Rick really knew how to take stuff and run with it…but from everything that I know [Rick] really, really did like [Prince’s] music….” Laughing, Teena adds one more caveat: “Although he would never admit to it. He would never admit to that.”

Rick did admit his love for Teena at the end of “Portuguese Love” and they sounded like soul mates on “Happy” from James’ 1982 album Throwin’ Down. However, James just could not hold himself back from other women and dangerous pursuits. Teena’s next album, Robbery (1983) chronicled their affair from start to finish. On Robbery, Teena sounds shell-shocked and vulnerable. She’s been played by the ultimate playboy. “Shadowboxing” picks up where “You Make Love Like Springtime” and “Portuguese Love” left off only this time instead rejoicing in rapturous love Teena finds herself fighting with a lover who’s already gone. On the song “Casanova Brown,” she declared the affair was over and pleaded for them to remain friends. Their lives would remain intertwined right up until James’ death. James’s sister managed Teena for a time and played in her band. James’ brother served as her bodyguard and another brother handled her legal work. Teena sang at the funeral service for Rick’s mother, Betty Gladden, in 1991.Teena and Rick recorded together on several occasions over the years. Nothing had quite the energy of “Fire and Desire” but songs like “Call Me,” and “Once and Future Dream” (both from 1988’s Naked to the World) and “I Got You” (from 2004’s La Doña) reminded audiences of the pair’s undeniable chemistry. Teena was there as Rick endured addiction and prison in the 1990s and they toured together right up until a few months before his death in August of 2004. Five years later, the pain of losing Rick a second time sounds as fresh as ever. “I guess that if Rick and I had stayed together as a couple I think that a lot of things would have been different,” she says now. “I think he probably still would be here.”

Epic Hits and the Passion Play

Robbery could have also referred to Teena’s strained relationship with Motown Records. She had delivered three smash hits to Motown within a year – “Behind the Groove,” “I Need Your Lovin’” (#9 R&B), and “Square Biz” (#3 R&B). Both Irons in the Fire and It Must be Magic had hit the top ten of the R&B album charts and the top 40 of the pop album charts. By 1982, she had earned the first of her three Grammy nominations for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Female and her total sales were approaching a million. Yet, while Motown was earning millions of dollars from sales of Teena Marie’s records Teena was only earning a hundred dollars a week from the label. In May of 1982, she told Motown she would not record for the label any more and sued the label for the money she was due. Motown responded with a lawsuit claiming breach of contract and seeking to stop her from recording for another label. Officially, Teena’s contract with Motown was not due to expire until April 1983. Still, record executive Larkin Arnold signed her to Epic Records in November of 1982. Motown was able to win an injunction that stopped Teena from releasing a new album through Epic. Yet, Teena persevered and prevailed. Despite Motown’s delaying tactics, the court proceedings revealed that Teena was the victim of the record industry’s standard operating procedures. She was discouraged from reviewing her contract. She had no lawyer present when she signed the contract in 1976. Motown had not paid her like a star when they signed her nor had they compensated her with royalties appropriate for an artist who had achieved her level of success. Therefore, the court ruled, Motown could not cry foul when Teena breached the contract’s exclusivity clause to sign with Epic. Robbery was finally released in late 1983 and the case was ultimately settled in September of 1984. Initially, there were bitter feelings all around and Gordy and Marie would not reconnect until 1995 when he attended one of her shows. Yet Lady Tee is a testament to the adage that time heals all wounds. In 2007, she sang at the ceremony dedicating "Berry Gordy Jr. Boulevard" in Detroit and Gordy attended her daughter’s Sweet 16 birthday party later that same year, offering the first toast. It was Gordy’s niece, Iris, who presented Teena with the R&B Foundation’s Pioneer Award in 2008. “We’re family and once you’re a Motown artist you’re always going to be family no matter what,” says Teena, who still reverently calls the Motown founder “Mr. Gordy.” “What we went through was a long, long time ago. We always remained friends. It’s always [been] a really deep, deep family.”

Teena’s Motown heritage paved the way for some of her boldest experiments and biggest successes at Epic. Robbery played off the burgeoning electronic funk-rock movement led by Prince’s 1999 and Purple Rain. 1984’s “Lovergirl” was a crossover smash that reached #4 on the pop charts and propelled Starchild to half a million in sales. 1986’s Emerald City opened with P-Funk’s Bootsy Collins and closed with the lush jazz of “Sunny Skies.” 1988’s Naked to the World featured the wicked funk of “Surrealistic Pillow” and “Trick Bag,” and her first number one (R&B) single, “Ooo La La La” (later sampled by the Fugees on their 1996 hit “Fu-Gee- La”). 1990’s Ivory hit with the new jack swing of “Here’s Lookin’ at You” (#11 R&B) and the soulful ballad “If I Were a Bell (#8 R&B).

Many record companies would kill for five straight top 30 albums by an artist, yet, after Ivory Teena Marie found herself in the most unexpected of situations – dropped from Epic. By this time, Sony Corp. had bought Epic’s parent company, CBS, and Larkin Arnold had left the company to start his own firm. Teena was down but not out for the count. In 1994, she released Passion Play independently. The album counted Larkin Arnold and Rick James’ sister, Penny, as executive producers, and featured Lenny Kravitz, who had just come off the hit “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” On Passion Play, Teena Marie sounds like a woman in love. The album has a quiet storm eroticism that is both classy and commercial. The album had no shortage of potential hits. “Warm as Momma’s Oven,” “Main Squeeze (with Kravitz on backing vocals), and “Sweet on You” were as funky and contemporary as anything Marie had recorded in her career. “Wild Horses” is a rapturous power ballad. “Hypnotized” features old school male background vocalizing that makes listeners nostalgic for the Stylistics, the O’Jays, and the Spinners. Teena serenades listeners in Spanish on “Petty Man,” a sensuous ballad wrapped in Flamenco-like acoustic guitar. However, poor distribution doomed the album’s chances for commercial success and neither the album nor any of its singles charted. This makes Passion Play something of a lost treasure on par with the Beach Boys’ Smile, and Prince’s Black Album. “It was just a nightmare,” recalls Lady Tee. “It’s one of the best albums that I’ve ever done and most people have never even heard it. To not be able to have a distributor that was powerful enough for a ‘Teena Marie’ was a travesty because the record just is that good.”

Motherhood and the Milk and Honey Land

It would be ten years before the world enjoyed a new Teena Marie album. While she toured regularly in the interim, her focus was on raising her daughter, Alia Rose (who now goes by the professional name Rose LeBeau). Listening to Marie talk about her daughter makes it clear that motherhood is the most satisfying aspect of her life and the most important piece of her legacy. “I’m not just passing [on] music. I’m passing [on] who I am… I’m passing [on] integrity… I’m passing [on] milk and honey,” she says echoing the name of a track she and Rose perform together on Congo Square. “Milk and honey is biblical. I can give my daughter jewels, I can give her diamond rings but the things that sustain her through her life – things that I’ve taught her – [are] what I can really give her.” Now Rose is about to record her own album with New Orleans based hip-hop label, Cash Money Records, the same label that put Teena Marie back in record stores after her ten-year absence.

She had completed a new album in 2001 when she received a call from the Cash Money team about making her the centerpiece of its new classics division. The association confounded many industry watchers but the move proved to be a shrewd one. Teena maintained creative control of her music, and Cash Money’s deal with Universal guaranteed the distribution an artist of her stature deserved. 2004’s La Doña debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 album chart and sold half a million units. Both “Still in Love” and “Ooh Wee” (from 2006’s Sapphire) were top 40 hits. When she parted ways amicably with Cash Money she could have gone the independent route again, something many veteran artists are doing in the Internet age. However, the Passion Play debacle made her uneasy about doing everything on her own. Instead, she signed with another legendary soul label, Stax, which has solid distribution through Concord Music Group.

Her approach to Congo Square was to get back to basics. “I [reached] back to something that I felt a long time ago… trying to recreate that same kind of inspiration that I got when I was young…to recall a time when I was inspired by music…” says Lady Tee. “Probably the closest thing I felt to that [experience] was the Irons in the Fire album.” Irons in the Fire was Marie’s declaration that she had come into her own as a musician, songwriter, and producer. More importantly, Marie says the album made plain “who I am as a human being…just a deeply kind and compassionate spiritual human being.” Congo Square draws from the same well of faith and love. It is Marie’s affirmation of the healing powers of music, place, and family. Yet, the journey that led to Congo Square was largely a solitary experience. “I wrote most of this album in my room by myself alone late at night with just a candle lit. And I prayed a lot,” says Teena. “One day I woke up and I realized that actually I was blessed because with all the stuff that had happened I was still standing and was still able to write some really positive beautiful music.”

By now, anyone would be a fool to bet against Lady Tee. Congo Square debuted at #20 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 20,000. She continues to tour and has plans for an inspirational album, a book, and perhaps even a re-release of some tracks from Passion Play.

And hopefully she has seen the end of the bad juju that followed her around before Congo Square.

Special thanks to Jeff Newman, Rick Nuhn, Jasmine Vega, Mike Gardner, and the incomparable Lady Tee.

Celebrating 30 Years of Lady Tee

2009-05-14T22:00:00.001-04:00

The most any artist can hope for is to have a body of work that stands the test of time. For the musician and performer, this hope lies in songs that display longevity and excursions that stretch the artist and challenge the audience's conception of that artist. Teena Marie - Lady Tee - is such an artist. She is a pioneer, a living legend, and an unsung hero in the realms of funk, soul, R&B, jazz, rock, and rap.

I remember meeting Teena Marie in 1988. She was promoting her album Naked to the World (Epic, 1988) with an in-store appearance at Tower Records at 66th Street in Manhattan. I waited in line to see the glamorous Lady Tee depicted on the cover of her single "Ooo La La La," which I held in my hand for her to autograph. When I finally got to the front of the line, I was astonished to see a petite white light of a lady, dressed in white, adorned with blue tinted John Lennon sunglasses and fiery red hair. Teena graciously signed my 45. As she did, I nervously said something like "I want to work in the business behind the scenes setting up events like this for musicians and promoting music." "Well, then," said Lady Tee, "You need to talk to Laverne Perry at Epic Records."

Years later, in 1996, when I was working in the record business at Atlantic Records I attended a party with many other industry professionals. A colleague introduced me to Laverne Perry. Amid the din of music, voices, and glasses, I recounted my Teena Marie moment to Laverne. All she could do was share the biggest smile and give me a giant, gracious hug that said to me"Wow! You remembered!" and "Wow, you made it to where you wanted to go."

Teena Marie always took me where I wanted to go, at least in my mind. I still vividly remember hearing "Behind the Groove," "I Need Your Lovin'' and"Square Biz" as a child and being moved by the bass, carried by the horns, and transported to Xanadu each time. Is it any wonder that some thirty years later I still hear Lady Tee calling me ("Everybody get up!")?

Thirty years ago we did not have YouTube and so now I have the chance to catch up on things I missed and relive things I enjoyed. There is Teena on Soul Train in 1980 - a tiny figure wearing a yellow turtleneck blouse and black pants in a sea of young people dancing to "Behind the Groove," and "I Need Your Lovin'". There is Teena and her mentor and friend Rick James in Long Beach, California in July 1981 singing "Fire and Desire." Rick in blazing red towers over Teena in her cool blue outfit. Teena wows the crowd as she keeps pace with Rick's powerful voice and carries the song through a jazzy vamp that goes toe-to-toe with saxophones. There is the video for1984's monster hit "Lovergirl" that shows off Teena's guitar playing prowess, band-leading skills, and frenzied twirling. There is Teena in 1990 belting out "If I Were a Bell" while radio personality and Video Soul host Donnie Simpson looks on in absolute awe and contentment. There is Teena stunning the audience at the 2004 BET Awards as she and Rick James (in his last televised performance) enter from the crowd and sing "Fire and Desire." James' voice is shot while Teena's is golden but nonetheless the performance is devastating. There is Teena displaying her still strong voice during a medley of ballads at the 2008 R&B Foundation Awards where she is recognized for her lifetime contributions to music. She moves across the stage with the swagger of an old school preacher mixing it up with the choir as she lets loose on "Déjà Vu," "Dear Lover," and "If I Were a Bell." As she struggles to catch her breath, the audiences shouts out"Take your time!" as both encouragement to Lady Tee and a plea to her to make the moment last forever. Iris Gordy, Teena's friend and advocate from the Motown days, presents her award to her. Gordy is Berry Gordy's niece and announces Teena as "Berry's baby." Overwhelmed with emotion Teena accepts her award and says thankfully "Everything I ever asked God to give me he gave me." She recounts how she asked God to get her signed to Detroit's world famous Motown Records and that "Detroit came to L.A."

Teena Marie's first album, Wild and Peaceful, came out on Motown in 1979. She will celebrate this milestone 30th anniversary with a new album on a new label in 2009. We will celebrate with her as she takes us back to where we were when we first heard "I'm Just a Sucker for Your Love," "Now That I Have You," "Square Biz," "Casanova Brown," "Lovergirl," "Lips to Find You," "Work It," "If I Were a Bell" "Warm as Momma's Oven," "I'm Still in Love," and"Ooo Wee." Yet, I sense that Lady Tee has never been one to remain in the past. She learns from the past, enjoys visiting the past, but keeps her eyes fixed on the future, on where her spirit wants to go. And just like she did on "Behind the Groove" she wants to takes us with her. With Congo Square (Stax, 2009) is inviting us to celebrate her history by moving us with new songs and moving us forward with new visions of what is possible through faith, love, and passion.

Sly's Hometown is in a Funk

2009-03-14T16:04:00.005-04:00

Business Week recently featured an article about how the economic crisis is affecting Sly Stone's hometown, Vallejo, CA. Check it out at http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_10/b4122052964412.htm

Everybody is a Star? Sly's Pre-Grammy Glow Leaves Prince Speechless

2009-02-14T17:57:00.010-05:00

Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy parties are famous for attracting major stars from both in and out of the record mogul's orbit. This year the spotlight would have undoubtedly have been on the re-emergence of two divas Davis has worked with - Jennifer Hudson and Whitney Houston. However, it was another protege of Davis' that stole spotlight - Sly Stone. Billboard's Gail Mitchell noted that Stone's appearance "elicited a roar from the crowd" while Entertainment Weekly'sWhitney Pastorek noted that "at his appearance, the entire room gasped..." Rolling Stone's Shirley Halperin noted that Sly's appearance even made stars like Barry Manilow turn into giddy fanboys: "When Barry Manilow noticed Sly Stone standing outside on the balcony shortly after dinner was served, he had a near meltdown. 'I can't talk,' he stammered. 'Sly's right there and I don't know what to say.' Manilow went with what any fan in his position would do: he asked for a picture."

However, the most intriguing observation came from Fox News' Roger Friedman who noted "how odd was it that Prince and Sly Stone were just several feet away from each other, in their sightlines, but never spoke. Prince one could argue, owes his whole career to Stone."

Beyond the obvious influence Sly has had on Prince's music and style, Sly and Prince have had numerous links over the years. Sly dropped in on Prince at a recording studio in Sausalito in 1978 when both were signed to Warner Brothers but not much was said between the two. Sly caught Prince's 1987 show at the Reseda following that year's MTV Awards. The late Tony LeMans (whose godfather was the late Billy Preston) recorded for Prince's Paisley Park Records and dedicated a song to Sly (who was once LeMan's neighbor). Both George Clinton and Larry Graham have worked with both Sly and Prince. Sly and the late Miles Davis were friends. Prince and Miles were friends. Sly recorded for Clive Davis at CBS Records. Prince recorded an album for Clive Davis at Arista (1999's Rave un2 the Joy Fantatsic). Indeed, these two titans seem to have been circling each other for years. However there has never been anything publicly confirmed about their relationship or lack thereof. Prince seemed to disparage Sly on 2001's the Rainbow Children and then recognized him as a hero on 2004's Musicology. That would lead us to believe that everything was cool between them right?

So how is it that they could be "just several feet from each other, in their sightlines," but never speak?

Sly Gets "Peculiar" with Clinton on Gangsters of Love

2008-08-18T23:07:00.000-04:00

The first new track from Sly Stone in years is a cover of Marvin Gaye s classic "Ain't That Peculiar" that appears on George Clinton's new album Gangsters of Love. The track features El DeBarge supplying a velvety smooth lead vocal that contrasts sharply with gruff ad-libs by Sly that are relayed through a vocoder - a favorite device of Sly's that he has used on stage in his recent appearances. The vocoder cannot hide the fact that Sly's voice is shot from years of abuse. At one point, after fiddling with the vocoder for a while he announces "That's all I can do right now" and you get the sense that he really has reached the limit of his output.

Like Sly, DeBarge is returning to recording after being sidelined with drug addiction and other problems.

(Check out Michael Gonzalez's excellent Vibe story from 2007: http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2007/08/debarge_ep_1/
http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2007/09/debarge_epi_2/
http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2007/09/debarge_epi_3/
http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2007/09/debarge_episode_4/).

Incidentally, DeBarge made great use of Sly's chant of "Shadrach, Meshach, Obednego" from 1974's "Loose Booty" on his 1992 cut "Tip O' My Tongue" which was written by Prince. That cut brought together El, Prince, and Sly in a great funk mash-up. This version of "Ain't that Peculiar" does the same kind of thing by bringing together El, George, and Sly while evoking the song's original vocalist Marvin Gaye - (not to mention Smokey Robinson - one of the song's writers).

Regardless of how fans and critics will lament the condition of Sly's voice, it's a treat to hear him singing again and nice to see him on the cover of Clinton's new album (check out the cover and listen to the song by clicking on the title of this post). These two have some deep history together and it's detailed in Sly: the Lives of Sylvester Stewart and Sly Stone. Click the links on the left to find out more.

Minneapolis Mash-Ups

2008-07-24T19:37:00.010-04:00

While a mash-up is typically used to described taking two pieces of pre-existing music and combining them to make a new song (say Jay Z 's Black Album and the Beatles's White Album to form Danger Mouse’s Grey Album) I’d like to take the definition a step further to include a collision of musical cultures or powerful musical entities recording or performing live together. This application of mash up goes beyond mere duets. It’s when two or more musical forces join together and raise the level of the fan experience to new heights. So what makes for a great Minneapolis mash-up? It just has to feature your favorite veterans of the Minneapolis Sound popularized by Prince and his protégés. Here are my top 25:

1. Sheila E. and Prince and the Revolution
“A Love Bizarre” 1986 Live at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco
Prince’s surprise showing for the encore of Sheila’s homecoming show was a tour de force from the moment they yelled out “A-B, A-B-C-D” until the moment Prince commanded the band to “Turnaround.” In between, Prince led Jerome Benton, Sheila E. (along with Wally Safford and Greg Brooks) in chomping down Morris Day’s “Oak Tree” to a stumpy, funky “wooden leg.” Throw in solos from Wendy, Miko Weaver, and Eric Leeds (“New Part”) and you have a classic performance.

2. Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jerome Benton, Jellybean Johnson
“What Have You Done For Me Lately? (Live) (Grammys, 1987)
Janet broke through with the Jam and Lewis produced Control the year before but still had to prove that she could hold her own on stage and outside of big brother Michael’s shadow. By the end of this performance, even rival Whitney Houston was standing on her feet. Jackson went on to record several hit albums with Jam and Lewis with the occasional assist from Jellybean Johnson and Monte Moir. Houston got saddled with Bobby Brown. Sleazy!

3. Jesse Johnson and Sly Stone
“Crazay” 1986
Sly told Vanity Fair in 2007 that to this day he still didn’t know what the song was about but as with many great songs it really doesn’t matter. The song was Sly’s first decent showing on the charts in a decade and came with a video that not only showcased Jesse’s expanded Revue that included bass legend Sonny Thompson but also a healthy looking Sly. With “Crazay” Jesse accomplished something Prince never got to do (as far as we know) – work with Sly (Prince had to settle for Larry Graham – not bad, but still not Sly).

4. Morris Day, Prince, and Jesse Johnson, The Time
“Jungle Love” 1984
Prince and Morris are officially credited as the songwriters of this hit but Jesse claimed he had a hand in it too. And you can hear Jesse’s influence on this track just by listening to how much of the sound of The Time’s Ice Cream Castle (1984) (“Oh-wee-oh-wee-oh”) is on Jesse Johnson’s Revue (1985) (“I want to be your man, baby – oh, oh, oh”). Johnson alleged Prince removed his songwriting credit once Prince realized Jesse was going solo.

5. Prince and the Revolution, Eric Leeds and Eddie M.
“America” (Live Video) 1985
Prince had announced he was retiring in 1985 to go looking for “the Ladder.” The ladder must have led right back to the stage because there he was in Nice, France filming a video for one of his most politically searing songs. But it’s never just a video with Prince. He had Eric Leeds (a refugee from the Family) and Eddie M. from Sheila E.’s band join him and the Revolution for a whirlwind live rendition of the track from Around the World in a Day. Good gawd!

6. Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jellybean Johnson, Jerome Benton
“Fishnet” 1987
Jam, Lewis, Bean, and Rome had stole the 87 Grammys with their blistering performance of “What Have You Done for Me Lately?” with Janet Jackson when this track was released as the lead single off Day’s second album Daydreaming. The video was the real treat. Seeing these cats groove to a song that came thisclose to being a Time reunion (right down to the Jesse Johnson-like guitar solo) only made fans miss the original band even more.

7. Wendy and Lisa and Jesse Johnson
“Satisfaction” 1989
Hearing Wendy say “How ‘bout it, Jesse?” and then giving the former Time guitarist room to solo and ad-lib gave Prince fans goosebumps and made them wonder what would have happened if Prince had let his protégés collaborate on their own more. The song is well written and should have been a hit. Too bad Columbia didn’t know what to do with it.

8. Andre Cymone, Prince, and Lisa
“The Dance Electric” 1985
Their had been a lot of bad blood between Andre and Prince over songwriting credit (Andre claimed Prince stole “Do Me Baby”) and Andre wanting to be a solo star. Andre left Prince’s band in 1981, released a couple of New Wave/Punk-Funk albums on Columbia, and toured extensively. Yet when you see the shows on YouTube you get the sense that Cymone was an able musician and songwriter, but no show man. In 1985, riding the Purple Rain wave, Prince gave his former bass player and childhood roommate a gift – “The Dance Electric.” Prince had already called on everyone to “Dance the dance electric” on the B-side to the single “Purple Rain.” Here he lets Andre, supported by Lisa’s soft backing vocal, explain what he meant to the masses. The track was Cymone’s biggest hit.

9. Prince, Dez Dickerson, Jill Jones, and Lisa
“1999” 1982
Many assert that Prince was deliberately trying to emulate Sly and the Family Stone’s early style of sharing vocals (like on “Dance to the Music”) while others say Prince decided to split Dez, Lisa, and JJ’s backing vocals from his lead vocal at the last minute. In any case, he gave these band members some memorable solos. Too bad Dez left the band in early 1983 to become a Modernaire (“Hey, Dez, don’t u like my band?”).

10. Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jesse Johnson, (Prince), Chaka Khan
“Sign o’ the Times” 2007
Given Jesse’s public remarks about Prince (“Prince is an asshole”) and his reputation as the Howard Hughes of the Minneapolis Sound (he had virtually disappeared after the touring to support his 1994 album Bare My Naked Soul) it was surprising to hear Jesse’s virtuoso guitar playing on this cover of Prince’s classic performed by Chaka Khan and produced by Jam and Lewis. Not quite hell freezing over but pretty close.

11. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Alexander O’Neal
“Fake” 1987
O’Neal was once supposed to be the lead singer of the Time but pissed off Prince and got himself canned. Fellow exiles Jam and Lewis rescued him from being the Pete Best of the Minneapolis Sound with this feisty kiss off to an unfaithful lover. Here’s to “Patti, Patti!”

12. Sue Ann Carwell and Jesse Johnson
“Fiction” 1988
Sue Ann was there from the beginning of the Minneapolis Sound and when she finally got a shot to make an album of her own she teamed up with Jesse to record several tracks for Blue Velvet. “Fiction” makes great use of Carwell’s deep voice and shows why Jesse Johnson is one of the most underrated songwriters, musicians, and producers to come out of the Twin Cities.

13. Brownmark, (Prince), David Z. and Mazarati
“100 MPH” 1986
Mark Brown had been doing the ultimate no-no in Prince’s book – cheating on him with another band. Brown said he didn’t want Prince to ruin the band he had put together so he went to local gigs disguised as “The Shadow.” Prince found out anyway but he didn’t fire the Brown. Instead he made Brown sign the band to Paisley Park. Of course, Prince’s interference probably ruined the band (what was with that make up!). Still, Prince gave them a great song depicting a twisted vision of Oz that included the lyric “Dorothy made love 2 the lion b-cuz, b-cuz.” Mark co-produced with David Z.

14. Vanity and Jesse Johnson
“Undress”
Vanity co-starred in the 1988 film Action Jackson and contributed three tracks to the soundtrack including this one (the others were a cover of Junior Walker’s “Shotgun” with sax player Dave Koz and “Faraway Eyes” also written and produced by Jesse Johnson). Jesse signature saucy guitar funk slinks across pounding tubs that let listeners know the original “Nasty Girl” was back.

15. Sheena Easton and (Prince)
“Sugar Walls” 1984
Prince took Sheena from the safe pop of “Morning Train” and “For Your Eyes Only” and got her to declare “heaven on earth inside my sugar walls” thus cementing his place as the music industry’s most powerful player of 1984. Prince had the track credited to Alexander Nevermind – considered a dig at would-be Time front man Alexander O’Neal.

16. Janet Jackson and Jesse Johnson
“Fast Girls” 1982
Four years before Janet hooked up with Jam and Lewis to produce her breakthrough Control she spent some time with the little cute guitar player from the Time. Jackson’s father warned Johnson not to make his baby girl sound like Prince. He didn’t have to. Jesse was already putting his own twist on Prince’s Minneapolis Sound. How is it that Prince fired Jimmy and Terry for producing the SOS Band but Jesse got away with producing Janet Jackson in the same year?

17. Sheila E. and Brownmark
“Loverboy” 1991
After leaving the solo spotlight in 1987 to serve as Prince’s drummer hearing Sheila coo “Loverboy I want you too work your body/make sure you don’t hurt nobody” reminded listeners just how appealing a pop artist she was in her own right. Mark Brown had recorded a few solo albums by now and had crafted his own signature variation of the Minneapolis Sound. In other words, you knew a Brownmark song when you heard it. This cut from Sheila’s fourth release Sex Cymbal was a great collaboration by two solid musicians.

18. Prince and Morris Day
“Cloreen Baconskin” 1982
The session that produced this track also spawned “Irresistible Bitch.” But it is hearing Prince clown as Morris plays the drums (his original job in Prince’s first band out of high school) that makes “Cloreen Baconskin” so outstanding. “What’s the matter, Alfred? You wanna open your hat?”

19. El DeBarge, (Prince), (Sly Stone)
“Tip o’ My Tongue” 1992
Yes, El does a great job with this sassy track written by Prince but it’s the coda lifted from Sly’s 1974 gem “Loose Booty” (“Shadrach, Meshach, Obednego”) that makes the track memorable. From El’s 1992 album In the Storm.

20. Margaret Cox, Jesse Johnson and (Sly Stone)
“Everyday People” 1988
Margie Cox ranks up there with Cynthia Johnson (an original member of Flyte Tyme along side Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jellybean Johnson, Monte Moir and Alexander O’Neal and later the voice of Lipps, Inc. “Funky Town”) and Sue Ann Carwell as one of the most underrated vocalists to come out of Minneapolis. She fronted Jesse’s side project, TaMara and the Seen and later recorded an album with Prince as MC Flash in 1989 but it went unreleased. Jesse and Margaret get down on this cover of Sly and the Family Stone’s hit and pay homage to a legend while remaking a classic Minneapolis-style.

21. Brownmark. Levi Seacer, and Prince
“Shall We Dance” 1989
Mark Brown had some pretty harsh words for Prince when he left the Revolution in 1987 (Prince asked him to stay but Brown turned him down) so it was nice to see this cut written by Prince on Brown’s second album Good Feelin’. Mark’s replacement, bass player Levi Seacer, is credited as the producer of the song.

22. Wendy and Lisa and Joni Mitchell
“The Tea Leaf Prophecy ( Lay Down Your Arms)” 1988
Just like Jesse Johnson had done with Sly Stone, here Wendy and Lisa get to do something Prince never got to do (as far as we know) - record with one of Prince’s idols (Prince had sent Joni a song to record but it was never released). Wendy and Lisa supply haunting background vocals (“study war no more”) to a somber plea for peace from a musical icon.

23. Prince and The Time
“The Latest Fashion” 1990
Prince wanted to do a movie centered around the Time but Warner Brothers balked unless the original members of the band all participated. The result was Graffiti Bridge. Although it probably didn’t come off as Prince had intended it, it was still cool seeing the original magnificent seven on the big screen. This track features Morris and Prince trading vocals while Jimmy Jam gets a shout out. Not even Prince’s corny rap in the middle of the song could spoil it.

24. Wendy and Lisa and Bobby Z.
“Song About” 1987
Wendy, Lisa, and Bobby, still reeling from being fired by Prince, conducted the ultimate group therapy – they recorded an album together. This heart-wrenching track from Wendy and Lisa’s solo debut includes the melancholy line “so strange that no one stayed at the end of the Parade”

25. Vanity and Morris Day
“Mechanical Emotion” 1984
Day supplies uncredited backing vocals to this track from Vanity’s debut solo album for Motown. The track is definitely more of a curiosity than a classic but it is just interesting to hear these two castaways from Purple Rain sing together (Vanity was originally supposed to star opposite Prince in the film but left just before shooting began; Day made the film but split after the premiere. Both ended up in L.A. with drug addictions). Vanity sings about “insatiable emotion in my mirror” (Prince is quoted as saying he named Denise Mathews Vanity because looking at her was just like looking in a mirror) while Day tells her “don’t count on devotion” and how she “display[s] mechanical emotion” (the same year Prince was singing about “Computer Blue” and “Darling Nikki”).

Oh, No! Say It Ain't So! Sly's Gone and Cancelled Again

2008-07-09T21:12:00.005-04:00

In one of my previous posts I discussed Sly's cancellation of his Chicago and Minneapolis shows following shows at the House of Blues that left fans unsatisfied and critics uncertain about Sly's future. Then came word that Sly and the Family Stone would co-headline the Long Beach Music Festival with Chuck Berry on August 30 and 31. I called Sly courageous for even contemplating more shows. Now comes word that Sly has cancelled the gig. How disappointing. Sly's penchant for cancelling performances sounds painfully familiar to anyone who has read Sly: the Lives of Sylvester Stewart and Sly Stone. While the circumstances surrounding those controversial cancellations were somewhat different the current cancellation leaves fans pretty much where they've been since the 1970s - waiting for Sly. Cue up "Time" from There's a Riot Goin' On and "In Time" from Fresh. It might be a while.

Randon Notes

2008-06-28T19:20:00.002-04:00

Nice to see Sly Stone and George Clinton back together again teaming up for George’s forthcoming new album...There have been many bizarre Sly Stone stories over the years but this one about Sly and rockers Sebastian Bach and Axl Rose is mind-boggling...Jimi Hendrix had Sly’s number - literally...Nice to see the Time back together again with all seven original members

Prince Turns 50

2008-06-07T11:48:00.004-04:00

One of history’s most fascinating artists turns fifty today. Prince was born June 7, 1958 and the world has never been the same. Prince is the progeny of strong musical influences such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Sly Stone, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and George Clinton. He also opened himself to music by Joni Mitchell, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones as well as classical and jazz. Yet these great musicians and styles are just influences. Prince has clearly synthesized the sounds he was exposed to but has also used these influences to expand on his own natural ingenuity.

Most critics and musicians alike will probably agree that Prince and his Minneapolis Sound dominated pop music from the early 80s onward not only through Prince’s albums but albums, production and songwriting by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (The Time, Janet Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, New Edition) Jesse Johnson (The Time, Janet Jackson, After 7, Paula Abdul), Morris Day (his bad self), Monte Moir (Janet Jackson), Jellybean Johnson (Janet Jackson, Mint Condition), Andre Cymone (Jody Watley), Wendy and Lisa (k.d. lang, Sheryl Crow, Meshell N’Degeocello, Tim Finn, Michael Penn, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell), Mark Brown (Stacy Lattisaw, Chico DeBarge), Bobby Z. (Boy George, the Sounds of Blackness), David Z. (Fine Young Cannibals, Jonny Lang), and Sheila E. (Billy Cobham, George Duke, Harvey Mason, Lionel Richie). As for successors, I’ll concede that no one can probably touch Prince – he is truly peerless in music today. However, one only need to listen to Beck, D’Angelo, Maxwell, Macy Gray, Outkast, the Roots, Nikka Costa, Lenny Kravitz, the Neptunes, and Alicia Keys to know that there are able musicians who were influenced by Prince playing today.

Prince’s forays into film have also left an indelible mark on pop culture. While Purple Rain (1984) is often dismissed as an extended music video the movie’s underlying spiritual theme acknowledges music as a life affirming and redemptive force that is an alternative to the nihilism and aggression that the Kid has witnessed and perpetrated. Graffiti Bridge (1990) earnestly tried to continue Purple Rain’s recognition of music as a conduit for choosing love over aggression but fell short. The same can be said of 1986’s Under the Cherry Moon and 1987’s Sign o’ the Times – both films left fans dissatisfied and critics contemptuous but these efforts are no less daring in their quests to convey messages about love and carnality.

In fact, since his debut in 1978, Prince has made a career out of being daring. He dared to push Warner Brothers to allow him to produce himself, dared them to release material that was both musically adventurous and lyrically provocative, dared them to release a double-album (1982’s 1999) and then pushed them to finance Purple Rain. He dared Warner Brothers to release a release a triple album in 1986 (the Crystal Ball) and when the label refused he was still able to pick up the pieces and release the material as the masterful double album Sign o’ the Times in 1987. He dared his audience to go beyond the popularity of Purple Rain to experience musical liberation through avant-garde fare like Around the World in a Day (1985), Parade (1986), Sign o’ the Times, and Lovesexy (1988). Even on 1989’s Batman soundtrack and 1990’s Graffiti Bridge Prince was pushing the boundaries of pop music with sounds were equal parts alien and contemporary. And who else but Prince could release a triple album - Emancipation (1996) - after years of declining popularity brought on by a bloody battle with Warner Brothers, changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol, and writing slave on his face? Emancipation had bold and intriguing songs (“Face Down,” “In This Bed I Scream” - dedicated to Wendy and Lisa and Susannah Melvoin) and would hold Prince’s place in rock’s pantheon during the lost years (roughly 1991-2001) until he returned in 2001 with the Rainbow Children and its Jehovah’s Witness-laced funk and jazz. Since then he has released albums that have progressively rebuilt his brand of music Musicology (2004), 3121(2006), Planet Earth (2007) while pushing the music industry to reconsider how it treats artists, how it delivers music to fans and what constitutes a successful album.

When Prince reached the heights of popularity in 1984 he seemed older and wiser beyond his years. Now as he turns fifty, not only is he peerless, he seems ageless. And as his recent appearance at Coachella shows, Prince is as daring as ever.

Happy Birthday, Freddie!

2008-06-05T21:14:00.000-04:00

Freddie Stewart turns 62 today.

Sly: Coming Back For More

2008-06-04T21:00:00.000-04:00

It’s been just over a month since Sly Stone cancelled two high profile gigs at the Vic in Chicago and First Avenue in Minneapolis. As is now typical with Sly there were many upset fans and much speculation as to why the shows were cancelled. Was it Sly’s perennial backsliding in to drug use? Sly’s camp denied that health issues were the reason for the Chicago cancellation. Given the reviews of the mini-tour’s first two shows at the House of Blues in Anaheim and Hollywood (and the fact that some members of the Family Stone had previously scheduled performances to honor) it is just as likely that Sly and the band agreed with critics who realized they were simply not ready. As Robert Kinsler reported in the Orange County Register:

When an artist keeps an audience waiting two hours just to hear a mere hour's worth of music, the show better be amazing. Sly Stone's own remarks early in his set at the House of Blues in Anaheim…were likely a bit revealing: “Everybody made the rehearsals except me, but I made the gig!” Stone's voice was strong in brief spurts, but both his singing and keyboard playing reflected the fragile nature of his condition. From the opening strains of “Sing a Simple Song” that kicked off the show to an a cappella version of a new tune featuring the lyrics “I'm a Real Model, not a role model,” there was more of a sense of being at a historic event rather than at a great show.

Variety’s Rich Nieciecki was less sympathetic in his review of the Anaheim show -

[The] late-starting and rather abbreviated show in Anaheim left fans more frustrated by -- rather than celebrating – [Sly’s] reemergence…With original members Rose Stone (keyboards/vocals), Cynthia Robinson (trumpet) and Jerry Martini (saxophone) offering support, this thankfully was no mere tribute act with a cameo appearance from the honoree, as it were. But no amount of rehearsal and soundcheck -- which Sly evidently did not participate in …could keep the brief set from derailing every couple of songs as the musicians looked to one another while trying to keep up with the caprice of their mercurial leader…Sly seemed most preoccupied and ultimately distracted by a separate keyboard/microphone combination that, when working, served as a vocoder…[Sly] occasionally forgot lyrics, verses were repeated and band arrangements became loose, with plenty of vamping…Martini informed the crowd that a hoped-for encore would not be happening as Sly had “pushed himself” during the barely hour-long show, not a particularly encouraging sign for his latest comeback effort.

Given how critical these shows were to re-establishing Sly as a viable touring act and how much attention the shows generated in the media, it is possible that all involved felt it was best to not go forward with the Chicago and Minneapolis shows. Now comes word that Sly and the Family Stone are scheduled to co-headline with Chuck Berry at the Long Beach Music Festival on August 30 and 31. The nice thing about playing a festival is that even though Sly is headlining, he will not have to bear the total responsibility for drawing a crowd. This is not like August 1972 when Berry and Stone both played the Festival of Hope in Long Island, New York along with James Brown, Bo Diddley, Billy Preston, and Ike and Tina Turner.40,000 people were expected for the first night of festival but only 20,000 showed up. Sly headlined the second night of the festival and only 10,000 people showed up. Despite the fact that his career was in a freefall and that he was taking heat for There’s a Riot Goin’ On, Sly was still the biggest, most popular star on the bill. That’s not the case today but all eyes will still be on Sly to see if he is ready this time. Hopefully fans and critics will be forgiving. It is interesting to note that of the Festival of Hope line-up James Brown, Billy Preston, Ike Turner and now Bo Diddley have all passed away. Berry is now 82 and has shows scheduled throughout the summer. Tina Turner has a world tour scheduled to kick off in October, a month before she turns 70. Sly’s 64 or 65 (depending on what source you believe). You have got to give him credit for even trying to come back after all he and his family have been through and all that he has put his fans through. You have got to give him credit for even contemplating more shows after the House of Blues gigs. The announcement of these new shows make one thing clear - Sly is as daring and courageous as he has ever been.

40th Anniversary Flashback: Sly Had Everybody Dancing to the Music in April 1968 (Book Excerpt)

2008-04-09T20:36:00.012-04:00

In a sense, Sly would hark back to his early productions for Autumn Records. Whether it was “The Swim” or “The Jerk,” Sly would take a capsule of pop culture and transform it into an anthem of fun and inclusion. That element that had worked so well then would be modified for the group’s second album, Dance to the Music. Whereas A Whole New Thing gave the band a root in which to firmly plant its musicianship, Dance to the Music added the joys of hedonism that was so familiar to radio listeners and so lacking on the group’s debut. Issued in 1968 the album opened up the floodgates of success to the band based on its deliberately modified sound. With this combination extolling the benefits of amusement while bringing issues affecting society to the forefront, Sly and the Family Stone found their groove. The album’s cover art presented a conservative style that muted the group’s ostentatious flair. They all looked so neat and clean that they could have been mistaken for the Partridge Family. This look was so sanitized and contained that it was obvious that Epic wanted to play it safe.... What was lost in visuals was undoubtedly made up in the music....

The title track set things in motion with Cynthia’s opening exclamation to dance to the music. Every band member was given a chance to be center stage on the track, and they volleyed vocals and solos with ease. “I Ain’t Got Nobody” was revisited with a surge of piano and waves of organ chords as mighty as an ocean. A real tidal wave was felt on the twelve minute suite “Dance to the Medley” consisting of “Music is Alive,” “Dance In,” and “Music Lover.” Sticking to the formula used on “The Swim” and “Dance to the Music,” the track had each band member showcase his or her own instrumental virtuosity. The track is stitched together by wailing guitar and harmonizing doo-wop riffing by the group.

Dance to the Music served as the true introduction of the band’s mantra to the masses. It was a socially aware party album for the music lover that provided an unrestricted common ground where one could exercise freedom. Powerful messages were stealthily placed among the pulsating flow of the jamming band adding to the songs’ potency. This is evident on tracks like the convicting sermon on character “Color Me True” and also on “Are You Ready?” This technique enabled the message to be heard in a digestible fashion without losing its spice. This method is employed again on “Don’t Burn Baby.” Musically, the song is as appealing as “Dance to the Music,” but lyrically it had the kick of a black belt. The song was a sincere plea from Sly (one he had been making on the airwaves as a DJ for some time) to the black community that there is nothing to be gained from violence and rioting. “Don’t Burn Baby” stood in contrast to the position emanating from the nascent Black Power movement that emerged out of the Bay Area in 1966. The record closes with “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” a holdover from the Tempo/Autumn sessions originally performed by Bobby Freeman. Slowed down and infused with Sly’s noteworthy organ, it recalls the gracefulness of Motown’s Smokey Robinson and the Temptations.

This combination of an audacious integrated image, irresistible rhythms and melodies, and hooks and choruses with razor sharp lyrics was exactly what the group needed to establish its place in the rock world. The album’s blend of satin soul vocals and edgy funk/rock riffs showcased a new sound for a constituency hungry for something innovative and meaningful…. “Dance to the Music,” the single, was indeed a huge hit. It climbed to number nine on the Billboard R & B chart and bested that position with a number eight showing on the pop chart. It was certified for sales of over one million copies….

Sly and the band did not waste any time resting on their laurels. Just months later arrived Life....

Find out what happens next - Get your copy of Sly: the Lives of Sylvester Stewart and Sly Stone today

Everything's Coming Up Sly

2008-03-19T20:42:00.008-04:00

Sly Stone seems to be everywhere these days. "Dance to the Music" was featured in the commercials, in the film, and on the soundtrack to Will Ferrell's recent hit Semi Pro. "Everyday People" and Arrested Developement's 1992 revamp of "Everday People" ("People Everyday") are both featured in the film and accompanying soundtrack to Definitely Maybe starring Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, and Rachel Weisz. A new version of "People Everyday" performed by Musiq Soulchild and Estelle is featured on the soundtrack to Tyler Perry's new movie Meet the Browns."Everyday People" is also featured in a new commercial for a Nestle's Smarties candy (there like M&Ms and sold in Canada and the U.K.). This is generating great debate about the use of such an important song in such a trivial manner. Sly appeared on stage with George Clinton at a Los Lobos concert on January 24th and also at a March 12th show by Amp Fiddler. Now news is appearing on the web about two shows by "Sly and the Family Stone" at the House of Blues April 25 in Anahiem and April 26 in Hollywood. It's great to see Sly all over the cultural airwaves (again) and this is as it should be. He is one the of most influential and important artists of the last forty years. Without Sly there would be no ___________________(fill in the blank).

Happy Birthday, Sly!

2008-03-15T10:21:00.002-04:00

Sly Stone turns 64 today!