Jimetta Rose Is Soul Refreshing

The indie music scene continues to spread their message of diversity and originality amidst the b.s so routinely heard on mainstream radio. Not allowing the powers to be dictate their passion, these artist take measures into their own hand and deliver the gift of beautiful music fans have come to appreciate and respect. With that said, allow me to introduce Jimetta Rose. Early last year, I had the pleasure of placing my ears to the vocals of this amazing soul via a track entitled "Divinely Free." The funked out production provided by Georgia Anne Muldrow layed the stage for Jimetta's pristine vocals as she belts out the opening lyrics, "I'll spread my wings, and fly across the sky." I was left in a stupor while listening to the track.

Now in 2010, she follows up with her debut album The Barber's Daughter. Stepping left just a tad of the funk sound I initially heard her over, Jimetta unleashes more organic and enriching flavors on TBD. Opening the album with a quick message, she lends inspiration to others who want to travel a path of their own in attaining their dream. From there, the journey into a soulful plate of lyrical honesty, thoughtful arrangements and total musicality is set for listeners to become one with. I won't go into any more detail. Begin your journey with this certified top ten album for 2010 with the two features below, then go and support Jimetta here.

jimettarose.com
twitter.com/Jimettarose

Jimetta Rose - Life Unfolds

Jimetta Rose - I Got God

New Peter Hadar - Full Time Lover

Always taking it to the next level, "The Cool Wierdo," Peter Hadar is back with his brand new single, Full Time Lover. Hints of The Time, Prince and RFTW seep through this electro, trip hop styled soul vibe. Ladies peep the layout for the evening, and grasp hold of the work Peter plans on putting in! Fellas, follow suit. Support indie music. Support Peter Hadar. Get your copy of Full Time Lover here.

www.thepeterhadarshow.com

Peter Hadar - Full Time Lover

Miles Bonny - Blue and Green {Bass Mix)

Courtesy of Miles Bonny himself, here's the latest single from his upcoming Incense And Wine album dropping 2-10-10. Blue and Green {Bass Mix} finds Bonny exploring a summery vibe laced with his laid back baritone vocals to create this infectious track. Gotta give it to the Kansas City native. He definitely knows how to keep your head bobbing. "Doin Our Thang" ft Reggie B & Miles Bonny also available. Support the works of these talented artists. 

milesbonny.com

Eric Lau - Warm It Up (Mixtape)

"For the D" ft. Guilty Simpson was the first offering I'd heard which presented the soulful production skills of London's, Eric Lau. Composing a banging synthesized funk, Lau set the perfect backdrop for the raw vocals of the Detroit emcee. In 2008, his debut album, New Territories established Lau as leader of the UK soul movement and for all the right reasons. New Territories brings a vast collection of soul grooves fused with spacey, dance and ambient style tracks and features some of the UK's finest talents such as Tawiah, Rahel, and Sarina Leah just to name a few. While we await his sophomore release, he demonstrates his dj skills and serves us a smooth eclectic mix entitled Warm It Up. As with his own work, Lau sought out some of the best in music to showcase. Enjoy it and peep one of my favorites from New Territories. Continue to support innovative music.  {BTS Radio}

www.myspace.com/ericlaumusic

Eric Lau - Free It Out ft. Sarina Leah


TRACK LIST:

BIll Evans - Solar
J Dilla - Untitled
Eric Lau - Bendy
Georgia Anne Muldrow - E.S.P. (Instrumental)
Karriem Riggins - Soul on Top
Madlib - Untitled
Jay Electronica - My World (Nas Salute)
Baatin - Girl
Slum Village - World Full of Sadness
Madlib - Untitled
D.Rose - Track #003 (Produced by Chris ‘Daddy’ Dave)
D’Angelo - Jonez In My Bones (Rehearsal)
The Roots - The Suits
The Robert Glasper Experiment - For You
Georgia Anne Muldrow - Child of The Sun
Herbie Hancock - Butterfly (Live)
Tarika Blue - Truth is The Key
Curtis Mayfield - We’ve Only Just Begun (Live)
Sapo - Nina
Ju-Par Universal Orchestra - Is Anyone Listening?
The Kinks - End of a Season

Download the mix here.

Czelena - A Way Home

The first time I heard Czelena bless a track was back in 2008, when she featured on Tanya Morgan's - "Be You" off The Bridge EP. Her voice - a combination of soprano and sonorous singing styles grabbed my attention from the moment she laid down vocals for the hook. Yearning for more, I did my research to find her myspace and discovered more music there. Unfortunately, none of them are for sale nowhere on the web, but she did make one track available for free download. "A Way Home" is a feel good, free spirited vibe which finds Czelena finding herself and taking control of her life. She hasn't dropped anything since this release, so hopefully that means she's in the lab creating some beautiful music for us. She's still active though as can be seen via her twitter and facebook accounts, so if you dig her sound, give her a link. Check the other tracks courtesy of her ReverbNation page, and look out for more from Czelena. Continue to support good indie music.

Czelena - A Way Home

Muhsinah Warms Up Your Winter With "Summer"

It's been about 2 years now since my introduction to Washington DC native, Muhsinah. She is what I like to call, the chanting voice of heaven. Daybreak 2.0 (2008) set the tone for me and displayed a far reaching sound in soul music. When my ears first took hold to her via the song "Knetnot," I allowed myself a few minutes to truly fathom her style. Vocally, she's easily compared to Georgia Anne Muldrow, but Muhsinah holds her own over a fusion of electronic, hip-hop and funky soulful beats. The Howard University graduate and Grammy nominated Foreign Exchange affiliate knows she won't win everyone over with her style, but she continues to do her and allows her music to do what it do. Check the two tracks below to begin, then . subscribe to her site, The Golden Girl, and keep up to date with her movement. Support the eclectic sounds of the rising underground.

www.muhsinah.com
www.myspace.com/muhsinah

Muhsinah - Summer

Muhsinah - Knetnot

The Cool Kids & Stalley - We Can Do It Big: Official Music Video

The preview of this song in the making dropped last week, now the full length video is here. This song straight up knocks! Chuck Inlish & Mikey Rocks (The Cool Kids) and Stalley plus Ski on the beats = butter on that popcorn! Dame, please put this song up for sale. {BIFTK}

www.myspace.com/thecoolkids
www.myspace.com/madstalley

Peter Hadar - Trace Magazine Interview

Five questions with Peter Hadar, presented by Trace Magazine is a quick "get to know him" for the peeps who don't. I'm definitely a fan of dude's music. If you're not up on him, get started here. Keep tuned in for the first single "Full Time Lover" dropping on 1-25-10.

www.thepeterhadarshow.com

Technorati 2WRJVBGTUS9H

Rapper Big Pooh - The Purple Tape

Back in Sept of  2008, Black Milk dropped an 11 track Prince inspired project called Music From The Color Purple. Well, now with the permission of Black himself, one half of the North Carolina duo, Little Brother - Rapper Big Pooh takes to the beats and delivers a worthy project of his own. Mixed by the great, DJ Jaycee, this is just something for the fans to hold us over 'til his third solo album, Dirty Pretty Things drops sometime this year. Peep one of the joints off the project, and get your free download of The Purple Tape here. Keep true to tradition, and support the real!

www.myspace.com/rapperbigpooh

Rapper Big Pooh - Put It In The Air ft. Joe Scudda

Reflection Eternal - Back Again (live @ The Blue Note)

My dude Daru Jones put this up on twitter the other day. It's a dope live version of "Back Again" from the forthcoming Reflection Eternal album Revolutions Per Minute dropping in March. Performed at The Blue Note jazz club in NYC on March 11, 2009 this 12 minute version will have you wishing you were there to experience the whole show. If they ever come to your town or anywhere near, make sure you tell a friend and go check them out. Daru, you keep it live on the drums kid!

Reflection Eternal - Back Again ft. Res (live @ The Blue Note )

Reflection Eternal - Back Again

DJ Center ft. Oddisee - Leave The City Outside

New music finds are always a blessing, and this horn filled, boom-bap soul inspired track courtesy of Push The Fader comes just in time to get your weekend going. "Leave the City Outside" ft. Oddisee is the 2nd drop from DJ Center’s upcoming LP, Everything in Time available worldwide on February 9th, 2010. This will be Center's debut as producer, and  the Romanian born, Brooklyn bred DJ aims to please. Bringing together a melange of musical vibes that stretch across multiple genres, Center aligns them all to create musical bliss. Featured artists on the project are Oddisee, Renee Neufville (Zhane), Samia Farah, Zaki Ibrahim, & Gretchen Parlato - all rising and respect stars within the industry. I'm real excited about this one! More forward thinking music for the eclectic music lover. For more info about DJ Center and his forthcoming project check here. Respect the DJ and continue to support quality music. Spotted at GS.

www.myspace.com/pushthefader

DJ Center ft. Oddisee Leave the City Outside

Fill Your Cup With Goapele's - Milk & Honey

Music should inspire and create a sense of desire where listeners yearn for more. As a fan of many underground artists, I'm truly honored to feature another who brings pleasure to my ears with every listen to her music. The beautiful angelic soul of Oakland Cali native, Goapele, won me over with her sophomore release Change It All (2005). I'd heard the single "If We Knew" via a sampler I'd been given some years back, and upon listening to the gentle, yet vivid coming of age tale, I knew I was in store for an album that would gain plenty of spins once it dropped. Now, I'd heard of Goapele before then. "Closer" from her 2001 release Even Closer established my beginnings. Ask me why I'm still sleeping on this project? The answer is beyond even myself.

Goapele is preparing to release her 3rd album, Milk & Honey sometime in March, and based on the title track, she's changing lanes just a bit. This time around her sound gets the spacey electric treatment, but it still holds that soulful flavor her fans have come to appreciate. Her producer went in on this beat. Partake in the seductive vibe of Milk & Honey below. The remix was done by Deepblak, and it's on some mellow house type thump. Check the video below where Goapele talks about her steps to creating the new album. Support the single here, and while you're there, check out her previous works as well. Support this gem of a talent! You won't be disappointed.

www.goapele.com
www.myspace.com/goapele

Goapele - Milk & Honey

Goapele - Milk & Honey (AYBEE's_Gorilla_In_Trunk_Slap rmx)

Kil Ripkin: The Ghetto Correspondent

I got an email yesterday from a hip hop artist out of Brooklyn, NY named Kil Ripkin. He caught wind of the blog and decided to introduce himself and his music to me. In his email, he had this to say about himself:

"I am a member of The Coalescence with Torae. I have worked with DJ Premier, Skyzoo, Chaundon, 9th Wonder, Kurtis Blow, Khrysis, and Charles Herron to name a few. I have a single out, Mind Free, that is up on 2dopeboyz and other major blogs. I will be putting out an album in Jan and a handful of mixtapes following that. I also am about to leak a track I did with Khrysis, called the Question.... 

With a resume like that, I couldn't front on dude. So I flipped on one of the tracks he sent, and as I was listening to it, I thought, where had I heard him before. Given he mentioned he's a part of The Coalescence, I dipped back into my files to discover his feature on Torae's - Allow Me To Re-Introduce Myself mixtape and again on Daily Conversation (2008). Vocally, Kil addresses beats with an easy confidence that's rarely heard in hip hop, and his ability to deliver a positive message is clearly effective. As he is set to drop The Balancing Act later this month, one can expect that knowledge will be dropped and a true love and respect for the art and culture of hip hop music will be displayed. The east coast is about to bring the game back home! Get your minds ready for the rise of Kil Ripkin, The Ghetto Correspondent! Support hip hop NOT hip pop!

www.myspace.com/kilripkin

Kil Ripkin - Mind Free

Torae - Fantaztik ft. Chaundon, Skyzoo & Kil Ripkin

Mickey Factz - The Dark Phoenix #ALPHA

For those who don't know anything about the emcee name Mickey Factz, just prepare yourself for an experience like none other. He is the ideal vision for hip hops future, and one who continues to paint vivid, yet at times complex thoughts on wax. My introduction to Factz came via Back To The Future - Flashback Vol.1 sometime in 2007. I can't say I was impressed upon first listen. Maybe it was because I was working out while listening and not really focused on the project. That led me to set it aside, and unfortunately never spun it again. Sorry Factz! As this introduction fortunately wouldn't be his end, Factz later dropped the solid, Heaven's Fallout. It took me a minute to peep the project (Black Milk's - Popular Demand pretty much took over my 2007), but somewhere in 2008 after hearing a set of leaks from him, I took back to my pc for Heaven's Fallout and got to rockin'. Now in 2010, after a year long break, Factz returns with The Dark Phoenix #ALPHA. It's a push forward from the mind of a very personal emcee and continues to show Factz grinding his own path to a creative and limitless sound. Don't let this work go without a few proper listens. Factz is not on some b.s. Peep the content on both these tracks below, and get your free download via his site. Support hip hop NOT hip pop!        

MICKEYFACTZ.COM
www.myspace.com/itzmickey
www.gfcny.com

Mickey Factz - S/ecrets T/hat D/estroy

Mickey Factz - Still I Rise

New Carmen Rodgers - Heartless

When I first started this blog, the lovely, Carmen Rodgers (right) was one of the first post I journalized. It's been over 5 years since fans have heard any new music from her, but that has finally come to an end. My girl is back with a fresh new joint, "Heartless" off her forthcoming sophomore CD - Intermission/The Bitter. The flavor on this track is a lot different from her previous work. Instead of the mellow grooves featured on Free, "Heartless" takes me back to early 90's R&B which was heavily influenced by East Coast hip hop at the time. Carmen still has the voice I fell in love with, and she fits well over the sped up drum pattern and somewhat electric vibe of this moving track. Enjoy it, and make sure you support Intermission/The Bitter dropping 3-30-10.

www.myspace.com/carmenrodgers

Reggie B & Miles Bonny - My Sunshine

Miles threw this up 2 days ago, and I just slipped on posting it. Doin Our Thang drops 1-08-10. You can preview tracks now, and pick it up on Amazon Friday. Support good music.

www.myspace.com/reggiebplaneth
milesbonny.com

Reggie B & Miles Bonny - My Sunshine