Soul Fixin'

a king-sized disappointment.
While one high yellow brother who rose to popularity in the 80's delighted the masses last night, another one left us all a bit disappointed. A consummate performer and entertainer, Prince walked on stage and accepted his Lifetime Achievement Award without performing. What a disappointment! I reassured myself that BET would shake things up a bit and allow Prince to close the show. (That would have been a genius move.) I was wrong. There would be no performance by Prince. In my mind, Prince was to be the highlight of the show. The artist who will forever be known as Prince is an innovator, icon, legend, the list goes on and on. Why wouldn't he perform? BET's young audience was in need of a brief history listen, a storied history that stretches back to the 70's. They needed to witness the definition of an entertainer/musician/singer/performer. Prince is the quintessential embodiment of the aforementioned. I was hoping to post his performance but Alicia Keys' rendition of 'Adore' is a worthy substitution. Enjoy!

Soul Fixin'

will they do the 'un-thinkable'?

Below is A.Key's latest video for 'Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready).' The video is quite a surprise. Starting in the 1950's, Alicia, the product of an interracial love affair, tells the story of an unthinkable love. A love between Black female and White male, an unthinkable relationship in 1950's America. Sit back & enjoy as A.Keys unearths a touchy subject.

Soul Fixin'

A. Keys 'Late Show' Performance
The object of my affection, songstress Alicia Keys, stopped by the 'Late Show with David Letterman' to perform one of my personal favorites, 'The Thing About Love.' In case you don't know, A. Keys has re-released her last album. As I Am: The Super Edition includes 3 bonus tracks, 'Saviour,' 'Doncha Know (Sky Is Blue),' and her 007 duet with Jack White, 'Another Way To Die.' A bonus DVD is also included in the set and features a live performance in London.

Soul Fixin'

A. Keys + Lady O = Superwomen

Soul star Alicia Keys made an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show last week, along with the 'Secret Life of Bees' cast, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Dakota Fanning, & Sophie Okonedo. Each lady got a little one on one time with the Queen of Daytime TV. While chatting with Ms. Keys, Oprah asked Alicia if she was as comfortable behind the camera as she was behind the piano, Alicia responded "I never want to find myself too comfortable anywhere...because I don't think you can grow if you are too comfortable...I like to do things that I'm not quite comfortable with because it pushes me to do better." Words of wisdom indeed. At the end of the show, Alicia took center stage and performed her anthem of feminine empowerment 'Superwoman.'

Soul Fixin'

Joss Stone Sings for Team Obama
While Common, Talib Kweli, Nas, will.i.am, Big Boi and Mary J. Blige --to name a few, have all crafted songs expressing their support for Team Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has elected British soul singer Joss Stone to record a track that will serve as a campaign theme song. New Yorkers Alicia Keys and Jay-Z are also reported to be composing songs for Team Obama.

If you haven't registered to vote, visit Rock the Vote and do so now!

Soul Fixin'

She Is A 'Superwoman'

Alicia Keys debuted the video for the fourth and final single 'Superwoman' yesterday. Check it out.

Video Soul

"...hand me the world on a silver platter
And what good would it be
With no one to share
With no one who truly cares for me..."

Soul Fixin'

2008 BET Award Nominations

Lil Wayne, MJB and Nelly helped announce the 2008 BET Award nominees. T-Pain's non singing a** leads the pack with 5 nominations. Kanye, MJB, A. Keys, Lil' Wayne and Keyshia Cole are nominated for multiple awards. Quincy Jones will receive the Humanitarian Award and Al "Grits" Green will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. I'm looking forward to seeing Keyshia's mama, Frankie, act a fool on the red carpet. The BET Awards air June 24th at 8 PM. I'm not a big fan of BET, but the BET Awards are hands down the best award show on TV!!!!!

Soul Fixin'

It Takes 3 To Make A Thing Go Right

Essence's annual "Black Music Month" June issue features a triple cover tribute to MJB, Jill Scott and A. Keys. The three R&B singers discuss their beginnings and how they have maintained successful careers in the music biz in the article Ladies First. The "Black Music Month" issue also features the Essence Summer Music Hot List, a guide to summer releases and concerts, including the 2008 Essence Music Festival.

Here is an excerpt of the article...

Essence: One thing you all have in common is that you each had a debut album that was a phenomenal success. How do you feel when you hear those songs now?

Mary J. Blige: It’s been about six months since I’ve listened to What’s the 411? I was in Japan working out, and when I heard it, I could definitely feel my youth, but I could also hear that I’ve always had an old soul. When I think back to that time, I remember that I was singing to escape. I understand that some people are stuck in that place, but I firmly believe that if you don’t evolve and grow, you will die.

Essence: From the outside looking in, it seems that success has been yours since day one, but there probably were, and are, disappointments. How do you cope when a project doesn’t pan out?

Jill Scott: This is life, and if something doesn’t work out, then it wasn’t meant to. I feel that there is a divine plan in all things. All I can do is the best I can do, and if it’s well received, then, yeah. If not, I hope life will give me an opportunity to try again. Do I challenge myself? Absolutely. But beat myself up? I just can’t do it.

Essence: Have you ever regretted folding to pressure from record labels?

Alicia Keys: In the beginning, I didn’t understand the concept of boundaries. I wanted to make sure the music was heard, but there’s a price you pay for that. I did everything and anything to promote my first album, like flying from New York to Los Angeles and back on the same day, which was a bit excessive.

Essence: Have you figured out the ingredients for the perfect song?

Mary: Yes, but I won’t tell. [Laughs] For me, it’s about being real and honest. And the lyrics have to be relatable.

Jill: Oh, I wish I knew. I think Ne-Yo knows. I think Carvin Haggins, who does a lot of writing for Musiq Soulchild, has the ingredients, too. My songs are mostly about life experiences, about being human and falling and getting back up. About loving and losing.

Essence: But aren’t those the ingredients right there?

Alicia: It’s always a bit of a mystery. A song should deal with a widely understood emotion, have a really strong, clear explanation of that emotion and a great melody that makes you want to sing it at the top of your lungs. Then the music should evoke the same feeling as the lyrics. Somewhere within all of that lies the perfect song.

Speaking of Mary, I think I speak for many, I'M SO PROUD OF MJB. When she entered the game back in '92 she was the around the way girl we could all relate to. She reminded us of the women in our lives; mothers, aunts, cousins, friends, girlfriends. We understood and felt her pain, the pain of a young black girl from the projects longing to find her place in the world. I think it is safe to say that Mary has finally found her place.

Soul Fixin'

BET HONORS
If you thought you were too cool to watch BET Honors, BET's new award show, you missed out on a good show. BET Honors honored Alicia Keys, Richard Parsons, Dr.Cornel West, Tyra Banks, Maxine Waters and Janice Bryant Howroyd. Raheem DaVaughn, Jill Scott, Stevie Wonder, Ne-Yo, John Legend and Gladys Knight performed. Stevie, John Legend, and Gladys gave an AMAZING performance. I couldn't find future air dates, I'm sure BET will air the show 1,000 times so be on the look out!!! You can also check out The BET Honors website and watch the entire show online.

Soul Fixin'

Alicia Tops Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums

#1. Alicia Keys - As I Am
#2. Mary J. Blige - Just Fine
#3. Keyshia Cole - Just Like You
#4. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
#5. John Legend - Live From Philadelphia
#6. Jaheim - Makings Of A Man
#7. The Dream - Love/Hate
#8. Chris Brown - Exclusive
#9. Raheem DaVaughn - Love Behind The Melody
#10. Various Artists - Step Up 2: The Soundtrack