Music I Love Right Now

Estelle's debut album, Shine really surprised me. Her first single, Wait A Minute (Just A Touch) was a little overrated to me. Her accent was cute, but a barrier for me to understand her Rap lyrics. But after she remixed Impatient by will.i.am and made the cheeky American Boy featuring Kanye West, I was intrigued to hear her whole album. Estelle encompasses the sassy, urban chick vibe perfectly well, with her collection of uptempo, Hip Hop and Reggae tinged anthems. Comparisons to Lauryn Hill arise, mostly due to her accent, island flair and production by Wyclef, but let's face it...no one combines raw emotion and musical depth like Ms. Hill. That's just an unfair comparison. I give her kudos for pulling some of the biggest names in urban-alternative music, with cuts featuring Cee-lo (Pretty Please), will.i.am (Just a Touch, American Boy), Kanye West (American Boy), John Legend (You Are), Mark Ronson (Maginificent) and Swizz Beats (Shine).

Columbus' own J Rawls and Middle Child are the latest producer/songtress duo to catch my attention, with their June release Rawls & Middle. The album is a delicate blend of straight up soul and solid production...with just enough sonic weirdness to keep your ear tuned for what's next. My favorite, Something In The Air, is a breezy tune, that would be jazzy if it wasn't for J Rawls obvious Hip Hop flair. Lovers On A Stroll is a song that warrants the dance floor with its dominate Spanish piano. Songs that touch on different genres are what makes this project a keeper, with each listen you'll find even more to appreciate. Just when you want to catagorize Rawls & Middle as an R&B album, a song like By Your Side, with a heavy Rock influence suprises you once again. Don't Lock The Drummer Up is song that is so hard to classify, yet so brilliantly simple and weird, it is bound to be one you have to listen to more than once in order to understand its urgency. You never know what you'll hear from these two in future, which makes it even more pertinent that you Google them every now again, in anticipate of their next releases.

You can never go wrong with Al Green, especially when paired with Neo-Soul pioneers like James Poysner and ?uestlove. His newest album, Lay It Down, is a Soul lovers dream, with rich, yet sparse arrangements, and songs that will get you through any lover's situation. The title track is a slow but steady stab at new love that updates yet respects Green's signature sound. Guest appearances by newbies are fitting and not gimmicks, with Corrine Bailey Rae, John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and horns by The Dap Kings (of Amy Winehouse fame). Each brings their own personality to the project without stepping on Green's toes. Hopefully this album will go one to earn many awards and accoladed, as it purposefully updates a Soul music legend. Modern-day crooners, take note.

I've never lost my faith in Soul music, even during its "R&B singers who want to look like rappers" phase. After seeing Raheem Devaughn and Chrisette Michele live this past weekend, I am pretty confident that the genre is florishing and not folding into Rap music. Both of these performers can blow. Michele has a sweet powerfulness to her voice that can be demanding and assertive at times (Good Girl, Be OK), and coy and feminine at others (Like A Dream, If I Had My Way). She stands out in a genre of amazing singers being more around the way than Jill Scott, more refined than Mary J. Blige and more theatrical than a Keyshia Cole. Devaughn may be the best Soul music performer out these days. Period. He is Hip Hop when he needs to be, but can produce hysterics from the crowd, just like any good Soul singer should. His albums are good, but the best way to experience what he dubs "the love experience" is to see Raheem live. Straight up.