Soulful Sunday

The letter of the day for Soulful Sunday is "V"

The first song is from an artist who goes by that letter as his stage name (http://www.myspace.com/vsign) and to me embodies the resurgence of good neo-soul music that's been milk cartoning it for a while now, with the exception of a few holding it down one the low like Floetry, Jilly from Philly, and others I don't have the time to name so don't send me hate mail. Anyway, I been sitting on his album for a while now but it's time to stop being so damn stingy and turn cats on to the best album of '05. Dude sounds like Raheem DeVaughn to me but I don't wanna say 'better' because I'm a big DeVaughn fan but well--better. The first song is just such a seamless, perfectly constructed song. It features Jill Scott in a very small, almost cameo-style capacity that if you walk out the room for something you might miss so keep your ears peeled and don't get too lost vibing to it to miss it. I know I personally play this song (among others) at least once a day usually. I know my neighbors hate me but what are they gonna do about it? Really a brilliant piece of music it is.

Artist: V featuring Jill Scott
Song: Born Again

The next is a ballad that I like, and count me among the anti-ballad set because so many of them are cheesy and poorly executed cheesy, but this one in particular, not so much. It's surprisingly really, really well done. It's one of those songs you could see yourself end up playing at your wedding. Trust, pimpin', you'd want you wife walking down the aisle to this song. Might have you tearing up and shit though. Anyway, I wouldn't steer you wrong at all. My track record around here should be impeccable. So listen to it and see if you don't enjoy it. In fact, I dare you not like it.

Artist: V
Song: Would You Be Mine

And lastly, one more standout track from V's album The Revelation Is Now Televised, because if I don't stop and I keep sharing his tracks there won't be any left. I might fool around and leak the whole damn thing, and this place might be crawling with feds. Real uplifting song without being too "BET Sunday Morning Gospelish". I mean I luh the Lawd and the Lawd luhs me, but I'm not with that Kirk Franklin crowd, no diss to you and yours if you are. Not a slight at all, but this is just inspiring music without being too extra extra. So gone 'head and do the download thing.

Artist: V
Song: Who Would I Be

So download those songs, enjoy them, BUY HIS ALBUM, there's a few ways to do so on his myspace page from back at the top paragraph of this post where I link you to it. Either do that or go to I-Tunes and do the checkout thing. People are all liberal with their money when it's for some bull they want to buy and ball up and throw it in the corner of their rooms but when we need to be supporting something worth a damn we pirate. Damn shame.

Anyway, the second part of Soulful Sunday is from the lovely, Vanessa Marquez (http://www.myspace.com/vanessamarquez) whose the industry rarity of talent AND good looks. One of those double threats that could pose for KING Magazine & VIBE but also hold down the artist portions too. Don't sleep. Even if you try, I'm not going to let you. Resistance is futile. What I will do is throw a couple samples at you so you don't. She's worked with such household names as Justin Timberlake, Clipse and of course The Neptunes so you know that she's dope. Regardless of her old ties to Star Trek, right now she's a free agent, enormously gifted, with a set of pipes and her own style. Definitely not a cookie cutter twenty something singer. It's obvious she dances to her own drum.

The first song is a Neptunes masterpiece. It's yet another example of how easy it comes to them to be great when they apply themselves. Now I have my feelings about a lot of their music and pride myself on objectivity and being able to see nearly all sides of most issues so I can admit when they're stuff is weak as easily as I can praise them, which I do and have been doing for the past decade (yes I've been a fan of theirs for that long). I know the video that accompanies the making of this song has been well documented on message boards and websites so I'll spare you of scrolling through it one more time (search Youtube if you haven't seen it) but it's really a spectacle to see this song come together before your eyes.

Artist: Vanessa Marquez
Song: Midnight Hour

The next songs have all the playfulness of that 90's era R&B that was so popular among us 80's babies. It leaves us old timers so nostalgic for a less corporate run industry where we would watch videos on VideoSoul & The Box and sit through clever product placement and listen to the radio and didn't think that somehow our worse angels were being encouraged and we were being controlled by puppeteers to dress a certain way or subliminally lead us to coveting certain materialistic . Anyway,

Artist: Vanessa Marquez
Song: Tonite

And lastly

Artist: Vanessa Marquez
Song: I Want You To Know

As far as I know, she doesn't have any albums but you will be receiving updates from her, when I get them. Bet that.