It was all so different, about a week ago. Then Beyoncé dropped Lemonade and pretty much broke the internet. Let me tell you how it went down at my house. We had just had dinner. My husband was watching the Stanley Cup hockey game. We live in Chicago. His brother lives in St. Louis. This was intense…. read all
I just bought myself a sheet of Maya Angelou stamps. At the same time, I decided to get a sheet of Ray Charles stamps. Some folks might say I’ve purchased my fill of stamps for the year and surely I don’t need to buy anymore. But then I discovered (via The Root) that a Sarah… read all
Will there ever be another singer who can even come close to Luther Vandross – in terms of range, soul and sheer vocal ability? To his true fans and those lucky enough to have seen him perform live in his lifetime, that’s a tough question. All we can do is enjoy the music we have… read all
Am I the only one who no longer really cares about the Grammy Awards? I remember as a kid staying up late to watch every year, and feeling tremendous excitement if my favorite singers won. Nowadays it feels like an extended eye roll. On SNL recently, the Grammy nominees were likened to “a Spotify playlist… read all
I was born in Trinidad and raised on Bob Marley’s music. Back in 2010, I wrote this homage that still is so true: When I was a toddler, my dad spent time in Jamaica studying for a master’s degree. When he returned, he brought what seemed like Bob Marley’s entire record collection with him.Uprising. Natty Dread.Burnin’. Survival. Rastaman… read all
2014 proved to be a banner year for concerts for me. Within the past few years, I’ve seen SO much good music. For 2015, I honestly don’t have a long list of many artists that I’m still dying to see for the first time ever. In fact, the artist at the very top of my… read all
I grew up in a Stevie Wonder household, where we had Songs in the Key of Life on vinyl as part of our family musical soundtrack. So many of these songs bring back to vivid memories of joyful occasions and tough times. These songs have lifted me up and nurtured me through my upbringing. When… read all
If he were still with us, today Michael Jackson would be 56. He’s still so loved and so deeply missed, and still so ubiquitous in pop culture. This summer, Love Never Felt So Good was part of the barbecue playlist and in regular rotation in TV commercials. MJ is still with us. Another way he’s… read all
I didn’t watch all of the Billboard Music Awards, I was just waiting for the Michael Jackson performance. For a while now they’ve been promoting the Michael Jackson performance as something new, unprecedented, one of a kind and spectacular, so how could I not watch? My formative years were studded with similar moments, gathering around… read all
