Happy Holidays (My Christmas Playlist)

The holiday season is upon us once again. I love the holidays. I absolutely adore this time of year. There is something about it that makes people a little nicer, a little more hectic but people seem to melt just a little from the normal routine and day to day lifestyle.

My family is a sucker for the holidays. We always try to get together and just enjoy each other's company. The food flows, the drinks and adult beverages flow and so do the laughs, stories and memories. I am wishing all of you a very happy holidays. As we try to relax, travel to see family or simply stay home be safe, happy and have a great holiday season!

I'll leave you with a compilation of some of my favorite holiday songs. Some are classics, some are new (in the grand scheme of things) and some are down right silly but they all make me feel great. They make me remember that the one thing I will cherish is my memories with my loved ones.

Celebrating Marley's Birthday

I usually do not post on the weekend but today is the birthday of a man who is referred to as the King of Reggae and I must agree. Even if you do not like reggae or anything remotely related to reggae you know the name Bob Marley.

I do not remember my introduction to Marley, I have listened to him for as long as I can remember. Before I knew his name I remember the t-shirts everyone wore of the man with the free flowing locks.

No better way to celebrate an artist than to appreciate their work. I present to you some of my favorite Marley songs. Feel free to bounce along as appropriate :-)


My favorite Marley song:

Everything Is Gonna Be Alright


My next favorite Marley song:
No Woman, No Cry (live)


Jammin


Redemption Song


Is This Love


Buffalo Soldier

I could go and on with the Marley songs that I love that are in my reggae rotation. Hope you enjoyed the trip down 'Marley Lane'...



Until Next Time,
Peace & Blessings...

Diggin' Raheem DeVaughn's new CD...It's FREE!

How many artists give their stuff away for free? Really, think about it. In the famous words of Katt Williams "Go ahead...I'll wait!" LOL!

I first mentioned Mr. DeVaughn in my Love List post here. He is one of the artists in my constant Neo-Soul rotation. (Remember when it was simply referred to as R&B?)

Mr. Raheem DeVaughn is one of my favorite artists and he is giving away his new CD for FREE via download. At first I was a little skeptical but after signing up on his new web site you will receive a link that absolutely lets you download his new CD The Art of Noise absolutely free. The 19 free tracks are even accompanied with the cover art.

I must admit a couple of cuts on the album are not my cup of tea, but there are tunes true to Raheem's style that have me hitting the repeat button. A few notables include his remake of Al B. Sure's Night and Day which would be extreme if he would stop talking in the end (still love you Raheem :). There are a few slow cuts Insomnia and Lay Awhile that made my slow jam list and a few bob your head neo-soul cuts that are well worth listening to.

With the price tag of free it is one of the best deals out right now. What do you have to loose?

Download it here.


Peace & Blessings...

Diggin' Leela James

Deciding to date myself and get out and enjoy things has been the greatest decision I could have made. I have joined several email lists that send out happenings in my area. Most of them are a little "young" for me, but some are a total delight and great surprise.

Ms. Leela James came to town to play a small venue and the tickets were around $20. I decided that it was beyond what I could squeeze in the budget so image my delight when I received an email with a 2 for 1 coupon for her concert the day of the show! $10 to see Ms. James and $8 for parking meant a great show for less than $20. I grabbed my co-worker/girlfriend and off to the show we went!

I first heard of Ms. James on the B-sides of a popular radio show years ago and I thought she was more popular until we went to a favorite hang out spot after the concert and people were like "who?" Sometimes I want to scream at people "there are more stations than the one you keep your radio on, try Internet radio or Pandora!" (wooosaw!!)

Back to what I was saying...

Heston opened for her and I must admit I was distracted by his gorgeous percussionist. So much so that I asked the very nice lady next to me to take a picture and send it to me (enjoy the photo to the right). But the highlight was definitely Ms. James.

She came out to Rick James' Give it to me Baby and her full brass section made it sound better than the original. Rockin' her 3 inch boots and fantabulous (fantastic and fabulous) fro she worked that stage for over an hour. Considering I was standing in the front row, I laughed, danced and sang with Ms. James the entire time. She takes control of that stage and works it like no one else.

Here is a short clip of the Rick James cover:




We cracked up when she said she doesn't like boogie people in her audience, and started picking people out telling them to wipe that frown off their face 'cause she could see them. Why you think she squintin'? LOL!

If you ever get the chance to check her out, I would highly recommend you do so. Hopefully, you can get an intimate venue like I did. That was the best concert I have been to in a long time. Nothing like hearing my anthem "My Joy" in person. I tried to capture it on my phone, but I'm sure I got more of the off-key audience than of her. But when she picked people out the audience to join her on stage to "have a party" and step, it was the funniest thing I've seen in a minute.

She performed a lot from her new album of covers of classic R&B hits, but she does them like no one else. Ms. James works a stage like I haven't seen since the younger days of Patti LaBelle.

She enjoys what she does and my how it shows. And for my hair people out there, I have a new hair idol. When I grow up I'm going to have a fro that big :)



Not sure how much of this you can make out (the ladies behind me were singing LOUD), but this lady ROCKS on stage. My apologies...I forgot I flipped my phone to get her background singers so my video turns sideways. Will flip it when I figure out how. LOL!





Peace & Blessings...

How I'm Feeling...It's Yours

Great music and a storm go hand in hand for me like PB&J. I have a major CD collection that is in constant rotation. It is not unusual for my home to be filled with great music and the television (as much as I LOVE movies and TV) to be turned off. You add some candles and my crush, well...TMI :)

You get the idea.

Music is the soundtrack of life. Some music grabs you by the soul and doesn't let you go. It's like the artist heard your thoughts and set them to a great melody. Right now, J Holiday must have took a peak inside KayC's heart and came up with this one. It is in heavy rotation on my appropriately titled play list The Love List on my new music player phone(I refuse to spend $200 to buy an ipod).

I would gladly go to a J Holiday concert if he was performing in an intimate setting, but I don't think I could stand the screaming teenagers of a big venue. (Hint to J's manager, he has older fans who would love to see him perform) I am loving my new phone and this song. Especially the chorus, which I would gladly sing to my crush with a glowing smile on my face...


Chorus from J. Holiday's It's Yours...

Grab my body baby
Hold my heart, don't break it
It is yours (It is yours)
It is yours (It is yours)
It is yours (It is yours)
Ohh, and I ain't never been this way
Grab my body baby
Hold my heart, don't break it
It is yours (It is yours)
It is yours (It is yours)
It is yours (It is yours)
Ohh, and I want you to know that I love
You, hold you, hold (Can't get enough, can't get enough)
You, hold you, hold (Can't get enough, can't get enough)
You, hold you, hold (Can't get enough, can't get enough)


I had to include the video. I love a man who can wear a hat well. Enjoy!

Did you say "Heavy D?"

Yep, I said Heavy D. The Overweight Lover has lost a few pounds and is back in the house :) He has new music and a new flava that I am kind of diggin'. The new album is called Vibes and was released independently late last year. You can get it (and preview the tracks) from Amazon and iTunes.

The new stuff is different, reggae instead of rap/hip-hop but it works for me. It is marketed as Heavy D going back to his Jamaican roots. Reggae, Rap or Hip-Hop I am not going to lie, there is very little music Heavy D put out that I did not like.



Here is the first single Long Distance Girlfriend. What do you think?

Fifty and Fantabulous

I have one extremely bad and long running celebrity crush. It is the purple one himself in all of his sexually ambiguous glory. This man must have one great skin care and hair regime. He is one of the few people who look better as the years go by.

Anyway, he is 50 today. Yep, I said the big 5-0. I can only hope to look this good at fifty...Happy Birthday to the royal one. (Shaking my head in admiration...with a smile on my face)

Sadly, I have not seen him in concert. That is definitely on my things-to-do list. He recently played an outdoor festival that included surprise jam sessions with Wendy and Lisa, Sheila E, and Morris Day.

That is a concert I would have promised my first-born to see! :)

My list of favorite Prince music is long. As I enjoy the weekend celebration of Prince and Prince Protégé videos playing on VH1 Soul, I ask you...what is your favorite Prince song?

Me'Shell...the experience continues

"You want me to go see who?" I asked.

"Me'Shell. Me'Shell Ndegéocello." He looked at me like I had lost my mind for asking him to pronounce her name again.

"You should come with me, just look at her name on this ticket," He said as he quickly pulled two tickets from his wallet.

"Anyone whose name can use up an entire ticket like this deserves a couple of hours of your time."


That was 12 years ago.


It was my introduction to the neo-soul, funk, jazz infusion, bass guitar playing, openly bi-sexual woman who rocked the 14th Street Playhouse and my idea of live music.

I was not ready then for the Me'Shell experience and being one of the few heterosexual couples in the joint. But, she converted me to a fan for life and I always have her music in my CD player or on my jump drive at work.

She doesn't seem to tour often, similar to Prince with his hit and run style tour dates, so after 12 years I had the chance to see Me'Shell again live at Apache. None of my friends wanted to go, not wanting to miss her again I flew solo. After all, it might be another three years before she returns.

I got there early and claimed my spot on the floor mere feet from the stage and enjoyed every minute of the 1 1/2 hour set. Being on time had it's advantages since there were only two people separating me from the musical genius and I could hear her whisper to the musicians when she pulled away from the mic.

A little disappointing that she only did new songs, but they got into a groove that included seeing her play the hell out a bass guitar. I really missed some of the older stuff, but she opened the set by saying she was "40 years old now and her music is changing." Very few people seemed to mind the new sound.

It was a great night.


Check out one of my favorite songs from her old music.

Another Year, Another Decade and Still So Much To Learn

I am now 30 years old. I thought when I turned 30 life would be a lot different than it is now. Oh the best laid plans of mice and men!

I think I will enjoy my 30s. For my birthday I went to my favorite Caribbean restaurant and the Chef whipped up a delightful seven course meal that not only exercised my taste buds and sense of smell, but my eyes as well. I also enjoyed the concert of an artist who sounds a lot better on his CD, so I guess I'll spare you his name. He was so over the top with his show, that I practically laughed my way through it. I hope his keyboard has recovered from being molested by now. Oh yeah, hello again to my Sorors (Natalie and Tiffany) who happened to be sitting behind me. It really is a small world, if only we could figure out if the singer in the end of the show was really throwing the sign ;)

The only downfall of my entire two week vacation was trying to visit my father. Even though it was the first time I had returned to my hometown in over two years, he did not find it necessary to invite me over for his 50th birthday. For some reason he is so busy comparing me to my younger sisters that he has missed the woman I have become.

As the man who gave me life, he can only see the negative. Others around me see the positive and try to help me see it when people like him send me a TKO of zingers that hit like body blows. I guess he is incapable of showing love any other way.

Anyway...Happy Birthday Pop!

TuPac and Walking Through the Rain

It is hard to believe eleven years has passed since one of my favorite poets/rappers died. Mainly because they release his music like he is still belting them out in the studio. But I digress, I was listening to a mainstream radio station and they were in the middle of a TuPac tribute. Radio (and it's choice of music) is disappointing to me so I rarely listen, but today I was enjoying the playlist.

I have so many favorite TuPac songs and collaborations, it would read like a album collection, so I will not go into my list.

Why do I like TuPac?

Above all else he was a great poet, he could come off hard one on song and almost melancholy on the next. Who else could make you truly believe to Keep Ya' Head Up while in the next breath say I Get Around? You could enjoy his good looks and wish to the heavens that he would shut his big mouth.

Eleven years ago I also gained an unlikely friend who helps to bring out the poet/writer in me. So, as I enjoy walking through the rain, I find myself smiling and humming one of my favorite songs by Pac...and it is not hard at all to keep my head up.

Performing Again After 10 Years

I graced the stage for the first time in 10 years yesterday. A co-worker who is quickly becoming a friend re-visited her love for the stage and revived her performance group. She asked a group of people would we like to participate and we agreed not knowing what the show was about and what we were getting into. I guess we all trusted her judgment and I am glad we did.

The show is a cultural experience of poetry, singing, dancing.(Calypso, African, Jazz) I could never give justice to the group, so I will post snippets of performances when they are available.

I have never liked my voice on tape or over the phone, so having a wireless microphone stuck in front of me was an experience. It was wonderful to have people come up to me after both shows and tell me how smooth and powerful my voice is to them. I was even asked how long I had been doing spoken word. My answer, "All of ten minutes!" (It was about ten minutes after my first piece of the matinée show)

Confirmation is always a good thing. And I simply can not put into words how good it felt to be backstage preparing for a show and being part of a production again.

Happy Birthday Prince

49 has never looked this good...