It's All About Soul

Once again, with feeling!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 15:55:00 +0000

Hello all!
No promises this time, no posts about rising from the ashes or renewing the blog to make daily posts about timely events that are occurring all around us, no, this is just a writing exercise and the only one that really matters, the only critic who's opinion has any merit is the one staring back at me in the mirror. That being said welcome to the latest manifestation of "It's All About Soul". I hope that if you have taken the time to come this far then you will indulge me while I rant and perhaps seize the opportunity to rebut and call me an idiot or pass along the phone number to a 12-step program that is available in my area. In any event, all comments are welcome as it will help to increase the number of views to my blog!
A lot has happened since my last post (in 2009). For one thing, from a blogging perspective, it's a lot easier to get the word out about your blog simply by posting to Facebook and letting the power of that social networking site spread the news throughout your community, that's a significant improvement over trying to manipulate the Google search engine so that your blog link may show up on one of the first 20 pages of some random web search.
On the personal side, 2012 is turning out to be a big year of change for me, I am on the path to healthier lifestyle changes and I am hoping that in the very near future, this person:

will be making steady progress to a much brighter, healthier outlook! Obviously, I will keep you all posted as to how I am doing on this journey, the ultimate goal is to be able to stand at the top of this natural feature in Phoenix, AZ:

This was my wake up call in April 2011: Echo Canyon Park, just the walk from the parking lot to this point damn near killed me and I couldn't continue onto the trail, it was a definite low point in my self-esteem and it made me realize how far my fitness had declined in the previous years. Considering my own health history and the family history, this made me realize my runway was a lot shorter than I had envisioned!
I'm going to leave it at that for now, in the future I will continue to post my observations on all things political, social and personal as well as the Jerry Sandusky betting line for how long he will last in general population in prison! Hope you come back again very soon!

Kevin

It's All About Soul Rises From The Ashes!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:17:00 +0000

Hello passionate readers! Welcome back to the revitalized edition of my blog. With everything that is going on around us, I felt it was incumbent upon me to add my voice to the discussion. To that end, this blog site will be used to express my opinions and concerns about the economy, social programs, racial issues and whether we will still be here after 2012! It is my hope that you will find my discussion to be intriguing enough to respond with your own opinions or at the very least, talk about it amongst yourselves. In my experience, I have found that discussion builds community and community is something we all need very desperately right now. So, stop in, say hello and don't be afraid to offer your own two cents.

Rhythm and Blues Revue playlist 03/14/08

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:38:00 +0000

Slave Featuring Steve Arrington - Wait For Me (3:34)
Otis Redding - I've Got Dreams To Remember (3:10)
Freedom Sounds - Soul Sound System (5:31)
George Benson - Shiver (3:29)
The Commodores - Jesus is Love (5:57)
Joe Tex - Skinny Legs And All (3:06)
Doris Troy - Just One Look (2:26)
Robert Cray & Shemekia Copeland - I Pity The Fool [Live] (3:32)
Charles Earland - You Belong To Me (4:53)
The Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine (2:39)
Isaac Hayes - Need To Belong To Someone (5:02)
The Impressions - Choice of Colors (3:11)
Roy Ayers - Can't You See Me You (6:03)
Diana Ross & The Supremes - I'm Livin' In Shame (2:56)
MFSB - T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia) (5:42)
Faye Adams - I'll Be True (2:45)
The Platters - Only You (2:34)
Carl Davis and the Chi-Sound O - Windy City Theme (2:36)
Little Walter & His Jukes - Off the Wall (2:45)
Chaka Khan - Never Miss The Water (4:33)
Marvin Cease - Candy Licker (8:03)
Janet Jackson - Funny How Time Flies When Your (2:55)
Prince - Let's Go Crazy (7:32)
The Four Tops - Just Sever Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life) (3:03)
Bobby Womack - Natural Man (2:38)
Billy Davis, Jr. - You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be In My Show) (4:28)
Boyz II Men - Water Runs Dry (3:18)
Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul - I'm Gonna Get You (2:49)
The Main Ingredient - Can't Stand Your Love (2:29)
James Brown - Cold Sweat (7:23)
Kool & The Gang - Hollywood Swinging (3:21)
Marvelows - I Do (2:23)
Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan - Somebody's Watching You (3:05)
Eddie King - Kitty Kat (5:12)
Wilson Pickett - 634-5789 (2:51)
Mtume - Juicy Fruit (4:28)
Bill Withers - Harlem (3:17)
Marvin Gaye - How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) (2:56)
Luther Vandross - Endless Love (Duet With Mariah Carey) (4:15)
Honey Cone - While You're Out Looking for Sugar (2:24)
Eddie Floyd - Big Bird (2:54)
Stevie Wonder - Love Light In Flight (6:50)
D.J. Rogers - Love Brought Me Back (5:26)
Joe Morris - The Applejack (3:06)
Ronnie Hudson & The Street People - West Coast Poplock (5:25)
The Barkays - Sex-O-Matic (5:16)
Prince & The Revolution - The Beautiful Ones (5:08)
Kelly, Denise & Fame - I'd Like to Get into You (3:39)
Mick Jagger & Keith Richards - Trouble No More (4:12)
Soul Angels - It's All in Your Mind (2:45)
The Mad Lads - I Don't Want To Lose Your Love (2:17)
Hammer - Tuane (3:03)
Seatrain - Flute Thing (3:16)
Joe Tex - Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman) (3:26)
Roy Ayers - Evolution (4:29)
Fabulous Counts - The Bite (2:40)
Red Prysock - Hand Clappin' (2:47)
The Temptations - My Girl (2:39)
Aretha Franklin - Love The One You're With (4:20)
Isley Brothers - Summer Breeze (6:08)
Lee Dorsey - Can You Hear Me (2:10)
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Bad Luck (7:54)

Future of Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:49:00 +0000

Very interesting post by Jerry Del Colliano of Inside Music Media

In it he discusses the latest meeting of The Southern California Broadcasters Association in which the major radio consolidators were discussing the future of the media. Apparently, these guys don't have a clue as to what's going on. They still believe that stand-alone radio is is a viable medium that has no need for Internet, podcasting or satellite distribution.

One of these days the so called "experts" will get the message...even though it will probably be too late by the time they do. Right now they are playing "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" and if that's what makes them happy, so be it. This reminds me of a situation in the late 80's, early 90's, when a certain large computer company (not HAL!), found itself in the position of having to offer "early retirement" to some of its' senior employees, primarily due to a new environment they had not experienced before - competition. As these senior employees were boxing up their personal effects, they were still proclaiming that the lowly PC could never replace the room-filling mainframe computer and they were holding on to that opinion even as security was escorting them out the door. Change is not easy for many people, even in light of evidence to the contrary, there are many who will maintain the viability of "regular radio" even as the lights are being turned off and the doors are being locked.

No ifs, ands or BUTTS! That's 1.4 Million please!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 07:05:00 +0000

More unbelieveable stuff from the hypocrisy that is the Federal government...you would think that people had better things to do:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Communications Commission has proposed a $1.4 million fine against 52 ABC Television Network stations over a 2003 broadcast of cop drama NYPD Blue.

The fine is for a scene where a boy surprises a woman as she prepares to take a shower. The scene depicted "multiple, close-up views" of the woman's "nude buttocks" according to an agency order issued late Friday.

ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Co. The fines were issued against 52 stations either owned by or affiliated with the network.

FCC's definition of indecent content requires that the broadcast "depicts or describes sexual or excretory activities" in a "patently offensive way" and is aired between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

The agency said the show was indecent because "it depicts sexual organs and excretory organs - specifically an adult woman's buttocks."

The agency rejected the network's argument that "the buttocks are not a sexual organ."

Got Music?...You're a lawbreaker!...probably.

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:44:00 +0000

Washington (DC) - The Recording Industry Association of America has filed a landmark federal lawsuit in Arizona, claiming that it is illegal for users to make copies of CD tracks to their computer for personal use.

The RIAA is going after Jeffrey Howell of Scottsdale, AZ. The group alleges that Howell shared 54 music files over the peer-to-peer network Kazaa. This kind of complaint has become commonplace for the RIAA, but they added something different to this lawsuit.

Ira Schwartz, an Arizona-based lawyer for the trade group, says Howell is also guilty of making "unauthorized copies" of CD tracks by ripping them to his computer, even though he may never have shared them with anyone else.

"It is undisputed that Defendant possessed unauthorized copies of Plaintiffs' copyrighted sound recordings on his computer," said Schwartz in a legal brief. "Once Defendant converted Plaintiffs' recording into the compressed .mp3 format and they are in his shared folder, they are no longer the authorized copies distributed by Plaintiffs."

This means that the RIAA is saying it could actually come after anyone who has ever used a CD ripping program to transfer tracks from a disc to a computer, regardless of whether or not file sharing was involved. The organization's website makes this clearer by noting, "If you make unauthorized copies of copyrighted music recordings ... you could be held legally liable for thousands of dollars in damages."

The case against Howell is believed to be the first to take this stance this far into the legal process.

Happy New Year! (How do you listen to music?)

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 21:20:00 +0000

Radio?!! We don't need no stinkin' radio!!

According to Radio And Internet Newsletter, fully two-thirds of consumers partake of "consumer generated media" (CGM) as a part of their general listening habits. Most consumers polled cited no specific reason for the change except that they found CGM to be "more entertaining" than traditional media outlets. The full article is available here:

Does this mean that "terrestrial" radio is dead? Not really, but it will slowly lose influence as a means of communicating much the same way that newspapers did with the emergence of electronic media. The corporate powers are trying desperately to hold on to their cash cows but it is a losing battle as inevitable as the passage of time.

So, what are you listening to? Is talk and sports the only reason to listen to your car radio now? Let me know.

Donny Hathaway most popular

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 19:58:00 +0000

According to Soultracks.com, in their latest popularity poll based on searches and reader visits to their web pages, the most popular artist for the month of December is Donny Hathaway, who's been dead for 28 years! Others on the list of 25 popular artists include the likes of The Stylistics, Angela Bofill, Phyllis Hyman and The Spinners. Now admittedly, these are all terrific artists and Soultracks is catering to a more mature crowd but what does it say about the state of Soul music when out of a list of 25 artists there are only only about 8 or 9 that are currently generating any kind of buzz in the industry?! Exclude the inevitable "One hit wonders" and you are down to maybe 3 to 4 that will stick around for any length of time. I guess my question is: Where's the music at?!!
In actuality, there are a number of new artists producing quality material, however the majority of "new release" material, seems to consist primarily of older artists releasing "lost" work, or rehashing a lot of old material. Labels have been in this mode for quite some time, Motown for example, has been repackaging and re-releasing its old hits for decades, while producing only a handful of new artists. The success of the "Now Thats What I Call Music" compilation series only goes to show that consumers are not really willing to spend their dollars on a complete album by a single artist, there just is not enough quality in the product being delivered to justify the expense. The latest releases by the likes of Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige and Kanye West notwithstanding, these quality productions are too few and too far between to say that soul music is still the viable genre it once was. Again, where's the music at?!
What's the solution? Well, increased involvement in school music programs, reinstatement of many discontinued music curriculum particularly in urban centers would go a long way toward regenerating interest in the art of musicianship, rather than just playing the music as loud as possible. Kids today have a million distractions, so it's necessary to show them the relevance of yesterdays instruments and how it has affected todays technology. Show the drum machine for example, but also demonstrate how a skilled drummer can CREATE sounds that the programmer of the drum machine has not even imagined yet. Studying music has been proven to have beneficial results even beyond music appreciation. The Department of Education has reported that a comprehensive music education plays an important part in enhancing a child's intellectual development. The College Board has determined that Arts education is one of six essential subjects in preparing for a college education. The most important thing, however, is that studying music teaches an individual to think musically, artistically and creatively and to generate their own unique sound instead of relying on automation to do the thinking for us.

R.I.P. Oscar Peterson 1925 - 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 02:10:00 +0000

We have lost some giants in music this year, probably the greatest of which is the legendary jazz piano player Oscar Peterson. His passion for the music manifested itself in a prolific style that often resulted in the release of multiple albums in a single year. As with many musicians of the time, touring globally was never-ending and Peterson rapidly became an international star. Usually playing as part of a trio, he appeared with all of the greats, from Basie to Ellington, Ella to Armstrong and everyone in between. He won eight Grammy Awards, most recently in 1991 for the album "A Saturday Night At The Blue Note". A stroke in 1993 put him out of commission for two years, but upon his return he still remained one of the greatest improvisational Jazz artists of all time. He was 82 years old.

Bye Bye Big speakers!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:14:00 +0000

Interesting article here in http://rollingstone.com/ about how the labels are mastering their new CD's to cater to an audience that is increasingly using earbuds instead of stereos to listen to their music. It seems the emphasis is on increasing the levels to the point where high spots and low all sound the same...LOUD!! Do I have your attention now?!!!
I guess my question is: Is this the inevitable result of a nation of people who are progressively going deaf because of over-amplified sound? Is sign language going to become the new international means of communication? Should I throw all of my disposable income into Beltone(R) hearing aids?!!

Another interesting point in this article is the use of mastering software to "alter" sound. There was a commercial not too long ago, where the engineers in the studio were so busy enjoying Product X, that they failed to realize they had not adjusted the levels on the board for the latest "teen sensation" who was busy making dogs howl in the other room. As soon as they realized their mistake, they reset the board and she went from sounding like Paris Hilton to Christina Aguilera in about two seconds! There is a lot more truth than fiction in that commercial unfortunately and it is a direct result of the publics' desire for artists that are not only aurally but visually stimulating as well. If the artist looks good, we can always make them sound good, is the attitude that the labels are taking. It's gotten to the point that most of the legends from the past wouldn't even get in the front door today because they don't have the "complete package".

What are your thoughts on today's music? Let me know.

R.I.P. Ike Turner

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:15:00 +0000

Ike Turner, who earned an unfortunate (though not undeserved) reputation as the poster child for domestic abuse during his turbulent years with Tina Turner, died today at the age of 76. Domestic issues aside, one cannot study Ike's body of work and not realize the true brilliance that lay underneath the troubled surface. Ike was the preeminent Soul and Blues man, responsible for ground-breaking hits such as "Rocket 88" (credited to Jackie Brentson and his Delta Cats, Ike Turner's group) as well as the good years (musically speaking) with Tina Turner, that produced hits such as "River Deep, Mountain High", "Proud Mary" and "Nutbush City Limits".
Of course, everything came to a screeching halt with the ugly breakup from Tina and the subsequent publishing of her autobiography and the making of the movie, "What's Love Got To Do With It", which had permanently scarred his reputation in the eyes of many of his fans. To this day, many regard his name as the definition of a wife batterer and domestic abuser and refuse to give him any acknowledgement for his undisputed talent as an innovator in the Rhythm and Blues musical genre.
I personally re-discovered Ike Turner by playing his later albums, "Here And Now" (2001) and "Risin' With The Blues" (2006) both of which won prestigious awards, on my Blues radio program. It was the beginning of a comeback for a man who could truly be described as a survivor in the Soul, Blues era.

Christmas Album anyone?!!...Everyone?!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:04:00 +0000

Every year around this time we get the usual obligatory offerings of holiday music usually by artists whom our response is: "They're still around?!" This year seems to be especially plentiful, with offerings by everyone from The Isley Brothers to Keith Sweat (He's still around?!!!) Check out the full list at http://www.soultracks.com/holiday_cds.htm

Radio says: "Help us from ourselves!"

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 03:26:00 +0000

A funny story came across the Web the other day when one of the V.P.'s of the major radio consolidators stated that new rules needed to be written regarding the number of stations that any one consolidator would be allowed to own. For those who may be unaware, the face of radio essentially changed forever when Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which allowed any one entity (read "corporation"), to own more stations in a single market than they had previously. Ever wonder why your radio sounds the same no matter where you go? Thank Congress. Without the diversity of multiple ownership that we had for since radio was conceived, you basically wind up with the same formulaic, predictable programming nationwide. Corporations loved it because they thought it would allow them to control all music outlets and essentially have a monopoly on what the public could listen to. Apparently, it's not working out quite as the big consolidators had planned and they are losing money :-(

So, now the consolidators are going back to Congress to try and get the rules changed to adding even MORE stations to the number they can own in any one market; up to 12 stations in markets with more than 75 signals and 10 stations in markets with 60 to 74 signals. Essentially, they want to increase the monopoly and further limit the choices you will have as far as free commercial radio. (And maximize their profits as well).

So why doesn't commercial radio make money? Turn it on and listen! There's very little effort to draw an audience with new artists, new musical genres or anything that is even remotely cutting edge...It doesn't fit into the "formula", the focus group-based system that the radio stations use to program nation-wide with few variations, this corporate structured programming allows for very few variations system-wide, the result being top 40, Adult Contemporary, Urban, Oldies, and Country among others that sound exactly the same no matter where you are in the country.

So what happened? The American public stuck their heads out of the window and screamed, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Of course, technology helped out with iPod's, downloadable mp3's, satellite radio and podcasting/webcasting in all of it's forms, but radio is equally culpable by taking a medium for artistic expression and turning it into a corporate loss leader. The public listened, and responded with the big middle finger to the radio stations. And now they say they are losing money, go figure.

Can radio come back? Quite frankly I think the horse is already out of the barn and it would be very difficult to get them back. I am certain that the solution is not in more radio consolidation, I think enough damage has been done in that area. The stations need to be brought back to the levels of the artists and the DJ's who tap into local talent and who know a good sounding group when they hear one. Eric Clapton once said, "When we wrote songs we wrote music we liked, we didn't care whether it sold 1 million units or not we just wrote songs we liked to hear", that's the attitude that "new" radio would have to develop, play the music that on-air talent enjoys and eventually people will tune in.

Personally, I feel the corporate entities will get their wish and then the airways will get real quiet as the corporations fail to learn any lessons from past history.

Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin "The Lock") — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:44:00 +0000

Hello all! And welcome to my blog titled "It's all about Soul". The title refers to a late night radio show I hosted on Friday nights from Midnight 'til 6am. It developed quite a following, as it's blend of 50's Doo Wop, 60's Motown and 70's Funk and Soul music was something you just don't hear too often on radio anymore. I am hoping to resurrect the program as a webcast by the beginning of 2008, along with some other radio partners and we are very excited about the prospects for the future.

As a part of the program, and hopefully as a part of this blog, I hope to share some tidbits about the music, the artists and the history of what has been called alternately, Race music, Rock and Roll, Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Black, and now call it whatever you like!! I hope you will enjoy reading my musings on the direction of music, the radio industry and whatever happens to strike my fancy at the time.