Soul
2022 Billboard Music Awards: Silk Sonic Perform “Love Train”: Watch
Silk Sonic took the stage at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night to perform their cover of “Love Train” by R&B and funk band Con Funk Shun. Watch the replay below. Dressed in matching maroon leisure suits, Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars turned up the charm as they ran through the song with a fully choreographed routine in tandem with their backup dancers and band. At this year’s BBMAs, Silk Sonic are up for awards in four categories: Top Duo/Group, Top R&B Artist, Top R&B Album, and Top R&B Song, the latter of which they have already won for “Leave the Door Open.” Advertisement Related Video In April, Silk Sonic performed “777” at the 2022 Grammy Awards, where they picked up four wins for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, a...
Ray LaMontagne on Work-Life Balance: “I’m Such a Creature of Habit”
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Ray LaMontagne catches up with Kyle Meredith to talk about Monovision, his 2020 LP that is finally getting its supporting tour. (Get tickets to that “The Monovision Tour” here!) Related Video The singer-songwriter talks about re-recording “I Was Made to Love You” with Sierra Ferrell, being a creature of habit, and his work-life balance. LaMontagne also gives us a story about being complimented on his harmonica playing by Willie Nelson’s harmonica player, Mickey Raphael. Advertisement Listen to Ray LaMontagne discuss Monovision, getting back on the road, and more above, or via the YouTube player below. Then, make sure t...
Bartees Strange Shares Mournful New Song “Hold the Line”: Stream
Bartees Strange has shared a new single from his upcoming album, Farm to Table. Today, he’s offered the track “Hold the Line,” a soulful ballad penned in honor of George Floyd’s daughter, Gianna. “‘Hold the Line’ was written over the course of three days during that first pandemic summer,” Bartees Strange said in a statement. “Through this song I was trying to make sense of what was happening in the US, my neighborhood and my community at that moment. During the marches people were trying to stop the bleeding, locked arm in arm, doing everything they could to hold the line.” The artist continued: “I remember watching George Floyd’s daughter talk about the death of her father and thinking wow – what a sad introduction to Black American life for this young person. It was painful to watc...
Amy Winehouse’s 2007 Glastonbury Performance Is Coming to Vinyl for the First Time
To mark the 15th anniversary of Amy Winehouse’s 2007 set at Glastonbury, the performance is being released on vinyl for the first time. Live at Glastonbury 2007 hits stores on June 3rd via UMe, Island Records, and BBC. While her 2007 Pyramid Stage set wasn’t Winehouse’s first performance at the iconic UK festival, it was the one that cemented the late singer as a captivating live act. Featuring renditions of “Tears Dry on Their Own,” “Rehab,” and “You Know I’m No Good,” Live at Glastonbury 2007 will be pressed on 2xLP black vinyl, as well as an exclusive crystal clear edition. You can pre-order the album here. In its liner notes, Live at Glastonbury 2007 offers a recollection of Winehouse’s set from Glastonbury co-organizer Emily Eavis. In a statement, Eavis spoke fondly of the a...
2022 Grammys: Silk Sonic Perform “777” : Watch
Silk Sonic opened the 2022 Grammy Awards on Sunday, appropriately taking the stage to play the Las Vegas-themed “777.” Watch the replay below. Anderson .Paak donned a short wig for the performance, which saw him and Bruno Mars clothed in rhinestoned jumpsuits. Tonight actually wasn’t Silk Sonic’s first performance at the Grammys. Last year, they played “Leave the Door Open” and participated in a tribute to the late Little Richard with a performance of “Good Golly Miss Molly.” Thanks to the aforementioned “Leave the Door Open,” Mars and .Paak earned nominations for four Grammys: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song. It was a clean sweep for the dynamic duo, who tied with Jazmine Sullivan’s “Pick Up Your Feelings” for Best R&B Pe...
Mavis Staples and Levon Helm Collaborative Album Carry Me Home to Be Released
ANTI- Records has announced a collaborative album between Mavis Staples and the late Levon Helm titled Carry Me Home, out May 20th. The first single is their take on the gospel and blues standard “You Got to Move.” Carry Me Home marks one of Helm’s final recordings before his death in 2012. It comes from a session with Staples recorded at the former member of The Band’s Woodstock studio in the summer of 2011, which wound up being their last performance together. The 12-track album contains covers of songs made famous by Nina Simone, The Impressions, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones, as well as The Band’s own “The Weight.” Pre-orders are ongoing. Check out the artwork and tracklist below the jump. Related Video “It never crossed my mind that it might be the last time we’d see each oth...
Morris Day Says Prince’s Estate Blocked Him From Using The Time Band Name
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Emma McIntyre / Getty Few names in music are as ubiquitous to funk and soul music as Morris Day & The Time, but it appears that the band’s name will no longer be in use according to its frontman. Morris Day took to Instagram with claims that the estate of the late Prince, who helped develop the band in the early stages of his career, blocked him from using The Time for performance purposes. Day, 64, shared the statement via Instagram on Thursday and can be read in full below: I’ve given 40 years of my life building up a name and legacy that Prince and I came up with. A name that while he was alive, he had no problem with me using. I literally put my blood, sweat, and tears into bringing value to that name. In fact, he booked me on several tours, and m...
James Brown Documentary from Mick Jagger and Questlove in the Works
A new James Brown documentary, produced by fellow musical legends Mick Jagger and Questlove, is set to premiere on A&E. Dubbed James Brown: Say It Loud, Jagger and Questlove will be joined by Black Thought in making the four-part documentary, which is directed by Deborah Riley Draper. The project is set to arrive in 2023 and will explore Brown’s legacy through never-before-seen archival footage and interviews with friends, family, and collaborators. Jagger said he was “thrilled” to produce the documentary in a statement, calling Brown “a brilliant performer who inspired me from the beginning and was deeply committed to the Civil Rights movement. I have always admired James and learned so much from him.” Advertisement Related Video “The life of James Brown is significant not only t...
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak Kick Off Silk Sonic Las Vegas Residency: Recap + Setlist
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) began their Las Vegas residency on Friday (February 25th), transforming the Dolby Live theater at Park MGM into a seventies disco. The superduo — whose live appearances have thus far been limited to awards shows — threw what might just be the sexiest dance party Sin City has ever seen. The mood for “An Evening With Silk Sonic” was set from the get-go, as wisps of fog spilled out from under a red velvet curtain while guests settled into their seats. When the venue went dark, signaling the start of the show, the crowd roared in unison. Two screens on opposite sides of the stage flashed images of Silk Sonic sipping cocktails in a tropical setting with flowery button-up shirts, while a giant disco ball hung high above the seats. As the curtain lifted,...
Silk Sonic Share Smooth Cover of “Love’s Train” for Valentine’s Day: Stream
Not content with releasing an album’s worth of Valentine’s Day jams last year, Silk Sonic have returned with their new single “Love’s Train.” Stream it below. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s latest soundtrack for… ahem, adult activities is the dynamic duo’s rendition of a 1983 classic by R&B and funk band Con Funk Shun. “We love this song so much we wanted to sing it for y’all,” they wrote on Twitter. Staying true to the original version, Mars and .Paak easily slip into their seductive roles. “I’m down on my knee, I wanna please you, baby,” Mars sings. “Ooh, I’ll be your righteous lover.” Interestingly, “Love’s Train” was inspired by a situation in which two members of Con Funk Shun were unknowingly chasing the same woman. Advertisement Related Video “A tall pretty young lady...
Ibeyi Announce New Album Spell 31, Share “Sister 2 Sister”: Stream
Ibeyi have announced the coming release of their latest album Spell 31, out May 6th via XL Recordings. The duo also shared the new single “Sister 2 Sister” as a preview. The studio set will be the third album from the soul-R&B act, made up of Afro-French Cuban twins Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz, following their 2015 self-titled debut and 2017 follow-up Ash. The 10-track LP features collaborations with the likes of Jorja Smith (“Lavender & Red Roses”) and BERWYN (“Rise Above”), as well as Pa Salieu on the previously-released lead single “Made of Gold.” On the joyful “Sister 2 Sister,” the fraternal twins celebrate their bond, name-dropping Shakira and spelling out the pronunciation of their stage name (which means “twins” in Yoruba, the language of the siblings’ West African ancestors...
Chicago Soul Singer Syl Johnson Dead At 85, Hit Song “Different Stroke” Legendary In Hip-Hop Sampling
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Timothy Hiatt / Getty Syl Johnson, a soul and blues singer out of Chicago, has reportedly died. Johnson’s 1967 hit “Different Strokes” was used by a number of Hip-Hop notables via sampling. Local outlet CBS Chicago reports that the family of Johnson issued a public statement regarding the passing, which occurred this past Sunday (Feb. 6). From CBS Chicago: Hall of Fame Legend, Syl Johnson (born Sylvester Thompson in Holly Springs, MS). Dad, Brother, Grandfather, Great Grandfather, Uncle, Friend & Artist, he lived his life as a singer, musician, and entrepreneur who loved black music,” the family said in a statement. As the outlet notes, Johnson’s brother, Blues guitarist and singer Jimmy Johnson passed away six days prior at the age of 93. Johnson was...
