musician – The Double Scoop

blond review

Author: Amy Nicole

I have been a fan of Frank Ocean since he dropped Channel Orange back in 2012. His sensual vocals and unique sound definitely make him a standout in the music industry. After a four year hiatus I was starting to wonder if he would ever make a return to music.

When Blond dropped last week I was excited to hear the project, however I was also skeptical if he would be able to match the same level of success as his first album.

I would describe the album as a beautiful maze. With a lot of Frank’s music you have to listen to the songs several times before fully grasping the concept. Initially I was confused by the meaning of the lyrics in some songs but after listening to the album a few times I was able to apply my own personal interpretation to the lyrics.

In the song Nike which is one of my favorites off the album, Frank sings about the obsession of materialism and money. He references this obsession as wanting to have Nike shoes. In the song Frank also briefly touches on the loss of black lives. In one line of the song he says, “RIP Trayvon, that nigga look just like me”.

In typical Frank Ocean fashion he reflects a lot on love.

Some of my other fave songs from Blond are: Ivy, Nights, White Ferrari, and Godspeed.

In the song “Ivy” he reflects on a past relationship that didn’t work out. Based on the lyrics it seems as though the relationship didn’t last because the couple grew apart.

In the song “Nights” Frank again reflects on a previous relationship that has run its course.

In my opinion “Godspeed” is the most beautiful song off of the album. My interpretation of the song is that it’s dealing with being in love and although the relationship doesn’t work out you can still have love for that person. Frank adds a religious touch to the song when he adds background vocals from gospel singer Kim Burrell.

Overall I was pleased with Blond. Frank stays true to his sound. The album is filled with soft gentle instrumentals, mixed with deep metaphors and analogies.

Photo Credits: TheQuietUs; HypeTrack

IN MY MIND

Author: Amy Nicole

I’m going to admit that I have really been sleeping on BJ The Chicago Kid! When he released the single Church a while back I thought it was a cool club song but other than that I didn’t know much about the artist. I recently listened to his album In My Mind and I completely fell in love with his music. I usually don’t listen to albums the whole way through but I enjoyed every song. Looking at BJ’s appearance you would think he was a rapper but when he opens his mouth you can’t help but to take notice of his vocals. His voice is very soulful. If you mix the sounds of Usher, Luke James, and D’Angelo blended with a little gospel you get BJ The Chicago Kid.

After researching BJ, I learned he has been in the music industry for a while but mostly behind the scenes. He started off singing backup for Mary Mary and has written for other gospel artists which would explain his soulful sound. He has also worked with other artists like Kanye West, School Boy Q, and Big Krit. In My Mind is BJ’s second studio album but it’s his first album release from Motown Records. Each song on the album tells a unique and different story.

When I initially heard the first released single from his album Church, I thought it was making a mockery of the church but after listening to an interview from BJ he explained that the song was about conflict between the flesh versus being righteous. The song is definitely a clever way of describing temptation from a man’s point of view. In the hook BJ sings:

She say she wanna drink, do drugs and have sex tonight
But I got church in the mornin’, church in the mornin’

I had a lot of favorite songs on the album but my top five would have to be Heart Crush, Falling On My Face, Woman’s World, Wait To The Morning, and Love Inside.

In the song Heart Crush BJ sings about falling out of love and the pain of letting go.

And that fire we had girl just couldn’t survive the rain
Heard the weather man telling us that it was gonna shower some pain

One of the most beautiful songs off of the album in my opinion is Falling On My Face. In the song BJ sings about the imperfections of a man and how as humans we all make mistakes and fall short of where we want to be in life. In one verse of the song he sings:

Cuz I can’t erase all my mistakes
I’m just a man who falls on his face
Servants and kings have all felt this way
By now I should be sick of falling on my face

In Woman’s World which is actually a remixed rendition of James Browns’ It’s A Man’s World, BJ soulfully pays homage to the woman.

Let’s talk about the power
The power of a woman
Tell me who can give life to a baby boy and turn him in to a man

Wait To The Morning is reminiscent of Usher’s 2004 single “Confessions”. In the song BJ pleads with his wife’s friend who has caught him cheating to wait until the morning to tell her about his infidelity.

Could we just hold this off and wait till the morning
I know I did her wrong
But you tryna cut us off
Can we just hold this off
And wait till the morning

I think my favorite song off the entire album is Love Inside. It is a sexy love song in which BJ sings about making love to not just a woman’s body but to her soul, to the point where she can literally feel the love inside of her. (Or maybe I’m over-analyzing the lyrics and he’s just seductively saying he wants to smash LOL!)

I want you to feel the love I have inside me
Inside you tonight
I want you to feel the love I have inside me
Inside you tonight

Although In My Mind is primarily R&B, BJ also mixes elements of hip hop with songs like “Man Down” and “The Resume” which features Big Krit.

I absolutely loved this album and BJ The Chicago Kid has now become one of my new favorite R&B artist! If you’re a real R&B lover In My Mind definitely needs to be in your music collection!

Nina Simone Movie Trailer Sparks Outrage

Author: Amy Nicole

The first trailer for the Nina Simone movie that premiered last week has the internet going crazy but not in a good way. The movie titled “Nina” stars actress Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone. The film will cover the life of the singer and civil rights activist and it will chronicle her career demise and return to music.

When it was first announced that Saldana would be portraying Nina Simone, producers were met with a lot of criticism particularly from black viewers who believed that an actress who better resembled Simone should have been cast for the role. Nina Simone had a very dark complexion and she was known for her strong ethnic features. I think the biggest issue with Saldana being cast for the role is that she does not identify as African American but as a Black Latino.

Watching the trailer you can visibly see Saldana’s heavy dark make-up and prosthetic nose. Many have compared Saldana’s appearance in the movie to a caricature. Singer India Arie is one of the many people who have spoken out against the film. She had the following to say about the casting choice:

“I think the best way to say it is that they casted her against type and went too far to make her fit,” she explained. “It’s not my place to say how Zoe Saldana perceives herself, and I can’t say how anybody else perceives her either.”

Nina Simone’s daughter, Simone Kelly says that she isn’t upset with Zoe Saldana but is upset with the director Cynthia Mort for telling an inaccurate story of her mother. Kelly stated that the family wasn’t consulted for the film.

Honestly because of my age I wasn’t too familiar with the life of Nina Simone. I knew she was a singer but I didn’t realize how significant her legacy was until I recently watched the documentary “What Happened Miss Simone” . I’m interested in watching the movie and I’m also a fan of Zoe Saldana so I will definitely be checking the film out.

“Nina” is scheduled to be released on April 22, 2016.

Check out the trailer below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6yfxOCiHr4

Photo Credit: Atlanta Black Star

In Due Time

Rising South Carolina artist Kelvin Armstrong released his EP In Due Time last month. After listening to the album it’s hard to believe that the talented singer who is also a songwriter and guitarist has only been singing professionally 2 years. The album is a perfect blend of acoustic, R&B, soul, blues and a tad of country. If we had to describe Armstrong’s voice it would be a combination of Anthony Hamilton, John Mayer, Lyfe Jennings and D’angelo. The title of the EP speaks for itself in that the album was released during a time when music seems to lack substance. In Due Time delivers the type of feel good music that is missing from the music industry today. While most artists seem to be going main-stream, Armstrong decided to take listeners on an alternate route. Each song on the EP tells its own unique story. You can tell each song poured from his soul and you can feel his raw emotion in each lyric. It is definitely an album you can listen to the entire way through.

The EP opens with Peaches & Cream.The song is far from what you might imagine when you first hear the title. It’s a song about life and the difficulties you might face on this journey that we all must take. It also speaks about fighting for what you believe in.

Falling was one of the most touching and personal songs on the album. Kelvin expressed that the song was about a dark place in his life where he found himself battling with depression. People underestimate the severity of depression and the toll it can take on a person’s life. Kelvin was able to get through those difficult times and transfer his pain into music.

Cold Woman is a song about playing the fool in a relationship. It’s something that happens to the best of us. When opening your heart to someone you’re taking a gamble and sometimes you get burned.

Many people have a belief in God and have faith that no matter what obstacles they encounter in life they feel like God is there guiding them through the ups and downs. The song Stones Throw questions God’s presence during the difficult times in life.

The album concludes with Selfish, a song that speaks on being deeply in love. Many of us find ourselves in relationships that are destructive but the love for that person is so strong that we hold on even though it’s not a healthy relationship. A line from the song states: “I don’t want to be by myself even though loving you is bad for my health.”

We had the pleasure of attending Kelvin’s album release party for “In Due Time” this past Sunday at Wet Willie’s in Columbia, South Carolina. The event was held on the second floor of the venue and there wasn’t an empty seat in the room. Kelvin took to the stage with his guitar in the dimly lit room filled with his friends, family, fans, and music lovers anxiously waiting to hear the vocals of the rising star. Kelvin shared the stage with a few special guests which included his sister Kyshona Armstrong, another talented musician. He put on quite a show singing songs from his EP as well as a few extra songs in the mix. Listening to him live made you appreciate his music even more. His future is definitely bright and we wish him much success.

The Double Scoop with Kelvin Armstrong @ his EP release party

Check out footage from the show below. You can also view it on Double Scoop TV.