r&B – The Double Scoop

The Definition Of

Author: Amy Nicole

It’s hard to believe that Fantasia has been in the music industry for over 12 years now. She was introduced to the world at the age of 19 when she became the Season 3 American Idol winner. Over the last decade of her career she has been through a lot of ups and downs. A few years ago she was involved in an extra-marital affair that went public and in 2010 she attempted to commit suicide. Fantasia has also admitted to being involved in abusive relationships with men.

Her new album “The Definition Of” represents healing from her past and it shows her growth and maturity. On this album she has definitely come into her own skin. The album is very diverse; it combines elements of gospel, soul, r&b, jazz and even country.

In the song No Time For It Fantasia declares that she has no time for petty drama anymore and that she is focused on her career and happiness.

When I Met You is a beautiful love ballad which I assume is dedicated to her husband Kendall Taylor whom she secretly wed last summer. In the song Fantasia describes how previous bad relationships helped her to appreciate the love that she has now.

Sleeping With The One I love is a soulful, bluesy song that shows off Fantasia’s unique, soulful and raspy vocals.

Other faves on the album are, So Blue, Wait For You, and Stay Up. Stay Up is a very positive song that encourages people to stay strong despite going through hardships.

“The Definition Of” reflects on the singer’s ability to overcome adversity and reveals a new found confidence and strength that she has acquired over the years. In my opinion this is her best album to date.

Photo Credits: Sophisticates; Just Jared; JonAli

MILESTONE

Author: Amy Nicole

Chrisette Michelle is back with her 5^th studio album Milestone which is the first album released from her independent label Rich Hipster. The album title celebrates Chrisette being in the music industry 10 years and it mostly centers around the singer’s relationship with her former music manager Doug Ellis, who has recently become her fiancé.

The couple met over 13 years ago while in business school. The two started working together which led to a romantic relationship, but shortly after their union the relationship turned hostile ending with both of them suing each other over money issues related to music production. The legal situation led to them not speaking to each other for over seven years.

When Chrisette started working on content for “Milestone” she reached back out to Ellis which led to their reconciliation and recent engagement. But here’s the shocker, Chrisette was in another relationship during her and Ellis’ reconciliation. The album intimately details the couple’s reconciliation and even explains how Chrisette broke the engagement news to the man she was in a relationship with at the time.

My favorite song’s on the album are: Diamond Letter, Steady, Soulmate, Equal, These Stones, and Meant To Be.

In the song “Steady” Chrisette claps back at haters who downplay her success letting them know she has been in the industry for over 10 years and that she has the paper to prove her success. She also reveals that she is running her own label now. In the song she sings:

You say I’m underrated,
Don’t know why I got this paper
Don’t know why I’m so hated
I think I’m must’ve made it

I think I’m must’ve made it
Ten years and counting
Shawty running label

After Chrisette became engaged to Ellis she had to take on the difficult task of explaining to the guy she was in a relationship with that she couldn’t be with him anymore because she was in love with someone else. Chrisette actually wrote her partner a letter delivering the news that she was engaged to someone else. This led to the single “Diamond Ring”. In the song Chrisette sings,

Yeah I’m writing you a letter
With the diamond on my finger
No, you never did me bad
Someone else can do me better

In the song “Soulmate” Chrisette sings about the separation between she and her fiancé and how after reconciling she can’t be apart from him anymore.

My heart ain’t whole
Just me without my soul
My being needs you
I’m just part of what makes one of two
I’m just one shy without my right side
Lose my backbone without my right side
I’m just one half without my soul

On the song “Equal” Chrisette reconnects with Rick Ross and delivers what seems to be an Aston Martin sequel. Rick Ross raps,

I’ve been in love with you for six years
Since Aston Martin Music
Drizzy came behind you on that smooth shit
So iconic with the wordplay
It’s ironic I’m in first place

In the song, “Meant To Be” Chrisette sings about the feeling of falling in love.

Baby I don’t know how we fall in love
Now, I don’t usually do this
Baby I don’t know how we fall in love
Now, I ain’t used to the feeling

In the song, “These Stones”, Chrisette responds to the critics who have something to say about her new relationship.

Haters watching me, wanna catch me slip
Yeah, I’m back with my old new
Yeah, your ‘Gram comments be rude
I still get more likes than you
Yeah, I live my life
I live it like it was my last one
Yeah, we getting down with
Any suckers, tryna catch
These stones, can I live my life?

Overall I enjoyed the album. On Milestone expect Chrisette’s usual sultry vocals mixed with a little hip hop flare and soft R&B.

Some fans don’t like Chrisette’s new sound on the album and feel like she is trying too hard to become mainstream. I disagree, I really like the new sound. I believe as an artist you have to evolve to a certain extent in order to stay current in the industry, and I believe Chrisette did a great job with evolving while also staying true to her sound and who she is as an artist.

Photo Credit:

Bloggaz With Attitude

Urban Bridgez

Mill City Nights

Soul Train

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!

Ray-Vaughn

Author: The Double Scoop

Working as a police officer and personal trainer by day and an R&B singer by night, Ray-Vaughn proves he is a man that can juggle many hats. The Mississippi native is breaking his way into the music industry and he is not letting anything stop him from sharing what he calls his “God given talent” with the world. Born into a family of singers and musicians Ray-Vaughn discovered his passion for singing at the ripe young age of 5. His talent allowed him to sing with several choirs over the years and even landed him a 4 year choir scholarship to Mississippi Valley State University. He recorded with the Mississippi Mass Choir as a child and in college he recorded the first album with the Mississippi Mass Adult Choir. Determined not to become content with mediocre success he moved to Dallas after college to join the police department and to explore more opportunities for his music career.

We were able to catch up with Ray-Vaughn to ask him a few questions about his life and blossoming career.

TDS: When did you decide to pursue singing professionally?

RV: During my 5th year with the department I was teaching a boot-camp fitness class and one of my clients asked “What would you be doing if you weren’t an officer and a personal trainer?” My no hesitation response was “I would be performing!” That lit a fire inside of me. Upon exploring the opportunities further my client introduced me to my first producer. It took off from there.

TDS: The music industry is very competitive. What distinguishes you from other artists?

RV: I am real. My music portrays me exactly who I am. Hence the name of my debut album Experience RayVaughn. When I perform or sing I don’t do it for the fame. Instead, I do it to show the world that YOU can do ANYTHING that you desire. I do it to add to the validity of my story when I tell the youth to shoot for the moon. I follow my heart, beliefs, and love for the craft.

TDS: You will soon be dropping your first album “Experience RayVaughn”. How long have you been working on this album and what should listeners expect?

RV: I worked on that project for a little under a year. My recordings were done in two months but I was extremely critical on myself and re-recorded everything over twice. Lol. My listeners should expect to hear and understand the sentiments of my heart in some tunes and life from my perspective in the others. Originality is my forte. I’m an emotional writer who has experienced my share of sunshine and more than my load of heartaches. My tunes are not only timeless but relatable.

TDS: Many say there is not much quality R&B out today. What is your response to that statement and describe your style of R&B.

RV: R&B still lives! Many R&B artist change to keep up with the times. That was my biggest battle. Do I keep R&B rhythm and blues or do I forfeit my feelings to attract the new age listeners? To stay booming in business, you have to transcend to the auto-tune and other modern day cliché approaches to music. I chose to experiment with the some of the modern to stay relevant to society but I don’t abandon my roots. I also like to put my own unique feels in each song.

TDS: You recently released a music video to your single “Smile” which featured your wife as the leading lady. What was that experience like shooting the video and including your wife?

RV: Smile Forever was written to compete with the “Bad Bi###” mentality. I’m a country boy with the heart of a gentleman. I still believe in real love and think that class is the sexiest thing about a woman. Chivalry isn’t dead….Women can still be catered to! Having the lead be my very own wife was interesting… Let’s just say, I’m embarking into a new realm of my life. No matter what life deals you, stay true to who you are and don’t allow pitfalls to hinder your progress. Instead use them as lessons and blessings or song lyrics lol!

Listening to Ray-Vaughn’s music you can hear the diversity in his sound. There are elements of pop, a little country and of course some sultry R&B. Some have compared his sound to artists like Chris Brown, Trey Songz and Usher. Ray-Vaughn definitely has a promising career and we wish him nothing but love and success on his dream chasing journey.

Check out more of his work here.

RayVaughn “Smile Forever”

Jazmine Sullivan Shares Her Pain In New Album

Author: Ashley E.

I got so excited when I heard Jazmine Sullivan was dropping a new album at the beginning of the year. The Philly native took a 5 year hiatus from the music scene and her presence was definitely missed. There aren’t too many female artists in the music industry right now with a unique and distinct sound like Ms. Sullivan. During an interview with Hot 97 Jazmine described how her label Jive Records dropped her when she was 18 years old because they couldn’t figure out where her sound would fit in the industry; now it seems as if people are longing for that familiar sound.

The singer admitted that her absence was largely in part due to her being involved in an abusive relationship that brought her to a very low point in her life. It is said that an artist sometimes produces their best work when they’ve experienced pain and Jazmine showcased a lot of that pain in her latest album Reality Show.

She described her album in a recent interview:

“I feel like with this particular album I was really done with trying to impress, I just wanted to do me.”

Overall I liked the new album. It was different but familiar at the same time. She did a lot of storytelling and played with various sounds, and I feel like she challenged her vocal ability. I remember instantly loving just about every song on her debut album Fearless when it dropped back in 2008. Reality Show was a bit different; there were songs like “Dumb” and “Forever Don’t Last” that I liked immediately, but a lot of the other songs had to marinate in my ears before I could really appreciate and feel what she was singing.

In her track “Mascara” she sings about the stereotypical video vixen, Instagram model and reality show female who has to keep up this certain image and appearance in order to maintain a certain lifestyle. She discussed in her interview with Hot 97 how overwhelming and exhausting that could be to have to “stay on” at all times.

I absolutely loved “Forever Don’t Last” because you can literally hear the pain behind her words in the track. So many people can relate to giving so much of yourself in a relationship only for it to end leaving you drained and broken.

“Mona Lisa” is a track that has become one of my favorites off the album. I love it because she talks about dealing with insecurities and so many women deal with them, even the ones that seem to be the most confident. It’s about looking in the mirror, accepting your flaws and embracing and loving what you see. You have to love what you see when you look in the mirror before anyone else does because you will find yourself seeking validation from others in order to love yourself and the way that you look. In the interview with Hot 97 Jazmine discussed her body image and how she knows she doesn’t reflect the typical standard of beauty. She said she wants to represent for the regular women.

Jaz kicks off her Reality Show tour next month. I’m so glad she is back and I hope she is here to stay for a while.

Jazmine Sullivan Performs Forever Don’t Last as part of the Dreammakers Series in New York City