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Talent to Watch: Melissa Young

Soul and R&B music never really goes out of style.  As is the case, with everything, the genre evolves.  What's captured the imagination of the youthful (not young) urban set is neo-soul, which is simply a an overarching term for current soul music. 

Not familiar with the term?  You're probably more familiar with artists such as Alicia Keys, Angie Stone, Anthony Hamilton and Jill Scott, to name a few.  Equally exciting are buzzworthy artists who have been flying under the radar, such as Anthony David, Eric Roberson, and Melissa Young.

An Atlanta native with a strong, rich voice, Melissa Young recently released her debut album, "Just Up the Road."  She's gotten rave reviews from the music press and is certainly poised for wider acclaim.  Those of you in the NYC area can catch her this weekend

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15

Melissa Young
with Randy Muller (Brass Construction and Skyy)
Frank's Lounge
660 Fulton Street
Fort Greene, Brooklyn
11238
Showtime 10PM
Admission: $7

Hopefully, she'll perform my favorite, "You'll Never Know".

Check out Melissa on MySpace
The Melissa Young official Website

This site, Neo Soul Today, looks really useful for background info on the Neo Soul Movement.  Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated in a while.

Alice Smith's Grammy nomination

This is one of those moments when I get to say, "I told you so!"  Not that I knew Alice Smith would be nominated for a Grammy, even though she just got a nod in the "Best Urban/Alternative" category.  But I did say that she was someone to watch because of her talent and stage presence.  Rather than this being about my gloating, I'm really thrilled that the industry had enough of a clue to recognize someone who's not so easily categorized.

So, yeah, there may be hope for me to pursue my dream of being an A&R guy after all.  In the meantime, check out my original post on her here.

Listening Post: The Smyrk

 

This is one my favorite up-and-coming bands.  The musicians--Ari Sadowitz, Chris Barone and Nick Logan--set up a wall of sound that's what a young rock band should sound like: attention-getting, urgent, and impossible to ignore.  But the secret sauce is vocalist Doron Flake.  I've said it before but it's worth repeating: If John Legend ever decided to make a rock record, he might sound as good as Doron.

They're on a national tour now, promoting their "New Fiction" EP, which was produced by Incubus bassist Ben Kenney.

If they hit your area, do yourself a favor and see their show.

The Smyrk's MySpace page.

MP3 File

Talent To Watch: Cruz Angeles

Got an e-mail today from my friend Neyda Martinez, who’s putting the word out that a good friend of hers, filmmaker Cruz Angeles, is holding an open casting call for African American and Latino youth, ages 15-19 this coming Saturday, April 28.  He’s prepping to shoot his first indie-feature “Don’t Let Me Down”, which he and Maria Topete developed at Sundance.

If you know of any talented youth actors who fit the bill, please send them onto either the film’s MySpace page or Cruz’s production company site.

Alice Smith: Artiste sans frontières

It’s been a while since I’ve been in a club to hear live music. A few weeks ago I caught a late show at Nublu of an up-and-coming singer/songwriter, Alice Smith.

The room is packed to capacity, an enthusiastic crowd knows the lyrics to her songs—they’re requesting favorites!—and there’s major label A&R in the house.

I’m pleasantly surprised that not only am I hearing an artist deserving of wider exposure, but I’m actually experiencing buzz.