The Choice Is Yours!

While visiting Memphis (where i spent too much money on vinyl) last month for my 2 Year Wedding Anniversary, we decided to go to Soulsville USA BKA Stax Records. After entering and going into Satellite Records (where I spent a third of the too much money...the others spots being Spin Street and Goner Records), we took the customary tour which was enlightening to say the least. Upon exiting the museum, you find yourself back in Satellite Records (now this is after I'd already made my purchases). I decide to take one more look-see (silly me) just to make sure I didnt leave anything there that would add to my musical education. As I'm deciding that I've gotten everything I could possibly want, an album stares me square in the face. It's not the most aesthetically pleasing album in appearance, but it speaks to something in me, and I pick it up; The album is Black Nasty - Talking to the People. Black Nasty was a funk band on Stax Records that came out of Detroit around the same time as Parliament/Funkadelic. Later, Black Nasty would evolve into The ADC Band and have a top R&B hit with "Long Stroke." I present to you, however, a laidback groover from the "Talking to The People" album, "I Have No Choice." Enjoy!

Black Nasty - I Have No Choice

Play Your Favorite Prince Album Day / Happy 30th Anniversary Prince!

My brother-in-law Jamal and I were up last night listening to records and stumbled upon Prince's Controversy album. We both realized that Prince has ALOT of albums out - about 24 studio albums and like 39 or 40 total - including live albums, compilations etc. to be exact. While looking at his first groundbreaking album, "For You" we noticed that it just so happened to have been released on this day, 30 years ago on April 7th, 1978(!). So it was only right to make this post to recognize this day in music history.

Who would have known that 3 decades later we would still be rocking with the man who gave us more genre bending, independent thinking music than anyone else in the popular or "pop" music game right now AND in the last 30 years. So, let's all use this day to play your favorite Prince album and celebrate a living legend and the music he gave (and is giving) us that will live on and on...

For the Prince Heads,
Junior Star

This Track "Crazy You" is one of my personal (re)discovered favs. Catch this one on my "Adults Only II" mix in the near future...

Intro / Let's Jump Right Into It!

Big, big ups to Rahdu for allowing me to add my two cents into yet another landmark in Birmingham's music scene - Bamalovesoul!

Hmmm let's see, I'll be posting some vinyl (and digital) discoveries, a dj mix every now and then, some exclusive releases and remixes and the occasional meditation and musing on the music tip....

...with that being said, I figured I would start things off with a giant in Birmingham's jazz history, the incomparable, intergalactic, sonic traveller, Sun Ra and the Lanquidity album. Born Herman "Sonny" Poole Blount, ( May 22, 1914-May 30, 1993) Sun Ra was an innovative jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet, and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy", musical compositions and performances(wiki). This particular album, a favorite of beat heads (aka producers/ beat makers/composers), is what I prefer to call an introduction to Sun Ra for those that can't quite get their heads around the avant-garde jazz that he is so well known for. Lanquidity is a Sun Ra rarity, blending funk and straight ahead jazz, often labeled "fusion" by some writers and critics. There is so much to say about this man and his legacy, that I'll just let the music do the talking. Stay tuned for more Sun Ra and his Arkestra on this blog in the future.

Check out the tune "Twin Stars Of Thence"

The Sofa Sessions 3 28 08

This past Friday DJ Junior Star & DJ Rahdu (The Soul Rebel DJs) put it down together for the first time in years with The Sofa Sessions at Malcolm's Reading Room(B'ham, Al). All kinds of music was played from breaks, hip hop, soul, nu soul, to house, roots & reggae. Junior Star will also begin contributing to BamaLoveSoul, so look forward to his contributions.