Motown

Rick Grantham asked:


After a long time of slaving at work, it’s good to know that we all have our vacations. The thing is, the best way to enjoy a vacation is to know what to do in the particular place you are going to. If you are planning to go to Detroit, then you’ve made an excellent choice. It is a city with a vibrant nightlife, and filled with history. If you have no idea where to go, here are a few places and things to do when you are in Motown.

Henry Ford Museum

Detroit is known for its history with automobiles. It was here that Henry Ford established the Ford Company and became one of the world’s richest men. He is also known for a mentality or philosophy called “Fordism”. He stressed the mass production of low cost automobiles. Today, Ford is a household name and it is easy to spot a vehicle carrying that name and there’s a chance that you have owned one yourself at one point or the other.

Watch Football

It would be such a mistake (especially for football fans) to miss a Detroit Lions game. A trip to the downtown Detroit to visit the Ford Field would be a treat whether you are a football fan or not. Even if you are someone that doesn’t understand the game, the mere roar of the thousands of fans would get your juices started.

Casino

Going to Detroit but want a little feel of Vegas? Then dropping by the MGM Grand Casino would be a great idea. At the MGM Grand Detroit, you not only have the chance to win money, but you also could choose to be pampered at their classy spa, dine in one of their world-class restaurants, or simply relax in your room and enjoy room service.

Going to the Zoo

As a child, a lot of us have wanted to go to the Zoo at one point or another. Most kids are amazed and curious about the animals they always see on TV. Seeing a gorilla eat could be one of the most fascinating things a kid would ever experience. If you have kids or simply love animals, the Detroit Zoo has an array of wildlife and there are always a lot of events that are held there. Elephants, monkeys, tigers, lions, you name it.

Detroit Opera House

If you feel like you want to go to cultured events then the Detroit Opera House has a lot to offer. You are almost sure to catch a Michigan Opera Theater production there. It was designed by the same guy that designed the Fillmore Detroit and the Fox Theater. Imagine having a place in one of its 2,700 seats and enjoying the production of your choice.

Whatever it is you are into, Detroit really has a lot to offer you. Whether you choose to go with friends, family, or by yourself, you are bound to find something that would fit the occasion or your intention.



ZANE

Jared Pomranky asked:


After many urban centers in the United States fell into decline for the last five decades, a new revitalization movement has successfully swept the nation. From the West Coast to the East Coast, urban areas are seeing a rebirth, economically and culturally. America’s re-focus on the local economy, as well as independent businesses, has led to the growth in appeal of urban centers.

In addition, the lure of city centers continues to grow stronger with large segments of the population, including younger professionals, empty-nest couples, and individuals without children. The convenience of living downtown, with work and entertainment options, along with the excitement of enjoying the city, has prompted many urban deaths to be re-born.

With that said, the question remains: Will Detroit real estate enjoy the rebirth of urban renaissance?

San Diego: From slums to luxury

From the 1950s to the mid-1980s, Downtown San Diego experienced significant decline. Not only did residents leave, but they were followed by the retail, entertainment, and restaurant establishments that opted to conduct business elsewhere. With the fleeing of both residents and businesses, Downtown turned into an essentially abandoned area, filled with vagrants, drugs, and crime.

Due to city initiatives, Downtown San Diego has experienced a significant revitalization, now becoming one of the most valued property locations in the county. With the opening of the prestigious San Diego Convention Center, San Diego Padres’ Petco Park, along with the tremendous growth in popularity of the luxurious Gaslamp District, thousands of residential condos were developed to meet the demand. In fact, when the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego offered suites for sale, they sold out in the very first day.

Today, Downtown San Diego, especially in the Gaslamp District, hold very high rent values, as restaurants, retail stores, and entertainment venues vie to open their doors in the highly popular area. The revitalization of Downtown San Diego has been incredibly successful, turning the abandoned area into a luxurious destination filled with waterfront properties, popular live-work buildings, and five-star hotels.

Revitalization of city centers around the country

San Diego is by far not the only example of a highly successful downtown revitalization. From Los Angeles to New York, and Philadelphia and Baltimore in between, many downtowns – and their savvy investors – have enjoyed the benefits of a city rebirth.

There are several elements that are impacting the revitalization of our nation’s downtowns:

• Rising cost of transportation: The continuously rising oil prices, along with the consumer’s greater awareness of eco-friendly choices, have prompted both people and businesses to choose downtown areas. The ability to walk or bike to work and entertainment destinations is quite attractive.

• Changing demographics: The growth of the population, as well as professionals’ desire to reduce commute times, has the areas surrounding centers to undergo gentrification. Understandably, this shifts the demographics of the region, and the once-shunned downtown becomes more attractive for living, especially because of the lower values in comparison to the already gentrified areas.

• Diversified industries: One of the reasons many downtowns fell from grace stems from the struggle of the region’s main industry. However, with the diversification of industries, city centers are enjoying a rebirth. Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore are all great examples of a former failing industrial region converted into a diversified economy – and a subsequently reborn urban center.

The future of Detroit’s real estate revitalization

The successful revitalization around the nation – from abandoned industrial slums into luxurious renaissance city centers – bodes well for the future of downtown Detroit. With its deep history, ranging from Motor City to Motown and the Red Wings, the cultural lure of Detroit is undeniable.

Detroit shares many of the same pre-requites for successful revitalization. “Motor City” is indeed growing more diversified, including industries in human resources, finance, and the health sciences. Although the McMansions will always be prevalent at 30 Mile Road, the younger generation of professionals – who care about the environment and enjoying cultural entertainment – will be apt to move downtown.

The signs of revitalization are already clear in Detroit, including the popularity of the RiverWalk development, which connects the Joe Louis Arena to Gabriel Richard Park. The brownfield redevelopments throughout Detroit have also been met with success, such as the FD Lofts in Eastern Market, which homes many creative businesses as a mixed-use building.

For the savvy investor who is willing to overcome certain hurdles, the opportunities are lucrative in downtown Detroit investment properties. Although Detroit MI real estate is still on the cusp between death and rebirth, the probability is high that the future of Detroit is akin to its other successfully revitalized urban counterparts. Thus, the investor who sees the future of Detroit real estate can purchase great properties at incredibly discounted pricing – building in significant profit for the subsequent full revitalization boom.

As a Detroit real estate investor, you enjoy the foresight of the revitalization success seen in other urban areas. By seeing the future of Detroit’s rebirth, you can build your long-term portfolio of profitable equity from the demand that flows in from those seeking a culturally rich and convenient lifestyle downtown.



MAY

Anthony Reyes asked:


American Idol is perhaps the biggest singing competition in America these days, and it’s really not hard to see why. Broadcasted over Fox Network in the United States, it is aired internationally in more than 100 countries outside the United States such as; Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and India. And with viewer ratings ranging from 9.9 million viewers during the first season up to 37.7 million in the sixth season, this singing competition, which has also been dubbed as a reality show, is undoubtedly one of the most phenomenal programs to be broadcast on television.

In fact, American Idol has come to be regarded by many as an authoritative television executive, a force to be reckoned with, such that even rival television networks have come to rearrange their program schedules around American Idol in order to diminish their losses. Fox has even accordingly used American Idol to publicize and promote its other programs during its airing. Needless to say, American Idol is a major advertising hotspot for some of the biggest companies and products in the United States.

American Idol was created by British show business mogul, Simon Fuller, in 2002 and the main thrust of the show is to search for the best singer in the United States through a succession of singing contests. Contestants are filtered from literally hundreds of aspiring American Idol hopefuls across the United States. During the initial auditions, contestants are screened and chosen by four judges; recording producer Randy Jackson, Grammy award-winning pop songstress, Emmy award-winning choreographer and dancer Paula Abdul, music manager and mogul Simon Cowell. Recently added, was the multi-Grammy nominated songstress and composer Kara DioGuardi.

Judges decide the top 24 contestants who then face off in a series of weekly competitions, each with different themes. Examples of themes that have been used include disco, big band, Motown, Billboard hits, and even featured singing artists like Dolly Parton, Elton John, Billy Joel, The Beatles, Queen, Barry Manilow, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, The BeeGees, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Rod Stewart, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Neil Sadaka. It is during this later stage of the show when the public vote is used to decide the top 12, eventually narrowing it down to the top 2 by voting a contestant out every week.

American Idol is hosted by Ryan Seacrest who used to host game shows for children. In the first season, he co-hosted the show with funnyman Brian Dunkleman.

First aired with little fanfare as a summer stand-in television show in 2002, American Idol has since developed and grown an immense fan base all through to its eighth season this year. Needless to say, the show has produced award-winning and popular singing artists, starting off with the winners of the first seven seasons, namely Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia Barrino, Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, Carrie Underwood, and David Cook. Noteworthy are also the runners-up of the first seven seasons, who are Justin Guarini, Blake Lewis, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo, Katharine McPhee, Bo Bice, and David Archuleta.

 



SUE

John Smith asked:


Love is such an important thing to all of us. No matter how much some of us might pretend that, either we don’t have a need or the time for love, or that we’re happily single, it’s probably safe to say that deep down we all crave a little bit of love and affection; after all, there’s nothing quite like having someone close, especially during those long and cold winter nights.

However, the next few months are ideal moments for anyone on the lookout for love. In addition to Christmas - where all those Christmas parties present plenty of chances for social networking opportunities of an altogether more traditional kind - the next couple of months will see the arrival of Valentine’s Day; which, in itself, is a fantastic opportunity to both give and receive outstanding Valentines Gifts.

For anyone in the early stages of romance, one of the most touching Valentine’s Day Gifts possible could be to follow the legendary Stevie Wonder’s advice, and make that call to say “I love you”. Released in 1984 under the Motown label, I Just Called to Say I Love You is one of Stevie Wonder’s most successful singles - in the UK alone, the song made it to number one for a total of six weeks - and has probably been the soundtrack to a fair few Valentine’s Day Gifts and romantic celebrations. Stevie Wonder’s many other hits include Superstition, A Place in the Sun, Ebony and Ivory and Ribbon in the Sky.

However, should you be the type of individual who doesn’t enjoy making those types of calls, what are the best types of Valentine’s Day Gifts for showing how you really feel? One possible choice could be the I Love You Magic Message Egg. One of the best Valentine’s Day Gifts for saying those few magic words, the I Love You Magic Egg is one of those cracking gifts that really have to be seen to be believed. All the recipient of your choice has to do to reveal their special Valentine’s Day Gifts message is crack open, water and enjoy; just make sure they water the I Love You Message Egg each and every single day.

Alternatively, why not opt for Valentines Gifts that give a loud and clear message with instant results? The Personalised Love Mug is of the best Valentine’s Day Gifts for showing someone how much they are loved. Made to be 100 per cent dishwasher safe, the Personalised Love Mug is exclusively designed to feature the name of a person of your choice.

Or, alternatively, you could opt for a Giant Inflatable Heart. While admittedly not the most conventional of Valentine’s Day Gifts, a Giant Inflatable Heart is a great way to romantic notions off your chest; it’s honest, original and straight to the point. It might not be all that subtle, but when you’re thinking of Valentine’s Day Gifts that get the right message across, subtlety should be the last thing on your mind.

Interestingly, the history of the heart as a symbol of different elements of the human spirit is a long one. In addition to representing the feelings and sentiments that lay behind Valentines Gifts, hearts can also represent a number of human traits, including spirituality, emotion and intelligence.

And while many Valentine’s Day Gifts, in addition to other items, might well be adorned with the iconic heart shape, the much-celebrated image is actually quite dissimilar in appearance to a real human heart. Although the reasoning behind the design is not clear, it has been suggested that the iconic heart shape is actually representative of a cow’s heart; the likeness is still not clear, but the image is less dissimilar to a human heart. There have also been other suggestions, including the idea that the heart design can also resemble features of the female body, or that it originates from coins from the ancient city of Cyrene, a Greek colony in what is now Libya.



JEANNINE

Sayid Aksa asked:


One genre that appeals to most everyone is pop music owing to its light and catchy qualities. Pop music is so aptly called because it is a categorization that is largely based on the popularity of a song. There is no clear and distinct parameters to classify a song as pop music. For the most part, its popularity should translate to records sold and radio air times.

Pop music is a combination of various styles influenced by the evolving music forms. The development of pop music is one that is progressive, rolling over from generation to generation to snowball into its current form. As this is so, pop music has taken so many forms through each decade to reflect the musical preference of a particular generation.

Rich Vocals

During the 50s, popular tunes were those that were vocally rich with a string accompaniment and a vocal chorus back up. Country music and American folk music were great hits along with variations of standard formats. Great American songbook classics, crooners and big band singers adopted other musical techniques to give their music a modern twist. The listening public lapped these enhancements up and caused songs like Mack the Knife and Singing the Blues to top the charts. In contrast to these classics, rock and roll likewise rocked the American music industry with fast and infectious beats of Rock Around the Clock, Heartbreak Hotel, and Tutti Fruitti. These tunes not only rocked the airwaves, they also rocked the dance floors.

All in the Band

The next decade brought in what is called as the novelty song characterized by humorous lyric combined with melodies that are simple yet catchy (i.e. Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, California Girls, and Good Vibrations). Worthy of note is the fact that the vocal harmonies and lyrics of these songs revolved around Californias surf, girls and cars. Thus the label Surf pop. Other popular music during the sixties were youth-oriented band music in up-tempo beat, I Want to Hold Your Hand,Cant Buy Me Love, Downtown, and To Sir With Love.” African American music likewise joined the popular music scene with its doo-wop style that gives prominence to melodic sounds and vocal harmonies. Rhythm and blues as well as Motown soul music were also chart-toppers during this period.

Cacophony of Sounds

From the 1970s to the present, pop music is as diverse as they come. A slowdown in musical tempo was seen in the early seventies when folk-based artists took center stage. Popular during these times were songs written by the singers themselves. Tempos picked up again towards in the second half of the decade when disco-dancing became a favorite pastime among the youth. Dance tunes Play That Funky Music, Staying Alive, and YMCA dominated the airwaves and the disco scene.

The 1980s and 1990s music scene was composed of music soundtracks, international hits, rock and roll, and pop icon duets. Another music development in this decade is the advent of charity records where artists put their talents together to raise funds for a cause. Particularly characteristic of the last two decades are the prevalence of songs by female artists like Mariah Carrey, Celine Dion, and pop icon Madonna. The new millennium kept with soulful ballads, hip hop pieces and dance tracks. Movie soundtracks remained chart-toppers.

Pop music is a genre that will always be around. People will always listen to music and music labels and radio stations will continue to track what songs people are listening to. For as long as people are playing and listening to music, there will always be a chart-topper.



QUINTON

Michael Bell asked:


Growing up in the City of Detroit during the early sixties was a memorable era for music. It was a period of time whereby the unique sounding records of Motown were being played and heard throughout the streets, nightclubs, house parties and radio stations everywhere. It was common to have the soulful R and B records playing on the jukeboxes while folks were dancing in the streets or singing in the barber shops and beauty parlors to the love songs that eventually captivated the hearts of millions of people throughout the world. Music cds and rap music were not heard of during that period, it was all about the vinyl records and rhythm and blues soul.

The songs that were written by Motown songwriters during the 60’s & 70’s had so much meaning. They were songs that spoke about true love, current events and the heartache and pains of life experiences. Oh yes, Motown had it going on! Their music became universal music. Many of the soulful tunes crossed over into other markets such as pop, jazz, blues, etc… But just like George Benson said in one of his recordings “Everything Must Change”, and sure enough, he was right about the music.

After giving so many years service and great music to the City of Detroit, Motown moved out and Rap/Hip Hop moved in. Instead of hearing someone singing My Baby Loves Me or My Girl, you began to hear new sounding lyrics of street experience expressed in rhythms with the mouth, chest, hands and feet as such had never been heard before.

This new sound called Rap evolved in the early 80’s and took off as a sky rocket in the late 90’s and New Millennium as Hip Hop/Rap. Even today Rap/Hip Hop music is still a multi billion dollar genre. Millions of cds, videos and dvd’s are sold each year in the Hip Hop genre of music. And there is no sign that Hip Hop will be slowing down or taking a back seat to anyone anytime soon.

So what happened to the Motown sound…. did it die out? No! The Motown sound will never die out. It will always play a significant part in the hearts of millions who embraced it’s sound back in the early 60’s, and continued to pass that sound on to their children throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.

Sometimes you just have to move over and let the new kids on the block have a turn in expressing their musical talents, songs and ideas. That’s what Motown did…moved over-not out. And now the Hip Hop artists are not the new kids on the block anymore, for they have taken their position to express themselves musically, just like the rhythm and blues artists took their position to express themselves in the Motown era.

That’s how we’ve gone from Motown to Hip Hop!

Sincerely,

Michael Bell

©2006 Michael Bell

http://www.buymusicfromus.com



ALFREDA

Eric de Fontenay asked:


ANN ARBOR, MI - As the Great Lakes Songwriting Contest celebrates its fifth year of operations, the entry fee has been lowered and the Grand Prize increased.

http://www.GreatLakesSongs.com

This year, the Grand Prize will be $2,000 cash, plus tuition, room and board at a music retreat, plus a chance to headline the Winners’ Concert in February 2009. And entrants can choose to enter by mail or on-line, thanks to a partnership with indie music promoter Sonic Bids.

The contest is open to songwriters of all ages and all musical styles in the eight states and one Canadian province that border the Great Lakes: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and the Province of Ontario, Canada. Songwriters give up no rights to their songs as a condition of entering or winning. Eleven winning songs will be chosen in 2008. Entries must be postmarked on or before Friday, April 25, 2008.

“A lot of great music has come out of our part of the world, from Motown to Prairie Home Companion to Chicago Blues and Broadway,” says contest spokesman Bill Frank. “It’s produced big names like Bob Dylan, Prince, Madonna, the Barenaked Ladies, and Jars of Clay, just to name a few. But some of the best music is written by the locally known, little-known, and unknown songwriters, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

Past winners have included an organic farmer from rural Michigan, a retired Marine Corps captain from Minneapolis, a Chicago novelist, a former child actress, and numerous high-school and college students. Winning songs have ranged from hard-rock instrumentals to jazz, country, folk, R&B, Christian, and various hybrids. For the past several years, the top winners have performed at sold-out crowds at the Winners’ Concert series at the Trinity House Theatre in Livonia, MI.

Past judges have included Andrea Stolpe, hit songwriter, author, and instructor for the Berklee College of Music’s on-line songwriting program; Freebo, the singer-songwriter and long-time bass player for Bonnie Raitt; Chicago’s Rich Warren, host of the syndicated radio show “The Midnight Special;” Nadir, the MTV host, author and prizewinning songwriter; and Toronto’s Jodi Krangle, proprietress of “The Muse’s Muse” songwriters’ website and electronic newsletter. The 2008 judges will be announced when the winners are announced, in October 2008.

Contest entrants are not forced to pick a particular category for their songs. Each song is judged on its own merits, not by how well it conforms to the conventions of a certain genre of music. Rules, entry forms, and information on last year’s winners and judges can be found on the contest website, http://www.GreatLakesSongs.com

The contest is sponsored by Songbridge, the song marketing company based in Ontario, Canada, which provides a weekly pitch sheet to its songwriting members and a free e-newsletter with tips and insights on marketing; Elderly Instruments of Lansing (MI), one of America’s largest mail order suppliers of vintage and new stringed instruments; Lamb’s Retreat for Songwriters of Royal Oak (MI), which holds songwriting weekends in Northern Michigan; and the CD Seller of Minneapolis, an online company that has created a CD selling tool for independent performers. The contest is organized by The Michigan Songwriters, the Ann Arbor-based cooperative that previously sponsored the Metro Detroit and Michigan Songwriting Contests. The contest has drawn about 500 entries each year since its founding in 2003.



LENARD

Bob Acton asked:


The New York Yankees look like they flew to Detroit on a broom rather then a jet and they may leave the wooden sweeper when they depart the motor city just before midnight tonight.

The pinstripers have sent an emphatic message to the upstart bengals, that they are the bullies of the American East. I have been propping the Tigers pitching but both the starters and relievers have been awful this week, being outscored 21-7.

While we are blasting the pitchers, the offense must have the finger pointed at them as seven runs in three games against the anemic Yankee pitching is embarrassing.

The Tigers hit five consecutive grounders to Miguel Cairo in the first and second innings to give him five assists and a putout on Detroit’s first six batters.

Detroit’s Nate Robertson (5-3) allowed six runs and 10 hits, walking two and striking out seven in 8 2-3 innings.

Certainly have to question Angel’s general manager Bill Stoneman’s decision to award pitcher Kelvim Escobar a whopping $28 million for three years. The guy is only three games over .500 (77-74) and is 19-19 in his career with the Angels.

Escobar gets a $1.5 million signing bonus, $8.5 million in 2007, $9 million in 2008 and $9.5 million in 2009.

The pitcher signed a three-year, $18.75 million contract with the Angels on Nov. 24, 2003, after pitching five full seasons and parts of two others with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was 11-12 with a 3.93 ERA in 33 starts in 2004 and 3-2 with a 3.02 ERA in seven starts and nine relief appearances last season.

I mean the entire 25 man roster of Florida is getting $14 million and that includes all star Dontrelle Willis, while Escobar is grabbing $9 million. Go figure?

Three major components of their team’s ultimate success were reported suffering from injuries on Wednesday. Jake Peavey the stud of the Padres starting staff, Vernon Wells the star center fielder of the Jays and Jim Edmonds the leader of the Cardinals outfielder.

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting



CLAUDIA

Phoenix Delray asked:


Memphis soul music is a subset of the genre of soul music. Soul music emerged in the late 1950s in African American neighborhoods in Chicago, Memphis, Detroit and Philadelphia. It began when artists like Sam Cooke and Ray Charles started to merge traditional gospel with R&B music. Each one of the cities that was influenced by soul music developed its own distinct sounds and Memphis soul music relied most heavily on gospel for its stylistic inspiration.

Until this point, music in Memphis was almost exclusively performed and enjoyed on the famous Beale Street. The sound of Memphis soul music traveled to a small area of residential streets a little south of downtown; this area was known as Soulsville, USA. This is the neighborhood that is credited for birthing Memphis soul music. Stax Records was the label that was at the heart of the Memphis soul music scene. The label was founded in 1957 and was originally known as Satellite Records. Stax Records was co owned by Jim Stewart and his sister Estelle Axton. The sound of Stax Records was developed by a group of house musicians and writers including Steve Cropper, Issac Hayes and David Porter. This sound is most widely known for its characteristic thin, two horn brass sound.

Stax Records and the Memphis soul music were always in competition with whatever Motown Records was releasing. The Memphis soul music sound always had a much more syncopated tune to it giving it a funkier quality that the polished songs coming from Motown just simply did not have. Stax Records was responsible for producing songs with every singer, songwriter and musician in the Memphis area, but the soul music in Memphis extended beyond that. Performers like Aretha Franklin, Maurice White from Earth, Wind and Fire, and Al Green also recorded songs in the nearby Royal Studio for Hi Records.

The one thing that all of the record labels, studios and musicians had in common was WDIA. WDIA was the first radio station in America to be run entirely by African Americans. Nat D. Williams was the disc jockey that led the local radio station. Williams was a high school teacher and nationally syndicated columnist. Williams worked with another jockey named Rufus Thomas to bring street to the station and the nations airwaves. Memphis soul music has a long history in the old neighborhood and soul singers today cite it as an influence and something that revolutionized the way people listen to music.



BONITA

Mark Kirby asked:


Whether you call it praise music or New Jack gospel, this genre is most often a classic case of “preaching to the choir,” with song lyrics lifted artlessly from the King James bible and histrionic music calculated to “reach out and touch somebody’s hand.” Dear god. Luckily, Charles Laster II and Silvia Pratesi don’t make this mistake on their new record Journey of Life. Their songs reference salvation, heaven, and living the Christian life but, like secular soul music, have an uplifting universality. Those of us who aren’t Christian - agnostics, Muslims, those whose spirituality can’t be pigeonholed - can still understand the positive spirituality that is the wellspring of Laster and Pratesi’s music, and still get our groove on. Laster, who composed the excellent lyrics, and Pratesi, who created most of the music with a seamless combination of live musicians and samples, remind us how gospel and rhythm and blues gave birth to soul music in the early sixties and how a new kind of soul is still possible.

It is also possible to have, in this era of the run-on CD (dude, you really don’t have to fill up every second of a 74-minute CD-R) and the random iPod mix, a record that has a theme and takes the listener on a ride. “Journey of Life” does just that in a way that reminds one of Stevie Wonder’s work in the early ’70s, and with a melting pot of influences that are forged into a personal style, at once familiar and quite different.

The first cuts have a rock and dance music flavor, but are rooted on old soul music. The title cut starts with sampled strings, and a drum beat by David Heddon that is all about Motown and Philly soul. The vocal melody has a perfect simplicity in tune with the song’s message, sung over expansive keyboard chords: “Life is a journey filled with so many things / It can bring some pain it will be some rain / don’t be afraid to explore it… just imagine far past everyday comprehension / …have a little faith.” This song is an overture for the entire record, and is comprised of snippets of the different styles Laster and Pratesi draw from. This song is a journey in itself: the vocals soar with smooth complexity one minute, then break down to a gospel stomp, with funky percussion and a nasty drum line the next. Fuzz guitars by Brett Farkas and wailing synths from Laster enter strongly then glide down into a quiet ballad-ish section, followed by a smooth chorus. The following song “I Believe” comes on with hard-hitting rock funk, featuring a fat bass line, scratchy wah-wah guitar and blaring brass. It then goes into a jazz influenced section with muscular vocals by Laster and, throwing in another left field element, a verse of speed rap. The song ends with a coda of B.B. King-style blues guitar.

This album is based on the idea of change and spiritual growth and revelation. From the opening song, the journey goes through faith (”I Believe”) to questioning (”In My Mind”) then the moment of revelation (”Wrong To Right”). Stylistically the music reflects the emotions of the songs, going from intense and strident rock to pensive Latin-tinged ballad to a sparse Neptunes-style electro pop groove.

This flow leads to the show stopping apex of the album “Eternal Dancing.” This song describes the party that awaits in the promised land of Christian heaven where there will be dancing and joyous experience. This is sure more appealing than the vague heaven told of by dour TV preachers, where “you will sit at the table by the left hand of god” while angels play celestial trumpets, blah, blah, boooring. Now dancing in a land of eternal love with others, especially women, and celebrating oneness on the dance floor? That’s a heaven you can feel: “This life is filled with history / living in rhapsody / there are even mysteries / I know that you agree / One day we’ll have this dance / and it will never end / we’ll step from side to side everybody will be vibing / life in paradise / I can’t wait it will be nice… When we walk through heaven’s doors… and see the faces of those we love / dance to the eternal groove…”

Adding to the music and enjoyment thereof is Laster’s complete lack of braggadocio, insincerity, and underlying cynicism that plagues pop music and the evangelical movement in equal nasty chunks. His positivity, mad skills and music, music that is not dumbed down to appeal to and manipulate the “masses,” are a thousand times more effective in spreading and celebrating the gospel than some fire and brimstone huckster ranting on TV. Journey to Life is a modern evocation of the spirit expressed in the bible passage Psalm 95:1 that states “O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”

http://www.sonicbids.com/CharlesLasterII



BERNADETTE