Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack

I have been pretty bad about this whole blogging thing. Can't say I am busy, more like I am not around a computer as much as I used to be. I figure, since this is technically still a soul music blog, we will go back to exactly that. I felt obligated to post some Mark Morrison after I heard him on the radio the other day.

Morrison is most famous for his hit single "Return of the Mack." It is the story of a man who lied and cheated, but he comes back to set things right. But who am I to tell you the story when Morrison can do it all on his own.

Also, for all my fellow Ducks, check out "Return of the Quack" - the title speaks for itself.

Listen Now: Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack
Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack Download
Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack Lyrics

Steve Miller Band - Jungle Love

"Jungle Love, it's driving me mad, it's making me crazy!"

I assure you that there are not many things that compare to the act of making jungle love. It is arguably the best kind of love that you can make . . . no ifs, ands or buts.

Like I said previously, we are trying to incorporate a little bit more than just soul music. No worries, I have plans to throw some James Brown on here in the next couple days, especially after seeing a sweet tribute to him on VH1 the other day. But for now, Steve Miller Band is going to take to the stage, because I have been obsessed with "Jungle Love" - both the song and the act of doing it.

You might have remembered when I mentioned them back with Johnny Guitar Watson. "Gangster of Love" was masterfully done by both Watson and Steve Miller Band, so it is only fitting to feature SMB again. 

Listen Now: Steve Miller Band - Jungle Love

Steve Miller Band - Jungle Love Download

Steve Miller Band - Jungle Love Lyrics

Usher - Confessions Part II

Can't give you Part 1 and then not give you part 2. So, just to let Usher finish the story, here is "Confessions Part II."

Listen Now: Usher - Confessions Part II
Usher - Confessions Part II Download
Usher - Confessions Part II Lyrics

Usher - Confessions

You did not think that I was going to mention Usher and the Confessions album and then not let you get a chance to hear it. Last week, I put up "You Got It Bad" from one of Usher's previous albums. Like I said then, it is hard not to include Confessions anytime you bring up Usher.

I will definitely get to "My Boo" and "Burn" later on, but for now I figure that it is only right to go with the title track to start things off, especially since it comes in two parts on this album.

Listen Now: Usher - Confessions
Usher - Confessions Download
Usher - Confessions Lyrics

Master Class - Love Quest

Since I have been taking this site in a number of different directions lately, I figure that this is a great time to breach the subject of instrumentals. My man Colin Jones over at Stills sent this over to me the other day. It is hard to classify Master Class under any genre, but that is the evolution that I am going for with Jingle Jams.

Since I opened my inbox this morning and found "Love Quest" sitting there, I have come across a couple of other gems from Master Class. The horn-heavy instrumentals are coupled with original drum kits, making for a unique sound. While I am sure that most of you are familiar with "Gain" - a widely sampled instrumental bit. Master Class goes beyond a few good songs. I for one will be digging a little bit deeper with the little bit of time I have left this morning. For now, enjoy the gem that Colin sent my way and do not forget to take a look at "Gain" as well.

Listen Now: Master Class - Love Quest
Master Class - Love Quest Download

Usher - You Got It Bad

I have a hard time believing that Usher will ever match what he did back in the early 2000s. I mean, it is pretty difficult to make a comparable follow-up to Confessions, which is one of the best contemporary R&B albums I have ever heard. As much as I love that album though, we are going to pull some stuff from the pre-confessions era. We are going to go back to 8701, which features some of my personal favorites. Included in that list is "You Remind Me."

We are going to save "You Remind Me" for another day though and instead are going to go with "You Got It Bad" because you really cannot go wrong with that. Like I said, I love Usher from the early 2000s and 8701 still gets some play time from me.

I actually thought Raymond vs. Raymond was a solid album and the biggest reason for it being so different than his previous work is simply because of the evolution of R&B. On the bright side, Usher is still doing it and doing it big at that. While I would love to hear him bring out another autotuneless R&B album, I doubt that it will happen.

Listen Now: Usher - You Got It Bad
Usher - You Got It Bad Download
Usher - You Got It Bad Lyrics

The Roots - Break You Off

The Roots are one of the few contemporary groups that still feature a whole company of instrumentalists. With a complete horns section backing up the original 5 members, they are as good as it gets live. In fact, I have seen them live two times and will be seeing them again for the third time at Outside Lands Music Festival in August.

They have a wide variety of music, including a collaborative album that they did with John Legend. On Wake Up, they remastered a number of classic songs, including hits from Curtis Mayfield and Bill Withers. Prior to that, they released Phrenology, Seed and Seed 2.0. All three of these albums are impressive in their own right. The rest of their work is also great, but those have got to be my favorites.

Today I have "Break You Off" for your listening pleasures. It is one of my all-time favorite Roots songs, up there with the likes of "The Seed 2.0" and "Rolling in the Heat." So here come The Roots, Enjoy!

Listen Now: The Roots - Break You Off
The Roots - Break You Off Download
The Roots - Break You Off Lyrics

Prince - Raspberry Beret

A lot of birthdays going on right now. We got a chance to celebrate the likes of Bob Dylan, but we skipped another legend yesterday. Prince turned 53, but somehow he is still on his "Welcome to America" tour. I was lucky enough to snag some tickets and see the icon perform alongside Sheila E. and some former Sly & The Family Stone members.

He put on a 3.5 hour performance that included about 8 encores. Of course he played "Purple Rain" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover" which are among my favorite Prince songs. He also did a sweet medley and eventually closed out the set with "Raspberry Beret" - today's feature.

Listen Now: Prince - Raspberry Beret
Prince - Raspberry Beret Download
Prince - Raspberry Beret Lyrics

John Legend - Sun Comes Up

Finding John Legend songs to post is easy. The hard part comes when you have got to decide which song to post. Luckily, I have friends who like to throw great Jingle Jams my way.

While I would have loved to go forth with one of Legend's more well known tracks, I figured we would dig deep today, not that I did much digging. I figure that most of you know the basic routine of "Save Room", "Ordinary People" and "Green Light" so maybe a little something you have not heard from him might excite you.



While John Legend has 4 albums to his name, including his most recent collaborative effort with The Roots, he does quite a bit of work behind the scenes and has an expansive collection of singles and covers. In fact, he has released a couple of live albums as well.



Today, we are going to get into one of his live collections, all of which are quite impressive. He recorded "Sun Comes Up" in 2003 with a small venue feel to it. I hope you enjoy it. Included in that performance was also his cover of Nina Simone - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood. While it cannot be compared to the original, it is epic to say the least.



Listen Now: John Legend - Sun Comes Up

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John Legend - Sun Comes Up Lyrics

Listen Now: John Legend - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (cover)

Bob Dylan - Lay Lady Lay

In honor of Bob Dylan having just turned 70, I thought it was only fitting to start posting more than just soul music. I know I have had glimpses of other genres here and there, but hopefully it will become a more regular thing. I have been meaning to add a little bit of variety anyways, so here it is.

While I am not a huge Rolling Stone fan (the magazine) anymore, they did have a pretty sweet tribute to Dylan for his 70th. They picked out his top 70 songs of all-time to compile a pretty interesting list. Atop of the list of course was "Like a Rolling Stone" and as you went down, you had the chance to come across the likes of "Hurricane" and "All Along the Watchtower." Finally, you get to Lenny Kravitz addition to the list with "Lay Lady Lay."

"Lay Lady Lay" is written in the style of the ballad and is really the furthest thing from what you see as classic Dylan. In any case, it is a great song, especially for the bedside stereo.

Listen Now: Bob Dylan - Lay Lady Lay
Bob Dylan - Lay Lady Lay Download
Bob Dylan - Lay Lady Lay Lyrics