John Legend - Out of Sight

I am sorry, but I have not stopped listening to John Legend all morning. This one is off of Once Again and came in the form of a bonus track. "Out of Sight" reminds me a lot of one of Legend's more exciting and racy tracks "P.D.A." I will not go on too long, so just sit back and enjoy some easy listening as you start your afternoon.



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Lenny Kravitz - Again

Sorry for not posting in a while, starting a new job and enjoying the Summer . . . you know how it goes. In any case, I am still here. So without further ado.

I figured that since I got you started with Maxwell, I would transition into some Lenny Kravitz. Even though he has got a rock/pop style, Kravitz still has some soul to his music. In fact, the guy incorporates all kinds of different genres into his music. His latest album Funk is a clear depiction that he has a wide variety of styles.

Certainly you know "American Woman" and I can definitely appreciate that song, but today we are going to feature something different from Lenny. "Again" definitely comes in second place for me, as far as Lenny Kravitz songs go at least. He is definitely one of the few soft rock artists that I can really appreciate.

Listen Now: Lenny Kravitz - Again

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Maxwell - This Woman's Work

Maxwell joins the likes of Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, D'Angelo & Raphael Saadiq in the beginnings of the neo-soul movement. Now, artists with a Motown influence are bursting onto the scene. Guys like Mayer Hawthorne made their presence felt in recent years.

Maxwell has a style that is all his own. You could draw comparisons to Lenny Kravitz, but that has much more to do with Maxwell's willingness to experiment with a variety of genres. On occasion, you might hear Maxwell do a rock cover only to switch over to a Jazzy tune on the next track.

Today, we actually feature a cover that Maxwell did. While he has got plenty of work to choose from, I could not pass up "This Woman's Work" as the first Maxwell post. There will definitely be plenty more from him on here. You can count on hearing "Get to Know Ya" in the near future.

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Mayer Hawthorne - Fantasy Girl

We were able to pay tribute to Raphael Saadiq and his new album last time around. However, in the same week, Mayer Hawthorne dropped a new LP as well. While none of it is his original work, Impressions is definitely an album worth taking a look at.

The album is headlined by the likes of "Mr. Blue Sky" by ELO and Chromeo's "Don't Turn the Lights On." both covers are exemplary and are a good depiction of what the 4 other tracks hold. Hawthorne keeps the songs much the same, but they definitely have a taste of his style.

One of my personal favorites, one that I had never heard before, is "Fantasy Girl." Written by a guy named Steven Salazar, I am almost positive that this song slipped through the cracks and never made it big. That is not to say that it is not a great song.

Listen Now: Mayer Hawthorne - Fantasy Girl
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Raphael Saadiq - Movin' Down the Line

Raphael Saadiq just released his new album: Stone Rollin'. While it does not quite compare to The Way I See It, it definitely has its fair share of great tracks. The album centers around the common theme of breakup and heartbreak songs, which are always a good time. With a jazzy/blues sound, he assumes the same style that was so popular with The Way I See It. While his first two albums were not done in this style, I assume he is going to keep it coming just like this.

Off the new album, there were a number of tracks that I would have loved to feature, but given that most of them are not exactly Jingle Jams, I had to go with one of the few that is. That is not to say that "Movin Down the Line" is not a great track, but it is not the best track on the album. I am a huge fan of "Go to Hell", "Heart Attack" and "Good Man." All these songs follow the common theme of the album, in case you cannot tell by their titles.

Listen Now: Raphael Saadiq - Movin' Down the Line
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Al Green - I'm Still in Love With You

I told you I would bring you another Al Green track. So let's skip the talkin' and get right to the jingling! Here is "I'm Still in Love With You." No download this time though, sorry.

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Al Green - Let's Stay Together

It has been a while since we had some Al Green up here. I mean, Al Green is a man amongst boys when it comes to baby makin' music. Smooth vocals and lyrics that will remove clothes all on their own, make him a great addition to any Jingle Jam playlist.

It is only right that after "Tired of Being Alone" we get down with "Let's Stay Together." I will not go on too long about Al, I would rather just let him do all the talking, so here we go. Since I know you will not be able to get enough, we are not going to stop here. In fact, we are going to keep it coming with another Al Green track next.

Listen Now: Al Green - Let's Stay Together
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Outkast - Pink & Blue

With yesterdays posts out of the way, we are going to steer in a slightly different direction. With Andre 3000 and Big Boi heading the charge for Speakerboxxx and Love Below, OutKast is one of the best hip-hop duos out there. To go with my last post, Andre 3000 was featured on John Legend's Evolver album on the track "Green Light."

OutKast started as a parody group, with humorous songs such as "Ms. Jackson", "Roses" and "Hey Ya." They continued on in that fashion, but also adopted a slightly more serious tone. However, in the end, they remained true to their funny and upbeat style.

Today we break the age barrier with "Pink & Blue." In other words, "you make me talk baby talk." This is the story of a young man pursuing an older woman . . . it does not get much better. I will leave you with my favorite lyric and let Andre and Big Boi do the rest:


"You could have been born a little later but I don't care
So what if your head sports a couple of grey hairs
Same here, and actually I think that's funky"

Listen Now: Outkast - Pink & Blue

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John Legend - Out of Sight

I got a little carried away with John Legend and did not stop listening to his lesser-known material. After hearing "Sun Comes Up" for the first time in a while, I felt that I had to go back to some of the hidden classics. "Out of Sight" has to be one of my favorite Legend tracks that nobody knows. It has a similar feel to one of his hit singles, "P.D.A" and pretty much the same message - I wanna do you anywhere and everywhere.

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John Legend - Sun Comes Up

Sadly, the work that I did yesterday managed to get deleted. from what it looks like, blogger was having some issue. In any case, I am just going to have to remember what I can from yesterdays write-up, but it is going to be a bit shorter.

I can always appreciate a request from a friend, so I was stoked when my man Sean Hodson sent this song my way the other day. As a huge John Legend fan, I was stoked to hear somebody mention a song other than "Green Light", "Ordinary People" and "Save Room."

John Legend has 4 extraordinary albums, including his latest collaborative effort with The Roots: Wake Up. Apart from a collection of amazing albums, he has also done a series of live recordings and covers that never fail to impress. "Sun Comes Up" is a track from one of these live performances and you can really feel the small venue vibe that it has.

Legend also has a number of other awesome live recordings, including a cover of Nina Simone - "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." While his version does not rival Simone's, it is a great rendition of the track.

Listen Now: John Legend - Sun Comes Up
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