When Solange released her sophomore album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams in 2008, it was a long time coming. Her first release as an adult, Hadley St. acted as a reintroduciton. Her debut album, 2002’s Solo Star, was released when she was just 16 years old – mere months before her famous sister took […]
Looking for Fame Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, Lady Gaga was once upon a time just a New York-based aspiring singer-songwriter who had landed a deal with Interscope after working on demos with producer Rob Fusari for a couple of years and a failed deal with Def Jam, from which […]
In 1997, Mariah Carey released her magnum opus, Butterfly, amidst marital and professional turmoil. She not only wanted out of her stifling marriage, but the constricting box she had been stuffed in musically, as well. With few fucks given, she dropped the “Honey” single and music video – igniting controversy about her […]
June 24, 2003 When Beyoncé released Dangerously In Love, her debut solo album, there was a lot on the table. The star lead vocalist of the biggest girl group in pop music, she had a lot of pressure to succeed. We won’t go into the album’s resume, because it’s long and […]
Janet Jackson’s music career officially took off in 1986, with the release of her redefining album, Control. A strong, assertive and commanding new Janet replaced the sugary sweet teen actress image she held prior to its release. With her versatile voice, both in sound and message, Janet commanded hard-hitting beats and […]
Mariah Carey is pop music’s most criminally underrated songwriter. While the publicity machines behind Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Alicia Keys made it a point to shove down our throats that they are singer-songwriters, that portrayal of Mariah Carey happened far too late. When she debuted, it was all about […]
In 1998 Aretha Franklin had far from anything to prove, but that didn’t stop her from proving a lot. After a seven-year gap, Aretha released one of her strongest and most cohesive albums to date: A Rose Is Still A Rose. The album pairs Aretha with contemporary powerhouses like Lauryn […]
Introduction Before I get started on “Ain’t No Way”, I want to address a few things (in case this crosses Miss Franklin’s eyes). The intention of this piece is not gossip. No malice is intended in these words. I’m simply working off information I’ve learned, and a theory I came up with as […]
Faith Hill’s “Where Are You Christmas?” To some, it’s ‘that song from the Jim Carrey remake of How The Grinch Stole Christmas’. To others, it’s a source of frustration. Each year the song rises onto the top 10 of at least one Billboard Holiday Chart. Why? In short, two words: […]
On November 11, 1997, the world was formally introduced to Destiny’s Child. With the release of their debut single “No, No, No” Parts 1 and 2, Destiny’s Child landed on the music scene and scored their first big hit. Thanks to its Part 2, a remix by Fugees frontman Wyclef […]
