Be the first to comment Today marks the anniversary of the untimely death of a legend of reggae music. Check the clues below and see if you can guess this star’s identity (Answer and video, below).
Born in Jamaica in 1944, this musician was a well known champion the Rastafari movement.
HINT: One of this performer’s earliest hits was the 1964 song “Simmer Down,” recorded with the Wailers.
Can you name this reggae legend?
ANSWER: Continue reading »
The legendary Motown group, The Temptations, have been tapped to sing the National Anthem at tomorrow night’s national college basketball championship game held at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, according to an Associated Press story.
The Grammy-winning group, which recorded such hits as “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” “My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” will feature original member Otis Williams, according to the report. NCAA Senior Vice President Greg Shaheen told The Detroit News it’s “a special treat … for everyone who traveled to Detroit for this year’s NCAA championship game.”
The Detroit-born Motown record label is marking its 50th anniversary this year.
coffeeWednesday was Motown Night on American Idol. The 10 remaining contestants sang Motown classics to the usual panel of judges and very special guest Smokey Robinson (whoo!).
These kids should’ve been much more nervous about performing their sober karaoke in front of a legend like Robinson, but they probably didn’t really know who he was.
The judges should’ve been embarrassed, too-especially when Kara DioGuardi unleashed a truly awesome quote after eyeliner-junky Adam Lambert’s rendition of Smokey’s “Tracks of My Tears.”
Kara: “I got six words for you: One of the best performances of the night.” (Um, eight words, really.)
Thank you, Kara. You almost make Paula look normal (although Simon did draw a crayon moustache on Paula during last night’s show, so, she looked crazy anyway).
In case you missed the show, here’s a quick rundown, so you’ll know what to expect during the elimination ceremony tonight. You might want to turn the sound off on the tv and go check out some REAL Motown hits instead.
American Idol Playist: Motown Night
Michael Sarver-Ain’t Too Proud to Beg. After his stiff performance of this Temptations classic, this oil-rig worker better beg for votes (sorry).
Anoop Desai-Ooh, Baby Baby. The other day at Barnes & Noble, we randomly picked up a book in the art section that featured a ton of silly photos of Anoop making funny faces as a kid (apparently he was a child model?). The song? Um, we forgot this performance already, so it must’ve been boring.
Allison Iraheta-Papa Was a Rolling Stone. She tried to put a bluesy spin on this one, but, at 16, she’s just too young to pull off this sound.
Adam Lambert-Tracks of My Tears. The resident “rocker” was dressed and combed almost exactly like Zac Efron (Hairspray, High School Musical). People give him too much credit for his “originality” –remember how he totally plagiarized his “Ring of Fire” performance? Yeah. But, he was probably still the best of the night-or at least the most interesting. Continue reading »
Adam Lambert positively wowed the audience with his soft and penetrating rendition of Smokey Robinson’s “The Tracks of My Tears” last night on American Idol.
Robinson, this week’s celebrity mentor during a tribute to Motown, rose to his feet, as did the rest of the audience, giving Lambert a standing ovation after he performed.
Lambert also presented a change of style from his typical rocker look, wearing a silk suit and sporting a pompadour hairstyle.
Judge Simon Cowell said Lambert delivered the night’s best performance and became a star in his eyes. Fellow judge Kara Dioguardi agreed, saying Lambert showed “true artistry.”
The judges leveled there most severe criticism on Michael Sarver, the oil ring worker from Texas and Megan Corkery, the single mom with the distinctive vocal style. One of the ten remaining contestants will be sent packing on tonight’s American Idol results show on Fox.
News of Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton’s death is still making waves among rock fans around the world, but music fans are in for more bad news today as belated reports are surfacing regarding the death of a Motown legend.
Robert Ward passed away December 25 at age 70, according to a report posted earlier today by Billboard. While the name may not immediately ring a bell, the music this guitarist helped create will be remembered for years to come.
A founding member of the Ohio Players, Ward was behind well-known songs such as “Fire” and “Love Rollercoaster,” the latter a funk hit that found renewed success thanks to a popular version recorded by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Ward’s colorful, vibrato-drenched guitar tone was an instantly recognizable part of most of the songs he played on. Continue reading »
Latonya adamsCadillac Records hits movie theaters nationwide today, and while we haven’t had a chance to see the movie yet, we know the Cadillac Records soundtrack download should be great! Or, at least, it could’ve been great…
Set in the 1950s, the movie Cadillac Records tells the story Leonard Chess, founder of the legendary Chess Records label that was home to artists such as Etta James, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry—just to name a few! With this many music legends all in one place, the music is sure to be out of this world.
Cadillac Records stars Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess and features Beyonce Knowles as Etta James, Mos Def as Chuck Berry, Cedric the Entertainer as blues legend Willie Dixon (see complete cast details here).
Unfortunately, the Cadillac Records movie soundtrack doesn’t feature the original versions of the songs by the real artists, it features the versions performed by the movie’s actors.
Ugh.
Beyonce is a fine singer, but we’d really rather hear the real Etta James sing “At Last”! Same goes for Mos Def’s attempt at singing Chuck Berry’s “No Particular Place to Go.”
We’re not really sure what Solange Knowles is doing on the Cadillac Records soundtrack downloads, but we’re pretty sure she’s only there because Beyonce produced the movie. Must be nice to have a celeb sister! Maybe Jessica Simpson will produce a movie for Ashlee,haha, oh wait, Jess’s movie career hasn’t exactly been golden (who actually watched Employee of the Month? Yeah, that’s what we thought…).
Do you like it when actors/musicians portray musicians in films? Or is it better to use recording of the real musicians instead of the actors?
We don’t want to judge this movie too much until we’ve actually seen it, but we have a feeling it would’ve been better if the actors didn’t sing. We’ll let you know what we think after we watch it!
To get you warmed up for the Cadillac Records, here’s a preview of some of the musicians portrayed in the movie—enjoy!
Free Cadillac Records Soundtrack downloads
Free Etta James downloads
Free Beyonce downloads
Free Chuck Berry downloads
Free Mos Def Downloads
Tracklisting for Cadillac Records movie soundtrack:
Disc One:
1. “I’m a Man” - Jeffrey Wright
2. “At Last” - Beyonce
3. “No Particular Place to Go” - Mos Def
4. “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man” - Jeffrey Wright
5. “Once in a Lifetime” - Beyonce 6. “Let’s Take a Walk” - Raphael Saadiq
7. “6 O’Clock Blues” - Solange
8. “Nadine” - Mos Def
9. “The Sound” - Mary Mary
10. “Last Night” - Little Walter
11. “I’d Rather Go Blind” - Beyonce
12. “My Babe” - Columbus Short
13. “Bridging the Gap” - Nas featuring Olu Dara
Disc Two:
1. “Maybellene” - Mos Def
2. “Forty Days and Forty Nights” - Buddy Guy
3. “Trust in Me” - Beyonce
4. “Juke” - Kim Wilson
5. “Smokestack Lightnin’” - Eamonn Walker
6. “Promised Land” - Mos Def
7. “All I Could Do Was Cry” - Beyonce
8. “My Babe” - Elvis Presley
9. “I Can’t Be Satisfied” - Jeffrey Wright
10. “Come On” - Mos Def
11. “Country Blues” - Jeffrey Wright
12. “Evolution of a Man” - Q-Tip and Al Kapone
13. “Radio Station” - Terence Blanchard
Have you seen Cadillac Records? Is it worth checking out?
We want YOUR Cadillac Records movie reviews!
PLEASE leave a comment and tell us if you liked it or not!
