SoundNexx

2006 BEST OF THE BEST!
It is hard for me to believe that
SoundNexx has been in been online for 1 year this month? Time flies when you are having fun exploring music. It's my never ending quest to find the best albums, singles and mix CDs in existance! Not an easy task to say the least, but it's definitely worth the effort. It's also been real cool meeting so many of the music novelists and connoisseurs alike that have provided me with great information & debate over these last 12 months. I have developed a lot of new friendships from my workings through SoundNexx, which was an added bonus. I appreciate all of the folks that have left comments, hit me on the email or just came through, kopped a mix and bounced! I hope you folks have enjoyed the great music that I have shared with you in 2006, but I am hoping 2007 will be even better? Updating SoundNexx is a hobby of mine that many folks have become attached too as well, so I will definitely try to keep it up and running as long as feasibly possible. Since, I don't get paid for running this site, it obvious that it won't be here forever, so let's enjoy it as long as we can.

I would like to thank everyone for your continued visits and support, and hopefully it has been as fun for you as it has been for me?

Alright ladies and gents, enough of the formalities. Let's get on to the subject at hand. My personal BEST OF THE BEST list for 2006! I have broke them down into two categories, which are SOUL PROJECTS and HIPHOP PROJECTS. I replaced the word "albums" because that word limits the lists in my opinion. Some great music appears on mixtape CDs and compilations as well, and they deserve to recognized too. So, with that being said, checkout my lists and see what you think. My lists are up for discussion, so I won't take your comments negatively. Feel free to rip these lists apart if you choose. There were a few projects that didn't make my lists that could have, but I had to fit them into some type of parameters, right?

BEST SOUL PROJECTS OF 2006

01- V - THE REVELATION IS NOW TELEVISED: Soul singer V is still unknown by many people, but his sleeper debut album was definitely one of my favorite releases this year. He has a nice mixture of soulful lyrics with hypnotic beats. This is one of the those rare albums that I can play without skipping through tracks.

02- DARIEN BROCKINGTON - SOMEBODY TO LOVE: D. Brock has become a household name for fans of Little Brother & The Justus League. He dropped his debut album in the Fall, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. There are only a few soul crooners that I really enjoy because the majority of them sound too teenie-bop/bubblegumish in my opinion. Darien makes soul music for the the adult crowd without sounding too old school. Plus, after meeting him and conversing awhile, I realized that he is a real down to earth brotha that is just trying to make good music. Great person and a great album!

03- VIKTER DUPLAIX - BOLD BEAUTIFUL: I have been a Viktor Duplaix fan for years now, but his latest release just took his career over the top in my opinion. Talk about some sensual soul music! This is one of the smoothest albums I have heard in a long time. If you are the type of person that enjoys setting the mood for romance, then you definitely need this album in your collection. Vik has got what you need.

04- JOHN LEGEND - ONCE AGAIN: This album was J. Legend's second release, but I actually like this joint better than his first one. The smooth vibe of this joint becomes more addictive, as you go from one track to the next. This album reminds me of the older John Legend live stuff he used to have available before he got his record deal. JL is a true talent, and he will still be around making great music while these other fly by night acts will be long forgotten. This is a classy album from a classy performer.

05- DJ SPINNA - INTERGALACTIC SOUL: Spinna is one of my all time favorite producers, and I pretty much like all of his stuff no matter what version of himself he glorifies. From house to soul to hip-hop, DJ Spinna dwells in all of them and very well I might add. DJ Spinna's diverse approach to music allows him to create great compilations like Intergalactic Soul. This project was about musically exploring all sides of the producer. Another sleeper project that many people overlooked, but definitely worth some serious attention.

06 - CHOKLATE - CHOKLATE: When I originally came across this album I didn't really know what to expect. I was definitely surprised about how much I liked the album. When I saw her in concert she blew me away with her vocal abilities. After talking with her for awhile, I realized that most of her music evolves from stories of her real life. This album has a nice mixture of soul and hip-hop that kept me interested from beginning to end.

07 - SERGIO MENDES - TIMELESS: Sergio is a music legend, but I was kind of skeptical about him working with Will.I.am initially. After listening to this album I realized that Sergio Mendes was in great hands. This jazzy compilation was a real treat because it featured some of my favorite artists like Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Black Thought, Stevie Wonder and Q-Tip. You gotta love that!

08 - EMMANUEL - D'ILLUSIONS OF GRANDUER: I actually got turned on to this album by a friend of mine over Berlin. Emmanuel a.k.a C Swing hails from London, but this album has a very soulful vibe. This is a nice compilation showcasing a lot of the talent over in the United Kingdom. Definitely a sleeper album that most people missed.

09 - ERIC ROBERSON - THE APPETIZER: Erro is always consistent with his album releases. He's still not a household name like he should be, but he gets much love from his deep fanbase. This is just another solid album, which shows that he definitely knows how to write quality music. The feel of his music seems richer because he uses live instrumentation instead of the electronic recreations that many others endulge in. I watched this kat perform live (a capella) with only a guitar and he ripped it!

10 - DONNELL JONES - LIFE OF A GEMINI: I can't really understand why the world keeps sleeping on D. Jones? He was definitely AWOL for a minute, but he came back hard with this album. His signature sound of mixing his vocals with dope hip-hop beats is still on point. Another great R&B album.

11 - LEMAR - TRUTH ABOUT LOVE: Lemar is a U.K. artist that is definitely representing that old school Sam Cooke, Al Green & Marvin Gaye vibe for real on this project. A powerful voice plus rich lyrics equals classic material in my book. He does have a few new school feeling joints on this album to keep you new schoolers happy as well.

12 - ALOE BLACC - SHINE THROUGH: Aloe Blacc is a true talent. I never expected an album like this from a rapper. Honestly, I was never a fan of Aloe's rap group Emanon. His solo project sounds nothing like the stuff he did with his group. His sound is eclectic, but yet very soulful. I couldn't deny that I really enjoyed this album.

13 - GEORGIA ANNE MULDROW - OLESI: FRAGMENTS OF AN EARTH: I discovered Georgia from her guest appearances on the Platinum Pied Piper album in 2005. She sounded pretty tame on that album compared to her solo project. The best way to describe this album is experimental soul. I liked this album because it was very unorthodox, so it's an interesting look into Georgia's clever mindstate. This isn't just an album, it's an adventure!

14 - ANTHONY DAVID - THE RED CLAY CHRONICLES: The track "Smoke One" was my joint, which made me check out this album in the first place. This album has a lot of harmony and soul. I think this album is even better than his first joint.

15 - SLEEPY BROWN - MR. BROWN: This album has been on the horizon for years and it proved that sleepy is more than justa back up vocalist, but he can hold down an album on his own. Sleepy's album is full of sexual innuendos, but it's musically catchy no doubt. He's not pushing the lyrical envelope with this album by any means, but I think that is what I like about it the most. It's just soul singing fun that will definitely keep your head bobbin'!

Wow, that was more challenging than I thought! Next up is my list of my top 20 Hip-Hop Projects.....