SoundNexx

SOUL TRACKS 2007 CHOICE AWARDS!

November 16, 2007 was a monumental day for independent soul music! Why? That was the date for the first ever live Soul Tracks Reader’s Choice Awards that just so happened to be hosted here in Detroit. This award show has been going on for some time via the internet, but this was the first time it was ever turned into an actual event. The awards are given to deserving independent soul artists that have been doing their thing on the underground scene. The event is a way for fans to show love for their favorite artists by voting for them. Thanks to key players like Soul Tracks, Mosaic Thump, Jodine’s Corner and Urban Organic this monumental event was made possible. I was lucky enough to attend this event and it was definitely a night worth remembering. Over my time as a blogger I have befriended several wonderful people via the internet, and it was definitely nice seeing some of my e-friends in the flesh finally! Outside of meet and greet sessions amongst friends, the event itself was very entertaining as well. The show was hosted by internet personality Jodine from Jodine’s Corner who kept the audience entertained with her interesting banter throughout the evening. They also had guest hosts as well come through to announce the different award categories throughout the night as well.

Everything came together nicely, but the highlight of the event would definitely have to be the live performances! Soul artists like Cloud 9, Eric Roberson, Rahsaan Patterson, Maysa, Phil Perry, Conya Doss, Maya Acuzena and Gordon Chambers performed live in between the award presentations. All of these artists did their thing, but Erro, Rahsaan and Phil literally ripped the stage during their performances. Talk about showmanship and working the audience these three gentlemen had it all! Once the event concluded it was time for photo opportunities and face time with some of the artists. You can’t beat that with a leather strap. To make this event even sweeter some of the artists were giving away free CDs as parting gifts. I was all over that like a skin rash! After I got my share of conversations, hugs (Conya Doss & Yahzarah), pictures and free music, I immediately exited the building to head over to the invitation only after party event! The night wasn’t over yet.

The after party was off the chain too! The Music Café just so happened to have a stage not too far from the seating area. Just after HoneySoul and her husband sat down at our table, Eric Roberson got on stage and started requesting folks to come on stage and sing. Then out of blue soul artists like Yolanda Johnson, Marcell, Frank McComb, Carmen Rodgers, Russell Taylor, Gordon Chambers and Purple St. James hit the stage for one of the best live jam sessions I’ve ever witnessed! Singer after singer hit the stage dropping a mixture of new and adlibbed verses. The crowd was definitely hyped! Some of these artists have never shared a stage before and to watch them vibe together was phenomenal! As the night went on other music artists began to show up like Amp Fiddler and some dude that was obviously an Andre 3000 impersonator of some sort. We thought Dwele might come through, but I think he was out of town? Then just when I thought I had seen it all, guess who walked up in the joint unannounced with a white mink fur trench coat on? Keith Washington was up in the piece! Where in thee hell has this old kneegrow been? He got up on stage and dropped gems for the crowd as well. Keith’s mustache was still just as thick as it was in 1995, but the brother can still hold his own though! At about 3 a.m., I called it a night because your boy was tired. When I exited the building, the jam session was still going on! I must say it was a great night that will go down my history books for real.

Events like that keeps me focused on this blogging thing. After meeting so many of the artists that I have written about, I got to truly understand how much they appreciate and need our support. If you haven’t guessed many of the independent artists are not even breaking even financially with the distribution and sales from their albums. They are doing it strictly for the love of making music. For every person that gets familiar with and buys their music through dedicated sites and blogs like this it’s actually keeping the music alive. So, to pay homage to some of these independent artists, I have put a mixx together of some of my favorite tunes that I hope you will enjoy. I call this one the SoundNexx Seismic Soul Mixx.

If you like what you hear, please check for these artists and show them some love by purchasing some of their music. Most of these artists names in this mixx you probably won’t recognize, but don’t hesitate to put your ears on it anyway though. This is good stuff no matter how you slice it. Soul music fans need this one in their collection for real.

SOUNDNEXX SEISMIC SOUL TRACK LISTING:

01^Wayna - The Stalking Horse

02^Frank McComb - Do You Remember Love

03^Miles Bonny - Golden Lady

04^Rhonda Thomas - Breathe New Life

05^Soul ID - Love of My Life

06^Stacey Epps - Floatin

07^W. Ellington Felton - Makes My Day

08^Muhsinah - Windoors

09^Havana - Free To Be Me

10^Carlitta Durand - Her

11^Gordon Chambers - Stay Together

12^Marcell & The Truth - Breathe Love

13^Eric Roberson - Pretty Girl

14^Melanie Rutherford - Refugee

15^Angie Stone - Sometimes

16^Brown Baby Girl - Cosmic Thrill

17^Afi Wy Fue - Soul Connection

18^Dahlisha Vince - Free Your Mind

19^David Anthony feat. Keisha Jackson - Lady

20^Flowers outro

GET THE SEISMIC SOUL MIXX HERE!