I didn’t get enough interaction with visitors to the site, which is part of the reason the whole thing has been put on hold. If you’d like me to come back and start producing shows again please write me an email.

Thanks and keep on keeping on,

-Eddie-
eddie@journeyintosoul.net

Tags: frank, sinatra, john, giovanni, corda, music, interview, documentary, podcast, video

My original plan was lofty, ambitious, and wonderfully lacking in the realities of financing, logistics, and the like. To visit 26 cities in America, interviewing at least four musicians in each city, producing a series of 22 minute episodic television shows in high definition video. That is still where I hope to end up, immersed to the point where I am eating, sleeping, drinking, and expending every breath on it. A mighty pilgrimage of sorts, not to a shrine, or holy temple, but many wise spiritual sages on a journey of 8,000 miles.

“A journey of a thousand miles starts under one’s feet,” says Lao Tzu, so my journey begins right where I stand, or in this case, where I am sitting, in front of a computer in a 150 square foot apartment in the very center of Los Angeles. An old friend from high school, whom I more or less reunited with after many years of being out of contact, told me I had everything I needed to start. A series of cameras, lighting equipment, a microphone, computer with editing software, and an incredible distribution platform that has the added benefit of instant feedback: the internet. So here I go.

John Giovanni, a great jazz singer with the style and class of Frank Sinatra, along with the honest and brutally frank way of a kid from the Bronx had the most honest and heartfelt advice of anyone I’ve met so far. He told me not to be ashamed of the simple nature of my project, or it’s seeming lack of monetary potential, instead urging me to communicate to everyone I meet my love and enthusiasm for what I’m doing. I can’t wait to share more of his wisdom with the world.

I love you all.

-Eddie-

Playlist:
Artist Name – Song Title – (Album Name)

• Kelly Mueller – Real Love – (Easier to Dream)
• Lorenzo Owens – Wanna See You Smile – (After the Show)
• Lorenzo Owens – Inseparable – (After the Show)
• Lorenzo Owens – Standing Tall – (After the Show)
• Sly Joe – Mellow Mood – (Your Lively Love)
• The Brand New Heavies – All Fired Up – (Get Used to it)
• Kay B – Call Cupid – (Call Cupid)
• Natalie Brown – I Wonder – (Natalie Brown)
• Anduze - Just Feel Good – (Roadless Traveller)
• Geoffrey C. Smith – Quit My Day Job – (Geoff Smith and the Tonewheels)
• N’awlins Gumbo Kings – UFO Saloon – (UFO Saloon)
• Eli “Papeboy” Reed & The True Loves – Take My Love With You – (Eli “Paperboy” Reed and the True Loves)
• Len Wade – Everybody’s Clown – (Soul Resurrection – The Playground Series)
• Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – How Long Do I Have to Wait for You? – (Naturally)
  
• Melissa Forbes – Thinking You Over – (No More Mondays)
• The Brown Study – Nobody’s Waiting – (Selects)
• The Brand New Heavies – Don’t Know Why (I Love You) – (Get used to it)
• Ebony Jackson – Gentle Whisper – (F is for Free)
• Kay B – Groove Thang – (Call Cupid)
• Maysa - I Can’t Help It – (Feel the Fire)
• Irene B – Mi Realidad – (Untitled)
• Art Hodge – Ship to Shore – (Strewn Across the Desert)
• Malaya – Let’s Make it Last / Remix – (TBA)

Tags: indie, soul, music, unsigned, independent, artists

Cruising Supernova has the mellow grooves of a Frankie Beverly and Maze song; however the lyrics are eclectic and borderline futuristic. The strings and horns keep your senses heightened while the drums demand that you tap your feet. If you close your eyes, you just might see stars and undiscovered planets swirling around you as you float on the melody of the flute and acoustic guitar at the end.

While selections like You Set My Soul on Fire and Clear Blue Skies offer the futuristic fullness of the band, tracks like Trippin’ and Runnin’ make you feel like you’ve just ran and tripped into the 70s. The beats are fast paced and the vocal arrangement is choir-like in its delivery. You may want to take a second look at the ceiling and make sure the glittering disco ball hasn’t descended.

With so many colors of instrumentation, there really was no need for vocal accompaniment on every track. In fact, on songs like Smile for the Camera (where Atar calls his object of affection, “sexy foxy”) the elimination of the vocals would have made this song more palatable. Undercover seems to uncover some hidden desire to be a secret agent and comes across as filler lyrics for this funky rhythm track.

Have I used the words “funk” or “funky” enough? That’s probably because this album is pure funk and rhythm. With the exception of two songs, the entire album keeps the same tempo throughout. If you are not careful, all of the songs will start to sound alike…which isn’t a bad thing if your goal is to stay funked up.

Funkadrome is a virtual cornucopia of driving beats, melodies and uncanny stamina. You definitely feel the energy of 15 creative souls coming together to bring a sound that is a musical dichotomy of past and future. It’s as if a 15-passenger time machine came from the year 2075, travelled to the 1970s and stopped by the beginning of the millennium just to release this album. Thank God for the pit stop. Highly recommended.

Martin’s style is undoubtedly soulful with an array of tracks that glide from aggressive funk tunes to heart-felt love ballads. Your head will nod involuntarily to the beat and wah guitar of Le Chemin; the male and female vocals bounce effortlessly against the track that counteracts the hard funk with a classic Fender Rhodes piano. Knockdown Side puts you in the mood of the 80s group, Loose Ends, with its driving rhythm and clever vocal delivery of life encouragement.

Burn an incense stick and light a few candles while listening to the ballad, So in Love. Martin’s acoustic bass engages in a sexy, melodic dance with the female vocalist and soft string ensemble. While this song embodies all that is neo-soul, tracks like Release and Movin’ On lean towards your garden variety R&B and hip-hop. The up-tempo It’s Your Night seemed a bit overproduced and the Raphael Sadiqq-ish vocals did not ring as true as the other selections.

You Are, featuring the voice of Jill Zadeh, is sexy enough to warrant buying the entire album. The bass and lead guitar fight diligently for the attention of Jill’s soft, controlled soprano. The steady rhythm seems to be the referee for this sultry composition that caresses your ears the way a classic slow jam should.

Jill also sings opposite Tim Owens in the duet, Let Me Give You More. This ballad has all the makings of a timeless classic: a jazz ensemble, two dynamic voices and a subject matter in which the whole world can relate. This song can easily be the backdrop to any wedding reception’s “first dance” and is a quintessential must for the soul ballad playlist on your MP3 player, home entertainment system or wherever you need the mood to be perfect.

The Way takes you in so many positive directions, it’s hard to choose one. Overall, it depends on what mood you’re in and how you need Martin and his magnificent crew to facilitate (your mood). He truly has the ballads and funk with stories of love, life and truth. Even Brother, with its bold violin and gruff male vocals, has the power to uplift you with that Teddy Pendergrass urgency. Ian Martin has put together the kind of compilation that rivals the vast majority of “mainstream” soul and R&B. Highly recommended.

Tags: ian, martin, the, way, album, review, funk, soul, R&B, music

Got a new Journey into Soul coming for ya’ tonight. Even podcast captains sleep. And a special treat, the first Soundtrack of the Soul from yours truly.

-Ed, Eddie, or Edward if you prefer-

Buy Jonas album: cdbaby.com/jonassoul