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Pop Rock Nation

Author: Money Mike

  • Yup, You Read it Right-Wayne Brady Made a Good Album

    The cover of Wayne Brady's new album, "A Long Time Coming".
    The cover of Wayne Brady

    Of course you know who Wayne Brady is. Whether you watched him on the improv show “Whose Line is It Anyway?”, were a fan of his talk/variety show, caught him as the host of “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” or checked him out in an unforgettable “Chappelle’s Show” sketch (which is where I got the title of this review from…I’m not being vulgar just for the sake of vulgarity), you’re aware of the dude, and you might also know that the guy can carry a tune. He’s utilized his singing chops in every assignment he’s had.What you may not have known (until now, anyway), is that Wayne Brady has put out an album. And unlike fellow actors-turned-musicians like Don Johnson and Bruce Willis, Brady’s debut, Long Time Coming, is GOOD. I don’t say this sarcastically or facetiously, and I am not drunk or on drugs (today). If you are a fan of smooth, grown-folks style soul music, you will find plenty to enjoy here.I would never have given a solitary thought to picking this album up if not for glancing at a Billboard magazine one day and noticing the name Wayne Brady loitering near the bottom of the R&B singles charts. “Nah, it can’t be,” I said initially. A little more research revealed that he had an album on the way, so my curiosity got the better of me and I checked YouTube and then iMeem for the song. After I hit paydirt on the latter site, expecting a cheesy pop song or a show tune/standard, my ears were blessed with the easygoing, smooth sound of first single Ordinary. After debating whether to spring for the whole album, I parted with my money just a couple of days later. I figured if it sucked it would just gain a place among the many other crappy albums in my collection.

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  • The Rock Hall Class of 2009: Part One: Ready for War?

    It’s always interesting to see who the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominating committee chooses each year for potential entrants into the next year’s class of inductees. This year’s 9-artist selection (of which 5 will be chosen) offers some surprises.

    Metallica and Run-DMC were widely considered shoo-ins. Metallica basically popularized metal (as in the all-black, cut off T-shirts and dirty tight jeans with mullets kind of metal) for a mainstream audience and have remained relevant through their entire quarter-century in existence. Run-DMC, are, well, Run-DMC. They revolutionized hip-hop, took it from a fad into an art form. There’s no doubt that these guys, however little time their star burned, deserve a place here. I’d say those are the only two acts whose inductions are assured.

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  • The Block is Back! New Kids Light Up New Jersey!

    New Kids on the Block. Photo by socialitelife.com
    New Kids on the Block. Photo by socialitelife.com

    Last night, I found myself some place I never thought I’d be…at a New Kids on the Block concert. Not because I’m ashamed to be a NKOTB fan, mind you, but because I thought the boy band would never get back together. 20 years after the success of their breakthrough album, “Hangin’ Tough”, the still (relatively) young New Kids have reunited and I was fortunate enough to see their first show on American soil in fourteen years.

    The crowd was, as expected, about 90% women.  Somewhat surprisingly, the cavernous Izod Center (formerly Continental Airlines Arena, capacity 20K) was about 90% full. While I overheard a bunch of guys in the men’s room complaining about their wives or girlfriends forcing them to come to the show (one guy said that he said he’d come to this show if his wife went to Cruefest), there were also a handful of dudes sporting NKOTB tees, coming out of the closet, so to speak, after (like me) being embarrassed to be a New Kids fan during their high school (or younger) years. Hell, I even spotted one creepy Deadhead guy in the audience. Either he was looking to score some from one of the many single ladies in the audience, or he was mighty disappointed when he realized that the NKOTB aren’t little boys anymore.

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