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Tag: Will Smith

  • The Infatueighties Countdown: #96: “Forget Me Nots”

    I’ll be honest-I can’t really judge instrumental proficiency. Hell, there are very few artists that I can identify by the tone of their instrument. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are David Sanborn…and Patrice Rushen. Rushen’s piano playing (whether on the acoustic or electric) has a certain warmth to it that makes her singles completely recognizable before she even utters a word.

    The cover of Patrice Rushen\'s 1982 smash \"Forget Me Nots\".

    1982’s “Forget Me Nots” is an exercise in musical simplicity. Show me the keys and I could probably play the piano part. Rushen’s vocal is delightfully breezy and fairly plain-spoken. Even the standard Eighties sax solo sounds unfussy and relaxed. The song reminds me of summer, of backyard barbecues, and of roller skating-although I didn’t hit a skating rink for the first time until 1985, so I don’t know where that comes from. It also reminds me of Will Smith’s “Men in Black” and George Michael’s “Fastlove”, considering both songs heavily rely on “Forget Me Nots” as their musical base.

    Rushen started off as a fairly standard jazz/fusion artist before being convinced to actually sing. Her wispy voice and her youthful good looks (now in her fifties, Rushen literally looks half her age) along with her musical proficiency helped her score a handful of R&B hits, with her peak period being 1979-1984. She also had an early musical association with Prince. I’m not sure if the piano solo on “Sexy Dancer” is her, but it certainly sounds like her. There’s also a rumor that 1979’s Prince song “I Feel for You” (later covered by Chaka Khan) was written both for and about Patrice.

    After the hits died down towards the end of the Eighties, Patrice became one of the most sought after instrumentalists in the industry. She served as musical director for Janet Jackson’s 1993 “janet.” tour, and has also been the musical director for the NAACP Image Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, the Emmys and the Grammys. Pretty impressive to rise to the top in an area where you don’t see many women, much less women of color.

    This is another one of those cheesy early Eighties videos. You have to laugh at the simplicity. I can’t find an embeddable version, folks, so you’re just gonna have to go here…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td25kTqvl1w

  • To All The Fathers

    Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers in the world. I commend all the fathers who are doing the right thing for their families and being the role model they need to be for their children.

    I had my first child when I was just 23 years old and in just two weeks, he turns 9 years old. While my husband skills could use some oil to get the kinks out, my father skills are on point. I really embrace the father role and it’s something I’m good at. I try to relate to my kids in the same ways that my dad related to me, which was through different activities. I’ll throw the ball around with them, but I’ll also color with them, play video games with them, write with them, and do whatever they want to do. I make sure that I help out in their class, coach their teams, and just let them know that no matter what they choose to do, I’ll be there.

    One of my favorite daddy songs is Will Smith’s take on the old Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr. track, Just The Two Of Us. Let’s all celebrate the dads today.

  • It Wouldn’t Be The Start of Summer Without It

    The all time greatest summer song ever. 17 years later, this song puts a smile on my face every time I hear it (and I’m not terribly fond of Will Smith, so that says a lot). Hope everyone had a restful weekend.

    P.S.: Check out the new main page of musichelpweb, which will now be updated, well…a lot more often that it was updated before. You’ll find some new music by a singer/songwriter by the name of Mitch Hood. Don’t forget to e-mail with feedback!