Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five Bonus Edition: A Tribute to Billy Paul

As if losing Prince on Thursday wasn't hard enough, now one of my favorite soul singers in Philly native Billy Paul has passed away at the age of 81.  For years, I only knew about three songs of his--one of which was his most popular in the 1972 across-the-board smash hit, "Me And Mrs. Jones".  However, around the time that my fascination with everything Philly soul began in 2003, that's when I doubled up and purchased two of his greatest hits albums because 1) many of his full-length albums were either hard to find or out of print and 2) one album had one or two more songs that the other didn't.  Although he had a very unique delivery, his jazzy style on songs like "Ebony Woman", "Love Buddies", "Let's Fall In Love All Over Again" and "There's a Small Hotel" always put me in the mindset of smoky nightclubs, stiff drinks and a grand piano.  Spending the first 13 years of his recording career working with legendary producers Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, they crafted their sound around what he did best and didn't try to make his music sound too much like the rest of the Philadelphia International Records roster.  That's a huge amount of the reason why I fooled with him so tough because he wasn't like anyone else that they had in their stable of greatness.  So to pay tribute to his legacy, I present an impromptu "Rave & Favorite Five" celebrating Paul's music...

Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five: The Gifts of Prince, Part 2

If I may be so bold as to make the following statement, then this might be the "Rave & Favorite Five" that I hate to do the most.  Not because I take any issue with (now) the late, great Prince's illustrious catalog full of masterpieces.  It's only because outside of my all-time favorite three songs of his, I abhorred bumping out or excluding other faves like "Scandalous", "Insatiable", "The One", "Take Me With You", "Purple Rain", "Diamonds and Pearls", "International Lover", "Raspberry Beret" and "Little Red Corvette".  I mean, that was just ten songs right there and there are plenty more where that came from because Prince just made that much dope music.  Furthermore, it was even more difficult leaving off "Computer Blue"--a song that transforms around the 1:45 mark into one of the most awesome portions of music that I've ever heard and that has subconsciously inspired a significant amount of my style as a music producer.  Bloviating aside, it's called the "Rave & Favorite Five" for a reason and, thus, I continue with the second and final part of "The Gifts of Prince" that unveils the five gifts/works of art that he left with me--and perhaps many of you as well...

New Problem Tuesdays Special Edition: The Gifts of Prince, Part 1

In the days and weeks leading up to the news of the sudden passing of world-renowned singer, musician, producer, writer and overall kick-butt human being Prince, two things took place.  First, Mrs. Scribbler and I were having issues with our home Wi-Fi for over a year and an Xfinity technician finally came out about two weeks ago and fixed the problem: he gave us a brand new modem with two networks, which she named after two of her favorite Prince songs of all time.  Second, I was in a CVS Pharmacy a few days before and "Kiss" was playing overhead.  I stopped what I was doing and said to myself, "Now I've always loved this song, but for whatever reason, it's just jamming a little harder today than normal."  So when the word on the street was that he died, I immediately thought it was a hoax.  No way could we as 80s babies lose Michael Jackson in 2009 and Whitney Houston in 2012, only to turn around and bear the thought of losing another one of our childhood heroes.  Not to mention that in a four-month span of losing the likes of Natalie Cole, Maurice White and Phife Dawg, Prince just seemed like exceptionally cruel and unusual punishment.  However, when more and more news outlets confirmed the initial reports, I was deeply saddened as if I had lost my favorite uncle in the whole wide world as I continued to be in utter disbelief.  So instead of getting into conspiracy theories about his life or death as some have questionably done, I have dedicated this post to outlining what I believe to be some of Prince's most generous and memorable gifts to us as fans of his work and fellow artists...

In Heavy Rotation (April 2016)

The beauty of a being a perfectionist is that you're always figuring out ways to produce a better product while fine tuning it along the way.  Originally, the intent of "In Heavy Rotation" was less about a standard album review and more about sharing what I was listening to within a given month.  However, I have decided to tweak the format just a wee bit to make it one part sharing, one part specific showcasing and all parts dope music, and I wholeheartedly believe that the new structure will guide this series in a direction closer to who I am as a person and an avid lover of music.  Without too much rambling as I'm prone to do occasionally, time to roll out the new-and-hopefully-improved "In Heavy Rotation"...