AMAZING FUNK BASSIST NIK WEST WAKES THE DEAD WITH "MOODY"

“She’s a bad mamma jamma... 

lightning kicks and thunder thumbs” -Quincy Jones

Vocalist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, NIK WEST, who will also be opening for Lenny Kravitz in Europe, is set to release her sophomore album “MOODY” on April 1, 2020. The much-anticipated release features the legendary funk pioneer, Larry Graham (mentor of Prince), Emmy and multi-Grammy winner, Narada Michael Walden (hitmaker for Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Carlos Santana), and more.

Moody

NIK WEST

▪️Vocalist.Bassist.Producer

▪️Composer ESPN & DISNEY

▪️Worked w Prince, Quincy Jones & more

“MOODY” is a wide-angle interpretation of everything NIK WEST has picked up along life’s journey. Musically and lyrically speaking, West moves effortlessly between genres. Her production gives you the maximum ear candy complete with a live band and horn section in "Funk For The People" and "Boom Baby Boom,” minimalistic sounds like pop charged "A Man" and "Moody,” and balls-to-the-wall rock "Bitter End" and "We Can Do It," the all-female rock anthem featuring Cindy Blackman-Santana and Larissa Basilio. West will be touring across the U.S. and Europe this spring and summer. Check out the tour dates here.

Since her arrival onto the music scene, NIK WEST made it clear that she is the future of Funk. And just when it seems the rockstar era has ended, in walks NIK WEST - an out of the box, colorful, new age kind of artist who has worked with a long list of greats such as Prince, Quincy Jones, and more. Dave Stewart, of Eurythmics fame, dubs her as the female Lenny Kravitz with a mixture of Prince and the funk heroes that came long before her. For Her Full Bio, click here.

NEW PRINCE NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY DIRECTED BY AVA DUVERNAY

Producer/director Ava DuVernay is working with Netflix on a Prince documentary, two sources have confirmed to Variety. The project has the full cooperation of the late artist’s estate, which is providing with interviews, archival footage, photos, and archive access. The multiple-part documentary will cover the artist’s entire life.

“Prince was a genius and a joy and a jolt to the senses,” she told Deadline in an article published after the news had broken Monday night. “The only way I know how to make this film is with love. And with great care. I’m honored to do so and grateful for the opportunity entrusted to me by the estate.” The Oscar-nominated filmmaker has been at work on the project for several months.

While renowned for her work on “Selma,” “Queen Sugar” and others, DuVernay made her big-screen debut in 2008 with “This Is the Life,” which chronicled the alternative hip-hop scene in Los Angeles in the 1990s.

COMMODORES ALBUM ON LP, PLUS SPECIAL BLUE VINYL EDITION, JUNE 16

The 1977 release, now with long versions on vinyl for the first time, includes such hits as “Brick House” and “Easy,” and has been sampled by many artists

Los Angeles, CA – May 31, 2017 – Commodores, the 1977 self-titled fifth studio album by the pop-funk-soul band known as the “Black Beatles,” will get a vinyl LP release from UMe, along with a special edition in blue vinyl for fans and collectors, June 16. Both releases were cut from the original, un-faded masters, delivering on vinyl for the first time longer versions of seven of the nine tracks. (See timings below for comparison.)

The original album spent eight weeks at #1 on the Billboard Soul albums chart and was the group’s first crossover record, peaking at #3 on the Billboard 200, thanks to a pair of very different hit singles: the up-tempo “Brick House” and the sensuous Lionel Richie ballad, “Easy.”

“Easy,” the first single released from the album, reached #1 on the Billboard R&B (known then as the Hot Soul Singles) chart and #4 on the Hot 100, and paved the way for Richie’s pop emergence. The song was an international hit, reaching the Top 10 in the U.K. and New Zealand and the Top 20 in Ireland and Canada.

“Brick House,” featuring the distinctive funky vocals of drummer Walter “Clyde” Orange and Ronald LaPread’s heavy-bottom bass line, which formed the foundation of the song, went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. A group composition, its lyrics – celebrating a woman’s looks and her confidence in them – were written by Shirley Hanna-King, wife of the band’s trumpet player William “WAK” King, who initially claimed authorship before he admitted the truth.

Also featured on the LP is “Zoom,” a collaboration between Richie and LaPread. Although never officially released as a single, “Zoom” became one of the Commodores’, and Richie’s, best-known tunes. In the U.K., in fact, the LP was titled Zoom.

The Commodores were originally formed from two groups, the Mystics and the Jays, in 1968 at Tuskegee Institute, where the band members were students, signing with Motown in November, 1972 after opening for The Jackson 5 on tour. The group made a brief appearance in the 1978 film, Thank God It’s Friday, performing “Too Hot Ta Trot.”

Songs from Commodores have enjoyed a long life in the guise of covers and samples. Fergie sampled “Zoom” on her song “All That I Got (The Make-Up Song),” from her album The Dutchess. It has also been sampled by Snoop Dogg on “Pimpin’ Aint EZ,” a 2009 collaboration with R. Kelly from his album Malice N’ Wonderland); E-40 (from its 1998 album The Element of Surprise), Tricky (“Tricky Kid” from his 1996 album, Pre-Millennium Tension) and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (“Everytime” from their 2010 album, Uni5: The World’s Enemy).

Faith No More recorded a cover of “Easy” during the studio sessions for its 1992 album Angel Dust, following its repeated performances during their live shows, and it became an international hit in several countries, including Australia, where it went to #1, Norway, the U.K., Finland, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland and Netherlands. The song was sampled by rap group Geto Boys for “Six Feet Deep” from their 1993 album, Til Death Do Us Part and by Cam’ron for his song, “Hey Ma.”

“Brick House” was the sampled foundation for the title cut of Foxy Brown’s hit LP, Ill Na Na, while the original was featured in the 1995 film Houseguest, the 1999 film Muppets From Space and the 2002 feature Undercover Brother. Prince’s ex-wife Mayte released a rap version of the song, “House of Brick,” on NPG Records in 1995, with Prince himself singing the chorus and verses.

That same year, Dread Zeppelin covered the song as “Brick House (of the Holy)” on its Led Zeppelin-esque album No Quarter Pounder, while Rob Zombie, collaborating with Lionel Richie and Trina, did a version on his House of 1000 Corpses soundtrack in 2003.

Commodores [LP][Reissue]

Track listings
Title / (Songwriters) / Vinyl Reissue Track Time / Original LP track time
Side One
1. ”Squeeze the Fruit” (Walter Orange) 3:03 / same
2. “Funny Feelings” (Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary) 5:57 / 4:53
3. “Heaven Knows” (Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary) 6:16 / 4:46
4. “Zoom” (Lionel Richie, Ronald LaPread) 7:06 / 6:46

Side Two
1. “Won’t You Come Dance With Me” (Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary) 4:08 / 3:50
2. “Brick House” (Shirley Hanna-King, Lionel Richie, Milan Williams, Walter Orange, Ronald LaPread, Thomas McClary, William King) 3:46 / 3:30
3. “Funky Situation” (William King) 4:12 / 3:46
4. “Patch It Up” (Milan Williams) 4:02 / same
5. “Easy” (Lionel Richie) 4:50 / 4:15

Personnel
Lionel Richie – vocals, saxophone, keyboards
Thomas McClary – vocals, guitar
Milan Williams – keyboards
Ronald LaPread – bass
William King – trumpet
Walter Orange – drums, percussion, vocals

Producers: James Anthony Carmichael/Commodores

TOP STARS WHO PLAYED IN LAS VEGAS

A lot of people who visit Las Vegas do so because they want to partake of the gambling on offer in this casino hot spot. They are often attracted by the film and television portrayals of these casinos, which depict them as dangerous, exciting and glamorous, but they are not all that the city has to offer. In particular, Vegas is a music city, with many of the top musicians in the world choosing to perform there.

It was during the 1950's and 1960's that Las Vegas truly developed its reputation for hosting major music stars. During the 1950's, flamboyant stars like Liberace made the city their own, but it was the arrival of the Rat Pack during the early part of the following decade that made history.

Combining crooning jazz and easy listening tunes with banter, the Rat Pack packed crowds in at casino/hotel resorts such as the Sands and the Riviera. The leader of the Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra, became particularly associated with Las Vegas and continued to perform there throughout the rest of his career.

Vegas continued to be a hugely popular place for big stars to perform in as well, with the likes of Tom Jones making their debuts there during the 1970's and helping to establish the reputation of the resort for adult-oriented, easy listening music.

While this is the kind of music that many still associate with Las Vegas – and indeed singers of that type like Celine Dion and Elton John still perform lavish concerts at venues like the Colosseum in Caesars Palace, drawing crowds of thousands – Vegas has also attracted more edgy, experimental musicians during the last decade or so. One notable example of this was the late funk-pop star Prince, who took to the stage of the Rio towards of the end of 2006.

His residency there proved an enormous success and featured collaborations with the likes of Chaka Khan, with his presence helping to give the Vegas music scene a hipper image. The likes of Jennifer Lopez have followed in his wake, as she set up home at the Planet Hollywood complex there, proving that Vegas is not just for older music fans. Indeed the current era is seeing cutting edge dance acts like Afrojack choosing to perform there – as this DJ performed a successful set to packed crowds at the Wynn Las Vegas.

The next few months will see stars ranging from older singers like Rod Stewart, to younger ones such as Keith Sweat taking to stages in Las Vegas, proving that it is truly a musical center.

PRINCE: LIFE & TIMES HARDCOVER REVISED AND UPDATED

I received this gorgeous purple book yesterday and I have no idea who sent it! It is a gorgeous hard cover biography/photo coffee table book about Prince. Lovely birthday gift! Thank you whoever sent this fabulous book!

Here is some information about the book:

Prince: Life and Times is an authoritative chronicle of his career to date, covering every album, every movie, and every tour. It includes profiles of various key collaborators, assesses his business dealings, and details his many and varied side-projects - on stage, on record, on screen, and beyond.

Prince has cut a singular path through the heart of popular music for more than 30 years. After making some of the most inventive albums of the 80s - including 1999, Purple Rain, and Sign "O" The Times - he turned his attention to redefining his role in the music industry, changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol, declaring war on Warner Bros, and leading the internet revolution.

To purchase your copy, click the link or icon below

Prince: Life and Times: Revised and Updated Edition