When Larry Flynt slapped the tag line "Relax it's just sex" on his swanky modern day Hustler sex shops, you would be forgiven if you thought the great Leon Ware slipped the slogan to him on the sly. Ware, the indisputable sensualist of soul, will forever be relevant for the boudoir classics he co-composed with the late and legendary Marvin Gaye ("I Want You") and Minnie Riperton ("Inside My Love"). But he's no slouch as an artist in his own right and with 40+ years of experience as a music great (and many more years as a lover man), Brother Leon whips it on a soul fan too-too good with the twelfth album of his career, Moon Ride (his first on the re-launched Stax imprint). Guaranteed mood makers such as "Hold Tonight," "Just Take Your Time," "To Serve You (All My Love)," "Soon," "A Whisper Away" (featuring jazz pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs) and "From Inside" (co-penned with fellow Detroit talent Amp Fiddler) sublimely satisfy. But somehow, Ware put the climax in the middle of the disc – an aural fantasia titled "Loceans" – the title of which alludes to what can only be described in semi-polite circles as "the supreme of sweet releases." Got your wallets and pocketbooks out yet, lovers?

 

With his aggressive guitar accompaniment, top shelf song selections, Utopian minded poetry and a raspy voice perfectly suited to world-weary yet wise ruminations on all aspects of existence, Richie Havens became one of the most respected singers of his generation after kicking off the entire Woodstock festival alone with his guitar. Though he's never stopped performing, his style has been in and out of vogue. Consider him back in a big way with this new album that returns him to the record label that launched him: Verve Forecast (then also home to Laura Nyro and Janis Ian). Havens has been receiving strong notices for the opener "The Key," a refreshing development as this is a song that Havens – beloved for his covers - composed himself about taking one last stab at opening up to the grace of human kindness. Havens also shines on his own "If I" (contemplations on the afterlife) and the time-is-ticking think piece on America title track "No One Left To Crown." Also strong of the CD's 13 tracks is his reworking of Jackson Browne's "Life in the Balance" and the CD closer "One More Day."

 

Since Urban Network's 1988 inception, there have been many artists I've been proud to assist in making the transition from the limelight to the spotlight. Keyboard master Kevin Toney is one. I've watched him morph from The Blackbyrds' ace ivory, organ and synth man to one of the most soulful progenitors of the too-often soulless smooth jazz and new age worlds. His previous album, 110 Degrees and Rising, contained his outstandingly orchestrated composition "Touched By You (Suite 2005)" (please seek it out). But that God-inspired masterpiece was but the tip of the iceberg for the inspired direction Mr. Toney is navigating now. His latest album, A Grateful Heart, is a soul stirring recording of 10 solo piano compositions and improvisations that can only bring anyone who listens closer to The Lord. I am most partial to the unforgettable melodies of "Stars in the Sky" (which recalls Vince Guaraldi's timeless "Cast Your Fate to the Wind"), "Conversations With My Father," "Morning Prayer" and "With a Child's Heart." However the optimal way to enjoy this CD is to push play and let the vibe flow through.

 

Celebrating his 40th anniversary, progressive blues and folk music man Taj Mahal raises some cane with his new album. Though the project is loaded with special guests ranging from reggae royalty Ziggy Marley to African diva Angelique Kidjo, the songs I found myself gravitating to were a pair of numbers titled "I Can Make You Happy" and "Hello Josephine" that paired Taj with an all-star collective called the New Orleans Social Club (consisting of original Meters bassist and guitarist George Porter and Leo Nocentelli, keyboardist Ivan Neville, jazz pianist Henry Butler and drummer Raymond Seber). Also sweet is the love song "Never Let Me Go" featuring Mexican American roots rockers Los Lobos. Ever the road warrior, Mahal has several gigs lined up to celebrate including this years Long Beach Blues Festival (billed as The Taj Mahal Trio). If you have never seen this big strappin' tower of song live, this year would be the time!

 

After a few minor release date delays, The Game, born Jayceon Terrell Taylor, has returned with his third, and possibly most poignant, studio set to date, L.A.X. Although "Big Dreams," a joint provided by producers Cool & Dre was initially thought to be the lead-off single, it more or less only served as a teaser, for the, then, fresh out of jail emcee who had just come off an eight day bid.

The self-proclaimed "Chuck Taylor" quickly followed that street banger, which oddly enough does not appear on L.A.X., with his "official" jump-off, the Keyshia Cole assisted, radio smash, "Game's Pain," paying homage to all those that paved the way before him. "Dope Boys," featuring drummer Travis Barker, formerly of Blink-182, is a hard-hitting ditty laced by the musical collective 1500 or Nothin' while fellow CPT representative, DJ Quik, and the introspective "My Life," which contains elements of Birdman & Weezy's "So Tired," were the next two entries that dropped from this stellar collection of new Game material.

DJ Toomp's bumpin' "House of Pain" is the fourth offering, and even though much of this project has leaked prematurely, it's still chocked full of superb tracks. Other highlights include the orchestral, "L.A.X. Files"; "State Of Emergency," a bangin' collabo with West Coast legend, Ice Cube; the keyboard driven, "Bulletproof Diaries," pairing Murda Game with Wu Clansman, Raekwon the Chef; "Ya Heard," a verbal spar with Ludacris, which utilizes elements from the Newcleus classic "Jam On It"; the heartfelt tribute, "Never Can Say Goodbye," where the Compton, California rapper spits each individual verse with the same exact cadence as 'Pac, Biggie & Eazy E respectively; and "Letter to the King," a deeply thought-provoking duet with Nas, that samples The Jaggerz' "Memoirs of the Traveler."

Although rumored to be the final installment of Game's career, of course let's hope that it's not, but if it is, Hurricane Game has obviously gone out on an extremely high note. However, at press time, it was recently reported that the controversial wordsmith has already begun work on his next LP, D.O.C. (Diary of Compton), so if that's the case, L.A.X. will definitely hold everyone over until that day comes.

http://www.comptongame.com
http://www.thegame360.com
http://www.myspace.com/thegame

 

Coming off of 2006's gold selling, Laugh Now, Cry Later, pioneering "Gangsta" rapper/actor, Ice Cube, is back with his brand new opus, Raw Footage. After whetting the appetite of the masses with the project's first three leaks, the lead offering, "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It," questions the overall influence of many of society's supposed ills; there's the trunk rattling, "It Takes a Nation"; and the bouncy second single & video, "Do Ya Thang," the Hip-Hop icon has finally dropped his highly-impressive full-length eighth solo effort. Trap star Young Jeezy checks in on "I Got My Locs On," courtesy of DJ Toomp. "Why Me?" spotlights the crooning of Musiq Soulchild and speaks from the perspective of an innocent bystander killed by a stray bullet. "Get Money, Spend Money, No Money," which rides an eerie groove allowing The Don Mega to truly flex his trademark Pyroclastic Flow; and the ebbing bass line of "Get Used To It," introduces for the first time the new Westside Connection line-up, with The Game replacing the since departed Mack 1-0. As Cube proclaims on the soulful DJ Crazy Toones' composition, "Stand Tall," "C'mon, Y'all…Stand tall live your life to the limit, 'cause hater-ism seem like a f!@#$% epidemic. And, look at Ice Cube, I ain't no gimmick; I'm straight from the 'hood, I got to represent it…" Despite having Hollywood in a vice like grip headlock for years now with his family-lite fare, the man born O'Shea Jackson has never, ever abandoned his true rap roots as lyrical force to be reckoned with. Raw Footage is definitely a continuance of the sheer genius of the one, and only, Mr. Ice Cube.

http://www.icecube.com
http://www.myspace.com/icecube

 

Always hailed as the strongest lyricist in the eight-man Hip-Hop juggernaut known as the Wu Tang Clan, Shaolin's own version of Voltron, Gary "GZA" Grice is literally, as his moniker implies, a microphone "Genius." On his latest solo release [although he and DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill dropped a collaborative CD, GrandMasters, in '05], the first since Legend of the Liquid Sword in 2002, GZA continues to display his sharp and witty wordplay making it quite clear that throughout the years he hasn't lost one iota of a step from a true lyrical standpoint. Following some disparaging remarks from Mr. Controversy himself, 50 Cent, regarding the relevancy of the veteran rap artist, GZA's first release from Pro Tools was the honest, but scathing, RZA supplied dis track, "Paper Plate." Eat your words Curtis! Elsewhere, there's the other RZA entry, "Life is a Movie," which is upbeat and has a live band feel; "Pencil," a slick head-nodder produced by Wu affiliate Mathematics; then, there's the brilliant "Columbian Ties," hooked up by another extended Clansman, Bronze Nazareth; and "Alphabets," where GZA spits darts with so much precision that it, once again, further proves as to why the Genius is one of the illest to ever do it!

http://www.myspace.com/gza