Well guys I know there has been a lot of things happening in the news and the entertainment world in past several months, addressing our issues as a black people. From Stacy Dash’s stupendous comments, regarding whether or not to get rid of black history month to Jada Pinkett Smith’s heart felt plea to the black community to lift every voice and shut out this year’s Oscars. Everyone seems to have something to say regarding the state of all things black. The state of black music was also up for grabs. I was able to catch a video on “YouTube” showcasing a young female singer in a nightclub giving an interview on the state of R&B music. The artist provided a very heartfelt and passionate response to the question. The artist explained to a packed audience that songs like “Hello” performed by UK artist “Adele” wouldn’t be allowed to get much Airplay, if recorded by a black artist. She then goes to say, that it’s the record companies who dictate what artist can and cannot record. Now, this artist is saying something I deemed as very interesting. She also states if a black artist recorded a song on the same caliber as Hello, their fans wouldn’t buy it and it wouldn’t get played on the radio. And I must say she’s absolutely correct. She continues stating, that when you have a person who isn’t African American sing a powerful song such as Hello, the masses call that blue eyed soul. She firmly exclaimed that’s not soul music.
Now, I could go on to back up this artist’s statement. But I said to myself I need to find the answer in the music. So I took to the Internet in search of that fresh new artist with that great songwriting and composition background.
This is where I discovered a very talented young lady. Her is Candice Nelson, some of you may have never heard of this artist, but then again you have heard of the multi-talented artists that she’s penned their greatest hits.
Candice got her start by singing backup for the boy band “Immature” in 1996. Throughout the next several years, Candice was developing her signature writing style. While writing for artist like “Beyoncé” and “Mary J. Bilge” she seemed to focus on songs about love and being in love.
And now, she’s stepped out on her own. Her latest project is entitled “Moments”. A collective body of work focusing on lessons learned from past relationships. The project includes Classic R&B and soulful folk elements. The titled track Moments is telling the story of a young girl reminiscing of her first love and later relationships throughout her life. This track reminds you of a simpler time, when dealing with life issues seemed so cut and dry. After my discovery of yet another extremely talented artist, it sums of the fact that everything the young artist in the nightclub interview was indeed true. But, I truly believe that we as the consumers and lovers of great music can truly change the industry. This is why we must continue to promote our favorite artist and share new discoveries as well. So, share this blog post with all your music loving friends thru social media and other tools of promoting.
Leslie A. Thomas is a lover of all things music follow me on Twitter @lboogie252005.
