It's a new year- time to keep it flowing. Presenting:

In Rotation, Volume 23 - January, 2010
(Problems with javascript/browser? Click here.)

Full podcast/mix available here. [Click to play or right click-save as to download.

Want to subscribe to podcasts for iTunes? Go to Advanced -> Subscribe to Podcasts in iTunes and enter in the following link: http://ejflavors.com/casts/feed.xml

01 - Incognito - Out of the Blue (Original Full Mix) [link]
02 - Soulpersona - Freesias Late Night Fantasy Featuring Princess Freesia [myspace | facebook]
03 - Dezaray Dawn - Chameleon [site | myspace | facebook ]
04 - Carmen Rodgers - Heartless [myspace | facebook | facebook ]
05 - Ryan Leslie - Is It Real Love? [ site | myspace]
06 - Michael Olatuja - Speak (Feat. TY) [ site | twitter ]
07 - Deborah Jordan - Let Go [myspace | facebook ]
08 - Jose James - Lay You Down [ myspace | amazon ]
09 - Philip Clark - Granted (Groove 7 3am Eternal Mix) [ site | download ]
10 - Suncircle - If You Speak [ myspace ]
11 - Kenichiro Nishihara - Life (feat. Kissey Asplund) [ bama love soul | facebook ]
12 - Corinne Bailey Rae - Feels Like The First Time[ site ]
13 - Dreemtime - Happy For 5 [ site | myspace | facebook ]
14 - Sade - The Moon And The Sky [ site ]
15 - Foreign Exchange - Daykeeper [ site ]

Since I was a little tardy with some of the music from 2009, I needed to make up for lost time, so some of these tracks are from last year, but still enjoyable. Starting off with Incognito from the One Nation CD with a track that gave the acid jazz / hose vibe I desperately needed. Soulpersona, with arguably one of the finest albums of 2009, follows up with Princess Freesia's Freestyle.

Dezarray Dawn, who I've had the pleasure of meeting, delivers a great song off of her EP entitled Chameleon. The full album comes out the spring/summer of this year, so stay tuned for its release. I am also anticipating Carmen Rodgers' CD Intermission: The Bitter Suite which is also forthcoming. The first single, Heartless, is a great track.

Ryan Leslie's Is It Real? (a track that I slept on, admittedly), is followed up by Michael Olatuja's Speak! with spoken rhythm ("I don't rap no more, I just speak.") is followed by a track from Deborah Jordan's CD The Light (another awesome CD) with the sublime track Let Go. Jose James' Lay You Done from the forthcoming Blackmagic CD is followed by a track from Phillip Clark entitled aGranted with a superb mix by Groove 7. The vibe continues with Suncircle's When You Speak. This is one of my fasvorite tracks from Reborn.

Kissey Asplund's voice spices up the next track from Kenichiro Nishihara, Life. Corinne Basiley Rae's Feels Like The First Time is then followed up by the nice downtempo track Happy For 5 by Dreemtime's New York Lounge Funk. Sade's track The Moon And The Sky isd then followed by my favorite track from 2009 (and very deserving of their Grammy nomination) from Foreign Exchange entitled Daykeeper, a pefect tracl to end this rotation with.

It's been a little while since I've been able to do this, primarily because of work (we all know how that is), and Old School Wednesdays. I'll make a valiant attempt to do this once a month. Got requests? Send an email to ejflavors at gmail dot com. For those who'd like to subscribe to these podcasts, enter this link manually into iTunes. Also, please be sure to check out on Flowink.com always keepin' you in the loop. Take it light.

As time approaches for airing the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, the R&B nominations have gaining new ground for being not only tried and true to tradition, but also not afraid to extend the boundaries of the R&B realm into both traditional and alternative styles.     While the year, in my humble opinion, was fairly weak in the R&B sector, I am very glad to see that my trepidation was  appeased by some really great nominations- even by some acts I was not familiar with.

Mainstays like Beyonce are surrounded by both independent and upstarting artists, like Melanie Fiona and Master P on one end and Maxwell, Anthony Hamilton, and Charlie Wilson on the other.  A lot has been mentioned about Maxwell's return to the airwaves, which makes him a strong contender in the R&B category.  It's also refreshing to see independent artists like Musiq Soulchild, India.Arie, Lalah Hathaway, and Ledisi as nominees.  Acts which are relatively new in this sector- Master P, Melanie Fiona, and Jasmin Sullivan provide a balancing act between themselves and the seasoned nominees.  

Although there seems to be a quite a bit of  debate on the above nominations, discussions regarding the Traditional R&B category.  Ann Nesby and Calvin Richardson have double nominations, but  Beyonce and  Anthony Hamilton are also nominees in this category, demonstrating their versatility, which makes those nominations interesting. 

Although there are duplicate nominations in most of the categories, which can make the nominations appear to be somewhat concentrated on a core of artists, The Urban/Alternative stands out in it's dedication to independent artists and concentrates not only on soul, but jazz as well, which makes it invigorating. India.Arie and Dobert Gnahorsa, who represent two nations, and Robert Glasper and Bilal, representing both the jazz consortium and the neo-soiul= vibe make this a very dynamic category.  To put icing on the proverbial cake, Tonex, Eric Roberson and The Foreign Exhange make this category even more intriguing, in particular since they are very strong independent artists.

In retrospect, at the onset of 2009, it seemed that R&B would not have a very strong year.  I'm very glad to say that my mind has been changed for the better. Hats off to 2009, and good luck to all the nominees.

Me? No - this time, it's all about Shae Shae and Mark AKA Tony.

Old School Wednesday - I Like.
(Problems with javascript/browser? Click here.)

Full podcast/mix available here. [Click to play or right click-save as to download.

Want to subscribe to podcasts for iTunes? Go to Advanced -> Subscribe to Podcasts in iTunes and enter in the following link: http://ejflavors.com/casts/feed.xml

01 - Fonda Rae - Over Like a Fat Rat
02 - Shalamar - The Second Time Around
03 - Tom Browne - Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)
04 - Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me
05 - Whodini - Five Minutes Of Funk
06 - Guy - I Like
07 - Tevin Campbell - Goodbye
08 - Al B. Sure - Nite and Day
09 - The System - Don't Disturb This Groove
10 - Cherrelle & Alexander O'Neal - Saturday Love
11 - Tony! Toni! Tone! - It Never Rains in Southern California
12 - Rufus - Stay
13 - Troop - All I Do Is Think Of You
14 - Isley Brothers - Spend The Night
15 - Luther Vandross - A House Is Not A Home

Back in the fall of 2009, there was a very interesting vibe going in Twitter thanks to Blip.fm. Shae Shae was playing the DJ that day and was listening to tracks like Saturday Love and Whodini. When she played Saturday Love, it prompted Mark and I to comment on these tracks. and to not suggest more. Thus. this list was conceived. I honestly believe that this is one of the easiest OSWs I have been able to put together in quite some time. With Mark suggesting Whodini and Fonda Rae, and with Shael Shae suggesting Cherrelle it made everything easy, which is definitely a good thing.

Got requests? Send an email to ejflavors at gmail dot com. For those who'd like to subscribe to these podcasts, enter this link manually into iTunes. Also, please be sure to check out on Flowink.com always keepin' you in the loop. Take it light.

RIP to the leader of Kleeer - Woody Cunningham.

Old School Wednesday - Tonight's The Night.
(Problems with javascript/browser? Click here.)

Full podcast/mix available here. [Click to play or right click-save as to download.

Want to subscribe to podcasts for iTunes? Go to Advanced -> Subscribe to Podcasts in iTunes and enter in the following link: http://ejflavors.com/casts/feed.xml

01 - Kleeer - Winners
02 - T.S. Monk - Bon Bon Vie
03 - Unlimited Touch - I Hear The Music In The Streets
04 - Kleeer - Get Tough
05 - Kleeer - Tonight's The Night (Good Time)
06 - Kleeer - Keeep Your Body Workin
07 - Cameo - Shake Your Pants
07 - D Train - Walk on By
08 - Kleeer - Taste The Music
09 - Kleeer - Open Your Mind
10 - Kleeer - Intimate Connection
11 - Twennynine - Morning Sunrise
12 - Charles Mann - Say You Love Me Too

It's remarkable when two events happen at the same time - the passing of Woody Cunningham and then the passing of Teddy Pendergrass. Both men deserve their recognition, because both men have touched the music...and our hearts. I placed the best hits from Kleeer in this mix, along with my personal favorite - Open Your Mind. Click on the images above for more information about Woody and Kleeer. Special thanks to Mr. Fresh and Mr. Welsh. Got requests? Send an email to ejflavors at gmail dot com. For those who'd like to subscribe to these podcasts, enter this link manually into iTunes. Also, please be sure to check out on Flowink.com always keepin' you in the loop. Take it light.

Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass will always be with us. His music is legendary. We present:

Teddy Pendergras, Rest In Peace. Part 1 | Part 2
(Problems with javascript/browser? Click here for part 1, and here for part 2.)

Part 1 availabkle here. Part 2 availabkle here. [Click to play or right click-save as to download.

Want to subscribe to podcasts for iTunes? Go to Advanced -> Subscribe to Podcasts in iTunes and enter in the following link: http://ejflavors.com/casts/feed.xml

Part 1:
01 - Teddy Pendergrass - Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose
02 - Teddy Pendergrass - Only You
03 - Teddy Pendergrass - I Don't Love You Anymore
04 - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Bad Luck
05 - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - The Love I Lost
06 - Teddy Pendergrass (Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes) - Satisfaction Guaranteed
07 - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Don't Leave Me This Way
08 - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Wake Up Everybody
09 - Teddy Pendergrass - Easy, Easy, Got to Take It Easy
10 - Teddy Pendergrass - Come Go With Me
11 - Teddy Pendergrass - Close The Door
12 - Teddy Pendergrass - Turn Off The Lights
13 - Teddy Pendergrass - Set Me Free
14 - Teddy Pendergrass - Somebody Told Me

Part 2:
01 - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - If You Don't Know Me By Now
02 - Teddy Pendergrass - Can't We Try
03 - Teddy Pendergrass - Love T.K.O.
04 - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - I Miss You
05 - Teddy Pendergrass - And If I Had
06 - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Hope That We Can Be Together Soon
07 - Teddy Pendergrass - It Don't Hurt Now
08 - Teddy Pendergrass - You're My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration
09 - Teddy Pendergrass - Hold Me
10 - Teddy Pendergrass - Feel The Fire
11 - Teddy Pendergrass - Life Is A Song Worth Singing
12 - Teddy Pendergrass - Joy
13 - Teddy Pendergrass - You're My Choice Tonight (Choose Me)
14 - Teddy Pendergrass - Two Hearts
15 - Teddy Pendergrass - The More I Get The More I Want
16 - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Where Are All My Friends

I wanted to try to come up with something eloquent about this man and his life, but I often find that the music speaks for itselg. Growing up hearing Teddy at least twice a week made me realize how much this man influenced us all. If you ask a person what his favorite Teddy Pendergrass song was, I'm sure they would not be able to stop at just one song. I hope you enjoy this asds much ass I did in helping to make it. Special thanks to the genius TGrundy- who was the partner in this labor of love (check his post about Teddy here)- and to Todd Kelley, DJ Diva, KB, Butta, Imani, Nikki, and Macedonia. Shoutouts go to the Music Podcast Consortium on Facebook. Got requests? Send an email to ejflavors at gmail dot com. For those who'd like to subscribe to these podcasts, enter this link manually into iTunes. Also, please be sure to check out on Flowink.com always keepin' you in the loop. Take it light.

This was by request, and allows me to start off 2010 on a clean slate. Presenting:

My Favorite Tracks From 2009. [Click to play or right click-save as to download.

Want to subscribe to podcasts for iTunes? Go to Advanced -> Subscribe to Podcasts in iTunes and enter in the following link: http://ejflavors.com/casts/feed.xml

01 - Nicolay (feat. Carlitta Durand) - Wake Up In Another Life
02 - Tortured Soul - Your Dream Is My Dream
03 - Naturally 7 - Wall Of Sound
04 - Jaspects - Unifunk
05 - Mos Def - Casa Bey
06 - Jay ARE - Relax Ur Mind Featuring Tiffany Paige
07 - PPP (Platinum Pied Pipers) - On A Cloud (Feat. Karma Stewart).rbs
08 - N'dambi - The World Is A Beat
09 - Soulpersona - Weightless Featuring Deborah Jordan
10 - Zo! Featuring Darien Brockington - The Highways Of My Life (Pts. 1 & 2).

2009 was one heck of a challenging year, and I was really ready to be done with it with a quickness. Because of so many things going on that interfered with am appreciating music for periods of time, I almost felt like I missed a lot, which is why this list seems to be really short. I'm usually able to come up with more than 10. I'm anticipating that this year was an exception, rather thn the rule, and that 2010 will be nore "normal" as they say.

It was a good thing seeing Nicolsy, Zo!, and Darien in concert year. It seems tht they have been principal arrtists each year, and I'm very happy about that. Naturally 7 is a group that has been around for a while that I was glad to learn about this year. Their style is definitely new and I do not recall hearing anyone like them. That's always a great twist. The same can also be said about Jaspects who have taken Jazz and infused it with Electronica, which in my humble opionion, works splendidly.

I didn't get a large infusion of hip hop last year (which will change this year, I;m sure) but Mos Def and Jay ARE relally brought some very great tracks to the forefront. N'Dambi and PPP infuse soul like only they can, and I expected nothing less from them.I was pretty late to the game with Soulpersona and Deborah Jordan. but I plan to make up for it this year. Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to 2010.

Got requests? Send an email to ejflavors at gmail dot com. For those who'd like to subscribe to these podcasts, enter this link manually into iTunes. Also, please be sure to check out on Flowink.com always keepin' you in the loop. Take it light.