Sheldon Taylor's Souls of Black Notes

                                                                                                                                             Biz Markie's low-profile final year shielded him from prying eyes and public pity. Occasional whispers and premature death announcements be damned--- Biz's eventual passi...

                                                            "Feeling your love/like a love I used to know/long ago" --- Deja Vu (1979)   I miss the Nineties. Music was so much better then . It was the best era . There was a time I cringed inside whenever I heard that statement or anything remotely to it. Don't get me wrong. So much fantastic music came out of that decade but in my eyes the fawning and fervent genuflection was a bit premature. Blasphemous. I know. Blame it on the purist in me.    I was born in '68, which technically means the Nineties were my era. I also have a soft spot for music from soul's legendary period landing roughly between 1964-1975.  As elementary school kids in '76, '77 and '78, The Jacksons' Enjoy Yourself.  Heatwave's Groove Line and Boogie Nights. Parliament's Flash Light ...

On August 25, 1998, Lauryn Hill embarked on her maiden voyage as a solo artist with the release of her debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Clocking in at nearly 70 minutes its sprawling cohesion recalls Stevie Wonder’s 1976 Songs in The Key of Life.                                                                   Against a host of contenders releasing groundbreaking albums during 1970s, Wonder emerged victorious, winning consecutive Grammys for Album of the Year.  Emerging as Motown's biggest star, Wonder inked a new multi-album deal for $30 million dollars---the biggest contract for any recording artist at the time. Disenchanted with America, Wonder flirted with retirement and moving to Africa. Instead, he moved forward to complete work on his highly anticipated follow-up. Two years in the...