Al Green is a soul singer who has had hits that have turned out into timeless classics. A fantastic voice that shows tenderness and soul and has this bit of grit that makes it so outstanding. His songs are used for quite a few movies and he has influenced artists like Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi and Queen Latifah, among others. He has also created gospel music but wasn't as successful with that as his soul repertoire. His songs have been covered by other artists and perhaps the most famous one is the version of Let's stay together by Tina Turner. The music of Al Green is a must have for everybody who claims to be a soul music collector. His music is exactly what you need to unwind and relax.  Listen to a collection of his wonderful work, enjoy... 

For me there is only one artist that was from a musical point interesting enough to show you. Her name is Modupé and she plays guitar and sings. The performance was without mistakes but personally I was not impressed. I've heard this all before and I did not find it original enough. I shall come back to you with BGT info once the final is there. For now, enjoy this video clip.

Toni Braxton is a vocalist in R&B, soul, pop and hip-hop music. She has sold more than 66 million albums and can be considered as one of the greatest vocalists in the world. Toni Braxton is a singer who made it big when the music listening public lost the Stax and Motown artists out of sight. (People like Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, etc.) Besides of being a great vocalist Braxton has also worked in theater, TV series and has acted in movies. She is also an example of the greed and control of the music industry and the living proof that you have to read your contracts very, very carefully. At the same time, I find it a "little" odd that when you have sold 66 million albums, have been in theaters, TV series and movies that you have to file for bankruptcy... twice. It makes you wonder what has happened. Concerning the music part however, Toni is a great singer, she updated soul music to it's modern sound of today and that is a feat that deserves respect. Her songs are precious gems of creative song writing, performing and mixing. The ambiance that comes from her music is sensual, sexy and intriguing and has time and time again this subtle groove that will put you in the mood for romance and more. Enjoy her work...

Al Jarreau is a vocalist who makes, funk, soul, pop and jazz songs. Great music to relax with and if you are in need of new riffs or structures for your own songs, this may inspire you. Besides of singing, Al Jarreau also scats. (Scatting is a form of rapping without real words where the main focus is to stay in synchronicity  with the melody and the rhythm of the music.) Al Jarreau has worked with a large group of international renowned artists. Chick Korea, Miles Davis and Al Green to name a few. His career started in 1967 and he is still performing live today. His songs are upbeat, have often a brass section to give an extra push on the more than excellent riffs and hooks and Al himself has an impeccable vocal control. Here is a collection of his work, enjoy...

Alter Bridge is a band that consists of three members of the band Creed, guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips and their new lead vocalist Myles Kennedy from the band The Mayfield Four. They create rock music in the style of what is known as classic rock. Their first album, One Day Remains, is in my opinion their best album. It has all the licks, kicks and catchy hooks an album should have and the vocals are fitting in greatly. If you are somebody who's curious to discover what hard rock is all about than this is an album I can recommend. It's not too heavy or fast but has all the ingredients that a good and above average rock album should have. It's solid, has power, great riffs and a kick ass attitude. Enjoy...

Two acts this time that have a chance of succeeding. The first act is probably an act that will return to the TV screens in the future anyway as they are indeed, very good, original and there is no other group like them at this moment. Have a look at The Band Of Voices...

The second and last clip is from a girl named Aliki. She does a cover of Evanescence's Wake Me Up and she has this unbelievable voice. Simply fantastic and the result is a standing ovation, enjoy... 

Soul music as it is supposed to be. The Dramatics are a vocal band that have created songs that will give shivers running down your spine. This is the music that will make your romantic evening a success. It has funk and pop influences but for me the best part is simply the vocals and ambiances that they have created. I know this is old school but in the music of today you will not find this kind of quality anymore and that is a shame and a disappointment. The most successful period for the Dramatics was in the early seventies, they influenced bands like Kool and the Gang, Earth, Wind and Fire and people like Isaac Hayes. When you listen to this you may also find where Prince got his inspiration from. This is the music version of strawberries dipped in chocolate sauce. Listen to a collection of their songs. Enjoy...

Hector Zazou was an artist who loved to integrate different cultures and different music styles in his music. This created voluptuous music with the use of spoken word by movie stars as well as, multiple collaborations with music artists from a wide range of different styles and different countries. The use of instruments that have been used rarely to record was also one of the things that you could expect "normal" from Zazou and he has done this regularly. Hector Zazou was definitely a composer ahead of his time, open to embrace of what we mostly shy away from, namely difference. If someone was open minded in music, this was the man. Thank you Ger, for introducing me to this. I hope you enjoy the works of Hector Zazou...

Here is the update on Britain's Got Talent, week 5. I'm a bit behind, I know and I shall try to rectify this later this week. I hope you will enjoy these auditions.

The first clip is from Jack and Cormac - Little talks. Guitar and vocals, they are 13 and 14 years old. They are good and if they can keep this up we may see them again in the future...

The second clip is from 71 year old Kelly Fox. The right notes are not the main things in her vocal work, the rebellious ambiance and rock attitude is. A wonderful example of getting old while staying young...

The last clip is from Rosie O'Sullivan. She sings This is a man's world from the late James Brown. I think we will hear from her, or in the finals or beyond. Lovely powerful voice and right now, we haven't even heard her actually putting in power or using all her capabilities. Enjoy...

Here you will find the results of Slash's "solo" works. The albums under the moniker Slash's Snakepit and his two solo albums, both put under the name Slash, are here available for you to listen to. Slash's Snakepit has been created with the help of a large number of different artists, this has also been done for the album Slash. The album Apocalyptic Love however has only four basic musicians working. For those who do not know, Slash was the solo guitarist with the band Guns n' Roses and is also the solo guitarist with the band Velvet Revolver. (Velvet Revolver is on hiatus). Slash is not a "technical" guitar player as the likes of Joe Satriani or Steve Vai. Slash is in my opinion one of the worlds best guitar players for the simple reason that he manages to play fast and aggressive as well as slow and melodic but most of all, he does not show off and knows how to blend in, into songs. He plays more by ear, ambiance and with feeling, so to speak. I hope you will have a good time listening to his work, enjoy...