Tony Adamo Reviewed By Smoothjazz.de

Tony Adamo's sonorous voice has a Lou Rawls-like vibrato. A former radio announcer, now a singer and songwriter. Tower of Power member Mic Gillette introduced him to Stephen "Doc" Kupka, co-founder of Tower of Power and owner of Strokeland Records.

That was the start of a great friendship and a fertile collaboration. Over the next years they recorded Dance of Love (2002), Straight Up Deal (2007) and now What is Hip?.

The lineup consists of Tony Adamo (vocals), Mike Clark (drums), Bill Summers (percussion), Sandy Griffith (background vocals), Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Richie Goods (bass), Neil Larsen (organ), and Jerry Stucker (guitar). Eddie Henderson in the horn section and Doc Kupka (bari sax). Steve Gadd appears as guest musician.

The album kicks off with Cold Duck Time (Groove On Line), A jazz standard by the late saxophone player Eddie Harris (1969), which the legendary Al Jarreau already performed on his album Accentuate the Positive. Tony Adamo proves that there are more singers under the sun able to fill this song with life.

Rhythm Of Your Love is Tony's postulate of love. With strong and still caressing words he describes the aim of his longing. A crooner of special kind. Tony intensifies Grover Washington Jr.'s song Make Me A Memory with his lyrics and changes the character of the tune to his own style. Jerry Stucker replaces the sax with a brilliant guitar line.

"Doc" Kupka who co-wrote What is Hip? with Emilio Castillo said: "I love Tony's version! He evokes the beatnik-bongo days of my youth and gives a whole new slant to a hard-charging funk tune. Congrats to both Tony Adamo and Jerry Stucker!" But we should also add Eddie Henderson (trumpet) and the whole team to these merits. A really terrific song!

Ecstasy is a popular drug, but when Tony is on his trip, then it's a personal love journey. Tony Adamo gives the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby a new direction. Guitarist Blackbyrd McKnight plays lead on the song. Yeah. That is the power of rock!

Tony Adamo pulls Randy Crawford's airy Rio De Janeiro Blue down to the ground and gives the melody an earthy timbre. Smokey Robinson wrote in January '64 the hooky tune The Way You Do The Things You Do for the Temptations, their first hit and the rest is history. Tony serves his dirty gritty version.

On Love Don't Get Tony Adamo sounds the depth of love. Calling is another heartfelt love ballade of this exceptional crooner. On the moody Nine Miles Of Blue Adamo reflects about a love grown cold. Hypnotizing, mesmerizing - Adamo dives into the deep water of love and conjures the mystery of love.

The album ends with a fresh rendition of Tower of Power's This Time It's Real. Funky and powerful supported by the finest horns.

Tony Adamo's What is Hip? is a professionally crafted album with high energy. With Adamo's special charm Funk is a delightful fruit.

http://www.smooth-jazz.de/

Eleanor Rigby by Tony Adamo

Tony Adamo's remake of The Beatles classic song "Eleanor Rigby" is upbeat and funky. The song definitely has Tony Adamo's signature style on it, incorporating influences of blues, jazz and rock, also adding spoken word and a nice guitar solo. There's no replacing The Beatles, but Adamo has definitely brought "Eleanor Rigby" back to life for a new generation with great musicians behind him and a voice that's tried and true.

"Eleanor Rigby" by Tony Adamo
http://official.fm/tracks/223603

Down the Drain Chuck Mix by Alexis Fox

Down the Drain Chuck Mix by Alexis Fox
http://official.fm/tracks/223635

On "Down The Drain Chuck Mix", Avant pop singer Alexis Fox uses her unique, sensual and powerful voice to turn this tune with a big band sound that's mixed with dancehall/pop into a great finger snapping, head bopping song that's fun to listen to. Fox does a great job with both the solo and multi-voice harmonies and the big band sound is fantastic. Very well produced, "Down The Drain Chuck Mix" is full of energy, and will appeal to anyone who likes good music.

Meet U.K. Electronic Rock Act Paris And The Hiltons

Hailing from the U.K., electronic rock act Paris and the Hiltons was founded in 2007 by solo member Phil Jourdan. Jourdan expects to release his debut LP this month.

Jourdan began playing the guitar and bass in high school, learning the bass first at age fourteen and the guitar one year later. In addition to being a musician, Jourdan is also a singer/songwriter, and formed the electronic-rock solo act Paris and the Hiltons in 2007. He decided on the name after seeing it in an online discussion about "stupid potential band names". Commenting on the decision, he said, "One man's trash is another man’s treasure."

Jourdan is also a member of the cabaret electronic rock band Dawn of the Gecko, along with Sam Folkes, who will make an appearance on the debut album for Paris and the Hiltons. But make no mistake about it, the two are very separate bands. "Paris and the Hiltons isn't about making funny music. Sometimes it sounds that way, because either the songs have silly lyrics or the music is silly. But it's a much more serious project. It takes up a lot more of my time, and I've recorded over a hundred songs under the name Paris and the Hiltons. Most of them are sitting on my hard drive and will never be released because they are awful." Elaborating further, he said, "Paris and the Hiltons is kind of depressing sometimes. Other times it's moronic. I wouldn't call Dawn of the Gecko moronic — just good fun."

Asserting that memories, megalomania, and mourning are the inspiration for his music, he makes it known that it’s also a labor of love, and a lot of effort goes into it. "Music, like anything else, isn't just about how inspired you feel. And that sucks, but so will your music if you don't sweat a little."

http://www.myspace.com/parisandthehiltons
http://www.last.fm/music/Paris+and+the+Hiltons
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paris-and-The-Hiltons/7564094883

Saxophonist Plunky Releases R&B CD Album With A Mix Tape Flow

J. Plunky Branch's new release, Plunky On Fire, is a funk jazz concept album that burns across a wide swath of the urban contemporary music landscape. Plunky On Fire takes us on a musical journey through down-tempo funk jazz; house-tempo dance; R&B love songs; spoken word; smooth mellow jazz; novelty funk; world soul message music; live gig clips and thought leader lecturing, all on one chockfull compact disc.

Saxophonist J. Plunky Branch and his group Plunky & Oneness create musical theater that combines the quirkiness of George Clinton and the musicality of George Duke with the vocal poetics of Jill Scott and Gil Scott Heron. Plunky's words and melodies are crafted over hip-hop influenced instrumental tracks produced by his son, Jamiah “Fire” Branch, hence the double entendre CD title.

The father-son duo has produced an album of 14 new songs that are both retro and ultramodern, a new organic-techno soul music that is jazzy, funky and highly danceable. Two songs are targeted for initial airplay: "On Fire," a hot, sax driven dance instrumental with a vocal hook; and "Inside These Walls" a quiet storm love song featuring Chyp Green on lead vocals.

Released on his own N.A.M.E. Brand Records label, this, Plunky's 25th album, will be available at CDBaby.com and all the most popular online sites, including i-tunes, Rhapsody and Napster. CD’s will be distributed to record stores by Liaison Record Distributors of Maryland. The March 29th release date also kicks off the Plunky & Oneness promotional touring in support of the new CD.

Plunky & Oneness is one of the most versatile and enduring funk jazz groups, having toured in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US, in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean for over 25 years. They have appeared in concert and at festivals with some of the biggest names in Black music, including Earth Wind & Fire, Frankie Beverly & Maze, B.B. King, Patti Labelle, Ray Charles, LL Cool J, Chuck Brown, Wyclef Jean and many others.

Plunky has also been active in music education and arts and culture presentations and some of his insights on aesthetics and African concepts of the groove are presented as interludes on the album. His positive empowerment and political messages are infused in the lyrics of several of the songs as well. He comments, "I just think it’s important to inspire people to reach for their highest aspirations and I believe it can be done while we're having fun; what some call partying with a purpose."

Plunky On Fire presents R&B as art music and this concept extends to the CD cover as well. The original portrait of Plunky on the front was painted by French artist, Dan Brussat; and the inside photograph taken at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts was shot by the design and layout artist, Danja Mowf. On this album the music and the art are hot like fire…

Web site: www.plunkyone.com CD Link: www.cdbaby.com/cd/plunky

Jay King To Interview Members Of Earth Wind & Fire, Con Funk Shun, The Bar Kays, The Ohio Players, Lakeside And Lenny Williams

Industry veteran, music producer and radio personality Jay King celebrates two years on the internet airwaves this April with his show "The Way I See It" on BlogTalkRadio.com/Jay-King (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jay-king). With a fan base that has grown exponentially over the years, King is forever pushing the envelope with subject matters that provoke, stimulate and incite conversation as well as controversy. In recognition of his show's success, King is planning several topics designed to have the phone lines ringing off the Richter scale.

On Sunday, March 20, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm PST, King will discuss "Walking Outside the Lines...The Charlie Sheen Effect." Explains King, "I love what Charlie Sheen is doing. He's pushing envelopes, opening up minds, challenging authority and daring us all to be different. The Charlie Sheen Effect is in essence anytime someone looks, acts and speaks differently from what mainstream society deems 'normal.' I am down with the Charlie Sheen Effect. I don't believe he's about to crash and burn or is coming down from some incredible high. I believe Charlie has tapped into something most of us are acutely afraid of and that's his greater self!"

Monday, March 21, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm PST "The Great Ones Music Series" is launched as King chronicles great moments and memories in soul and funk music. The series will continue every Monday and Wednesday for the next several weeks highlighting live interviews with Con Funk Shun's Michael Cooper and Felton Pilate; Sugar Foot from the Legendary Ohio Players; Lakeside's Fred Alexander and Stephen Shockley; the Bar-Kays' Larry Dodson and James Alexander; soul crooner Lenny Williams; and Earth Wind and Fire's Larry Dunn and Ralph Johnson.

"The Way I See It" originally began as a weekly show airing on Sundays from 2:00 - 4:00 pm PST on www.blogtalkradio.com/jay-king. The popularity of the show has warranted its expansion to Mondays and Wednesdays, with the show engaging listeners three times weekly now! Real life issues are addressed every Sunday and on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm PST, King tackles the different elements of the music business.

Jay King continues to press the buttons technology has put in front of him to create as many platforms as possible for the continual distribution of accurate information and real facts. His goal is to educate and inspire not only the young up and coming artist but also the seasoned veteran.

In addition to "The Way I see It," King is a sought after music producer, manager and consultant, constantly forging new inroads with emerging technology and social marketing platforms. He is working on his second solo musical release, "Helen's Son," in addition to a new release entitled "Consciousness," from his Grammy Award winning group, Club Nouveau, who he still tours with.

Keep up with Jay King at http://www.jayking.ning.com and http://www.clubnouveau.ning.com. Listen to "The Way I See It" every Sunday from 2:00 to 4:00 pm PST and every Monday and Wednesday from 7:00 to 9:00 pm PST on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jay-king.

Finally, Social Networking Website For Musicians And Music Lovers

There is a new contender for the social networking crown, and although it's still in the lightweight category, it brings a unique advantage to the table and will revolutionize the social networking world.

Who is this feisty new scrapper with knockout potential? MusicLunge.com.

When it comes to judging whether or not Music Lunge has come up with a suitable solution to the time shortage for the hungry social networker... The people have spoken. A first glance at the Web statistics tracking site, Alexa.com, one would see Music Lunge, a new up-and-coming SN website with a promising ranking in the world-wide-web, reaching under a million -- a very healthy place to and a clear indication that mass-market recognition potential will become a reality in the very near future. These statistics illustrate the time spent per user on personal pages on a daily basis and Music Lunge trumps the competition with an impressive rise that began immediately after they hit the scene in September. Even heavy time-killing sites like Facebook and MySpace fall short of reaching the stats put up by the SN newcomer. The reason behind this incredible growth is the unique functions and services Music Lunge provides its subscribers, from 132 countries, which will launch social networking into its next generational phase.

Music Lunge is a social networking site designed to help Indie and Major artists with, digital music and music video distribution, ringtone distribution and song mastering. With Music Lunge, subscribers have the best features of the popular social networking sites, combined into one convenient location. Music Lunge offers the personal page malleability of sites like Facebook or MySpace, allowing members to keep up with friends' status updates and photos. In addition, videos can be uploaded, browsed and searched with a service comparable to that of YouTube, and a Twitter-like micro-blogging feature, are all readily available and easy to use.

No need to add an "APP" to a "TAB" to place music or videos to your profile page. Nor do you have to worry about getting your account deleted or suspended for "Networking" too much or limiting its members to only 5000 friends. Music Lunge is the ultimate networking website, unleashing the power of true networking for all its members. Allowing the benefit of video chatting, profile customization and an easy to navigate website, Music Lunge is proving to be a mega social networking website.

MusicLunge.com offers the freedom of what you are suppose to be able to do on a social networking website, network without limitations. More and more Facebook members are getting their accounts suspended for networking. "We are not here to compete with the other social networking mega sites, like Facebook or MySpace, we are here to give the musicians and music lovers a social networking website of their own," says new CEO, Jason Pomales. Jason Pomales is the cousin of Former Pussycat Doll "Asia Nittolano," winner of CW's Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll, and the nephew of R&B Latin Music Legend Joe Bataan of NYC.

With digital music and music video distribution, Music Lunge offers artists and labels the opportunity to sell their music on 130 worldwide online stores such as iTunes, Rhapsody, Spotify, Napster, Listen Japan for music and iTunes and Vevo for music videos. Entering the realm of digital distribution, Music Lunge is looking to compete with digital distribution giants as CD Baby, Tunecore.com, Reverbnation.com and many more, but offering worldwide online outlets for labels and musicians at a competitive price.

In addition to growing and making other mega social networking websites a little nervous, MusicLunge.com will be launching its broadcast division, bringing the social networking era into a new age. The broadcast division will bring the presence of live streaming HD video to the music industry, enabling artists the ability to do live streaming interviews increasing their interaction with fans and more, on a personal level. Just when you think that Music Lunge's services stops at music and music video distribution, the Broadcasting Division will also be offering Music Video Email distribution, offering artists to send music videos to their fans on a personal level.

Not a Music Lunge member, head over and see why MusicLunge.com has some major social networking websites nervous.

Rapper Cane Murphy Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is, Investing Thousands On Debut Video!!

We all know one of the most important things you can do to let Record Labels and the Music Industry know that your serious about your career as an artist, is to invest in your music. Well, rapper Cane Murphy believes in his music so much, He's willing to put his entire life savings on the line, Spending $20,000 on his debut video "When I'm with You" , along with recording his Debut Album, starting a radio campaign and promoting his story in XXL Magazine.

The Video Features Vocals from newly signed "Island Def Jam" artist Ashley Loren, from American Idol. The two artists met while performing at the same club in Manhattan, N.Y. After hearing Ashley sing, Cane approached her to sing the vocals on his song. Stating - "I need your beautiful voice on a song I wrote for a girl who never left my side, It's very important to me". To which Ashley replied "I'd be honored" and soon after the two were in the studio recording.

The Great American Song Contest Judges gave it "9 out of 10 for "Rhyming" and "How Lyrics fit Music" and went on to say - "This song display's outstanding talent and potential". The song that inspired the video was Debuted by "Fatman Scoop" on "FullThrottleRadio.Net" as well as receiving plays on Fm stations, college and online radio.

What makes the song that inspired the video, stand out from the rest of the album for Cane is the overwhelmingly powerful responses he's getting from fans on YouTube, stating how they can relate to the story of sticking by someone's side. This being the case with the heart felt True Story of a boy and girl not giving up on each other when things were at their worst, when wrong turns, envious eyes and even tragedy tried to separate them.

The video plays out like a movie, Displaying breathtaking scenes by the ocean from the South Beach boardwalk in Staten Island, depicting the setting of how they met. Then seamlessly follows the story line full of drama of how they stuck by each others side through the good times and the bad.

The Video was directed by "Monstar Films" managed by "Dj Vlad". The Music in the Video was produced by Elliot Waite for "Jee Juh" Productions. Storyline & Lyrics written by Cane Murphy. The video debuted on Youtube and is making it's way to Yahoo! Music , Early April, 2011.

To Contact or find out more visit - Canemurphy.com or email canemurphy@gmail.com

http://www.youtube.com/canemurphy

Mekanizm Records
P.O box 50067
Staten Island, N.Y 10305

Oakland, California Rapper D.Willz Releases "Watermelon" Music Video

"Watermelon", the latest video release by Oakland, California rap artist D.Willz, was released today. The single, produced by Mark Kragen and brought to you by 2Fresh Entertainment is featured on D.Willz's "Hood Pop" mix-tape, hosted by Dj Ill Will and DJ Rockstar.

The "Watermelon" video is a worthy addition to his arsenal of humorous original clips. Never fearful of creativity in the often clichéd rap environment, D.Willz has forged a unique identity with his outside the box comic videos and Watermelon does not disappoint. Featuring a hard-hitting club beat and heavily oriented to the female audience, D.Willz breaks tradition with this video. Instead of naked girls or generic scenes of D.Willz rapping the lyrics, director Finley Wise uses a cast of local farmers who perform, walk, dance and carry countless watermelons throughout this video parody.

Shot entirely on location at a farm in Northern California, the video ends with a cameo appearance by D.Willz as he loads his pick up truck and heads to the coast to sell his load of watermelons.

This new video is sure to get the audience "juicy like a watermelon".

Artist: D.Willz
Song Title: Watermelon
Album: Hood Pop Hosted by Dj Ill Will and DJ Rockstar Label: 2Fresh Entertainment
Director: Raremink

"Watermelon" Music Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcxbSqrpTw4

Strokeland Jazz Is Proud To Welcome TONY ADAMO's New CD, "WHAT IS HIP?"

Strokeland Jazz is proud to welcome TONY ADAMO's new CD, "WHAT IS HIP?". On this follow-up to his 2007 release, "STRAIGHT UP DEAL" , Adamo shows a maturity and depth that puts him firmly at the top in his trademark cool-jazz style.

Recorded and mixed at some of the finest studios in the world, including Capitol Records in Hollywood, the audio quality is absolutely stunning. The songs benefit from the expert ears of Grammy-winning engineer and producer, AL SCHMITT, along with other world-class engineers and producers, including ERIK ZOBLER, ED CHERNEY, and JERRY STUCKER. Not content to merely cover classic songs by TOWER OF POWER, the BEATLES, and other great artists, producer JERRY STUCKER guides the project with class and creativity to turn these songs into something completely new, yet comfortably familiar.

The recording of the song “What is Hip” on Adamo's new CD came from a suggestion made by the legendary horn player and Tower of Power co-founder, STEPHEN 'DOC' KUPKA. During a recording session with Adamo and his producer/guitarist, JERRY STUCKER, Doc suggested several TOP songs that Adamo might want to cover.

Adamo chose "What is Hip" and "This Time it's Real." Kupka, along with jazz great EDDIE HENDERSON hold up the horn section on "Hip." In the re-grooved "This Time It's Real," MIC GILLETTE, funk icon in his own right, wrote the horn arrangement and plays trumpet and trombone along with TOP member TOM E. POLITZER on tenor sax. Politzer plays tenor sax with Doc Kupka on bari sax.