Alicesmith.com

There are some artists who just do not make it “big” in the way we think they should. Singer Alice Smith is absolutely one of those people.

Her style is eclectic, mixing rock, funk and soul music into one sound.  Her first album, For Lovers, Dreamers and Me, was a critical success with many publications dubbing her the “next best thing.” She even reached daytime status when she performed on Ellen. But despite having an undergound following, Alice’s career never fully took off.

Over the last seven years – when her first album was released – Alice has been signed to a major label and finally was able to get off in or around 2010. Fans didn’t know if they’d ever get any new music from her and all they could do was replay the debut album and watch live Youtube videos.  Oh, did I forget to mention she has a four octave vocal range? Yeah, she does…and it might even be five on a good day.  But anyway, it could have virtually been the end of a career that didn’t have a fully chance to develop.

And then, Alice took to Twitter in 2012. She informed her fans that she was now an independent artist and was ready to start recording an album tentatively titled She.  In order to get it done, she would need help with funding and to do so, Alice started a Kickstarter fund to gain financial help from fans and supporters. She ended up raising about half of the money needed and She was officially a go!

Alice released She in March and it is a gem.  From the opening a capella of the “Cabaret (intro)” to the end of the album which closes with “She,” the title track, Alice takes the listener on a journey of a love lost and also find the love of your life. You feel every emotion and every note has the ability to pierce right through your heart. She even remade Ceelo Green’s “Fool For You” which is, arguably, better than the original…just don’t tell Ceelo I said it.

Let’s get to the bottom line here: I know I can’t turn everyone into a believer, but you have to give Alice Smith a chance.

You can trust me…I wouldn’t steer you wrong. But if you don’t believe me, check the “Fool For You” video below.

Mats Andersson/WENN.com

Well, this is turning out to be quite the year for Prince so far – and it’s only January.

We told you that Carnegie Hall will be paying tribute to the Purple One in March with performances by The Roots and Talib Kweli. Now, it was just announced that he will be honored at the 2013 Billboard Awards, according to EURweb.

Prince will be awarded with the Billboard Icon Award at the show which will take place in May in Las Vegas. While we know – or he’s led us to believe – that Prince doesn’t ever release music for the sake of winning any awards, this is a great honor.

Here’s the even better part: he’s agreed to perform on the show.  Fans know that he doesn’t do this quite often – although he did show up on Jimmy Kimmel Live to perform new music late last year – so this will be quite the treat.

Last year’s Icon honoree was Stevie Wonder so Prince is certainly in amazing company.

The Billboard Awards are calculated by fans’ interaction with music based on radio play, track and album downloads, touring and social media interaction.

The show will air live Sunday, May 19 on ABC.

Source: individualism.co.uk

No matter what you’re doing today, make sure you take time out to stop and play some Prince. The Purple One, born Prince Rogers Nelson, turns 54 today, and doesn’t look a day over 40! The multi-talented musician has been ahead of his time since the ’70s, when he dropped his debut album, For You, and slowly but surely started to change both the R&B and rock game (don’t forget about funk!). So on this day of celebration, we thought we’d find a way to pick six of our favorite songs by a man with a catalog of jams so extensive and amazing. Feel free to let us know your own favorites in the comment section. And if you’re wondering why I picked six…well, I couldn’t pick JUST five and seven would have been doing the most…I know, it doesn’t make sense.

Enjoy!

*Sidenote: I would have added all the videos, but Prince isn’t a fan of his stuff being accessible via the “Intanetz.” So attached are links to the songs.

I Wanna Be Your Lover

The minute this song drops, who doesn’t stop and start nodding their head really hard? The keyboards, the guitar action, and Prince singing like he got kicked in the gonads–it’s a classic! It’s also one of his biggest R&B hits and a jam that definitely makes you want to head to the dance floor for a bit. And the video, with his hair looking very laid and his clothing at a minimum, is a must-see as well. Good look finding it though, you know he doesn’t mess with YouTube…

When Doves Cry

“How could you just leave me standing…alone in a world so cold?” Many people have tried to cover this track (Hey, Ginuwine), but nobody has done it like this fella. A stellar track from the legendary Purple Rain soundtrack, the nearly six-minute song is guaranteed to make you dance, and possibly shout (especially around the breakdown). And who wasn’t either lusting or laughing at Prince when he was in the bathtub and then crawling butt naked towards the camera? Such an intriguing character he is.

Adore

There are few slow love songs out there that touch me to the point that I feel the need to play it nonstop, but “Adore” gets that reaction from moi. With deep lyrics and messages like, “If God one day struck me blind, your beauty I’d still see…” and the way the song gradually grows through the beautiful crescendo makes it one of those jams that inadvertently takes you to church with each listen. It’s so moving, that while performing the song during a tribute to Prince at the BET Awards, a very pregnant Alicia Keys felt so inclined to climb on top of her piano and jam. Can you blame her though?

Kiss

A song from the highly underrated Parade album (which was the soundtrack for his panned film, Under the Cherry Moon), “Kiss” is a showcase of the power of some sick acoustics. The track is very minimalist when you compare it to other Prince songs, but maybe it’s his attempts to sing falsetto and the smart, snarky lyrics (“Act your age mama, not your shoe size…”) that make it a must-listen. Plus, the minute it plays at a party, or even on the radio, folks lose their ever-loving mind. What do I think when I hear the song? As Prince would say during the bridge, “I think I wanna dance!”

If I Was Your Girlfriend

What you know about this one? Definitely an alluring and seductive track, “If I Was Your Girlfriend” is supposed to be a song about the tight bond and relationship between a woman and her best friend, and a man’s quest to be that oh-so-close to his lady. The “lady” singing the track is of course Prince with his vocals altered to sound like his female alter ego, Camille, and the track as a whole appeared on the critically-acclaimed album, Sign ‘o’ The Times. This is one of those dance-around-in-your-lingerie jams, or better yet, sit-on-your-couch-and-eat-Cheetos bangers too...

Purple Rain

But of course. When Prince did this track during the Super Bowl halftime show a few years back, I was pretty sure I was going to cry, but instead, I just threw my cell phone light up in the air in my room and reveled in the awesome-ness of it all (Until the Chicago Bears lost the game, then I was sad.). Some of Prince’s biggest and best hits were with the Revolution, and this one for the movie of the same name is as big as it gets. I mean, the guitar solo, the strings, the lyrics–it’s just all too epic. But then again, so is Prince.

Which jams would you add to the list?

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Remember back in February, Valentine’s Day to be exact, Jada Pinkett Smith released a single she dedicated to her husband, Will? Well, looks like there’s going to be a corresponding video for the single. If you remember, Jada, whose musical taste and talents have always leaned closer toward the heavy metal side, stuck to her rock roots with this song.

Check out the behind the scenes look at the video shoot in the clip below.

Are you ready to see the rest of the video?

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