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January 23, 2021: WINNERS ANNOUNCED for Daddy B. Nice's 2020 (14th Annual) SOUTHERN SOUL MUSIC AWARDS.
See Daddy B. Nice's "2020: The Year In Southern Soul" (click here)
Winners are posted at the end of each list of finalists.
Best Debut: Finalists
Poka Jones----"Love Thyself"
Rich Wright----"I Been Loving You"
Leroy Germaine----"Grown Folks Party"
Mr. Lyve----"City Country Boo Thang"
Kinnie Ken----"I Got The Good Good"
Calvin Taylor----"Southern Soul Kind Of Vibe"
Benito----"Nose Wide Open," "Gwadamala"
Lokey Kountry----"Goin' Out"
Evette Busby----"Ready For Love"
MeMe Yahsal----"Eye Candy"
Derrick Salter----"We Steppin'"
WestDawn----"I Wanna Love You," "Strong Country Man"
Arthur Young----"Funky Forty," "Stroking"
Pretty Kenny----"Listen Girl"
Isaac Lindsay----"Chokin' Kind,"
Parooze----"Wipe Me Down"
Banky----"Stay In Your Lane," "Tonight Gonna Be Your Night"
King South----"Lookin' Good"
Stuff Music----"2Step"
Mr. Nelson----"Southern Soul Man"
Ms. Kida----"Sunshine"
Cadillac Man----"Southern Soul Woman"
Tha Party King----"Work That"
Donyale Renee----"Size Doesn't Matter"
Rita Brent----"Quarantine Shuffle," "Can You Rock Me Like A Pothole"
Tasha Mac----"Get It My Way," "I Just Want To Ride"
J'Cenae----"I'll Be Down In A Minute"
Ju Evans----"Tasty Girl"

Best Debut: "Funky Forty" and "Stroking" by Arthur Young
Listen to Arthur Young singing "Funky Forty" on YouTube.
Best Collaboration: Finalists
Terry Wright, Vick Allen----"It's Over"
Sir Charles Jones, Jeter Jones, King South----"Like Voodoo"
Bigg Robb, Wendell B----"Take It Off"
Tyree Neal, Omar Cunningham----"Can Somebody Take Me?"
Bigg Robb, O.B. Buchana----"Cuttin' Up"
J-Wonn, Jeter Jones----"Step With Me"
Arthur Young, Sassy D----"Netflix & Chill"
Kinnie Ken, Sojo----"I Got The Good Good"
Arthur Young, Jeter Jones----"Flashlight"
Solomon Thompson, Lebrado----"That Booty"
Hisyde, Avail Hollywood----"Is It Ova?"
Dave Mack, Miss Portia----"Bothered"
Benito, Lady Q----"Nose Wide Open"
Johnny James, Adrena, Lady Q, Miss Portia----"Good Thang (Remix)"
Jeter Jones, King South, Stan Butler, Rhomey Rhone, DJ Big Tony----"Jood Wood"
J'Cenae, Wendell B----"I'll Be Down In A Minute"
Mr. Nelson, Sonya B----"Southern Soul Man"
Jeter Jones, Sir Charles Jones, R&B Pooh----"Moonshine"
Carolyn Staten, Jennifer Watts, Unkle Phunk----"Nukie Pie"

Best Collaboration: "Nose Wide Open" by (Beat Flippa), Benito, Lady Q
Listen to Benito and Lady Q singing "Nose Wide Open" on YouTube.
Best Cover Song: Finalists
Jennifer Watts----"Kiss Me Where You Miss Me"
Jeter Jones----"Mind Playing Tricks On Me"
Towanna Murphy----"Doing The Right Thing With The Wrong Man"
Isaac Lindsay----"Chokin' Kind," "Sho Wasn't Me"
Ms. Kida----"Sunshine"
Rosalyn Candy----"Funky Forty Reply"
Tiffstar Haywood----"Juke Joint"
Toia Jones----"No Pain No Gain"
Stephanie Luckett----"In Love With Your Stuff"
Ricky White----"Southern Soul Nation"
Dee Dee Simon----"Anaconda"
Volton Wright----"Circles"
Best Cover Song: "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" by Jeter Jones
Listen to Jeter Jones singing "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" on YouTube.
Best Mid-Tempo Song: Finalists
Avail Hollywood----"Love Train"
Arthur Young----"Funky Forty"
Tucka----"Won't Disapprove"
Benito, Lady Q----"Nose Wide Open"
Sassy D, Arthur Young----"Netflix & Chill"
J. Red The Nephew----"Milk"
Lokey Kountry----"Goin' Out"
R&B Pooh----"Out In The Country"
Magic One----"Nose Wide Open"
Wendell B----"That's What We Gone Do"
Dee Dee Simon----"Da Fire"
Chris Ivy----"Thick N Juicy"
Ronnie Bell----"Go Get A Room"
David J----"Last Few Dollars"
Vickie Baker----"Talk In Your Sleep"
Arthur Young----"Stroking"

Best Mid-Tempo Song: "Won't Disapprove" by Tucka feat. Marcus Fisher
Listen to Tucka & Marcus Fisher singing "Won't Disapprove" on YouTube.
Best Club Song: Finalists
Mr. David----"Cheatin' With The DJ"
Dr. Dee----"Another Weekend"
Hisyde, Avail Hollywood----"Is It Ova?"
Big Yayo----"Get It"
Kinnie Ken, Sojo----"I Got The Good Good"
Luster Baker----"Southern Soul Train"
Karen Wolfe----"Grown Folk Step"
Tha Party King----"Work That"
Jeter Jones----"Mind Playing Tricks On Me"
Benito----"Gwadamala"
Carolyn Staten, Jennifer Watts, Unkle Phunk----"Nukie Pie"
Chrissy Luvz----"I Sing Da Blues"
Narvel Echols----"Country Folks Party"

Best Club Song: "Nukie Pie" by Carolyn Staten, Jennifer Watts, Unkle Phunk
Listen to Carolyn Staten, Jennifer Watts & Unkle Phunk singing "Nukie Pie" on YouTube.
Best Longtime Veteran: Finalists
Vickie Baker----"Talk In Your Sleep"
Sir Charles Jones----"I Don't Understand," "Still In Love"
Lenny Williams----"Southern Girls"
Sheba Potts-Wright----"One Freak To Another"
Karen Wolfe----"Grown Folks Step"
T.K. Soul----"That's Life"
Wilson Meadows----"We Doin' All Right"
Chris Ivy----"Sad Rat"
Willie Clayton----"Love Don't Hurt Me"
Omar Cunningham----"Call Me Daddy"
Gregg A. Smith----"Party Warrior"
David Brinston----"I'm An O.G."
Mr. David----"Cheatin' With The DJ"

Best Longtime Veteran: "Cheatin' With The DJ" by Mr. David
Listen to Mr. David singing "Cheatin' With The DJ" on YouTube.
Best Female Vocalist: Finalists
Carolyn Staten----"Nukie Pie"
Miss Portia----"Bothered"
Dee Dee Simon----"I Put It On Him,"
"Da Fire"
Adrena----"Don't Mess With My Man"
Karen Wolfe----"Grown Folk Step"
Summer Wolfe----"Leave Me"
Lady Q----"Nose Wide Open," "Torn Between The Two"
Rosalyn Candy----"Nobody Said It Was Going To Be Easy," "Funky Forty Reply"
CoCo Wade----"He Working Me"
Chrissy Luvz----"I Sing Da Blues"
Sassy D----"Netflix & Chill"
Sheba Potts-Wright----"One Freak To Another"

Best Female Vocalist: "I Put It On Him" and "Da Fire" by Dee Dee Simon
Listen to Dee Dee Simon singing "I Put It On Him" on YouTube.
Best Male Vocalist: Finalists
Magic One----"Nose Wide Open"
R.T. Taylor----"Rock With You"
Avail Hollywood----"Love Train"
Jeter Jones----"Mind Playing Tricks On Me"
Sir Charles Jones----"I Don't Understand"
Wendell B----"Get'cha Head Right,"
"Staying In Love Ain't Easy"
Hisyde----"Is It Ova?"
Benito----"Nose Wide Open"
T.K. Soul----"That's Life"
Arthur Young----"Stroking"
J-Wonn----"Yo Luv Baby"
Cadillac Man----"Southern Soul Woman"
Narvel Echols----"Pour Me A Drank"
Tucka----"Won't Disapprove"

Best Male Vocalist: "Get'cha Head Right" and "Staying In Love Ain't Easy" by Wendell B
Listen to Wendell B singing "Get'cha Head Right" on YouTube.
Best Ballad: Finalists
Wendell B----"Staying In Love Ain't Easy"
Sir Charles Jones----"I Don't Understand"
Wendell B----"Get'cha Head Right"
R.T. Taylor----"Rock With You"
Jeter Jones----"You Know I Miss You"
LaMorris Williams----"Stay Here Forever"
Jeter Jones----"Package"
Terry Wright & Vick Allen----"It's Over"
R.T. Taylor----"Southern Soul"
David Brinston----"I'm An O.G."
J-Wonn----"Yo Luv Baby"
Ms. Kida----"Sunshine"
Pokey Bear----"Reasons"
Wendell B & Bigg Robb----"Take It Off"

Best Ballad: "I Don't Understand" by Sir Charles Jones
Listen to Sir Charles singing "I Don't Understand" on YouTube.
Best Chitlin' Circuit Blues Song: Finalists
Ricky Wayne, Luziana Wil----"Teach My Son"
Lil' Jimmie----"No Drawers On"
Big Pokey Bear----"Can You Keep A Secret?"
Narvel Echols----"Pour Me A Drank"
John Cummings----"Memphis Blues Brothers"
Big G----"Keep On Rockin'"
J. Morris Group----"Happy Weight"
J.T. Watkins----"Nosy Neighbors"
Ronnie Bell----"Go Get A Room"
Dr. Dee----"Another Weekend"
Wendell B----"Cadillac Willie
Mr. David----"Cheatin' With The DJ"
David J----"Last Two Dollars"
Tyree Neal----"Can Somebody Take Me?"
Kinnie Ken, Sojo----"I Got The Good Good"
Arthur Young----"Funky Forty"

Best Chitlin' Circuit Blues Song: "Pour Me A Drank" by Narvel Echols
Listen to Narvel Echols singing "Pour Me A Drank" on YouTube.
Best Out-Of-Left-Field Song: Finalists
Lokey Kountry----"Goin' Out"
Stan Butler----"Deeper In Your Body"
Cheff Da Entertainer----"I'm Sorry Baby"
Uncle Wayne----"I'm Free"
Dave Mack, Tyree Neal----"Private Party"
Mr. David----"Cheatin' With The DJ"
Gwen Yvette----"Mood Swings"
Mz. Connie----"The Mz. Connie Cha"
Miss Portia, Ice Doll----"Closet Freak"
Mr. Sipp----"Played Yourself"
JL----"Party (Casino)"
Annie Washington----"Man Like You"
Stan Butler----"Threesome With My Wife"
Rita Brent----"Quarantine Shuffle"
T.K. Soul----"That's Life"

Best Out-Of-Left-Field Song: "That's Life" by T.K. Soul
Listen to T.K. Soul singing "That's Life" on YouTube.
Best Producer: Finalists
Beat Flippa (Daniel Ross)----"Nose Wide Open" (Benito, Lady Q), "Is It Ova?" (Hisyde, Avail Hollywood), "My Bed" (Omar Cunningham), "We Steppin'" (Derrick Salter), "We Doin' Alright" (Wilson Meadows), "No Drawers On" (Lil' Jimmie)
Slack (Ronald Jefferson)----"(Soul Brothers) Moonshine" (Jeter Jones, Sir Charles Jones, R&B Pooh), "Nose Wide Open" (Magic One), "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" (Jeter Jones), "Rock With You" (R.T. Taylor), "Get It My Way" (Tasha Mac), "Rock With You" (R.T. Taylor)
Charles Jones----"I Don't Understand" (Sir Charles), "Still In Love" (Sir Charles, Jeter Jones), "Just Hang Tonight" (Sir Charles, Wilson Meadows), "I Wish I" (Sir Charles)
Unkle Phunk (Earl Williams)----"Talk In Your Sleep" (Vickie Baker), "Nukie Pie" (Carolyn Staten, Jennifer Watts), "Kiss Me Where You Miss Me" (Jennifer Watts), "Southern Soul Train" (Luster Baker)
Tony Tatum----"Last Few Dollars" (David J), "Funky Forty" (Arthur Young), "Stroking" (Arthur Young), "Call Me Daddy" (Omar Cunningham)
Highway Heavy (Charles Lewis)----"Bothered" (Miss Portia, Dave Mack), "Private Party Reloaded" (Jeter Jones, Dave Mack, Tyree Neal), "Mr. VIP" (Coldrank), "In My Name" (Pokey Bear, Johnny James)
John Ward----"I'm An O.G." (David Brinston), "Memphis Blues Brothers" (John Cummings), "One Freak To Another" (Sheba Potts-Wright), "Night Time Lovers" (Gerod Rayburn)

Best Producer: Beat Flippa
Listen to Hisyde & Avail Hollywood singing the Beat Flippa-produced "Is It Ova?" on YouTube.
Best CD: Finalists
Dee Dee Simon----Da Fire
Jeter Jones----Mufassa
R&B Pooh----The Prince Of Trail Ride Blues
Wendell B----Real Talk
Beat Flippa (Various Artists)----P.O.T.Y. (Producer Of The Year)
Ju Evans----All About Soul
Uncle Wayne----The Birth Of Hithm & Bluez Vol. 2
King Fred----A Taste Of Soul
Unkle Phunk (Various Artists)----Unkle Phunk's Juke Joint Vol. 1
Big G----Keep On Rockin'
Sir Charles Jones, Jeter Jones----The Jones Boyz: 2 Kings
CoCo Wade----Get Up And Dance
Lenny Williams----Fine
Ricky White----Southern Soul Nation
LaMorris Williams----Another Level
LaMorris Williams----Unfinished Business
Gregg A. Smith----The Real Deal
T.K. Soul----Chocolate Jamz
T.K. Soul----Southern Soul Royalty
Sir Charles Jones----Intimacy
Bobby Rush----Sitting On Top Of The Blues
Sheba Potts-Wright----So Damn Good
Pokey Bear----Crown Me
Tyree Neal----I'm Missing My Baby
Nelson Curry----It's Time For Soul
Jaye Hammer----Best Of Jaye Hammer
Willie Clayton----Born To Sing
Cupid----Capricorn
Big G----Midnight Love
Bigg Robb----Smooth Grown & Sexy
T.J. Hooker Taylor----Who Is T.J. Hooker Taylor? EP
Arthur Young----Funky Forty EP
Ronnie Bell----365
Magic One----The Magic Show II
Johnny James----The Book Of Isaiah
R.T. Taylor----The Mule Man
Itz Karma----Karma Unleashed
Best CD: Real Talk by Wendell B
Listen to Wendell B singing "Staying In Love Ain't Easy" from the album REAL TALK on YouTube.
Congratulations to all!
DBN notes:A permanent listing/link in Daddy B. Nice's
Comprehensive Index to Southern Soul Music will be made on behalf of each winner. In the early years of the award I also posted all of the finalists, but in recent years I haven't been able to keep up with the volume of data-entry required to do that. Southern Soul music has grown by leaps and bounds, and this past year (2020) has seen the greatest growth ever, which is why I start this year's categories with "Best Debut," which could have numbered one hundred. (I did get all the "Best Debut" finalists in the Comp Index last year. They deserve the recognition the most.)
************
Send product to:
SouthernSoulRnB.com
P.O. Box 19574
Boulder, Colorado 80308
Or e-Mail:
daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com
*************
2020: The Year In Southern Soul Music
One thing's for sure. No one will soon forget 2020.
The Covid 19 pandemic hit southern soul artists where it hurt.
Live concerts, their major source of income, all but disappeared in the spring and summer, even as outdoor gigs inched back towards normal in the fourth quarter. Filling the vacuum was recording on a scale never seen before in southern soul. Hundreds of new artists migrated to the genre from mainstream R&B and hiphop, while hundreds of veterans recorded albums and singles. Representing the former (not to mention the low cost of living in the South) was Arthur Young's popular debut single and EP
"Funky Forty," while veteran
Wendell B's hit-laden REAL TALK dominated the solo LP's for much of the year with songs like "Beautiful," "Get'cha Head Right," "Staying In Love Ain't Easy," "Still Learning Bout Love" and "Cadillac Willie".

May, not April, was the "cruelest" month. Little Richard entered Soul Heaven May 9th, followed by Betty ("Clean Up Woman") Wright on May 10th.
Gerald Robinson, aka
Larome Powers, followed on June 17th in Dallas. As a songwriter in the Johnnie Taylor/producer Don Davis constellation, Robinson penned over one hundred BMI-registered songs, including Jesse James' classic
"I Can Do Bad By Myself". As a vocalist, Larome Powers recorded notable singles "Shake and Shimmy" and "Knocking" for Malaco-affiliated Waldoxy Records. He was 67.
Singer
Bobby Jonz (aka Bobby Jones), who recorded everything from southern soul to country music, passed away July 21st in Las Vegas from complications brought on by the Covid-19 virus. He was 84. A powerfully robust vocalist, Jonz was a member of a stratum of singers one could best call interpreters. In recent years he had fronted a blues band that played the casinos.

Finally,
Roy C. (aka Roy Hammond), the godfather of Carolinas' southern soul and an inspiration to artists as diverse as Hardway Connection, Big G and the Carolina beach music circuit, died in his home in Allendale, South Carolina on September 16th. Roy C's solo career roughly approximated the span of Johnnie Taylor and Bobby "Blue" Bland, but with one glaring difference. His extensive and widely-admired catalog of recordings never made it beyond the Carolinas to the greater chitlin' circuit, much less a national audience.
While Little Richard acquired great fame and fortune and Betty Wright achieved a short-lived celebrity, the trio of Jonz, Powers and Hammond were the quintessential toilers through southern soul's darkest, most obscure period---the chitlin' circuit circa the late eighties, nineties and early aughts---sustaining the culture that would become 21st-century southern soul. And what a scene it had become in 2020.
In the early days of rock and roll, the Lovin' Spoonful asked,
"Do you believe in the magic of rock and roll?" The artists were so infatuated with rock and roll (already a decade in the making) they reveled in its distinctiveness. And it was like that for southern soul in 2020. Southern soul came in for much love, and the "haters" were sent scurrying back into their cubbyholes. Everybody, it seemed, was recording songs in and about "southern soul".
"Ain't no woman/Like a southern soul woman," sang Cadillac Man in "Southern Soul Woman".
"I'm a southern soul girl/I need a southern soul man," sang Sonya B to Mr. Nelson in "Southern Soul Man".
"We're stepping out to the southern soul," T.K. Soul sang in "Bout To Go Stepping".
"I represent southern soul all day/And until the day I die," King Fred sang in "Different From The Rest".
Mr. David may have said it best in
"Cheatin' With The DJ".
"I took my woman to the hole in the wall,
To listen to some soul and blues,
Because hiphop is cool every once in awhile,
But southern soul is what we choose.
That old deejay was spinning
And people were dancing,
And no one sat down in a chair.
They played Sir Charles Jones,
Then they played T.K. Soul,
Put on some Tucka and Big Pokey Bear."
And like any other genre riding the headwinds of wider popularity, southern soul added a new meme to its celebrated list: "my sidepiece," "sugar shack," "twerk," "hole in the wall," "rocking the boat," "stand up in it," etc. The new term was "Nose Wide Open." (Imagine a bull's flaring nostrils). It meant to be totally "smitten" by a loved one. The new meme figured in not one but two popular singles in 2020.
In the
Slack-produced song, Magic One sang,
"You got my nose wide open/I think you know it/You can have anything you want from me/I can't control it."

And in the
Beat Flippa-produced song, Benito sang,
"You got my nose wide open/I never felt like this before/You got my nose wide open/I can't take this shit no more."
To which Lady Q responded: "Now you say/That I got your nose wide open/But you got mine wide open too/And you know we can work this thing out/Don't throw it away."
Both heralded Louisiana producers were extremely busy in 2020, Slack with well-received albums by Jeter Jones and a bevy of aspiring new singers, Beat Flippa with Pokey Bear and Flippa's own twenty-seven-track (count'em) compilation, P.O.T.Y (Producer Of The Year), a strong contender for album-of-the-year honors. Producers Ron G, John Ward and Unkle Phunk (with a new sampler announcing his bid for recognition) were also in the mix.
The "Black Lives Matter" movement coursed through the southern soul community as the debate over historic racial inequities raged across America. Dozens of singles on the topic overwhelmed radio and internet deejays. Charles Evers, the brother of civil rights martyr Medgar Evers and the "godfather" of Deep South, southern-soul, radio-station owners, passed away, but
WMPR Jackson, Mississippi soldiered on under the guidance of his daughter Wanda, playing southern soul music on a daily basis. Meanwhile, CD Baby, the eponymous indie music seller (and southern soul artists' longtime go-to choice for distribution) closed its doors.
Jeter Jones continued his torrid recording pace, publishing no less than two full-length albums and too many collaborative singles to list, one of the best ("Flashlight") with the aforementioned young gun Arthur Young. The DBN 5-star-rated MUFASSA collection boasted a superb, southern soul remake of a rap single,
"Mind Playing Tricks On Me". And one of the biggest and most pleasant of the surprises of 2020 was Jeter Jones teaming up with Sir Charles Jones (no relation) on the album THE JONES BOYZ: 2 KINGS.

On the CD Sir Charles was represented with the third recorded version of
"Moonshine," formerly called "Soul Brothers Moonshine" on P2K DaDiddy's WELCOME TO THE BOOM BOOM ROOM and Jeter Jones' MUFASSA albums, making it the "King's" most high-profile release of the last three years. Jones also released a purely romantic solo album called INTIMACY and a strong new ballad,
"I Don't Understand".
Other artists recording two albums in 2020 were T.K. Soul (one new, one retrospective) and LaMorris Williams. Onetime musical partners Big Yayo (mentor) and J-Wonn (student) continued going their separate ways, each growing in professional stature. Tucka impressed with a tuneful new single, "Won't Disapprove," while Avail Hollywood published a powerful new album and guested on Hisyde's #1 single "Is It Ova?," from the Beat Flippa POTY sampler. Lil' Jimmie was featured on the same compilation with a single called "No Drawers On". The only problem was the "drawers" being mis-spelled as "Drawls" in the track credits, meaning no slow-and-lazy, country-western speech.

Just as the pandemic was first hitting America's shores. Pokey Bear held court at the most grandiose
birthday extravaganza ever seen in southern soul. His new album CROWN ME arrived later in the year, and a new single, "Excuse Me," was slated for a DBN #1 Single spot to begin the new year. Most importantly, Daddy B. Nice made official what everyone knew in their hearts was right in proclaiming Pokey the
#1 recording artist in southern soul on his new
Top 100: The New Generation.
Bigg Robb released a new album and connected with Wendell B on a powerful collaboration called
"Take It Off". Longtime veteran Lenny Williams reappeared with a new single, as did old pro Willie Clayton with
"Love Don't Hurt Me". Bobby Rush was featured on the soundtrack of a neo-black-exploitation flick, THE DOLOMITE KID. Terry Wright and Vick Allen got together on a Wright-style ballad of regret, "It's Over," and Omar Cunningham told fans to "Call Me Daddy". Shirley Brown, Latimore, William Bell and Steve Perry of "Booty Roll" fame were among the artists conspicuously AWOL.
John Cummings' "Memphis Blues Brothers" catalogued the musicians populating the Memphis scene. Johnnie Taylor-sired TJ Hooker Taylor put out his most definitive album to date. Narvel Echols recorded the brand-defining album of his career, headlined by a scorching blues,
"Pour Me A Drank". Ronnie Bell finally got "Shipping Cost" on an album, and Johnny James and Stan Butler were unlikely but ever-present purveyors of new material.
Southern Soul's trio of leading ladies---Nellie "Tiger" Travis, Ms. Jody and Karen Wolfe---released no new albums and only a few singles in 2020, but veteran Vickie Baker dropped a new single and Sheba Potts-Wright returned with a 5-star-rated album. Up-and-coming divas including Crystal Parker, Carolyn Staten, Adrena, Dee Dee Simon, Ms. Portia and Rosalyn Candy worked hard to narrow the gap between the "pack" and the "peak". Meanwhile, Lady Q, Shell-B, Annie Washington, Lady Trucker and Tasha Mac held down the "big woman" niche.

Near the end of the year, the ladies of southern soul (inspired by Dee Dee Simon) came through for the holidays with
The Queens For Life Virtual Christmas, featuring Nellie "Tiger" Travis, Karen Wolfe Bass, Dee Dee Simon, Lady Q, Queen of Soul, Crystal Thomas, Jesi Terrell, Krishunda Echols, Zelda Tomas, Tiffany “Ms Tip” The Singer and Mz Pat. And last but not least, the late
Denise LaSalle (2019) was commemorated in a new autobiography, ALWAYS THE QUEEN, co-written by David Whiteis and published by the University of Illinois Press.
--Daddy B. Nice
************
Send product to:
SouthernSoulRnB.com
P.O. Box 19574
Boulder, Colorado 80308
Or e-Mail:
daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com
*************
Top 10 Singles Charts (Continued from right-hand column
Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles Preview For. . .
-------MAY 2020-------Continued from right-hand column...........
8. "Kiss Me Where You Miss Me"-----Jennifer Watts
Watts gives a contemporary southern soul, girl-group treatment to the Tyrone Davis classic, making it accessible for a new generation. The iconic guitar riff is the best of any version I've ever heard. Another keeper from Unkle Phunk's Juke Joint Vol. 1.
Listen to Jennifer Watts singing "Kiss Me Where You Miss Me" on YouTube.
9. "Nobody Said (It Was Going To Be Easy)"-----Rosalyn Candy
Listen to Rosalyn Candy singing "Nobody Said" on YouTube.
10. "Thickness"-----Roi Chip Anthony feat. DJ Jubilee & Pallo Da Jiint
Listen to Roi Chip Anthony & friends singing "Thickness" on YouTube.
Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------APRIL 2020-------
1. "Nukie Pie"-----Caroline Staten feat. Jennifer Watts & Unkle Phunk
Unkle Phunk is the second southern soul producer in less than a month (after Ricky White) to use the suddenly "in" riff from the 80's New Wave band Laid Back's "White Horse," and Carolyn Staten, the most under-rated female singer in southern soul music, absolutely mugs it, obliterating any memory of the original. The three words, "My, My, My..." never sounded so good. Jennifer Watts admirably grafts her vocal onto Staten's tour de force, making it even more powerful, and Unkle Phunk mixes this club classic to perfection. From the best new southern soul compilation since Slack's award-winning "My Music, My Friends". It's called Unkle Phunk's Juke Joint, Vol. 1. and it's going to be a thing.
Listen to Carolyn Staten & friends singing "Nukie Pie" on YouTube.
2. "Stroking"----Arthur Young
Clarence Carter would be proud of this young man's authoritative "Stroking". Young has already brought us the surefire classic "Funky Forty" (See #3, Top 10 Singles February 2020), and just as with that hit single, he has a knack for the right phrase. "I'll be crying in the morning/ I'll be begging in the evening/ But I bet I'll be strokin' tonight." From Arthur Young's Funky Forty EP.
Listen to Arthur Young singing "Stroking" on YouTube.
3. "Tasty Girl"----- Ju Evans
A John Ward (Ecko Records) discovery, Ju Evans is the latest recording artist to testify to the changing mores among young black males about "going down". "Candy-licking" no longer repulses; Ju likes "that apple pie between those thighs". From his Ecko debut, All About Soul.
Listen to Ju Evans singing "Tasty Girl" on YouTube.
4. "Just Hang Tonight"----Sir Charles Jones feat. Wilson Meadows
First impressions of this song might be too slow and ponderous, too much style over substance, too long. Second impressions might be: But what style! We tend to forget what a great producer Charles is. And what a vocal! Charles puts his ("The Letter/Guilty") all into it, as does Wilson. I've played it a lot, and it grows on you.
Listen to Sir Charles Jones and Wilson Meadows singing "Just Hang Tonight".
5. "I Wanna Love You"----West Dawn
Not to be confused with West Love (a Stan Butler discovery), West Dawn is yet another great find by the indefatigable Jeter Jones. Dawn's song belongs to the Staples' "Do It Again" family tree, insuring its southern soul bonafides, but it's also different in that it hinges on the melody, not the iconic bass line (as in "Slow Roll It" etc.).
Listen to West Dawn singing "I Wanna Love You" on YouTube.
6. "Southern Soul Train"-----Luster Baker feat. Unkle Phunk
All grown up, Vickie Baker's little brother Luster, aka Mr. Juicy, records one of his best tunes yet: another compelling (I was going to say "infectious" but I may have to retire that term) track from Unkle Phunk's Juke Joint Vol.1. Choo-chooo!
Listen to Luster Baker singing "Southern Soul Train" on YouTube.
7. "While You Was With Your Sidepiece"-----Certified Slim
Certified Slim is a talented guy with a good singing voice and a good grasp of the genre. The only thing holding him back? He needs to record a lot more material--good stuff like this.
Listen to Certified Slim singing "While You Was With Your Sidepiece" on YouTube.
8. "Take It Off"----- Bigg Robb feat. Wendell B.
Whew! What a team these two musical giants would make. From Bigg Robb's otherwise marginal new album, Smooth, Grown & Sexy, this tune shoots up from the "smooth" debris like an awesome rhythm and blues star-ship. Unlike Wendell's own overly-dense mixes, you can hear his phenomenal voice with crystal-clear brilliance.
Listen to Wendell B. and Bigg Robb singing "Take It Off" on YouTube.
9. "Private Party"-----Highway Heavy feat. Dave Mack & Tyree Neal
If many of us old-guard guys were young again, this is very likely the kind of lyrics we'd sing, exulting in our newfound notoriety.
Listen to Dave Mack & Tyree Neal singing "Private Party" on YouTube.
10. "Come To Daddy"------Stevie J. Blues
Stevie J.'s newest.
Listen to Stevie J. singing "Come To Daddy" on SoundCloud.
Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------MARCH 2020-------
1.
"I Ain't Studdin' You" (Dolo-
mite Is My Name Sound-
track Remix)------Bobby Rush
The iconic bass line from the two-decade-old anthem begins like a gorgeously-prolonged instrumental with heavenly-sounding live horns and mouth harp (the vocal an unfortunately-truncated afterthought). This is the sound of the King of the Chitlin' Circuit--the last of southern soul's older generation--making it on the nation's highest stage.
Listen to Bobby Rush singing "I Ain't Studdin' You" on YouTube.
2. "Grown Folks Step"------Karen Wolfe
Karen Wolfe redoes Willie Clayton's "Wiggle In The Middle". And nope! We southern soul steppers never, ever tire of "two steps to the right, two steps to the left"--it's all in the style. Produced by Gary and India Wolfe, Karen rocks like never before.
Listen to Karen Wolfe singing "Grown Folks Step" on YouTube.
3. "Do You Wanna Party?"-----R.T. Taylor feat. Jeter Jones
Fresh from his Best Male Vocalist honors for "It's A Mule," the "Mule Man" teams up with young mentor Jeter Jones on a super-smooth, mid-tempo party blast.
Listen to R.T. Taylor and Jeter Jones singing "Do You Wanna Party?" on YouTube.
4. "I'm An O.G."------David Brinston
From David Brinston's new album of the same name, "I'm An O.G." blends great guitar work by John Ward with one of David's inimitable vocals.
Listen to David Brinston singing "I'm An O.G." on YouTube.
5. "Bothered"-----Highway Heavy feat. Dave Mack & Miss Portia
Miss Portia delivers a primer on how to sing southern soul: no histrionics, technique invisible. Her exquisitely natural vocal merges with the passion of Dave Mack, who has left Jackson, Ms. for Baton Rouge and the creative vortex that is Highway Heavy's Pinky Ring family.
Listen to Miss Portia and Dave Mack singing "Bothered" on YouTube.
6. "Love Thyself"------ Poka Jones
Sunny and irresistible debut by a rapper who captures the perfect southern soul tone as he negotiates a little "to the left, to the right" stepping of his own.
Listen to Poka Jones singing "Love Thyself" on YouTube.
7. "I Just Wanna Ride"-----Tasha Mac
Produced by Slack, "I Just Wanna Ride" has all the charisma and appealing modesty of early rock and roll. Tasha Mac looks and sounds like the new Big Cynthia.
Listen to Tasha Mac singing "I Just Wanna Ride" on YouTube.
8. "Southern Soul Nation"-----Ricky White
Hold onto your hats. Monster groove about to hit land. Ricky White transforms "California Love" into a southern soul anthem. From his new album of the same name.
Listen to Ricky White singing "Southern Soul Nation" on YouTube.
9. "I Ain't With It"----- Itz Karma
Karma's double-tracked choruses go down as sweetly as southern-style lemonade. From her Slack-produced album, Karma: Unleashed. Read Daddy B. Nice's 4-star CD Review.
Listen to Itz Karma singing "I Ain't With It" on YouTube.
10. "(Whole Lot Of Bills) In My Name"------Highway Heavy feat. Johnny James and Pokey Bear
More southern soul from the dark and empty, early-morning streets of Baton Rouge.
Listen to Johnny James and Pokey Bear singing "(Whole Lot Of Bills) In My Name" on YouTube.
Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------FEBRUARY 2020-------
1. "Love Train"----Avail Holly-
wood
The only reser-
vation I have about this crowd-pleasing, superbly-sung, mid-tempo anthem is that it would have been better named "Black Locomotive," the title of Avail's intoxicating new CD.
Read Daddy B. Nice's 4-star CD review.
Listen to Avail Hollywood singing "Love Train" on YouTube.
2. "Da Fire"-----Dee Dee Simon
The multi-talented Bay area diva strikes gold with an Isley-inspired tune instructing her enamored to "Put your wood in my fire/ 'Cause, baby, my flame is running low."
Listen to Dee Dee Simon singing "Da Fire" on YouTube.
3. "Funky Forty"------Arthur Young
Bargain-priced sexual favors in the shadowy corners of the chitlin' circuit make for a funny and memorable tune that has already garnered a quarter-million YouTube views.
Listen to Arthur Young singing "Funky Forty" on YouTube.
4. "Funky Forty Reply"-----Rosalyn Candy
And, like Pokey's "My Sidepiece," "Funky Forty" has its very own "Funky Forty Reply," courtesy of Rosalyn Candy. "You can keep your little funky forty/I need more than that!"
Listen to Rosalyn Candy singing "Funky Forty Reply" on YouTube.
5. "That's Life"-----T.K. Soul
T.K. flashes all of the serious vocal firepower at his command on this uncompromising and passionate self-examination of himself and his significant other.
Listen to T.K. Soul singing "That's Life" on YouTube.
6. "Mr. VIP"----Highway Heavy featuring Coldrank
Coldrank takes his most front-and-center musical role to date, spinning a tale of artistic assertion.
Listen to Coldrank singing "Mr. VIP" on YouTube.
7. "Facebook"-----Ricky White
Glory to Ricky! Now, once again, you can hear his incredible vocal prowess without the distraction of those faux-horn riffs he's been infatuated with for years.
Listen to Ricky White singing "Facebook" on YouTube.
8. "That Booty"-----Solomon Thompson featuring Lebrado
Solomon and Lebrado team up on a sparkling ode to a mesmerizing club dancer.
Listen to Solomon Thompson and Lebrado singing "That Booty" on YouTube.
9. "Country Folks Party"----Narvel Echols
Another Echols family member (after L.J. and Krishunda) makes his finest musical bid to date with a club song appropriating the same K.C. & The Sunshine Band horn lick Floyd Hamberlin used in Nellie "Tiger" Travis's "Back It Up".
Listen to Narvel Echols singing "Country Folks Party" on YouTube.
10. "Lookin' Good"-----King South featuring Jeter Jones
Jeter Jones is a one-man, talent-finding machine, and he does it again with King South.
Listen to King South and Jeter Jones singing "Lookin' Good" on YouTube.
Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------JANUARY 2020-------
1. "Yo Luv Baby"----J-Wonn
J-Wonn's "I Got This Record" is still arguably the greatest southern soul single of the last decade, and "Yo Luv Baby" shares some of its characteristics: superb vocal, melody, arrangement and similarly universal lyrics: "I'll travel miles/ Girl, I will travel cities/ Girl, I'll travel states/ Just to get to your love."
2. "If You're Thinking About Leaving"----Calvin Richardson
The showcase track from Calvin's new GOLD DUST album will become one of his most treasured songs.
Listen to Calvin Richardson singing"If You're Thinking About Leaving" on YouTube.
3. "Tonight Gonna Be Your Night"----Banky Live
The first southern soul debut artist of the new decade has a knack for conveying community and good times. Also check out his previously-released and equally accessible single, "Last Night". Great name, by the way--almost as good as Bullwinkle.
Listen to Banky Live singing "Tonight Gonna Be Your Night" on SoundCloud.
4. "I Been Loving You"----Rich Wright
Another fine debut. Wright is already a solid southern soul singer who gives the necessary depth and texture to this stepping-styled tune.
Listen to Rich Wright singing "I Been Loving You" on YouTube.
5. "Just Like A Woman"----The Ladies of Southern Soul
"Curly hips and thighs/ Pretty brown eyes..." As bluesy as you'll find these days. The ladies of southern soul are: Lady Q, Nikita Randle, Sweet T, Annie B, Itz Karma, Crystal Thomas, and Tanji Emmeni. An album--also including Vickie Baker, Ci Kelly, Simply Lovely and Monro Brown--is in the works.
Listen to The Ladies of Southern Soul singing "Just Like A Woman" on SoundCloud.
6. "That's My Job"----Bigg Robb
Another easy-going, high-character single from Bigg Robb's bountiful Good Muzic CD.
Listen to Bigg Robb singing "That's My Job" on YouTube.
7. "Happy Weight"----The Jay Morris Group
The most popular song from the Jay Morris Group's debut album, Like Food For My Soul. Written up in Daddy B. Nice's The Year In Review.
Listen to the Jay Morris Group singing "Happy Weight" on YouTube.
8. "Party Warrior"----Gregg A. Smith
Texas southern soul with a big-band sound. From Smith's new The Real Deal album.
Listen to Gregg A. Smith singing "Party Warrior" on YouTube.
9. "Sneak Up On It"----Ghetto Cowboy featuring L.J. Echols
From the new Ghetto Cowboy album, Southern Soul Legend.
Listen to Ghetto Cowboy and L.J. Echols singing "Sneak Up On It" on YouTube.
10. "Black Girl Magic"----G-Sky
Originally published in 2018, this overlooked single still has "legs".
Listen to G-Sky singing "Black Girl Magic" on YouTube.