Top 25 Voices Ever (Con't)

After a short intermission I'm back with the latest installment of ...

TOP 25 VOICES EVER!!!!!!!

12. David Ruffin - Real weird coincidences here. He had two brothers named Quincy and Jimmy. So do I. His sister's name is Rita Mae. That's my nickname Down South. Just weird. Anyway, Leon sure showed out in that miniseries, huh? Well I guess you'd have reason to as well if you were playing THE voice of the Temptations (okay, ONE of THE voices cuz Paul Williams and Dennis Edwards could blow). I don't know what it is about talented people and "demons." Perhaps we like to make them even more special by considering their tragic stories extraordinary; after all, there are plenty of regular folk with demons too. Whatever, the voice was just plain undeniable, and for a few years he was hot as sin.

"(I Know) I'm Losing You"


"Somebody Stole My Dream"


"I Don't Know Why I Love You"




11. Cassietta George - Another Midwest entry, a Chicagoan in fact. A legendary member of the legendary Caravanas (who incidentally pretty much introduced the world to almost every major gospel star of the 60s-80s-Shirley Caesar, Albertina Walker, Dorothy Norwood, James Cleveland, and that ain't even the half). So revered, in fact, that I want her version of "Walk Around Heaven All Day" to play at my funeral. I don't know, every time I hear her voice I feel so connected to my Baptist upbringing. I just throw up my hands and do the "gospel snatch". RIP Cassietta.

"Walk Around Heaven All Day"


"I'm Ready to Serve the Lord" w/ The Caravans


"Honor Honor"


10. Al Green - Let me get this out of the way. I think Al Green is creepy, a real weird dude--strangely upbeat and kinda vacant in the eyes; however, dude has pipes, so he must be honored. Teamed up with Willie Mitchell (who strangely reminds of me of my grandma), he's made some of the most memorable tunes of all time. Hearing them, you just think of grits and beige-colored kitchens and love.

"Jesus is Waiting (Soul Train -Live)"


"I'm Glad You're Mine"


"Simply Beautiful"



9. Luther Vandross - Oh, Luther. I'm still pissed about his death and often find it difficult to believe. This man is responsible for one of my top five R&B albums of all time (Never Too Much), one of my favorite Aretha tunes ever ("Jump to It"), and millions of births. I'll never forget where I was when I found out, The Chicago Taste, at the ticket booth. Within minutes my age advanced about 30 years and I exclaimed, "Looord! Not Luther!!!!" Yeah.

"You Stopped Loving Me"


"Make Me a Believer"


"I Can Make It Better"



8. Sarah Vaughan - I spent so many days of my youth trying to sing like this woman. I swear, she has the most beautiful voice. Her version of "Misty"? Flawless. Sassy was the woman. I remember Donnie Simpson's interview with her right before she died. I recall being so surprised that this tobacco-voiced, feisty woman was the same one who sang "The Man I Love." I decided then to like her even more. I love my women tough.

"Have You Met Miss Jones?"


"Shulie a Bop"


"Stormy Weather"



7. Dinah Washington - Another woman I'd put against your Ellas and Billies. I'm not quite sure about the amount of adoration she receives, but I feel it's not enough. You don't hear her name mentioned with Billie Holiday's and Ella Fitzgerald's, and that's plain ridiculous. Have you heard this woman's voice? It was dumb great, like John Woo choreography and perfectly edited curses and Giuseppe Zanottis--forbidden, dangerous things so beautiful you have to pay attention. Plus, she reps both Alabama and Chicago, need I say more?

"Sometimes I'm Happy"


"Back Water Blues"


"Long John Blues"

All I Want For Christmas

Needless to say, I'm a needy girl, meaning I need tons of shit in my closet to feel alright. Unfortunately, Ms. Atrack is on the broker side of things this Christmas, so supply is definitely not meeting demand. Let's pretend, though, that I actually had a mess of funds and could buy whatever I wished. Well, things would look a little something like ...

Moncler Georgia - This Moncler thing is becoming an addiction. For years, I shied away from the goose down coat for fear of reliving the school-aged days of the Triple Fat Goose and looking puffy. These, however, are gorgeous, well-fitting, and much too expensive. I need an Italian connection.

It's a bit cliche to like Prada, but seriously, the fall shoe collection is almost always some covetous pulchritude.

Chie Mihara Saigon Bow Boot - Chie Mihara is still my girl. Now that she's all popular and cavorting with the likes of Saks and Nordstrom, there'd be reason to believe she'd drop the ball. Not so. This boot is a beauty, and the line is still mad comfortable.

Mackage Nissa - Another favorite, Mackage, maker of all things stylish and warm redefining the puffer silhouette. Made for Canadian winters, this is perfect for a Chicago girl looking to avoid a case of the winter uglies. (Other Chicagoans, take note. Blue or black Sears parkas are not the move.)

Look From London Feather Tight - I love tights ... and feathers. This chick's shoes are a problem, but let's just focus on the tights.

Jeffrey Campbell Biz Bootie - It has been hell trying to find a short boot that isn't the run-of-the-mill cuffed or fold over stiletto look that's so popular nowadays. This is how it's done.

Gar-de Dolly Jacket - Animals are special in so many ways. They taste delicious, and they make wonderful things like metallic leathers with outrageously gorgeous details. Thank you, furry/leathery friends.

John Fluevog Helen - Fluevog has some of the most well-made and comfortable shoes around. If you ever find a sale on any pair, buy them. They're worth every penny.

Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair Zip Glove - Last season, I fell in love with a pair of Burberry zippered, croc, opera length gloves and couldn't, of course, afford them. These somehow fill the empty space that was left by my penury.

Cinnamon Skirt (Modcloth) - The tulip skirt done correctly.

Top 25 Voices Ever (Con't)

18. Z.Z. Hill - Another one of those voices from barbecues and family gatherings. Raspy, bluesy, and just right. Unfortunately Arziel died too soon to capitalize on his vocal gifts.

Down Home Blues (THE Version)


Everybody Knows About My Good Thing


Let's Make a Deal


17. Angela Winbush - Will there be a louder woman on this list? Save for one, I doubt it. Angie's levels of loudness surely surpass your favorite singer's, and it works. Who can forget her fierce sequined body suits from the 80s and the haircut all black mothers (including Claire Huxtable) had in the late-80s/early-90s?

Angel


Your Smile


I'll Never Be The Same


16. Regina Belle - I don't know what the people's problem is. Folks (that includes you) are straight narcoleptic on Regina's rawness. That voice? C'mon! She can do jazzy, straight R&B, cheesy Disney, what else do you want? Plus, she looks fantastic nowadays. I love it when people age well.

So Many Tears


Show Me the Way


Baby Come To Me


15. Chaka Khan - Okay, maybe save two cuz Chaka is definitely in contention for loudest woman (hell, person) ever, but again, she can sang. You can't just be loud, you have to be able to control it. This Ms. Khan does.

Love Has Fallen on Me


We Got Each Other


Stop on By w/ Rufus (Bobby Womack wrote it!)


14. Gladys Knight - Another voice of velvety gravy and oyster dressing and other aptly symbolic foods. (And on another episode of When Fat Girls Get Literary ....) Gladys isn't as big as Aretha 'nem and that's a shame cuz unlike some others she hasn't lost that voice at all.

The Makings of You


If I Were Your Woman


Love Overboard


13. El DeBarge - This is kinda blasphemous cuz El is meant to represent the ultimate male falsetto on this list, and I know somebody's gonna go, "Phillip Bailey? Eddie Kendricks?" Yeah, I know, I know, but this is MY list, and I do what I want! Now, Bobby could've easily been here instead, but let's face it, El is more of my contemporary. These days, I can't listen to him without becoming a little sad. All that talent. Poor baby. (Okay, I'm including a Bobby DeBarge song, too. I just can't leave him out. Also, if you're out there and have the Gemini album by El, hook me up.)

Time Will Reveal


Where Is My Love?


Secret Garden w/ Quincy Jones, Al B. Sure, James Ingram & Barry White


I Wanna Be Closer (Bobby DeBarge w/ Switch)

Top 25 Voices Ever

In this flaccid, useless period I'm currently existing in, I've had time to think about doing lots of things--knitting sweaters, alphabetizing my CDs, rearranging the furniture in my bedroom--fun, constructive things like that. Unfortunately, the more idle I am, the lazier I get, as evidenced by my recent purchase of bottled water to save me from descending stairs for refreshment. (Sad, so very sad.)

Despite my hatred for all things metabolically challenging, I have done plenty of music downloading and listening (all legal, I swear *fingers crossed*) and have come to some small epiphanies regarding my taste. My weird dispassion for Marvin Gaye, Minnie Riperton, and others of that ilk? Explained away by my recent tide of music acquisitions. Let me walk you through it.

Despite my current heathenry, I grew up in the Baptist church and was impressed with some pretty strong musical memories. Sitting in the pulpit (for hours--both for Sunday school and regular service) was one hell of a job, but the choir almost always redeemed the whole exercise; the sense of communal belonging, submitting together to our imperfections before some larger being and, for a moment, without ego, is something I miss. I simply don't have that type of community around me anymore. It makes plenty of sense, then, since I'm super nostalgic anyway, that I would miss those sounds now that I have little access to them. All of this to say I love churchy sounding folks---the burly, stout church-sounding folks, the ones that remind me of those buttery pancake and sugary grits Sunday school breakfasts. This is why I prefer Donnie Hathaway over Marvin Gaye and Millie Jackson over Minnie Riperton; their sounds are so much more raw and earnest, so much closer to the sounds I remember from those long-ass hours in church as a child.

Often these folks go unsung (check your local listings for a pretty awesome four-part miniseries on Donny Hathaway, Phyllis Hyman, The Clark Sisters, and Debarge on TV One), so I thought I'd take some time to appreciate my top 25 voices in music, take a little of my space to give them the accolades they deserve and to expose my two or three readers to them. Enjoy.



To start, in no particular order, we have:

25. Johnnie Taylor - I've gone on and on about him on this blog, and in some ways, he doesn't really belong here since he's been a successful artist. However, he's not a household name and that is simply not acceptable, so it doesn't really hurt. From taking over lead duties after Sam Cooke left the Soul Stirrers to his early millennium hit about a broke and stranded woman at the casino (Hi, Mom!), this mans voice turned almost everything he sang into straight platinum. I still regret never seeing him live. (It almost happened. I was supposed to see him at the 2000 Blues Fest, but he died of a heart attack soon before.)

Who's Making Love


What About My Love


When the Gates Swing Open w/ The Soul Stirrers


24. Meli'sa Morgan - I still don't get the apostrophe. Melly-suh? Whatever. This woman helped define my early tastes, those that were my own and not just an extension of my parents'. Sorry, y'all, I do prefer her version of "Do Me Baby."

Do Me Baby


Fool's Paradise (Extended Version)


Love Changes w/ Kashif



23. Rachelle Ferrell - Homegirl can just sing, for no reason, retarded notes and shit. It's ridiculous. I'd always liked her, especially the early-90s material, but once I saw her at the African Festival of the Arts some years back, it was solidified.

Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This w/ Will Downing


You Don't Know What Love Is


Til You Come Back Me


22. Sharon Bryant - I have always wanted her voice. I mean, Barbara Weathers can sing and everything, but Sharon led the Atlantic Starr I love most. Too bad that solo career didn't work out too well.

When Love Calls (Atlantic Starr)


Circles (Atlantic Starr)


Am I Dreaming? (Atlantic Starr)


21. Lou Rawls - My fellow Chicagoan had a voice like chocolate fudge, rich and oh so satisfying (take that, take that, take that!). My dad always sang "Tobacco Road" when I was a youngin', but "You'll Never Find" was, of course, the song. His back up vocals on Sam Cooke's "Bring it on Home to Me" didn't hurt either.

Bring it on Home to Me w/ Sam Cooke


Southside Blues/Tobacco Road


You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine


20. Bobby Womack - Not just a singer, but a writer, producer, and session player. Another alumnus of The Soul Stirrers and responsible for my favorite Rufus/Chaka Khan song.

I'm in Love


Across 110th Street


California Dreamin' (Live)


19. Rahsaan Patterson - Rahsaan Patterson loves Chaka Khan. This is evident. However, that does not change the fact dude got some serious go. See him live and tell me otherwise. He'll stand on stage with a drink in one hand, a cigarette in the other, and show off.

It Ain't Love


Street Life


Where You Are (Silk's Old School Mix)


To Be Continued

Free Bras and Panties!!!!

Okay, not really free but damn near.

I just spent $47.35 and got six (6!) bras and 19 pairs of underwear! The least expensive bra was $2.50. That's just crazy.

I know what you're thinking, "They probably ain't got nothing in my size," cuz I know you think in double negatives. Nope, I wear an odd size and had a pretty good selection available to me. Plus, Figleaves.com is renown for carrying every size imaginable, from 28As to 56FFs (I did not make those sizes up). There are reviews aplenty to let you know the quality and fit of products, and they have a pretty lax return policy this time of year.

Run, girl, run! You know that trifling quadraboob effect ain't cute.

Tagged

1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the game as well as the person you got the game from.

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
"Making Love in the Rain" - Herb Albert f/ Janet Jackson
Apparently the person asking is a john and I'm ... well, unemployment is really tough, okay! Don't judge me!

2. WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
(Disclaimer: I think pimps are horrible people.)
"Like a Pimp" - David Banner
"Me? I'm a pimp/I ain't payin' for no sex/ I'd rather buy a car or a new Rolex"
My itunes knows me so well.


3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"Birthday Dethday" - Dethklok
"RSVP PLEASE/For the DETH of thee/You have little time/And you're running out of life/Happy Birthday/You're gonna die"
Weird, but it makes sense. If he's dead, he can't get on my nerves. Mmm, necrophilia. It's what's for dinner. (Note: No, it's not.)

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
"For Your Love" - Stevie Wonder
Umm ... "for your love, I would do anything." That's not true, actually, but I'm in a lying mood today.

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
"Stress" - Organized Konfusion
To transfer my stress to others so that I can live comfortably and others can die of high blood pressure.

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"Break Down and Let it All Out" - Nina Simone
"I've held back my tears just as long as I could"
This works, as I'm ever on the verge of drop kicking the person nearest me. Watch out, random people, you just don't know when a Chuck Norris-styled roundhouse kick is in the cards.

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"Sky Blue You" - Peven Everett
"Please come/to my/cele-bration"
Apparently, they freakin' love me! However, they're smart and know I probably won't be there.

8.WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"Just Like the First Time" - Freddie Jackson
Yep, I'm stuck in the past. Nostalgia tends to add that rosy tinge that makes the present so much less agreeable. Freddie Jackson has it right; the first time, back then, was better.

9. WHAT IS 2 + 2?
"Come Around" - M.I.A.
"Put a hump or two on your back just like that, oh girl you're on fire ... I've been overkilling them, I break backs" - Timbaland
(Best song on this album, by the way.)
According to this little ditty, it's the number of backs Timbo breaks. Good for him.

10. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"Luxury: Cococure (Mixzo Mix)" - Maxwell
Honestly, I can't make out what Maxwell is saying in this version, and, coincidentally, I don't know if I even have a best friend. See?!?! I got crazy connections.

11.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Love the Way" - Murs & 9th Wonder
"Inside and outside, I know every part of you/Know where you going/Before you start to move"
Perfect song. No explanation needed.

12. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"I Just Called to Say" - Teddy Pendergrass
"You and I" - Stevie Wonder
I was gonna skip these songs, but since I got two schmaltzy love songs in a row, I figured it was a message. Even my ipod is bothering me about being single.

13. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Freestyle - Kane
"Non competible [hey, he said it!]/I'm not saying I'm the best/I'm just sayin' I'm f*ckin' incredible/And let's just make one more thing understood/If I FART on a record/That sh*t gon sound good"
That's it. I want to be that self assured. Long live the Kane.


14. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Sportin' Life" - James Brown (Back Caesar Soundtrack)
It's an instrumental. so I guess I hear music? (Woodwinds, strings, and horns to be exact.)

15. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"I'mma Break it Down" - Eazy E
"Now look at me and not the poster/and you could see right off I got the most of/
the talent, experience or a trade/and complements for the rhyme thats made "
It just means that they know I'm the dopest. Yes, my parents think in late 80s/early 90s hip hop lingo.

16. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"Go to Hell" - Nina Simone
I can't make this up; it's what the shuffle chose. I suppose this'll be playing cuz I'll be perplexed as to how I got there.


17. What will they play at your funeral?
"Get Up" - Lost Boyz
Mr. Cheeks is just shoutin' out his boys and drinking in this one. I suppose the spectators at my funeral can give me a standing ovation or expect a creepy surprise from my corpse.

18. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"What a Job" - Devin the Dude f/ Snoop & Andre 3000
Those of you who know this song, the chorus. The chorus is my hobby, minus the music though.

19. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"Operation cb" - G. Rap & DJ Polo
This song is so profane and offensive, it's not even funny. Secretly, I'm the same way.

20. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"Just One Star" - Antony & The Johnsons
I'm gonna kill MC for putting this creepy crap on my itunes. It's perfect cuz my friends are so freakin' pushy.


21. WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"Been in Love" - Eric Roberson
This would be a bad situation. The worst thing, though, not so much. Maybe if I fell in love with a killer cyborg and we broke up?

22. HOW WILL YOU DIE?
"Lovers & Friends" Lil Jon, Ludacris, Usher
What a sucky pick. Maybe they'll all rise up and kill me Murder on the Orient Express style from all the ill treatment over the years.

23. WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"Drive" - The Cars
I didn't let anyone "drive" me "home." Quotation marks needed to signal the metaphor here, and no, it doesn't mean sex perverts.

24. WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"Southern Hospitality" - Ludacris
The chorus of this song is pretty funny.

25. WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"Sweet Nothings" - Roisin Murphy
Actually, they don't, but theoretically they should.

26. WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
"Gas Drawls" - MF Doom
"The unemotional/call me anti-social/on the run off the gun/death tally commercial"
Does this sound like a person who should get married to you?

27. DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
"Work Song" - Nina Simone
"Working and working/But I still got so terribly far to go"
Honestly, I'm becoming a nicer person everyday. In no time people actually will.

28. IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"You Make Me Wanna" - Usher
Yeah, his friend was cuter and more sane. Oh well, guess I dropped that ball.

29. WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"At the Helm" - Hieroglyphics (Del)
"Life is a blast when you know what you're doin'/Best to know what you're doin' 'fore your life get ruined/Life is a thrill when your skill is developed/If you ain't got a skill or trade, then shut the hell up"
Why didn't anyone tell me I could get paid to shop for a living? If only I'd made the right decisions then, I wouldn't be eating a big, fat regret sandwich with a side of why fries.

30. WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
"Blind Mary" - Gnarls Barkley
I don't even know what this question is asking, so I guess I'll be posing this as a completely clueless person.