The Los Angeles based soul revivalists known as Fitz and The Tantrums have been making noise throughout Los Angeles for some time now, but after a packed residency at legendary venue Spaceland and signing a deal with label du jour, Dangerbird Records, they look poised to take their feel good funk all across the country. This track and video in particular does a great job of showcasing the sound, style, and overall smoothness that has had crowds swooning for the last year or so.

Hello my name is…
Amanda Diva

I was raised in…
LA and Orlando by a Grenadian mother who says I’m from another planet altogether!

The reason that you’re reading about me is…
Because I’m a busy chick! On the music side, I’ve just dropped my FreEP Spandex, Rhymes, and Soul available for free online and am also featured on Q-Tip’s “ManWoman Boogie” off his new album The Renaissance. On the web/tv side, I am a commentator on VH1 and produce two comedy web shows, “Diva Diva Ya’ll” and “DivaSpeak TV.”

Right now I’m working on…
Taking the above to the world!

But I’d rather be…
On Grand Anse beach in Grenada.

My most prized possessions are…
My paintings, my iPod, and my common sense.

But I’d give it all away for…
My mom to not have to work anymore.

The first thing I do in the morning is…
Check my blackberry.

The last thing I do at night is…
Read.

My momma always said…
“You neva know what people are smoking.”

I love it when people…
Get the joke.

I hate it when people…
Are inconsiderate.

If you ever see me walking down the street…
Holla “what it do Deev?!”

My most notable run-in with the law…
Was getting caught with a bottle of Smirnoff in one hand and Peach Schnapps in the other by campus police sophomore year in college. They let me slide

If I had to say sorry it would be because…
I was wrong.

I get real aggro when…
People disrespect my time.

The last time I swore I’d never drink was after a night of…
Grenadian rum (whoo that was a doozie).

Future projects and plans…
Keep the music growing and expanding using my latest release, Spandex, Rhymes, and Soul. Bringing my web shows “DivaSpeak TV” (youtube.com/divaspeaktv) and “Diva Diva Ya’ll” (karmalooptv.com) to wider audiences. Doing more art shows (I paint) and doing more tv.

And before I leave I’d like to give a shout out too…
All the indie artists charting their own course and the fans who keep us pushing forward when the path gets hella tough.

Click here to download.

Hot hot fire! Plus its free. Check out “Devils” produced by Chuck Inglish.

Amanda Diva-Devils – Amanda Diva
 

Tracklisting when you…

Words by: Preach Jacobs

What happened to the anger in our music? What happened to our sense of purpose? Treading on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement from the late 60′s to 70′s, you had a mergence of black music engulfed in pride, frustration and an independence that wasn’t seen in our music prior.

In the midst of all of this, soul and funk music was conceived. Influenced by the church, mixed with the electric guitar and synths, this music stands the test of time. Somewhere along the way, black music lost its soul, but thankfully OM’s new artist The One recaptures the essence of Funkadelic and Curtis Mayfield and mixes it with the hip hop/neo-soul sound of Jay Dilla – a sound that’s vintage and yet ahead of its time. The One observes his musical upbringing and explains where the sound for his debut album “SuperPsychoSexy” comes from.

“My music is a bastard mixture of rock, gospel, hip hop, soul, punk, classical, country. Really I take all of the things I like from each genre of music and try to use them. I really get inspired by people and events, even just sounds may inspire me to write or make music.”

Working with producer Jah Freedom, “SuperPsychoSexy” has character for days with some clever writing that’s refreshing regardless of genre. Songs like “Milkshake Thick” and “Drippin’” take suggestive music to a new level, but with humor and light heartedness. The album has a sense of individualism that is rarely seen in today’s radio airwaves that are polluted with promiscuous sex, violence and butchery of the english language (i.e. Plies). The One continues by talking about what he loves in music today despite what’s seen and heard in commercial music outlets.

“Soul is missing with music today. What I mean by that is that it’s more about selling a million records and being famous than making music that touches people. It’s not from the heart. I understand that it’s a business but I think the industry has kind of killed itself by not letting innovative or “different” sounding music get the same attention. It’s more of a formula. You have to look and sound like “A” to get to “B.” In the 70′s and 80′s there was such a cross pollination of sounds and new music was everywhere. When the money started rolling in the focus on the creative side died down and it was more about making money than finding the “new sound.” Classic icons that we all know and love would never get a shot in this day and age. Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Tribe, Prince, P-funk, all of these artists, if their equivalents were trying to get deals or get heard today, wouldn’t get a chance. They would be told ‘your music is awful because nobody sounds like you’.”

Thankfully The One didn’t get the memo about having to sound like everyone else, as him and Jah Freedom exist in their own world making something that’s new and refreshing.  Jah Freedom talks about how the music channels through him to create beats like what’s heard on “SuperPsychoSexy.”

“I don’t put any limitations on what I can and can’t do when it comes to music. I try to be versatile. I made a beat the other day because I heard a melody in the rain hitting the roof of my house. I don’t do one thing so you’ll hear crossover elements in whatever I do. If I’m doing hip hop you might hear some gospel or rock influence, if I’m doing r&b, you may hear some country phrasings. It’s whatever I think fits.”

There’s an appreciation that The One and Jah Freedom have that’s not only heard in the music but in the visual aspect of the album’s packaging. The One dressed in an outfit more suited for a 70′s blaxploitation flick than your new millennium Bathing Apes. The sound and look compliments an era that has been forgotten, an era of vinyl and record stores, both fading out in a time of instant gratification. We see it in fast food, Fed Ex overnight packages and now in our music as the digital age takes over, something that gives The One mixed feelings.

“The state of music is good and bad. Good because there are so many outlets. Bad because there are a lot of obstacles for people such as myself that don’t fit into a box, and with so many different outlets you can get lost. I’ve found some brilliant music by accident, independent artists who deserve praise and accolades. Hopefully people will think the same about me. You have to go digital, there really is no other way. People do not go into record stores anymore except people like me who record-dig.”

 Herein lies today’s music conundrum: How do you have the freedom of being an independent musician but also have the success of more commercial counterparts? Would groups like The Roots be as creative and groundbreaking if they had the multi-platinum success of Jay-Z or does being on the brink of ‘blowing up’ give them that edge? The One believes that there is hope in hip-hop culture, despite the perils of losing its purity.

“Hip hop isn’t dead. I think people miss the newness and the sincere love of the art-form instead of it being the 2k version of playing the lotto. Now don’t get me wrong – I am not a “backpacker” by any means, but I came from the era where you could listen to Black Moon, Tone Loc, and Ice cube at the same time. It’s not underground vs mainstream. I just think when labels found out hey this rap thing can make money for us, they shifted the culture. Hopefully we can bring it back.”

8Ball & MJG 

We Are the South (Greatest Hits)

Koch Records 

Rating: 3.5/4

Before 8Ball & MJG, music from Tennessee was solely equated with Elvis. With rap representation nonexistent in the South in the early ’90s, their label Suave House was to Memphis as Rawkus was to New York City. They were the South way before it was deemed “dirty.” Pioneers before they even knew it, the duo created hip-hop classics inspiring a movement to come a decade later. From adaptable cadences, soul-inspired melodies and obvious Southern charm, these cats made a statement, while solidifying their status as legends. By title alone, We Are the South rings true especially to all they influenced. Ironically, the blueprint they laid down was more lyrical and more melodic than a good majority of their successors. No dance crazes accompanied their tunes and finger snapping is indeed absent. Rather, songs like “Space Age Pimpin’” infuse funk, layered over with their signature homegrown drawls. Other tracks like “Starships & Rockets,” on the other hand, maintain the same sonic recipe while the group dabbles in Orwellian themes. Ball & G to this day however have not changed their formula. While songs like “The Artists Pay the Price” recognize their accountability on wax, they refuse to renege on tales of experience. We Are the South is a testament to an entire movement that was aided by 8ball & MJG being true to themselves.

Grupo Fantasma

Sonidos Gold

High Wire Music

3.5/4

Stylistically speaking, Grupo Fantasma is a tough band to pin down. Formed in 2000 and comprised of musicians hailing from all across Latin America, this Austin-based band quickly established a reputation for incendiary live shows. Listening to their third studio LP, it’s easy to understand why, as their unique blend of cumbia, salsa, Latin jazz, funk, reggae and soul proves immensely infectious.  The opening “El Sabio Soy Yo” starts the party off in typical genre-bending fashion, with syncopated Latin percussion, blaring horns and chunky wah guitar riding atop a laconic reggae beat, with rousing vocals that reverberate with a dub-style production influence. “Arroz Con Frijoles” is one of those funky call-and-response jams designed to whip audiences into a frenzy, recalling Latin rock legends such as Santana at their most engaging, while the distorted guitars and retro organs of the furiously funky “(Naci De La) Rumba Y Guaganco” could easily be mistaken for Sly & the Family Stone were it not for the Spanish lyrics.  Ozomatli is the only band in recent memory that comes anywhere close to creating such an accessible brand of multicultural party music. But with all due respect, Grupo Fantasma does it much, much better.