Monday Mixtape: Dancehall Classics

Hey Everybody! It's DJ Diva The Mixtress of R&B, but I really love all genres of music. You knew that right?

This week's mix was inspired by a post I saw a month ago on Soulbounce.com. Shout out to Butta, Nova and Ill Mami my girl from Harlem!

Also in this mix, my Soul Podcasting crew (That's right yall I gave us a name...we's a crew now!) They stopped by to show me some love. I couldn't include everybody this time but you can be sure their shoutouts will be in every mix from now on! I loves me some love! This week we had the Sensei, EJ Flavors of ejflavors.com, Nikki of the Soulrific podcast at theinfiniteink.com, Mr Fresh of the Sunday Soundtrack at vibesandscribes.com and Darrenkeith from the MyLoveformusic podcast at myloveformusic.blogspot.com.


Now on to Reggae in the late 80's and early 90's. It was a fresh and new sound...different from the classics we heard from Bob Marley! The music was gritting with banging beats and smooth melodies. The lyrics were full of women empowerment, adoration of females and aggresion...just what we needed LOL. This mixtape brings back my teen memories of grinding it out at the Columbia University parties in NY.

I'm still working on the mixtress site. Learning css has been a trip and it would be great if you guys could drop a line in the comments of what you would like to see before I launch and go live. My traffic has exploded to over 1000 hits a day and I need a DJ Diva 2.0 site to handle all that love!

When you get a chance, run over to Ill Doctrine's site. Jay Smooth made a Soulja Boy parady hip hop dis song for the Democratic debate. The video was hilarious! The full version posted after the break

I hope you love this Dancehall Classics Monday Mixtape by DJ Diva, The Mixtress of R&B.

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Track Listing

Kuff - Shelly Thunder
Wicked In A Bed - Shabba Ranks
Here I Come - Barrington Levy
Too Experienced - Barrington Levy
Lonliness - Sanchez
Life (Is What You Make It) - Frighty & Colonel Mite
I'm In Love With A Man Twice My Age - Shabba Ranks
Trailer Load of Girls - Shaba Ranks
Ting A Ling - Shabba Ranks
Limb by Limb - Cutty Ranks
A Who Seh Me Dun - Cutty Ranks
Bam Bam - Chaka Demus & Pliers
Murder She Wrote - Chaka Demus & Pliers
Dem A Bleach - Buju Banton
Batty Rider - Buju Banton
Pum Pum Shorts - Red Fox
Hot This Year - Dirtsman
If I Was A Rich Girl - Patra & Lady Saw
Big Up - Shaggy & Rayvon
Wickie Dickie - Buju Bonton
Don Dada - Supercat
Walk Like A Champion - Buju Banton

Tasty Tuesdays: Fave of Friday Favecast Interview

What's up Everybody?...It's DJ Diva the Mixtress of R&B and you are about to listen to my first interview ever!!!!!! With everybody's favorite podcaster Fave of the Friday FaveCast. Fave drops the fattest podcast on Fridays which includes neosoul, fitness tips and funny skits. But did you also know that he's a singer and muscian too?

I decided to do an artist spotlight on him for Tasty Tuesdays after listening to some of his tracks recently. He is definitely a worthwhile discovery! His music is soothing, thought provoking, and always good for your Neo-Soul jones!

Our interview was just as great. We talked about other podcasters such as Todd Kelly, EJ Flavors and Anji Bee. We also talked about relationships, the inspirations for his songs and somehow we got on the topic of lesbianism. You have to hear it to believe it!

Fave, I know you'll go far...and I'm so glad that I had the chance to interview you!

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Track Listing (All Songs by Fave)

Interview Part 1
Touch The Ground
Shaunte, Tameka, & Keisha
Interview Part 2
I Love you
Saunter
Interview Part 3
Anything But No
Interview Part 4
Get Da Hell On
Interview Part 5

Monday Mixtape #12 : Blue Eyed Soul From The 80's

Hey Everybody ..It's DJ Diva and It's time for the Monday Mixtape!!!!

In setting up with ITunes I've found that it is necessary (?) to label the Mixtapes with episodes. I actually started the Monday Mixtapes in January so this week's episode is #12 and is Blue Eyed Soul from the 80's. My mom was an avid music collector and I remember her playing Wham and Hall & Oates like crazy. Of course I picked up on it so these are some of my favorites.

Stay tuned tomorrow for Tasty Tuesdays where I'll be highlighting the music of and playing my interview with everyone's favorite podcaster Fave of the Friday Favecast.


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Track Listing

Everything She Wants - Wham
Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club
I Can't Wait - Nu Shooz
Don't You Want Me Baby - Human League
Out of Touch - Hall & Oates
Easy Lover - Phil Collins & Philip Bailey
Would I Lie To You - Eurythmics
Miss Me Blind - Culture Club
Faith - George Michael
What A Fool Believes - Michael McDonald
Higher Love - Steve Winwood
I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)- Hall & Oates
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
I'll Tumble For Ya - Culture Club
Tell It To My Heart - Taylor Dane
Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley
Been Around The World - Lisa Stansfield

OST Artist Spotlight: Frankie Beverly & Maze

Hey Everybody!

It's Time for the Old School Thursday spotlight.

Today's Mix is focused on Frankie Beverly And Maze.

It should have been my birthday tribute to Trixie AKA Amneris. I balked at doing it because the first song is not "My Song", like everyone loves to say.... But I did enjoy most of the tracks. So this one is for you sister girl! Sorry it took so long!

Again...Monday will be the release of the new site and new lineup...Stay tuned!

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Track Listing

Before I Let Go
The Look In Your Eyes (Live)
Running Away
Back In Stride
Laid Back Girl
Golden Time Of Day
Joy And Pain
We Are One
After The Morning After
Happy Feelin's
Can't Get Over You
I Wanna Thank You
While I'm Alone
Silky Soul Singer (tribute to Marvin Gaye)

Bio after the Break


Combining a Philadelphia soul sound with a strong appreciation of Marvin Gaye, Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly was among the top R&B acts of the late '70s and '80s. The distinctive Maze and its charismatic lead singer, founder, producer, and songwriter Beverly didn't have many pop hits, but they were extremely popular among soul and urban contemporary audiences and enjoyed at least six or seven gold albums. Beverly was born Howard Beverly in Philadelphia, PA, on December 6, 1946; he started calling himself Frankie after hearing Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers (a major doo wop group) when he was only nine years old in 1956. Before that, Beverly had been singing gospel in church, and it was Lymon who made him realize that he wanted to perform secular music. That isn't to say that Beverly's appreciation of gospel ever went away; the gospel influence remained when he was in his forties and fifties, but secular R&B would be his main focus. When Beverly was 12, he joined the Philly doo wop group the Silhouettes (who were known for their hit "Get a Job") and went on tour with them in 1959. Then, in the early '60s, he founded and led a short-lived doo wop/soul vocal group called the Blenders. After the Blenders' breakup, a 17-year-old Beverly founded another vocal group in 1963: the Butlers, who favored a Northern soul approach. The Butlers never became well-known nationally, although they did provide a few singles (including "The Sun's Message" and "She Tried to Kiss Me") and recorded for small, Philly based labels like Fairmount, Liberty Bell, and Guyden. The Butlers also recorded for Gamble Records, a small label that was named after producer/songwriter Kenny Gamble (who went on to co-own a huge R&B empire when he ran Philadelphia International Records with fellow Philadelphian Leon Huff in the '70s). It was in 1970 that Beverly founded the band that eventually came to be known as Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly. Originally, Maze went by Raw Soul; using that name, it recorded three singles for Philly's small Gregar label in the early '70s (one of which was a cover of bluesman Taj Mahal's "Today May Not Be Your Day"). Although Beverly was born and raised in Philly, he has been quoted as saying that he never thought of himself as part of the Philly sound, and while his band does have Philly influences, it didn't fit into either the Gamble & Huff/Philadelphia International school of Philly soul or the Thom Bell/Linda Creed school (which the Delfonics, the Moments, and the Stylistics were a part of). Further, Raw Soul's sound owed as much to Marvin Gaye and the Isley Brothers as it did to any of the soulsters who came out of Philly in the '60s or '70s.

Feeling out of place in his home town, Beverly moved Raw Soul to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1971. Raw Soul had been playing the San Francisco/Oakland scene for several years when Beverly's idol, Marvin Gaye, became aware of the band. Quite impressed by Beverly's singing and songwriting, Gaye sang Raw Soul's praises to Capitol and helped them land a deal with that major label in 1976. One thing Gaye didn't like about Beverly's band was the name Raw Soul. The late soul giant insisted on a name change and after considering a few other names (including Karma and Charisma), Raw Soul officially became Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly in 1976. (The name Karma wouldn't have worked because an obscure, L.A.-based funk/jazz outfit called Karma was recording for A&M around 1976-1977).

Maze's self-titled debut album was released by Capitol in 1977; that album (which contains the hits "Happy Feelin's," "While I'm Alone," and "Lady of Magic") went gold and earned Maze an extremely devoted following. The band's 1977 lineup consisted of Beverly on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Wayne Thomas on lead guitar, Sam Porter on keyboards, Ronald "Roame" Loary and McKinley "Bug" Williams on percussion and background vocals, and Joe Provost on drums. In 1978, Provost was replaced by Ahaguna G. Sun, formerly of a little-known soul/funk group called Sunbear; subsequently, Sun was replaced by Billy "Shoes" Johnson. There were other personnel changes along the way; keyboardist Phillip Woo (formerly of Roy Ayers' band Ubiquity) joined Maze in 1980, and Ron Smith was the guitarist who replaced Thomas. But regardless of who was coming or going, Maze always reflected Beverly's vision -- Beverly was to Maze what George Clinton was to Parliament/Funkadelic. 1978 saw the release of Maze's second album, Golden Time of Day, which contains the number-nine R&B hit "Workin' Together." Golden Time of Day went gold, as did 1979's Inspiration and 1980's Joy and Pain (the album that gave us the major hit "Southern Girl"). In the late '70s, Maze earned a reputation for having one of the best live shows in R&B and their first live album, Live in New Orleans (a two-LP set), came out in 1981. Another live double-LP, Live in Los Angeles, was released in 1986, which was the year after Maze's funky "Back in Stride" reached number one on Billboard's R&B singles chart and became their biggest hit ever.

In 1989, Maze left Capitol for Warner Bros. and recorded Silky Soul; the title track, an ode to Marvin Gaye, was a major hit. By that time, Maze was receiving a lot of attention from the rap world -- their recordings were being sampled extensively by hip-hoppers. In 1988, rapper Rob Base used the chorus of Maze's "Joy and Pain" on a single that had the same title -- unfortunately, Base did so without permission and Beverly threatened legal action. Maze didn't enjoy many hits in the '90s, although their live shows continued to be well-received by a very devoted fan base


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Monday Mixtape: April Rain

Hey Everybody!

It's time for the Monday Mixtape! Early even...

This week's mix is entitled April Rain. It's a bimonthly compilation of the tracks that I'm digging from March and April. I would love to do this once a month, but what's being released isn't the best stuff I've heard. So I put together the best I could find (in my opinion of course).

You have probably heard my new moniker "The Mixtress of R&B". It is part of my migration to my own domain (themixtress.com) which is being worked on. When I release it I will let you guys know. Also part of the new domain will be new features for everyday of the week. The rundown will be as follows:

Mixtape Mondays - Dance music and new music posts (Full Mix)
Tasty Tuesdays - Independent artists (Quick Mix)
Worldwide Wednesdays - News and music from around the world (Quick Mix)
Old School Thursdays - Artist Spotlights (Full Mix)
Freaky Fridays - Anything goes (Quick Mix)

As my girl Nikki says "It doesn't matter which day you post a podcast as long as it's hot!"

I put up a donation button because honestly, it's costing me a pretty penny to share the mixes for free. You guys love them so much and I'm glad for the support and the love, but drop a dollar when you can in the donation box to help pay for the hosting. Thanks!

Here's the mix...I hope you enjoy it!

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Track Listing

Waiting For Your Love - Alicia Keys
Closer - Ne-Yo
Single Again (Remix) - Trina ft. Lil Wayne, Rick Ross & Plies
Got Me Going (Remix) - Day 26 Ft. Fat Joe & Rick Ross
2 Of You - Danity Kane
Break The Ice (Remix) - Britney Spears Ft. Fabolous
4 Minutes - Madonna Ft. Justin Timberlake
Take You There - Donnie J
Champion - Kanye West
I Know - Jay Z
Viva La White Girl - Gym Class Heroes
Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
Good Love - Sheek Louch
Lollipop (Remix) - Lil' Wayne ft. T-Pain
Crazy Kind Of Love - Mario
Can't Get Over You - Lloyd
I Luv Your Girl (Remix) - The Dream ft. Young Jeezy
What's Going On - Marsha Ambrosius Ft. The Game
Stay Down - Mary J. Blige
More pictures after the break

Old School Thursday: The O'Jays Mix

Hey Folks!

It's Old School Thursday!

Today's post was intended to be a tribute to the entire Levert family, but due to an emergency....only one mix got done. So stay tuned on Saturday for the other half!

I loved the O'Jays. I'll never forget "Cry Together". That song touched me in my heart. Enjoy the mix and please send up prayers for the Levert family as they cope with the death of Sean Levert.

Biography after the break.

Listen here:




Download here:

(warning: Mix is too long to be burned to a cd)

Track Listing:
I Love Music
Backstabbers
For The Love Of Money
Love Train
Used To Be My Girl
Lipstick Traces
Time To Get Down
Message In Our Music
Darling, Darling Baby
Now That We Found Love
Living For The Weekend
Family Reunion
Stairway To Heaven
Let Me Make Love To You
Lovin You
Cry Together
Forever Mine
You Got Your Hooks In Me
Keep On Loving Me
Your Body Is Here With Me
Wildflower



The O'Jays were one of Philadelphia soul's most popular and long-lived outfits, rivaled only by the Spinners as soul's greatest vocal group of the '70s. In their prime, the O'Jays' recordings epitomized the Philly soul sound: smooth, rich harmonies backed by elaborate arrangements, lush strings, and a touch of contemporary funk. They worked extensively with the legendary production/songwriting team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff , becoming the flagship artist of the duo's Philadelphia International label. The O'Jays were equally at home singing sweet love ballads or up-tempo dance tunes, the latter of which were often mouthpieces for Gamble & Huff s social concerns. Although the O'Jays couldn't sustain their widespread popularity in the post-disco age, they continued to record steadily all the way up to the present day, modifying their production to keep up with the times.The O'Jays were formed in 1958 in Canton, OH, where all five original members — Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, WilliamPowell, Bill Isles, and Bobby Massey — attended McKinley High School. Inspired to start a singing group after seeing a performance by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers they first called themselves the Triumphs, then switched to the Mascots in 1960. The Mascots made their recording debut in 1961 with the single "Miracles," issued on the Cincinnati-based King label. It earned them a fan in the influential Cleveland DJ Eddie O'Jay, who gave them some airplay and career advice; in turn, the group renamed itself the O'Jays in 1963, after having recorded for Apollo Records with producer Don Davis Under their new name, the O'Jays signed with Imperial and hooked up with producer H.B. Barnum, who would helm their first charting single, 1963's "Lonely Drifter," plus several more singles that followed. Isles left the group in 1965 and was not replaced, leaving them a quartet; late in the year, they released their first-ever album, Comin' Through. In 1967, the O'Jays left Imperial for Bell, where they landed their first Top Ten single on the R&B charts, "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)." Discouraged by the difficulty of following that success, the group considered throwing in the towel until it met Gamble & Huff— then working as a production team for the Neptune label — in 1968. Gamble & Huff took an interest in the group, and they recorded several successful R&B singles together; however, Neptune folded in 1971, leaving the O'Jays in limbo, and Massey decided to exit the group.

Fortunately, Gamble & Huff formed their own label, Philadelphia International, and made the O'Jays — now a trio — one of their first signings. The O'Jays' label debut, Back Stabbers, released in 1972, became a classic landmark of Philly soul, and finally made the group stars; the paranoid title track hit the pop Top Five, and the utopian "Love Train" went all the way to number one (both singles topped the R&B charts). It was the beginning of a remarkable run that produced nearly 30 chart singles over the course of the '70s, plus a series of best-selling albums and a bevy of number one hits on the R&B charts. The O'Jays followed up their breakthrough with another classic LP, Ship Ahoy in 1973; it featured the number one R&B hit "For the Love of Money," a funky protest number that still ranks as one of their signature songs, as well as the ten-minute title track, an ambitious suite recounting the ocean journeys of African slaves. 1975's Survival was another hit, spinning off the hits "Let Me Make Love to You" and the R&B number one "Give the People What They Want." Family Reunion found the group making concessions to the emerging disco sound, which got them their third Top Five pop hit in "I Love Music, Pt. 1." Unfortunately, William Powell was diagnosed with cancer that year, and although he continued to record with the group for a time (appearing on 1976's Message in Our Music), he was forced to retire from live performing, and passed away on May 26, 1977.

Powell s replacement was Sammy Strain, a 12-year veteran of Little Anthony & the Imperials. The O'Jays regrouped on the albums Travelin' at the Speed of Thought (1977) and So Full of Love (1978), the latter of which produced their final Top Five pop hit, "Use ta Be My Girl." 1979's Identify Yourself began to show signs of wear and tear in the group's successful formula, and often consciously attempted to follow disco trends. Although it sold respectably, it marked the beginning of a decline in the O'Jays' commercial fortunes. Undaunted by the increasingly diminished returns of their early-'80s LPs, the group kept plugging away, and never completely disappeared from the R&B charts. They finally left Philadelphia International and signed with EMI for 1987's Let Me Touch You, which melded their classic sound with up-to-date urban-R&B production. Powered by the Gamble & Huff penned R&B number one "Lovin' You," as well as the increased visibility of Eddie Levert's sons Gerald and Sean two-thirds of the hit urban group LeVert ), the album gave their career a much-needed shot in the arm. 1989's Serious supplied another big R&B hit in "Have You Had Your Love Today?"; with Nathaniel Best replacing Sammy Strain, 1991's Emotionally Yours and 1993's Heartbreaker also placed very well on the R&B charts. The O'Jays' comeback didn't really extend to the pop side, and didn't attract the sort of critical praise earned by their '70s classics; as the new jack swing craze subsided, so did the group's recording activity, though they remained consistent draws on the live circuit. In 1997, now with Eric Grant joining Levert and Williams, they returned with Love You to Tears. A recording layoff followed, during which the group signed with MCA; they debuted for the label with For the Love..., which was released in 2001.