Modern Groove Assembly: Sy Smith Mixtape

Today is the birthday of songstress Sy Smith and the Modern Groove Assembly, led by Steve Catanzaro has done a wonderful tribute to this gifted singer-songwriter. I had the pleasure of meeting her a couple of years ago after seeing her perform with The Foreign Exchange. This beautiful lady has the spirit to match. Indulge in the mix and purchase her catalog. Plenty of goodies to satisfy your soul.

Zo! ft. Gwen Bunn & Phonte' - Count To Five [Official Music Video]

Zo! of The Foreign Exchange has continued to warm our hearts well after previously releasing the critically acclaimed Sunstorm LP in 2010. ManMade, the sophomore release is out now and is another album you can listen to from start to finish. Of course, any +FE release wouldn't be complete without residents Phonte' and Sy Smith lending their unique stylings. Also on board for this project are Eric Roberson, Choklate, 1-O.A.K., Jeanne Jolly, Carlitta Durand, Anthony David, Carmen Rodgers, and lastly, Gwen Bunn who is featured on "Count To Five", the official music video that's being highlighted in this post. I love the way they pay homage to the Sesame Street franchise.

Zo! will be appearing live in Houston again on August 18th. You can purchase the new CD and get a free mp3 download of the album via +FE Music.

Chantae Cann ft. Snarky Puppy: Da Da'n Da

Some of you may have heard of this young lady before from being featured on "Find My Way To Love" [from Polkadotted Stripe (2009)] by The Jaspects and "All Is Well With Love" by Zo! [from Sunstorm (2010)]. Chantae Cann is the type of artist who opens her mouth and it sounds like a symphony. Several days ago she released her first single "Da Da'n Da" via Bandcamp, that features Snarky Puppy, an amazing fusion band from Denton, Texas. Cann is in preparation to release her debut album Journey to Golden for Fall 2013.

Phonte: Charity Starts At Home

The Charity Starts At Home album is here! Today Phonte of The Foreign Exchange released his highly anticipated solo work via +FE Music. Guest vocals include Sy Smith, Elzhi, Carlitta Durand, Pharoahe Monch, Evidence, Eric Roberson, Big K.R.I.T. and Median. Production credits go to 9th wonder, Khrysis, Swiff D, S1 & Caleb, Zo! and Stro Elliot. Get your copy of this yummy goodness at The Foreign Exchange Music Website or on iTunes.



Get the FREE download of "Not Here Anymore" ft. Elzhi (prod. by 9th Wonder).

KING: Supernatural (MdCL Remix)

It's been quite some time since i've posted anything on KING, this amazing trio of talented young women. Since that time, they have opened up for "his royal badness" Prince, recorded a single with The Foreign Exchange and i'm sure they are working on a full length debut. As for now, here's a clever remix done by the maestro on keys, Mark de Clive-Lowe. You can view the previous post here. Enjoy!

Zo!: Just Visiting Three

Zo! blesses us again with another installment of his Just Visiting series, featuring Phonte, the beautiful Sy Smith, ERRO, Jean Jolly, Nicholas Ryan Gant and Anthony David. I consider him an amazingly great pianist and producer, who's one of the young gods in the world of music production. I'm looking forward to many more years of hearing his sound.

Be sure to visit the +FE Official Website to get this FREE DOWNLOAD and to say thanks for an incredible job well done. The download also comes with a digital booklet with info on the artists and music. Enjoy!

+FE: All The Kisses

The magic continues as The Foreign Exchange team up with Amber & Paris Strother of KING for their latest single "All The Kisses", which will be a bonus studio track on their upcoming LIVE recording to be released titled Dear Friends: An Evening With The Foreign Exchange. "Dear Friends" will drop on June 28th on +FE Music. For more info, visit TheForeignExchangeMusic.com. While you're there, take advantage of this appreciation gift from them in the form of a FREE download.

The Foreign Exchange: Authenticity

YES! The wait is finally over because Authenticity is here. Right now, do yourself a favor and get this album NOW. It will also make a great gift for friends and family. It comes in a lovely fall foliage package and some great tunes that can be enjoyed for hours on end. Have your credit cards ready, log on to The Foreign Exchange Music or iTunes and purchase today. No operators are standing by. Follow them on Twitter: @FEOfficial. Enjoy!

Erica Nicole: Raw Image Studio

I had to take this time to give a massive shout out to my new friend Erica Nicole, President/CEO/photographer of Raw Image Studio, who did an excellent job (as usual) of shooting photos of The Foreign Exchange show this past Sunday at Numbers in Houston. Take a look at the video below for some of the work she has done, then rush on over to her site for more info and booking. You'll agree that she's amazing.

RawImageStudio.net

Darien Brockington: Rain

It was 2006 when I first heard of Darien Brockington on Nicolay's "I Am The Man" b/w "I Love The Way You Love" 12 inch. At that time, it seemed like there were more women who had banging Soul tracks and the guys did more softer R&B. Along with a sigh of relief, I pretty much ran this song in the ground playing it at every set. But hey...nobody complained either.

Not long after, I found out he had his own project titled Somebody To Love that featured Yahzarah, Little Brother and a few other talented folks. Pretty soon I was gathering every piece connected (pun intended) to what is now known as the FE Music family.

Here it is 2010 and the soul is still flowing with his latest Cold Case Files that's out now and available on iTunes. Here's where you grab your significant other, pull them in close, relax and listen to "Rain". Enjoy!

The Foreign Exchange: Maybe She'll Dream of Me

They say that "three times' a charm", so i'm sure fans of The Foreign Exchange will be charmed with their third album Authenticity that will be released on October 12th. They are offering their first single "Maybe She'll Dream of Me" as a free download on The Foreign Exchange website. The tune is produced by Nicolay and Phonte, and also features Phonte rendering vocals. This slow bounce reminds me of a mashup between a 70's disco laser meets DJ Spinna. Peep the track below and be sure to support them and the whole FE Music family. Enjoy!



Authenticity Tracklist:

01. The Last Fall
02. Authenticity
03. Eyes To The Sky
04. All Roads
05. Fight For Love
06. Maybe She'll Dream Of Me
07. Don't Wait
08. Make Me A Fool
09. Everything Must Go
10. Laughing At Your Plans
11. This City Ain't The Same Without You

The Groove: Zo! Interview

If you want to hear some good Soul and Hip-Hop, there's a great show that comes on early Thursday mornings called The Groove, hosted by my homey Bobby Phats, with his co-hosts DJ Master Chief and CareFree. Bobby is an excellent MC/hype man as well as spinning tunes. You can get more of what he does by visiting his site: DopeJoints.com.

This morning he had a special interview with Zo! of Foreign Exchange who dropped his new album titled Sunstorm on Tuesday. The album itself boasts a roster full of great talent, which includes himself. You want to hear more or get info, go to TheForeignExchangeMusic.com and purchase the full album on iTunes.

The Groove airs Thursday mornings from 2am - 5am on Pacifica Radio KPFT 90.1 FM Houston. You can listen LIVE online at http://kpft.org. If you like the show, please donate to help keep the show on air. KPFT 90.1 FM is a commercial free, listener sponsored, FREE SPEECH radio station.

Zo! Interview w/ Bobby Phats