Daddy B. Nice’s Corner 2021 – news and opinion on Southern Soul RnB music and artists
June 12, 2021
NEWS & NOTES:
Around Southern Soul Nation (Miscellaneous); The Jones Boyz & Ric Flair Mania.
1. Around Southern Soul Nation
Being an old beach bum, your Daddy B. Nice has always preferred wriggling his toes in the sand 24/7 to being stuck on a metal tub in the midst of the ocean, but having said that, CRUISES ARE BACK!
DJ Big O’s Southern Soul Family Cruise kicks off from February 27th to March 5th, 2022, leaving the Port of New Orleans for Belize, Cozumel and Costa Maya, with entertainment by L.J. Echols, Jeter Jones and Magic One (601-668-5344). And if you can’t wait that long, Walter D’s Zydesoul Cruise leaves Galveston, Texas for a four-day stint October 21st-25th with entertainment provided by Jeter Jones, Till 1, Jeff Floyd and Coldrank (832-491-5382).
When new southern soul artist Hump Dog released “Heads Or Tails (The Crawfish Song)”earlier this year, it was the first time many listeners had heard the phrase, “Suck the head, eat the tail.” So much so that when Cupid covered the song (with MC Worldand again feat. Nebu, the same, husky-voiced lady who sang Hump Dog’s chorus), he felt it necessary to advise fans that “I’m talking about crawfish/ So get your head out of the gutter!” But I just heard the phrase, “Suck the head, eat the tail” one night recently on one of my favorite late-night cartoons, Adult Swim’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force Season 10 episode 3, which came out in 2013.
“Grown Folks” (as in “grown folks music”) has long been an alternative description for southern soul music catering to the over-25, non-hiphop audience, and the terminology is slowly filtering into venues across the country. There are now Grown Folks Lounges in Detroit, Cleveland, Atlanta, Cross, South Carolina, Columbus, Ohio and Lawton, Oklahoma.
Memphis has never gotten over the glory days (and subsequent demise) of Stax Records. If you’re a fan of Stax you’ll be interested in Heikki Suosalo’s review of EVERYBODY MAKES A MISTAKE (not to be confused with the popular Bigg Robb single) Stax Southern Soul Vol. 2 from Kent Records in the latest issue of Soul Express. The compilation includes rare work by Shirley Brown, Isaac Hayes, Frederick Knight, William Bell, Ollie Nightingale, Eddie Floyd, Mavis Staples, The Soul Children and more.
WMPR Jackson, Mississippi’s DJ Ragman schooled your Daddy B. Nice on the following, little-known, mid-Atlantic group many years ago. The smooth-sounding The Winstons are back, courtesy of Joe Phillips, who has worked with The Delfonics, The Manhatttans, The Stylistics and Barry White. Their new EP (with all-new members) is IT’S BEEN A LONG DAY via Sensational Records/Sensational Music BMI.
New artist WestDawn, who debuted in 2020 with the rugged single, “Strong Country Man,” is releasing her southern soul debut CD this month. The bulk of PULL BACK THE COVERS (from Jones Boy Entertainment) is produced by J Swagg. WestDawnis not to be confused with West Love, a Stan Butler protege who has simultaneously appeared on the southern soul circuit.
Southern soul-loving rapper Joe Nice is releasing a new CD, COOKOUT MUSIC. Included will be his smash #1 single, “Take Your Time” (with Sean Dolby) and the South Carolinan’s new single, a remix of Mr. David’s Bruce Springsteen knock-off, “Knock The Fire”. Nice followed rapper Black Zack onto the southern soul scene with his Nelson Curry collaboration “Party Starter” in 2014.
Rita Brent, the young Jackson, Mississippi creative artist who recorded the un-promoted “Quarantine Shuffle” and “Can You Rock Me Like A Pothole” during the Covid year of 2020, is now running for political office, following other central Mississippi southern soul/politician “cross-overs” such as WAGR’S (Lexington, Ms.) DJ Big Money and singer/fellow radio personality Isaac Lindsay.
Lamar Brace’s new single “I Like It Like That” shows the influence of Tucka, and Just-K, who collaborates with Jeter Jones on “Trailride Party” from Jone’s new Trailride Certified 2 CD, is a dead ringer for Cupid. Meanwhile, singer/writer/producer Mr. Cotton, whose ravaged vocal cords sound like he’s a three-packs-a-day, unfiltered-cigarette smoker, refuses to give up the mike, hooking up with Pokey Bear on an impressive new single, “Love Don’t Love Nobody”. My only question is, “What did you do to your throat, man? What did you do?”
And Bobby Rush is back on a southern soul record for a change, doing voice-overs on Mizz Lowe’s “I Ain’t Giving Up My Love” in the same amusing way he did a generation ago on Vickie Baker’s “I Don’t Want You To Leave Your Wife.” What I’m trying to remember but can’t is if Mizz Lowe is Rush’s longtime, devastating, onstage, booty-rolling dancer.
Fresh off his new, four-star-rated CD, WHO IS HISYDE?, Hisyde is on the road, with dates in Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas and even Detroit. Magic One is also touring in a big way, with many dates, including some with Lacee. Wendell B is also on the road, responding to a clamor for his appearances. Actually, almost everyone in the business is touring with a post-Covid vengeance. See Concert Calendar.There’s never been so many southern soul concerts to choose from.
2. The Jones Boyz & Ric Flair Mania
As most everyone conversant with southern soul music knows by now, Sir Charles Jones and Jeter Jones joined together in 2020 to produce The Jones Boyz: 2 Kings. The two performers brought out the best in one another, but who knew at the time their partnership would also stimulate their future, individual work? Both singers have new albums out this month.
“The Chosen One” is an uncommonly powerful set from Sir Charles. It’s as if Jones has been “reborn,” achieving the most difficult and elusive state of mind for a 25-year, show-business veteran, making music as if for the first time.
And Trailride Certified Part 2, the new album from Jeter Jones, more than fulfills the high expectations surrounding southern soul’s newest headliner. Too immense and richly textured to grasp in a few short outings, this prolific collection bears comparison to last year’s PRODUCER OF THE YEAR (Various Artists) by Beat Flippa.
But what is this mania Charles and Jeter have for Ric Flair? For those unschooled in popular culture, Ric Flair is a World Wrestling Entertainment superstar like Hulk Hogan, and one of the greatest.
Full disclosure. I have a business friend who introduced me many years ago to professional wrestling and its elaborate, testosterone-laced and often hilarious ring and off-ring conflicts. (I haven’t seen him since before Covid and suspect he’s became one of those 24/7 Fox News watchers.) But, like my friend, I’ve chuckled more than a few times at his majesty Ric Flair. And, well, apparently Jeter and Charles love them some Ric Flair, too, or why would they be honoring him with intros in their new southern soul albums?
Charles begins THE CHOSEN ONE with:
“Rick Flair said to BE the man, you got to BEAT the man.”
And Jeter begins TRAILRIDE CERTIFIED 2 with a 30-second, lip-frothing, Ric Flair throwdown entitled “Holding These Gators Down”:
“It’s so hard for me to sit back here in this studio looking at a guy out here hollering my name when last year I spent more money on spilt liquor from one side of this world to the other than you made. You’re talking to the Rolex-wearing, diamond ring-wearing, wheeling-dealing, limousine-riding, jet-flying son of a gun, and I’m having a hard time holding these alligators down. Whoo!”
Q&A: What’s Ric Flair got in common with Sir Charles and Jeter Jones?
All three bill themselves “kings” (Charles the “King of Southern Soul,” Jeter the “King of Trailride Blues”) and on occasion all three wear WWE-style championship belts.
—Daddy B. Nice
June 1, 2021
JUNE TOP TEN “SPILLOVER”: Top 40 Southern Soul Singles
An expanded list of the songs vying for “Top Ten Singles” in June 2021
1. “Just Love Me”—DeMond Crump
2. “Boots Knockin'”—Jeter Jones feat. Urban Mystic
3. “Eternity”—Sir Charles Jones
4. “Hobo Moan”—Columbus Toy
5. “Back That Thang Up”—Jeter Jones
6. “Forever”—Sir Charles Jones
7. “Come On In”—Shell-B
8. “Good Lovin’ In The Morning”—JR Blu
9. “Midwest Party”—Sir Charles Jones
10. “Just Right Girl”—Montrell
11. “I’m Sorry”—Hollywood Hayes
12. “Stuck Between The Two”—Ms. Tip
13. “My House”—Jeter Jones feat. Volton Wright
14. “I’m All I Got, I’m All I Need”—Sir Charles Jones
15. “I Know You Miss It”—Chris Ivy
16. “I’ve Been Drinking”—Hollywood Hayes
17. “Just Love Me”—Passion
18. “The Soul Chain”—Koffee
19. “Licka Man”—Adrena
20. “Party Ride”—Lamar Brace
21. “What Grown Folks Do”—Andre’ Lee
22. “Ain’t Nobody (Soul Out Mix)”—Soul Southern feat. Marcel Cassanova, Kizzo, Billy Cook, Ezeekiel Ain
23. “Big Booty Baby”—Al Davis feat. Willie Morris
24. “Meet Me”—J-Wonn
25. “Beg For It”—King South
26. “Dancing Shoes”—Ghetto Cowboy
27. “Truck Driver Lovin'”—Tamara McClain feat. Mz. Hollywood
28. “The Way You Move”—Sassy D feat. Tucka
29. “Southern Soul Dance”—DJ Teddie Bear
30. “Yo Love”—Big Yayo feat. Solomon Thompson, Action
31. “Dancin’ On The Wild Side”—Simone De
32. “Tonight”—Lenny Williams
33. “Country Boy Slide”—E.J. Soul, Narvel Echols
34. “Share It”—Joe Nice feat. Sean Dolby, Heather Rodgers
35. “It’s Been A Long Day”—The Winstons
36. “Want It Too”—Mr. Amazing
38. “If I Was Your Man”—D. Saunders
39. “Blackbird (Remix)”—Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis Jr.
40. “Swing It Like A Lady”—Banky Live