Vibes blog

The Deal: Beyonce’s long-awaited (well, by somebody) music video version of the song “Video Phone” — from her still-kicking album I Am … Sasha Fierce — debuted on MTV this morning.

The Good: I know, I know: Beyonce is a substance-less pop star. True. But, damn, the woman sure does look good. And in this video, she does more poppin’ and shakin’ than almost anything else I’ve ever seen her do. Not exactly a step forward for mankind, but — still — nice to look at. Just sayin.’ This time around, Beyonce also decided to trade in her nearly trademarked leg-baring leotards (see “Single Ladies,” “Diva,” “Halo,” etc.) to sport a daring, African-inspired (?) two-piece number. But, don’t fret — the leotards are there … in multiple colors, too. Oh, and I thought it was interesting the way men were somewhat objectified by being shown, for the most part, as faceless/headless bodies.

The Bad: Why exactly was Lady Gaga in this video? Her voice adds nothing to what was actually a pretty mediocre song. And the dance sequence with Beyonce and Lady Gaga? Hey, Gaga can’t keep up with Beyonce’s poppin’ and shakin.’ (But, then, who can?!) On top of that, Gaga looks a little emaciated next to the more athletic B. Regarding other aspects of the video, what’s up with all the guns? Not sure what that has to do with a video phone.

The Verdict: Hey … if you like looking at Beyonce, you’ll dig it.

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This week on Creative Loafing’s long-running urban music podcast, Audiofloss, we’re playing tunes from:

• Angela Johnson (featuring Eric Roberson)

• Russell Taylor

• And Choklate

(To listen, click on the MP3 icon or link below.)

Audiofloss — Vol. 3, No. 9

For more Audiofloss episodes, visit www.audiofloss.com.

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Former indie soul songstress N’Dambi (who’s now signed to the legendary Stax label), is hitting Charlotte Sat., Oct. 17, to perform songs from her catalog of music — including cuts off her latest CD, Pink Elephant. We caught her on the phone recently and chatted her up about a number of topics — from music to her now-famous nude photos in Marc Baptiste’s coffee table book Beautiful. Check it out:

Creative Loafing: What prompted you — a long-standing independent artist — to make the move to a label like Stax?
N’Dambi: Well, I’ll be honest: I’ve never been an independent artist that always wanted to be independent. It has promise in doing it that way, but [being independent] is a hard road. I wanted to make music and get a deal at some point — always have. I wanted to find a label that I felt would be best suited for the interests that I had in making music — someone with a legacy that created good music on their own. And I could relate to [Stax] because they were from the South — that being where I’m from. And I liked the artists that the label had, such as the Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, The Emotions, The Barkays, Otis Redding … a cool list of people. I just wanted to be attached to something cool and leave some music that can be around after I’m gone. Being independent did not go in vain because all that information that I learned doing that actually helped me to be a better artist in this particular situation with a label. Because you don’t stop working. It just puts you ahead of the curve if you choose to be with a label.

How would you describe your new CD Pink Elephant?
Well, it’s a soul/pop/funk album — I guess that’s the best way I can describe it. The goal for me was to write an album that felt like a collection of short stories out of the lives of folk and gave people a window into someone’s life … And I wanted to give people something to talk about.

How did you get involved with the book Beautiful?
Actually I went to Marc Baptiste to talk to him about [photographing] a cover for an album. At the time, I wanted to do something that was inspired by The Ohio Player’s cover for Honey. We took a bunch of pictures, but that didn’t work out. But Marc told me he was working on a book of nudes and wondered if I would be interested in him using the photos for that. I was like, “OK, that’s fine” … They actually chose my picture for the cover, and I was pleasantly surprised.

What kind of reaction did you get from doing the book?
A lot of people enjoyed the photos; they talked about them being tasteful. Now, I run into some people who’re like, “N’Dambi, you didn’t have to do all that!” And my mama hasn’t seen this book to date. I haven’t even mentioned it to my mother.

What can folks expect from your live show this Saturday?
In performances, I always like to give a lot of high energy … and incite the audience to respond in a way that gives the energy back to me. So, it’s kind of like reciprocity: We give each other energy and we both receive it from the whole experience.

Check out the video below to see N’Dambi in action. Then, take your ass to the show.

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Soul songstress N’dambi has been belting out tunes for years now — first as a background singer for Erykah Badu and then as a solo artist, releasing acclaimed CDs like Little Lost Girl Blues and her newest one, Pink Elephant, among many others. Despite her vast musical resume, however, she’s probably best known for sporting one of the biggest and coolest-looking Afros in the industry. Check her out when she hits Charlotte on Sat., Oct. 17 and you’ll get to hear her crisp-yet-funky vocal stylings — and catch a glimpse of her beautiful ’do, too. $20. 8 p.m. Utopia SoundStage, 10210 Berkeley Place Dr. 704-765-4131. www.thesolkitchen.com.

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The Deal: The Brooklyn-born soul crooner Maxwell put on a big-budget concert at Time Warner Cable last night (Tuesday, Oct. 6). Vocalist Chrisette Michele and acclaimed rapper Common served as the opening acts.

The Bad: It was pretty obvious from watching Michele and Common perform that the two artists were not used to playing arena-sized rooms; both of them seemed to struggle to make contact with an audience that was far removed from their sight and touch. Michele strained at times in order to belt out tunes at a higher volume, perhaps psychologically trying to compensate for the distance from the fans. And Common, in at least one instance, was forced to lean off the large, V-shaped stage to hold a concertgoers hand for a bit that usually calls for him to make face-to-face contact with one lucky female ticket holder.

The Good: Although, Michele and Common struggled, Maxwell seemed right at home on the massive set, which was rigged with giant, moving video screens and several secret trap doors. And the audience made no bones about its love for the dude, throwing panties at, grabbing the legs of and handing flowers to him as he dashed, dived and danced dramatically around the stage. Truth be told, the dude displayed a ton of charisma. Hell, I even spotted a few seemingly straight guys (they were paired-up with women) who looked like they wanted to give old Maxie a tug job. Anyway, in terms of his setlist, most of the material he sang was from his new disc, but he did a ton of old stuff and saved probably his biggest hit, “Ascension,” for the encore.

Cameos: Underground soul singer Bilal (of “Soul Sista” fame) served as a background singer for Common — but the vocalist seemed a bit more subdued than usual. He’s known for running around the stage like a madman, but last night, he either stood in place and sang or slowly shuffled backstage between songs. Weird. Also, another underground soul star by the name of Muhsinah worked the background for Common, punching beats on a laptop-like machine and providing supporting vocals. When she was done performing, she sat in the audience and watched Maxwell … and no one, it appeared, knew who she was. Cool.

The Verdict: Common and Chrisette Michelle struggled, but Maxwell killed it.

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In the mood for a road trip this weekend? If so, I’d suggest hopping in your car and making the short drive (at the most, 4 hours away) to Atlanta to witness the historic reunion of Goodie Mob.

For the uninitiated, Goodie Mob is one of the South’s most influential hip-hop groups. Born and bred in the ATL, the group consists of members Khujo (Willie Knighton, Jr.), T-Mo Goodie (Robert Barnett), Big Gipp (Cameron Gipp) and Cee-Lo (Thomas Callaway) — who many may know as one half of the acclaimed band Gnarls Barkley (see members in above photo by Joeff Davis).

But before Cee-Lo hit the mainstream with Gnarls, he was down with Goodie Mob, cranking out conscious tunes with a Southern twist like “Soul Food,” “Cell Therapy” and “Black Ice,” among many other classics.

The group hasn’t officially been back together since 2002 — although they did a few surprise, one-off shows here and there over the years — so the show in Atlanta this weekend is a rare treat. Also, this is the “A” we’re talking about, where many celebs dwell, so expect to see some surprise guests.

For more on the show and the reunion, check out a big feature on the Atlanta edition of Creative Loafing’s site.

Details: $40. 7 p.m. Sat., Sept. 19. Masquerade Music Park, 695 North Ave. Atlanta, Ga. 404-577-8178. masq.com.

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Check out the new music video from North Carolina’s own Yahzarah. The track, titled “The Tickler,” is from the soul singer’s forthcoming CD The Ballad of Purple St. James.

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OK, I love the acting chops displayed by rapper-turned-thespian Mos Def, but I am ecstatic that he recently made the choice to step away from the movie screen for a second to focus more on music.

A few months ago, the underground-hip-hop-flavored MC released his new CD, The Ectstatic, to rave reviews and now he’s taken his show on the road. Catch him at Amos’ Southend Wednesday, Aug. 12, performing cuts from his new album along with classic joints.

Of course, if you miss seeing him in the flesh, you can always watch him on the small screen in The Italian Job or something … but that’s just not as fun, now is it?! $30-$35. 8 p.m. Amos’ Southend, 1423 S. Tryon. 704377-6874. www.amossouthend.com.

To whet your appetite, here’s some footage of the man in action:

Oh and Jay Electronica is the opening act. For those who’ve never heard of him, here’s a little bit about the cat:

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Hip-hop superstar Consequence — who happens to be an artist on Kanye West’s GOOD record label — will be making an appearance at Pop Life tonight. So you need to bring your ass.

The event is free, starts at 6 p.m. and is going down at Apostrophe Lounge (1440 S. Tryon).

And in case you’ve never heard of the cat, check out this videos of him in action:

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Heard about the passing of Baatin — a former member of the rap group Slum Village — on Twitter. Then I found this article.

He was a dope lyricist. He’ll be missed.

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