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Kandi Koated Saint?

Posted by :Peauxetic Expressions On : February 25, 2013
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Category: Music Monday

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Kandi 7

Many people know Kandi as a cast member on the popular reality show, Real Housewives of Atlanta. Other than watching the show a few times, I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of it. But I have been a  fan of Kandi for quite some time through her original claim to fame, the R & B group Xscape. I believe that Xscape is underrated in terms of their style and contribution to music in the 90s and in general. Their 1995 CD, Off the Hook is still one of my favorite R & B CDs. At the height of the group’s career, songs like “Do You Want To?” and “Who Can I Run To?” ruled the radio airwaves. And then there’s her songwriting skills. Ironically, the biggest songs she’s ever written (TLC’s “No Scrubs” and Destiny’s Child’s “Bills, Bills, Bills”) went on to be massive hits for other girl groups. Now she has delved into her own line of sex toys and an online talk show called “Kandi Koated Nights”. And if that wasn’t enough, she’s also teamed up with Bravo for her own version of American Idol called “The Kandi Factory”. Needless to say, she’s got a great business sense about her and is able to maintain multiple streams of income.

But what happens when another one of her projects just comes off as….well, another business venture? Kandi recently released her first gospel single, featuring Marvin Sapp, called “Stay Prayed Up”. The song itself isn’t bad but Kandi’s voice isn’t well suited to gospel to me. Certain genres have certain voices that fit perfectly. Her unique, raspy is honestly a forced fit gospel music in my opinion, but it works perfectly for R & B, or even Rock music. And then there’s the obvious……I’m no saint by any means, but isn’t it just a little strange to fully receive a gospel song from the same woman who has her own line of sex toys and a racy online talk show? Just a thought. But then again, this could make her more relatable to fans. The lyrics here are very powerful (I have to give her credit for that), but is that part really so surprising? Something about Marvin Sapp and Kandi’s voice don’t seem to mesh well here though. But again, it was a smart business move to feature him on the song.

Do you think Kandi has gone too far by releasing “Stay Prayed Up”? Is she really sharing her testimony to inspire others are is this just another lucrative business venture for her? Will you be buying this song or better yet a full gospel album from Kandi (if she releases one)? What do you think of the song itself?

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Tamar Gets Her Life…And a No.1 Hit

Posted by :Peauxetic Expressions On : December 12, 2012
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Category: Music Monday

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-“Yes, I am in America. And yes, I am wanted. And it’s probably illegal to be this hot.” –Tamar Braxton

As cocky as it may sound, Tamar Braxton is about as hot and wanted in America as she’s ever been right now. Arguably the most vibrant star on The Braxton Family Values reality show, the woman who has made quotes like “get your life” and any phrase followed by “dot com” famous is finally stepping out of Toni Braxton’s shadow. Since the show first aired, she made no secret about the fact that she wanted to jump-start her own solo singing career. It’s no surprise that she can actually sing and she has badgered her husband Vince Herbert about not doing his part to help her (especially considering he’s Lady Gaga’s manager).

Now she has started her own spin-off show, Tamar and Vince, landed a spot on the upcoming VH1 Show Tiny Tonight, plus she’s the host of Centric’s new lifestyle show, CultureList. Oh yeah and then there’s the No.1 single she just released. Yep, her single “Love and War” reached No. 1 on several iTunes charts and No. 2 overall….just 1 day after its release.This is all with minimal promotion except for several Twitter plugs from Lady Gaga. One of which read, K I NEVER PROMOTE ARTISTS but if u want your mind blown check @tamarbraxtonher “Love & War” She’s Toni Braxton sister + her voice is BEYOND,” Considering Lady Gaga has over 31,000,000 “monsters” (what she calls her fans) following her, I’m sure this helped in a big way.

So what do I think of her first single “Love and War”? I was very pleasantly surprised and even impressed by some of her vocal runs. She almost sounds….dare I say it, better than Toni Braxton. The lyrics flow well with the melody on this track and the music isn’t overproduced. And more surprisingly, she’s not over-singing. I don’t know why I expected that before I heard the song. Wait….maybe it’s because of her exaggerated personality on TV, lol. But all jokes aside, she has definitely made a believer out of me as someone who wasn’t even interested in her solo material initially. But now, I’ll be on the lookout for it. What do you think of her and the new song? Her new CD (this is actually not her first solo release) is set to drop in February. Will you be buying? If the rest of the tracks sound like “Love and War”, I just might be….

Check out “Love and War” below,  if you haven’t already heard it

 

Put You To Bed

Posted by :Peauxetic Expressions On : June 6, 2012
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Category: Uncategorized

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Ok, so I’m going to jump straight into it. Sheets on, pillows stacked, and extra blankets piled on top. These are my 5 things I would love to put to bed….check it out.

Words on Shirts

No, I’m not talking about catch phrases or slogans like Dr. Pepper’s “I’m a Pepper” T-Shirt (although those should be worn with discretion too). I’m talking about the one word shirts women wear that say “Sexy”, “Hot”, “Cute”, etc….whatever happened to a little mystery? Let others be the judge if you’re cute or not. How about that? And truth be told, many women wearing these shirts don’t match the adjectives they’re promoting…I’m just saying, if you have to wear it (but please don’t), at least match what the shirts says.  True, these shirts were kinda cool when they first hit the market, but now they’re way past due to be put to bed.

Duck Tails/Mullet Hair Cuts

I’m not ashamed to say that I used to have a duck tail. But that was about 20 years ago….and it was in style back then. But lately, I have randomly come across several people who are still wearing them. WTH?! Who actually sits down in the barber chair and requests this now? I don’t get it. Duck tails may have been popular in the early 90s, but who really wears them now? And speaking of duck tails, let’s go ahead and put the “Mullet” hairstyle to bed too while we’re at it. I don’t see how that hairstyle was ever popular. Who ever thought short hair in the front and long hair in the back was hot? At least not with a mullet…again, WTH?

Dramatic Reality TV 

When the concept of reality TV first began, there was a plethora of different kinds of shows to choose from. But now, it seems like everyone has a reality show and they don’t need any credentials to get one. From Flavor of Love, to the “Housewives” series, to Basketball Wives….WTH?! It’s just too much. There’s nothing wrong with a little drama to boost ratings…hey, everybody does it. But at some point, you can tell when a show is scripted. I’ve glanced at some of these shows from time to time, but I just can’t make myself be a frequent viewer of them. A real reality show would be to follow people who will go off at the drop of a hat and don’t know there are cameras filming their every move. Somebody call me when reality TV makes a show like that. Does anyone not have the mental capacity to come up with a good script for a sitcom anymore?

Meetings About Meetings

This is a major pet peeve of mine. Of course, meetings are a necessity to run any successful business, organization or corporation. But when do meetings contradict their intent? First off, no meeting should ever last longer than 2 hours. Except in rare cases, what takes over 2 hours to discuss if you’re having a productive meeting? Key word….productive. This one really doesn’t need a long explanation. Too many meetings about the same thing equals no result. And have you ever noticed how many times people will conduct a meeting without an agenda? Never understood that…

Those Who Can’t….Teach

We’ve all seen this before….and frankly, it really ticks me off. How in the world can you teach something you can’t even do (or  don’t even have the basic concept of it). This one came to mind when talking to a friend about the show Dance Moms (I know, another reality show…SMH). If you haven’t heard of the show, the main instructor teaches these young girls how to dance….and she’s so hard-core she upsets many of the mothers. But just watch the show to see what I mean….bet she can’t do any of the moves she teaches…I’m just saying. But this goes for anything….coaches, managers, committee chairs, you name it. How can you teach it when you don’t know how to do it yourself???

***My Guilty Pleasure (Overalls)***

This one has already been put to bed (and in a deep sleep), but wouldn’t it be cool if overalls made a comeback? Ok, don’t all laugh at once, but I’m so serious. If overalls came back, and were made to be more fashionable now, I would buy some. They are so comfortable and great to put on when you’re just want to be lazy. Remember when it was cool to have one or both of the straps unhooked too?

What are some things/people/places you want to put to bed? And what’s your guilty pleasure that you wish would wake up and come back?