Stepping outside of my normal routine and dong two clean comedy shows in February.
ON THE SAME DAY.,,
AND THEY ARE BOTH FOR CHURCHES...
(Insert laugh track here)
But seriously folks, I am happy..overjoyed..over the moon to host First Cosmopolitan Baptist Church in Raleigh's Annual Valentine's Day Program. the "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" program is February 16th at 10am.
You can count on music PROVIDED BY A GREAT DJ, comedy, a little dancing and a free breakfast prepared by some of the best folks in Raleigh.
No admission charge for that one.
Later that night...I'll be performing at the 1st Annual Laughing for Your Love Life Comedy Show.
Sponsored by Doer of the Word Church.
That's 8pm at the Forest Hills Park Clubhouse in Durham.
The show is hosted by Malcom Aaron and headlined by Comedian Jay Derrell,
Tickets are $10 and you can get them by visiting here or calling Tonya Daye at 919-597-8409.
I'm looking forward to talking about love and relationships and how wives are always right.
It's a growth thing for me.
Realizing I can't get on Letterman with my dirty mouth..so I'm cleaning up my act..literally.
So, if you've been afraid to come see me entertain for fear that the devil would jump out of one of my jokes and take you straight to hell..you're safe this time!
Glad to be called upon to share my talent and I want you to come out and laugh with me.
UPDATED VIDEO PLAYLIST.
Being around comedians is like having a front row seat to Smokey Robinon's ''The Tears of a Clown".
It makes some wonder how people with so much pain and so many inner demons can easily share their pain night after night on stage.
All for the entertainment of others.
I compare it to the lives and stories of blues singers.
I've always loved the talking blues style of John Lee Hooker.
I can imagine the characters and the places he describes in songs like "BOOGIE CHILLUN'' and "BOOM BOOM".
It's all about sharing life experiences and making it easy for people to relate to.
Just like comedy!
If you are not hip to the music of one of the true founding fathers of rock music...cause we all know the blues had a baby and they named it rock and roll,
get hip by checking out this site... http://www.johnleehooker.com/home.htm
and this playlist... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veam26T9WR4&list=PL42537C5D095231AA
I felt validated as a teen when De La Soul sampled "PEG"
for their song "EYE KNOW"and then years after that
when Bronx hip-hop duo Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz sampled
"Black Cow" for their song "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)."
It' clear that Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have so much soul.
Fagen's new solo project "Sunken Condos" is awesome.
I love the storytelling and the characters that Fagen
creates.
Of course it's got a tune about a much older man and his attraction for a younger woman.
The musicians and back ground singers that play on
Steely Dan projects and the solo albums are truly a who's who of pop jazz and
soul music, artists like Cindy Mizelle and Freddie Washington who have appeared on recordings and on stage with Michael Jackson, Elton John, Patrice Rushen The Crusaders Luther Vandross and Bruce Springsteen just to name a few.
Here's my track by track breakdown
1.Slinky Thing----Awesome song about that love age difference thing. The
breakdown and the bridge are incredible.
2. I'm Not The Same Without You--- Don't let the title fool you. Another great
thing is the double meaning and intricate lyrics. The horns and even the
harmonica solo totally bring this song to life.
3.Memorabilia- Fagen takes a funky tour of artifacts possibly from the arms
race. It's so catchy you'll find something new about it every time you listen
again.
4.Weather In My Head--First track I heard from the set. I saw this
performed live on Letterman. See that video here
Beautiful bluesy rock jazz funk take on relationships.
The way Fagen puts a stormy romance up against bad weather
will capture you and reel you in. A perfect storm for sure.
"Girl when you hurt me/when you told those lies/it's
like a typhoon exploded behind my eyes/they may fix the weather in the
world/just like Mr. Gore said/but tell me what's to be done about the weather
in my head."
5.The New Breed---A fantastic arrangement over super sarcastic lyrics. Tale of
woe about the new young IT guy.
6.Out Of The Ghetto- YES. A remake of the Issac Hayes song. READY Freddie
Washington on bass and Fagen on the Wurlitzer organ. MAGIC. When Fagen wails
"Ghetto mama stay the same" you'll know it's real.
7.Miss Marlene--Another great story with characters you feel like you know
after three minutes.
Beautiful arrangement and Cindy Mizelle makes the background
harmonies so clear smooth and beautiful.
Jon Herington's guitar solo is smoking hot.
8.Good Stuff---A fun and oh so hip gangster tale. The piano plays a great
melody while Fagen paints another beautiful picture. There are so many cool
instruments on this song from melodica..vibraphone..all manner of keyboards.
A treat for the ears. FUGGETABOUT IT.
9.Planet D'Rhonda-- This may be my favorite song on this album..."She's
from a small town somewhere upstate/I guess she's somewhere between nineteen
and thirty eight". Kurt Rosenwinkel's guitar solo is mind blowing. I was
checking the credits to see if it was George Benson. Yes the song is that good.
All in all this is one of the best album's I've heard in recent years
If this is what getting older is all about please sign me up.
Below, you can check out the video's to the songs I talked about at the beginning of this review.
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