It is easy to label an artist as soulful, but increasing difficult to find a real soul artist in today’s music scene. Joy Ike is the needle in the haystack. Her recently released sophomore album, 'Rumors', rises above the rest busting through with a soul sound that has drawn comparisons to Norah Jones, Fiona Apple, and Regina Spektor.
Her single "Sweeter" has received praise from NPR’s music critics with All Things Considered calling her, "a unique blend of neo-soul, with just the right dash of pop...a truly compelling act to watch."
'Rumors' has also racked up an incredible amount of attention in her hometown of Pittsburg, PA and has garnered new listeners across the country building a band of passionate new followers.
Joy released 'Rumors' her second full length album independently and continues a grassroots attempt to stay true to her values.
Tenor sax player, Sonny Rollins won the Miles Davis Award last Sunday at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Previous recipients of this award include Ornette Coleman, McCoy Tyner and Mike Stern. It is meant to honour an international artist for the entire body of his or her work.
His nickname is the Saxophone Colossus and he has been performing for the past five decades! His original style is bebop, but he has also explored other genres such as calypso, funk, R&B and pop.
Sonny Rollins will be touring in various venues throughout Europe, Japan, and New York until November. Check out his touring dateshere.
Check out Sonny's video library, including his Podcasts, peformance clips, interviews and special features about the Sonny Rollins Group on hiswebsite.
Here's one of the videos of this legendary saxophonist:
Teresa Giudice, from Bravo’s hit series the Real Housewives of New Jersey, is known for being an outgoing, table flipping Italian princess. She also has been getting media attention for her onscreen footage of her Breast Augmentation procedure that she underwent.
The 37-year old told Steppin’ Out magazine that she is “much more confident with my body now,” was an A-cup, and “ after [she] breast fed, they looked different. [She] looked at them and went, Ewwwwww. They were deflated. [She] was just a big nipple.”
Giudice also said that she “never liked how [she] looked in bathing suits. [She] never wanted to put lingerie on.” And she feels that “you need boobs for lingerie.”
Having been married for nine years before the surgery, Giudice says that her husband did not care about her small breasts and he loved her the way she was, but that she got the procedure done for her, is happy and feels “so much sexier.”
And avid watchers of the show will know that the real gems of New Jersey are her spoiled, sassy, but adorably cute, four young daughters, Gia, 9, Gabriella, 5, Milania, 4, and Adriana, less than a year old. Giudice says that if her daughters want the procedure when they are older, she will fully support them.
Now that her procedure has settled she is showing off her new breast, in typical Teresa fashion: loud and proud.
But are we really surprised, Glamazons? I mean, the woman has been wearing wigs and weaves her entire life. Can someone please tell show me one photo of Naomi Campbell, 40, rocking her natural hair? (If you can, I'll send you some beauty goodies hahaha)
In a recent photo shoot for Dennis Basso here in New York, Campbell was snapped by the paparazzi not only rocking thousand dollar furs, but also revealing her serious lack of hair.
But really, everyone knows she's bald. And who's gonna risk their life to call her out on it to her face!? Certainly not I! Besides (all baldness aside) that fur jacket is giving me LIFE! I can't wait until the day that I can walk around in thousand dollar fur coats, heels and a bikini...all on a million dollar yacht, of course.
What do you think, Glamazons? Do you still view Campbell as a beautiful creature despite her (serious) lack of hair?
Hey Glamazons! Did you peep these pics that have hit the web of Lady Gaga dressed as her supposed alterego Jo Calderone? (Yes, apparently "Jo" is a man.) The shoot is for an upcoming issue of Vogue Hommes Japan. Well, if Beyonce can ditch her usual quiet habits and be the fierce and fab Sasha Fierce, then it only makes sense that Gaga can be a man sometimes, right?!
What do you think of the photos, Glamazons? Do you think that they're really Lady Gaga? (I do!) Do you find this strangely disturbing or cool? Maybe Gaga will take a cue from Beyonce and even release an album as Jo?!
Remember when I told you about Evan Rachel Wood (ie True Blood's Vampire Queen haha) getting a fragrance deal with Gucci? Well, the brand was keeping all deets about the fragrance under wraps...until now!
According to today's issue of WWD, the scent is called Gucci Guilty and will hit shelves in September 2010. The brand recently shot the TV commercial for the fragrance (starring Wood, of course) and directed by "Sin City" creator Frank Miller. No other leaks on the actual commercial, but considering that the name of the fragrance includes the word "guilty" and that it's directed by a guy who creates "sin," I'm sure it will be extra debaucherous! (Much like the photo above of Wood...which btw is totally not related to the fragrance...I just thought that it matched the whole them of "guilt" and "sin." Wouldn't you agree? lol)
Sunday night, BET awarded Prince with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Four incredible women, Janelle Monae, Esperanza Spalding, Alicia Keys, and Patti Labelle paid tribute to the music legend by performing "Let's Go Crazy", "If I was your Girlfriend", "Adore", and "Purple Rain". One could really not be moved after seeing these great artists perform for Prince, and moved he was. After their performance, Prince received the Lifetime Achievement Award and gave a great speech which you can listen to below.
Now Prince will be on his way to Europe, where he will be performing in several countries. Soon he will also be releasing his new album 20Ten through the Belgian newspaper "Het Nieuwsblad" and the German "Rolling Stone" magazine. I am very excited to see how it will be released in North America (in particular Canada :-))
In the meantime enjoy the tribute, the ladies were amazing and I got to discover a new amazing talent Esperanza Spalding, I can't stop listening to her music since Sunday!
You thought shoes with studs are cool? How about mirrors, masks and bullets? Yes, I said bullets. Gasoline Glamour boasts jewelry, clothing and accessories but the shoes are what have me head over heels.
Some dripping with chains, flanked with bullets, covered with spiders, these shoes are bursting at each metallic seam with creativity. But this is no art project; the platform heels, iridescent metallic hue and artfully placed adornments make these shoes polished and chic.
Model Eva Pigford recently wore a stunning, studded pair of Gasoline Glamour heels to the BET Awards and she rightfully had all eyes on her. However, her shoes pale in comparison to some of the other styles, including a shoe decorated with lollipops that has Nicki Minaj's name all over it.
Fantastical, fun, wild and highly-creative, these are the shoes fashion-loving women choose to make a lasting statement. Check out my favorites below---and see the whole collection at www.gasolineglamour.com.
As a Jersey girl (who escapes to Miami often for vacation), I know the importance of a fabulous car! When I'm away from New York, my car becomes my accessory.
And never have I been so obsessed with a car until the Ford Fiesta. It's so cute---it feels tailor-made for me and my funky fashion sense. It comes in fab colors like yellow blaze to red candy metallic, which are super fun and stylish.
It's definitely the car I could see my friends and I hopping out of to head to the mall, the club, a restaurant, etc. And it's chic inside and out with cross-stitched interior to complement the bold exterior color.
But that's only the beginning. First, the Ford Fiesta is fuel-efficient, featuring a projected best-in-class highway fuel economy of 40 mpg.
Secondly, it has a feature that automatically syncs your IPOD to the radio, a class-exclusive push button start and a voice-activated, hands-free communications and entertainment system. Yes, the twenty-first century! You can control all of the following features in the car with your voice alone:
- Hands-free Calling
- Turn-by-Turn Directions
- 911 Assist™
- Music Search
- Vehicle Health Report
- Personalized Daily Info
- Business Search
- Real-time Traffic
- Audible Text Messages
Pretty cool, right?
To mark the launch of the first fashion-forward ride, Ford Fiesta invited yours truly to D.C. for "Inspired by Color," a competition to find a young, eclectic, cool college student to be one of five spokespeople for the car.
And boy, was it an adventure! Besides chopping it up with the amazing contestants (one of whom is charismatic, gorgeous and shops vintage, totally my favorite!), I was able to meet and interview three of my heroes, designer Mychael Knight and judges, style expert, Constance White and R&B sensation, Letoya Luckett! It was like the car version of American Idol!
Here's what Shawn Lollie, Ford Multicultural Marketing Manager, had to say about the competition, which challenged people to use their own personal style to connect with the colors and distinct features of the new Fiesta.
"Our goal was to create a unique program that truly embodied the spirit of the Fiesta. The Fiesta has an expressive, vibrant design and we wanted to tap into those style attributes in a way that was relevant to our target audience while engaging them using platforms that are very much a part of their everyday lives."
Out of the 150 people that turned out for the casting call at HowardUniversity in Washington, D.C, dressed in a Fiesta-inspired way, only five were chosen (three of which were my personal favorites!). Those five fashion-forward winners (below) now appear in the new television ad for Ford's all-new small car. Sounds like a dream, right? It was for them.
The five fabulous winners!
One of the winners, Echoe with my favorite car
The Grand Prize Winner, Esosa
I was so happy to be a part of the process (which was like watching a reality competition before your eyes) from meeting the judges to chatting with my fave contestants.
For the first part of the competition, hopefuls consulted Memsor Kamarake, an amazing stylist who was formerly Fashion Director of Vibe, for style advice. Memsor would add final touches to make their outfit look as polished and fashion-forward as possible in front of the judges.
Then, contestants would take part in a photo shoot and interview to showcase how they were inspired by the fashion-forward, fuel-efficient Ford Fiesta.
Then it was time to meet the judges. Check out my video interviews with two of the judges, eBay Style Director, Constance White, and R&B sensation, Letoya Luckett, below:
Letoya Luckett
Constance White
How cool is "Inspired by Color" and the Ford Fiesta? For more, check out Vibe Magazine for a tie-in associated with the car that will run in print. Also, the car will be featured on BET's new fab show, The Travelista's! The lifestyle traveling duo will drive a 2011 Ford Fiesta as part of a custom webisode airing on www.bet.com. For additional info, visit www.fordurban.com.
Remember when Solange cut her hair and hit the red carpet in her bold, short cut? Me neither (maybe it was circa Fashion Week sometime when I took the above photo with her).
Now she's rocking a curly afro wig which is just in time for summer's obsession with natural hair.
Of course, criticism abounds with naysayers saying her wig is a rare combination of nappy and tacky. My take? I prefer the short, edgy look...but nothing says summer like a huge curly 'fro---even if it is a wig.
What's your beauty verdict? Is she sultry and GLAM or a dusty SHAM?
Unless you live in the arctic areas of Siberia (it's really cold there, right? I was always horrible at geography smh), your hair is probably a frizzy mess. Not that it would normally be a frizzy mess, but I'm just trying to point out that summertime is here and the weather is hot and steamy. (Hence your hair usually turns into a frizz ball.) If you have a perm, you're a lot better protected than those of that don't. Another option is to get a Brazilian blow-out, but those can be kind of pricey.
Don't worry! We (i.e. The Glamazons) have teamed up with Avon to offer one lucky winner this brand new product that's going to save your hair LIFE this summer. The beauty brand is launching the Advance Techniques Frizz Control Lotus Shield ($12) in July and, let me tell you, this stuff is the truth! It's technology is based on the fact that it imitates the lotus leaf, which lives in water but has a surface structure that repels droplets of moisture. I've been using the stuff for about a week now and there's no frizz to be found in my hair (even though we're currently experiencing 90 degree temps here in NY...ew). Just wash your hair, towel dry, apply the Lotus Shield and style your hair. Somehow it manages to stick (even if you use heat styling after washing).
You want it now, right!? It's ok to admit it if you do...I want more of the stuff myself!
To win it, all you have to do is follow us on Twitter and re-tweet this post. It's that easy. Coutura and I will pick one lucky winner on Thursday, July 1. Good luck!
Spotted: Victoria Beckham walking through the airport on her way to Cannes (sons in tow) rocking longer locks. Why she ditched her uber sexy (poshy) glamtabulous haircut is beyond me. (I mean, that is a pretty fly haircut!) But, at least her weave looks like it's been professionally done (and not like she just slapped some tracks in herself like I think Britney Spears may have done...ew.) But, the ends look a bit piecy to me, so perhaps she should have added in a bit more hair?
What do you think of her long locks, Glamazons? Do you think that she should go back to her short hair?
We've all heard about mixing prints, but mixing non-complementary colors? Did I miss that memo? I kid, I kid.
Alicia Keys dressed her baby bump in a flattering purple tube dress with gathering at the center but paired it with pink platform heels and Beyonce's nude performance tights. This kind of thing confuses me. Is this a new trend -- because this just looks tacky and terrible, to be frank?
Keys also donned a white Grecian gown which covered her baby bump gracefully.
For her performance tribute to Prince, she wore an all-black ensemble of leggings and a baby doll top. Seems she needs a better stylist well-versed in maternity wear. Because this looks isn't flattering at all.
What do you think of Alicia's three BET Awards looks? Glam or Sham?
