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Although I may like a lot of music and artists, there are only a precious few that I fall gasp-and-swoon in love with. After seeing Alice Smith perform at the Pre-GRAMMY Brunch during my recent trip to Los Angeles, I am enraptured with this woman. Not only is she stunning in person, but her live performance left those of us in attendance on that sunny Saturday afternoon at the shiny new W Hotel slack-jawed and ready to erupt into a standing ovation by the time she hit the last lofty note. One of the songs that she performed that day was the soaring "Fire," which will be found on her upcoming album slated for release this Spring that I'm chomping at the bit to get in my hands after hearing but a sample of her new material. For a preview of the song, press play on the video below to take it all in. Oh, and for anyone lucky enough to have snagged tickets to Alice's sold out acoustic set at Joe's Pub Tuesday night, you are in for quite a treat. Trust.

Alice Smith [Official][Facebook][MySpace][Twitter]

Trizonna McClendon is back with her second release, New Familiar, and it marks a new chapter for the Chicago songbird. McClendon gets her sexy on this time around and that's definitely evident in the video for the first single "Shatter Proof." The video alternates between scenes of Trizonna being interviewed by a reporter and meeting then falling for a tall, sexy young man. I really love the nighttime street shots of my favorite city in the U.S. and Trizonna's homebase. Press play and get familiar below.

As is the case with most music blogs, we get a lot of music in our inbox. A LOT. A daily check will deliver the good, the bad and the ugly, but it's the rare day when we're blessed with a tune such as this one by way of Mark de Clive-Lowe. MdCL, as he is known, shared this slice of nice entitled "Hope" from British songstress Rahel, who has already been featured on projects by Dudley Perkins, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Eric Lau. With a resume like that and the force of MdCL behind you, Rahel is destined to become a favorite around these parts, especially if she continues to put out songs like this piano-driven soul gem, which is also available for freeload below. It's crazy how much hotness is coming from our brothers and sisters across the Pond. Keep it coming. Please.

Rahel: "Hope"

Rahel "Hope" [Download]
Rahel [MySpace][Twitter]

SoulBounce has been keeping you updated with the news of Sade's latest, Soldier of Love, and the released tracks and videos have only heightened the anticipation for her long-overdue return. Only Sade could be absent from the music scene for ten years and cause an internet and offline buzz of such high magnitude. The new album brings the familiar mellow and ethereal sound that we have long associated with the elegant Helen Folasade Adu and her highly acclaimed band of musicians. However, Soldier of Love offers little more than a pleasant rehash of the sound and energy that we have grown up with over the years when listening to past Sade albums--from Diamond Life to Lover's Rock--and, frankly, that may not be enough this go round to lead one to buy it. While new listeners of the Sade sound may fall in love--simply because this is the signature sound of Sade--die-hard fans who have followed Sade for her entire career may listen to this disc and realize that it may be time to stop believing that there will be another Sade output that can rival the heat brought on Stronger Than Pride or Love Deluxe.

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The Mixologists champions on once again for the month of February. This mix, brought to you by MeLo-X is a glimpse into the mind of one of music's upcoming producers/rappers/videographers. We've mentioned him several times on this website since we discovered him, and we're glad to be able to share a glimpse into his eclecticism with you here. "Click Play & Leave It" is not only the apt title of this mix, but it's a direct order. Prepare for some mental expansion after you download this mix that will surely ease your winter doldrums away. Tracklisting after the bounce.

The Mixologists Presents: MeLo-X "Click Play & Leave It" [Download]
MeLo-X [Official][Twitter]

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Mallia Franklin, Queen Of Funk, Passed Away [Soul Patrol]
Mallia Franklin [Official][Facebook][Wiki]

• Happy Birthday, J Dilla & Bob Marley! [MISS/AB]
  
• Questlove released a number of covers of J Dilla tracks by The Roots via Twitter yesterday. [MLX]
• Peep the gallery of Francis Wolff's Blue Note portraits of legendary Jazz artists. [FLR]
• You did watch the Soul Train documentary this past weekend, didn't you? [VH1]

Do we have any Foreign Exchange lovers in the house? Silly question, I know, because who doesn't love the GRAMMY-nominated group repping hard for North Carolina? And to return some of that hometown love, the FE crew is not only doing a special Valentine's Day concert on Sunday, February 14th at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, but they've linked up with us to give away two pairs of tickets. Trust me when I say that seeing Phonte, Nicolay, Yahzarah, Darien Brockington, Zo! and The Els on this lover's holiday is way better than a box of chocolates. Hit the bounce for all the details you need on how to enter, and also to see a non-Blingeed out version of the flyer. Tickets may also be purchased for $20 solo/$18 per person in a couple here.

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I grapple with whether I want to wait for New Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh to be released so I can listen to it and enjoy it in its entirety. Since I write about this music ish, this is nothing but a pipe dream. Plus, my curiosity and stanning ways can't deny myself of some newness from Ms. Badu. This track may please those a bit more than her experimental-sounding track she shared with Bilal and Lil Wayne. It's definitely smooth enough to please those not willing to go outside of a more familiar lane, and grooves enough for those who enjoy something a little more on the funky side. 

Erykah Badu: "Window Seat"

In this video Lionel Richie, along with Quincy Jones, run down a long list of how overwrought this new "We Are The World" production will actually be. Who needs a 3D video of a group of performers standing in rows singing? And green screens so that us commoners can insert images of ourselves in the 3D celebrity crowd? What are Paul Haggis and his Walker, Texas Ranger-honed directing skills (he also directed Crash) contributing to this exactly? I guess we'll see. But while the sentiment may be in the right place, this video makes an already questionable event appear even more unnecessary.

Behind The Scenes Of 'We Are The World' [MTV]