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 The "Month of Mary" on SoulBounce would not be complete without taking a look back on our beloved Mary J. Blige's look in the public eye. As a woman who grew up next to one of the fashion capitals of the world, New York City, Mary's fashion choices have grown and changed as she has matured and evolved in front of our collective eyes. To help us take a look back at Mary's fashion-forward and sometimes fashion-backward moments is Alicia, author of the awesome Los Angeles-based Instant Vintage fashion blog.

No celebration of the Queen of Hip Hop Soul would be complete without noting the many style transformations that have occurred throughout her career. It's not often that we can gauge someone's growth in life based on what they're wearing, but Mary J. Blige is someone who literally wears her emotions on her sleeves. Each of her albums came with shifts in her look as clear as the thank you's in her liner notes. Some of these shifts were for the better, some not so much...

No, I will not be mentioning the gold tooth or the near omnipresence of huge earrings.

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So, it's been pretty evident since the founding of SoulBounce that we have an unshakable fondness for Miss Jackson. There's no denying that the woman is a pop icon. After her gut wrenching interview on ABC on Wednesday evening during which she could barely mention that her brother had passed away, it became even harder to deny her resilience. During that show she also blessed us with a snippet of the video for her fantastic new single "Make Me." It's choreography based, in black and white, and classic Janet. [HT: PPB]

• Oprah to her TV show in 2011: Deuces. [REU]
• Hustle and Flow takes on the Soul Train Awards. [MR]
• Get ready for a Motown Thanksgiving with Kem, Shontelle, Melanie Fiona, and more! [MT]
• Nas, Damien Marley and National Geographic are set to collaborate. [HHW]

I adore the Brand New Heavies. How happy was I when the original lineup--consisting of Jan Kincaid, Simon Bartholomew, Andrew Levy and N'Dea Davenport--reunited and released an album in 2006. They've toured extensively in that time and if you've been blessed to see them live in concert as I have, then you know that BNH is the real article. Now we get to own some of that realness with the recent release of their Live In London disc. Capturing all of their energy and funk, listening to this is truly the next best thing to being there. Oddly enough the song that I'm drawn to the most on this live set is the slow burn of "Forever." Known for their uptempo, danceable tracks, BNH slowed it down with "Forever" from 1994's Brother Sister. N'Dea sings of her unwavering love in a performance filled with conviction and passion. Hearing this live rendition makes me love this song even more than I already do.

Brand New Heavies: "Forever" (Live In London)

As a satellite radio subscriber, I first loved the lack of commercials, then hated the loss of stations once XM and Sirius merged. But there are a few reasons to tune in, even though my beloved Jazz fusion station is no more. Starting tomorrow until November 25th, Real Jazz's channel 72 on Sirius XM Radio will be devoted entirely to Miles Davis. For those of you who just did a small leap of joy in front of your computers, I feel you. For those of you who are kinda sorta interested, here's your chance to understand how great the next five days will be: Miles' over 100 albums, never-before released material, and interviews with collaborators such Carlos Santana, Quincy Jones, bassist Ron Carter, and more will all be heard. Want more info? Click here. In the meantime, I'll be counting down the minutes until tomorrow when I can bask in the magnificence of Miles over and over again. 

So. This video of a group called Black Dub--Trixie Whitley, Brian Blade, Daryl Johnson and Daniel Lanois--recording the song "I Believe In You" is simple. Just a black and white recording of a...recording. For the first thirty seconds or so the affectations of singer Trixie Whitley were a bit distracting. But there's no doubt she can sing and the performance becomes riveting quickly thereafter. This song is really fantastic, especially in its final third when Whitley works herself into a vocal frenzy, wailing, periodically pulling it back on a dime into a near whisper. Admittedly, this will not be for everybody. Aside from impeccably smooth instrumentation from the rest of the band, the style is gruff and guttural. And passionate. And will have you looking forward to the release, whenever that happens. [H/T: YYY]

No discussion about Mary J. Blige's My Life would be complete without talking about the videos that accompanied the singles from the album. Although there were only three videos made, they are as iconic as the album itself. Filmed during a time when music videos were still a big deal, the visuals for "Be Happy," "I'm Goin' Down" and "You Bring Me Joy" defined Mary during the My Life era. Sure you've seen these clips hundreds of times, but there's a reason why you continue to watch all these years later--these videos were just that good.

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I've always loved remixes because they gave a song you might love and new sound, a new edge, a new flavor, so that you wouldn't get tired of it. And after weeks of listening to, repping for, and losing my voice trying to sing Jay-Z & Alicia Keys' Billboard-topping "Empire State of Mind," something fresh this way has come. Yup, this is the remix! Tuesday night, during a live performance at PC Richard & Sons Theater in Tribeca as part of the Stripped series for iHeart Radio, A. Keys unveiled "Empire State of Mind (Part II)." This time, the track, which will appear on her new album, The Element of Freedom, is much more mellow, with the former Hell's Kitchen resident taking us on a nice, long walk through the city that never sleeps. This version harkens back to Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind," and that's a good thing, except with a decided hip hop edge. All in all, I love it. New Yooooooooork lives on.

• Jay-Z's "Empire" nets him his first Billboard Hot 100 #1 single as lead performer. [BB]
• Ludacris is *sigh* boarding the Last Train to Paris. We're numb to this. [RR]
• Jennifer Hudson is set to star as Winnie Mandela in a new film. Wait, what? [CL]
• Everything you never wanted to know about R. Kelly's Untitled album. [AHH]
  

Boy meets girl and they fall in love. Life happens, arguments ensue and feelings are damaged. Only the right kind of slow jam can create an atmosphere of reconciliation that not only rights the wrongs, but elevates the passion between them. Silk created such a jam with "Lose Control"--a magical ballad filled with all the sensuality needed to redirect your heart from the wrong turns of love. Tim Cameron, Jimmy Gates, Gary "Big G" Glenn, Jonathen "John-John" Rasboro, and frontman Gary "Lil G" Jenkins harmonized this hit more than sixteen years ago. Press play and you'll discover that its melodious luster can still shine in the moonlight of your next session.

Silk: "Lose Control"