R&B

Get Ready: Definitive Performances 1965-1972 [DVD] - The Temptations

No Description Available.
Genre: Music Video - Soul
Rating: NR
Release Date: 12-SEP-2006
Media Type: DVD

Michael Jackson - Video Greatest Hits - HIStory

No Description Available.
Genre: Music Video - Pop/Rock
Rating: NR
Release Date: 21-OCT-2003
Media Type: DVD

The Beyoncé Experience - Live!

Though Beyonce Knowles has earned fame as an actress and a spokesmodel, she is first and foremost a singer, as she showcases in the entertaining concert film The Beyonce Experience Live. Polished, effortlessly glamorous, and a strong showman, Knowles is the Diana Ross of the 21st century. The singer-songwriter is equally comfortable belting out a rocking dancing number or crooning a heart-wrenching ballad. Though she shares the stage at times with her boyfriend Jay-Z and her bandmates in Destiny's Child, The Beyonce Experience Live makes it clear that she really is a one-woman act. The packaging on the DVD asks, "Are you ready to be entertained?" The answer better be yes, because Knowles gives it her all. Singing, dancing, joking around, costume changes--it's all there. And Knowles is the type of likable performer who makes viewers feel that even though she may be more talented (and prettier) than the rest of us, she's really just one of the girls. Then, too, you've got to love a gal who celebrates a woman's right to gain a few pounds (aka "jelly") in the infectiously catchy hit "Bootylicious." The film does a good job of including various phases of her musical career, from a defiant rendition (with Destiny's Child) of "Survivor," to a funky duet with Jay-Z on "Upgrade U," to a tongue-in-cheek rendition of "Check on It" (from the soundtrack of Pink Panther). While Jennifer Hudson completely overpowered her in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls, Knowles has a pleasant voice well suited for R&B-tinged pop. She paces her set well and doesn't overextend herself to the point where she has to rely on audio tracks to supplement her vocals. Many tour films fail in capturing the excitement of a live concert experience. The Beyonce Experience Live is about as good as you can get to seeing Knowles live, but without having to buy a ticket. --Jae-Ha Kim

Michael Jackson: Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour

Love on Layaway

David E. Talbert's Love On Layaway is a wildly inventive, laugh-out-loud journey inside the lives of three couples living in a Philadelphia neighborhood. First, there's Ms. Willanetta (Cassi Davis), who after a life-changing religious experience, no longer wants to have relations with her suitor of twelve years, Renzo (Buddy Lewis). Next, there's Epiphany (Joi Campbell), a single mother who has yet to decide who will be the man in her life, her new boyfriend Reggie (Chico Bennymon) or her six-year-old son, Man Man. Finally, there's Monique Graham (Deborah Cox), who feels as if her relationship with live-in boyfriend Anthony (Mel Jackson) is on layaway and he's making the absolute lowest monthly payments.

Real Thing: In Performance 1964-1981

The scarcity of any Marvin Gaye on DVD is reason enough to welcome The Real Thing: In Performance 1964-1981, but the fact that this 16-track compilation is superb in nearly every respect is cause for genuine celebration. What we get is not just a collection of songs but a career trajectory, tracing Gaye's evolution from a cog in the wheel that was Berry Gordy's Motown into a mature artist with his own matchless vision. The early (i.e., from the 1960s) stuff includes songs like "Hitch Hike," "Can I Get a Witness," and "Ain't That Peculiar"; watching Gaye mime these hits on American Bandstand and elsewhere in front of all-white studio audiences and perky go-go girls is sometimes a little silly, but the sound is terrific, thanks to the DVD producers' decision to replace the TV tracks with audio remastered from the original stereo recordings. It isn't until the eighth track, a version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" from 1969, that we get any actual live performances, but the wait proves well worth it. With "What's Going On," Gaye proved that he could defy Gordy's formulaic approach and prosper both financially and creatively while heeding the dual voices of his conscience and his muse, and the 1972 performance of that song is quite simply transcendent, with the great James Jamerson on bass and a middle section, featuring just Gaye's voice and piano with conga backing, that liner notes writer Rob Bowman rightly calls "perhaps the high point of this whole DVD." A steamy "Let's Get it On," recorded in Belgium in '81, is nearly as good. Those two clips alone justify buying this collection, but overall, despite a couple of minor missteps (the promo film for "A Funky Space Reincarnation" is pretty hokey), The Real Thing: In Performance 1964-1981, which also includes several interview segments between tunes and a section that features only the vocal tracks from the first seven numbers, is an invaluable confirmation of a truly great musician. --Sam Graham

Culled from television showcases from 1964 to 1981 this release presents 16 full-length performances by Marvin Gaye as he sings early songs later great hits ("Let's Get It On") and a soulful duet of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" with Tammi Terrell. In between songs the R&B and soul legend talks about his life and art in a series of archive interviews.Format: DVD AUDIO Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS Rating: NR UPC: 602498384060 Manufacturer No: B000645309

Michael Jackson - History on Film, Vol. 2

The Definitive Performances 1963-1987

Stax/Volt Revue Live In Norway 1967

An array of talented R&B artists signed to the Stax/Volt label descended on Oslo Norway in April 1967 for this special concert. A film crew was present to capture artists such as Otis Redding San & Dave Eddie Floyd and Booker T. & The MGs as they performed and this release includes 75 minutes of footage from the show.Format: DVD AUDIO Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS UPC: 888072703094

Legend - The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers

If you are expecting just the videos for the tracks on Bob Marley's extremely successful greatest hits CD, you are going to be pleasantly surprised with this DVD. Legend is much more than a simple, video anthology. It is a historical telling of the music of Bob Marley presented in 23 videos, most of which are performances, and a 90-minute documentary. The documentary is a collage of images and video clips put to a running dialogue by Marley. Unless you are very familiar with the Jamaican dialect, it is recommended to watch this with the subtitles turned on. Interesting, but there are better documentaries out there (e.g., The Bob Marley Story: Caribbean Nights). It is the live performances, however, that make this DVD worth its weight in gold. Every person remotely interested in his music owes it to himself to witness Bob Marley perform on stage. Musically, Marley is as close to perfection as any artist can hope to achieve. But as a performer, he transcends beyond the secular pop star status to the mythic leader of a movement. Notable performances include eight tracks from the famous Live at the Rainbow recording (June 1977) and the early Wailer footage from The Old Grey Whistle Test recorded for the BBC in 1973 ("Stir It Up" and "Concrete Jungle"). They are simply hypnotic. The sound on the DVD, for the most part, is clear, crisp, and flawless ("Could You Be Loved" could have been touched up a little bit). A nice feature is the "playlist," allowing the viewer to play the videos in any order desired. All in all, a great package for a true legend. --Rob Bracco