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 September 23, 2023:
News & NotesKing George and the Bruce Wayne Band were surprise performers on the last eve of the Southern Soul Radio Music Conference in Atlanta last month....Wendell B's passing has ignited a resurgence of interest in his work, with multiple albums on the charts, including his last and greatest, Real Talk, at #1....Money Waters, the rapper who partnered with Jus Epik on the homespun and catchy "Country Girl" last year, has released a new hiphop set, The Porch II....New southern soul CD releases, on the other hand, are at an all-time low (recording artists would do well to take note when timing their releases next year)....Late-summer albums by Bigg Robb, Jeter Jones, William Bell and Ms. Jody are taking up the slack....New southern soul stars---Pokey Bear, King George---and old southern soul stars---Lenny Williams, Theodis Ealey---and fellow performers will head for the Mid-Atlantic (Norfolk, Baltimore) in October....
Who is Frank Johnson? Well, he's not southern soul's legendary songwriter/performer, Frank-O Johnson. Just one of a multitude of new southern soul singers. What distinguishes him is he's the first performer whose artistic influences can be definitively traced back to King George, right down to the eerily similar vocals.....Oh, and guess what. Johnson's new single "Hate On Me" was produced by George's producer, Kang803....
 Adrian Bagher has come a long way since his first single "Come Around This Corner (99 Problems I Can Help You Solve)" in 2013. He routinely scores singles in the millions of views on YouTube, and he has just released his new album ISM with no less than seventeen apparently all-new songs. See New Album Alert....Unkle Phunk is back with King Russell on a track titled "Wop That Thang". The YouTube video features some downright serious twerking....
"Part Time Lover" is suddenly a popular song title again. New artist Lady Reddtop has released a single called "Part Time Lover" and a new male artist named J. Lake has done the same. Longtime southern soul aficionados know "Part Time Lover" as the unique, out-of-print classic by little-known yet legendary southern soul diva Lady J. Her "Part Time Lover" has generated dozens of letters to DBN's Mailbag over the last two decades requesting a copy.
The Blues Is Alright tour picks up steam this fall, with dates in Raleigh N.C. 9/29, Greenville S.C. 9/30, Baltimore MD. 10/6, Norfolk VA. 10/7, Huntsville AL. 10/13, Monroe LA. 10/15, Orlando FL 11/3, Fayetteville N.C. 11/4, Tupelo MS. 11/10, Biloxi MS. 11/11, Greensboro N.C. 11/17 and Albany GA. 11/18. For new fans, the Blues Is Alright Tour is southern soul music's most prestigious concert tour featuring the genre's highest-grossing artists. See Concert Calendar.
---Daddy B. Nice
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September 3, 2023:TOP 40 SOUTHERN SOUL SINGLES: SEPTEMBERAn expanded list of the songs vying for "Top Ten Singles" in September 2023.
 1. "Auntie Outside"---Mike Clark Jr.
2. "Dip"---CuznJed feat. Koray Broussard
3. "Gotta Do Right"---P2K DaDiddy feat. FPJ
4. "Talk My Shit"---Jay Morris Group
5. "Trail Ride Jump"---Cheff Da Entertainer feat. Poka Jones & Sticky P
6. "I'm Packing My Clothes"---O.C. Soul
7. "You Must Be Smokin'"---Rodnae Da Boss
8. "Sexy Real Bad"---Avail Hollywood feat. DJ Trac
9. "Here I Stand"---Nellie "Tiger" Travis
10. "Just Like That"---L.J. Echols
 11. "If You Can't Add"---Ms. Monique
12. "It's Been A Long Time"---Memphis Jackson (Re-entry)
13. "Woman In The Middle"---Bre Wooten
14. "That Trail Ride Life"---J.B. Hendricks
15. "Get My Party On"---Sema'j
16. "Shawty"---Willie Clayton
17. "Your Good Stuff"---Mark "Muleman" Massey
18. "Busted Cheating At The Holiday Inn"---Mr. Midnight
19. "Full Tank Of Gas"---P2K DaDiddy
20. "Please Come Back To Me"---The Swinging Bridgettes
 21. "Whole Check"---Lady Q
22. "Change My Mind"---K.D. Dawson
23. "Want Ads"---Dolla Bill Dodson
24. "Reset Button"---Mr. Nelson
25. "At The Trailride"---Chauncey Likes
26. "Trailride Shawty"---Marcellus The Singer
27. "Chop It Up"---King George & Joe Eddy Jr.
28. "Good Energy"---Carlin Taylor
29. "Party"---Terry B feat. Tonio Armani
30. "Ooh Wee"---Hisyde
 31. "Am I Not Enough?"---J'Cenae
32. "I Don't Wanna Go Home"---Freaky B
33. "I Don't Know (What You're Doing To Me)"---Big 251
34. "Creekwater"---Country Boy
35. "Pimp Down"---J.B. Hendricks
36. "Thick"---Chauncey Likes feat. Don Gotcha
37. "Life Of A Blues Man"---Robert Day & Hoosier Blue
38. "Come Home With Me"---Jeter Jones feat. LaMorris Williams & Volton Wright
39. "Fake Ass Family Folk"---Steve Perry
40. "Trailride"---Tyrone Grant
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August 13, 2023:Daddy B. Nice's News & Notes: Coach Prime, Wendell B
Listen to Wendell B singing "Just Don't Understand You" on YouTube.
Southern Soul & College Football: Coach Prime from Jackson State to University of Colorado I've had two great passions in my adult life. The first is music, of course, with southern soul filling that niche over the last quarter century. The second is college football, although that passion was a faded memory up until a few months ago, a relic of the late 80's, 90's and early 00's when my hometown Colorado Buffaloes were players on the national scene---with Notre Dame, Michigan, Miami and Nebraska among Colorado's intense rivalries. I'd buy recruiting magazines and all of the stuff football fans do.
Then came Colorado's entry into the Pac-12, where they seemed to be at home with the more sophisticated and academically-superior programs of the West Coast. CU fancied itself another Stanford, and with Stanford-like hubris, football became a low priority, and for close to two decades I couldn't even bear to follow college football, much less turn on ESPN's Saturday-morning "College Game Day". Sky-high academic requirements decimated CU's recruiting, and long before CU became the stars of the transfer portal (this winter under Coach Prime), Colorado endured years of being picked over like a plucked chicken by the USC's and Oregon's of the Pac-12, falling to an all-time low with a one-and-eleven record in 2022.
Then---fresh from Jackson State in Jackson, Mississippi, the birthplace of my southern soul career and musical home-away-from-home---came Coach Prime (Hall-of-Famer Deion Sanders) to the rescue of the worst Power-5 football program in the country. Nothing could have been more earth-shattering. Suddenly the impossible became possible. Colorado football was relevant again. Trawling for music on YouTube gave way (especially at the end of my days) to trawling for podcasts on Coach Prime. I had never been inside the walls of Colorado's gleaming and luxurious athletic digs. Suddenly it was all on social media, courtesy of no less than three Coach Prime-related entities who were taking me inside the facilities on their podcasts: Well-Off Media (produced daily by Deion Sanders, Jr.), Thee Pregame Show (produced daily by C. Darryl Neely), and Reach The People Media (produced daily by Darius Sanders).
Only Deion Jr. was an immediate family member. Darius (Deion Jr.'s age but not a family member) and Neely (a big teddybear of a man who had become an intimate of Coach Prime from the Jackson State tenure) were nevertheless so ingrained into the "Coach Prime family" that they mingled with the athletes and recruits at will, filming and recording the players and the coaches in the midst of the daily routines with Kardashian-like transparency. It was quite literally a first in college football, further enhancing the Colorado brand. And around this core of social media sources sprang up a veritable cottage industry of podcasters chronicling the Coach Prime era in every conceivable manner. The result was Colorado's transformation from college football outcast to darling and a legion of podcasters riding Coach Prime's coat-tails and gleefully quitting their day jobs.
The dovetailing of southern culture in the form of Coach Prime and southern soul music, my daily passion and regimen, will reach its first milestone in just a couple of weeks, September 2nd, with CU's nationally-televised game on ESPN with TCU, who got shellacked by Georgia in the national championsip game last year. You may remember that ESPN also televised Colorado's sold-out spring football game (with snow!) over the likes of Alabama and Georgia just a few months ago. Yes, I'm pinching myself. Am I dreaming?
In my early years I'd hunker down in B.B. King's motel at the intersection of I-20 and Ellis Avenue on the fringes of south Jackson, recording southern soul from the radio 24/7 on boombox cassettes. (King wasn't an owner; he had a permanently-reserved two-story room. He stayed in the top, the band below) I didn't know anybody or anything in those days. I was on a mission to "save" a music no one outside of the Deep South had any idea existed. It was definitely an "If a tree falls in the middle of the forest/Does anyone hear it?" situation.
Over the years I became an "insider"---a participant in that contemporary southern soul community---shuttling back and forth between the Delta and the mountains. And knowing the South so well, and knowing that the South has the best musicians and the best athletes, I worried through Colorado's most bitter winter in memory that Coach Prime and his "family" would pack up and go home. I worried about the culture shock for any Southerners in Boulder---in particular the lack of southern-style food, the dearth of black people in the city, the utter lack of reasonably-priced housing. The two cities (Boulder and Jackson) couldn't be more dissimilar, and yet Coach Prime has changed the culture at the University of Colorado with even more flair than he did at Jackson State. Fans in Boulder are delirious with excitement. It's a feeling Jackson once had---and knows well.
 Wendell B We Hardly Knew TheeNow that the shock of his death has subsided, the most striking thing about Wendell B is how secretive he was. The St. Louis native's family never published a local obituary, nor were services posted, although it is rumored that they took place on August 10th at Greater Grace Church in St. Louis. Diagnosed with cancer in 2022, Wendell Brown went through treatment in secret with the possible exception of one family social media post. Meanwhile, he was missed on the concert circuit, prompting comments on my part that health issues might be the cause.
Was Wendell ambivalent about his success in southern soul? Only his fellow artists truly know. But in general his music says otherwise. His family might have been another matter. Did they keep his southern soul at arm's length? We may never know. Also surprising was Wendell's age---sixty-five. He sang with the energy and verve of a younger man, leading me to remark often that his best work (and acclaim) lay ahead.
Wendell Brown, aka Wendell B., was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His parents were from the South, and as a child Brown attended family reunions in Mississippi and Alabama, where he soaked up the blues and gospel culture. He also sang in family-oriented gospel groups, where he inevitably became the lead singer.
In his teens Wendell Brown met Oliver Sain, the St. Louis-based R&B legend (Ike Turner's sax player) who had also been instrumental in St. Louis-born Barbara Carr's career. Brown began supplementing his gospel work with performances in local secular bands, playing with and learning from such local singers as Marvin Rice (Masters Touch) and Carl Holmes (Vision Band). He later became lead singer of the Vision Band and recorded a single in Minneapolis with Jesse Johnson (of The Time). Brown also worked in advertising singing jingles.
Brown's debut solo CD was released by Atlanta label Raw Deal in 1998 under the name Wendell Brown. Roger Troutman was featured on one of the tracks. Now out of print, Make It Good For Ya did not appear in chitlin' circuit venues.
Wendell Brown returned to St. Louis in 1999, upon his father's passing, and with his cousin, NBA player Jahidi White, started his own label, Cuzzo. The label released Good Times, Wendell's solo debut under the name "Wendell B.," in 2005.
Anchored by its oft-played single, "Just Don't Understand You," the album became a "signature" work, gaining air play and fans throughout the South and beyond.
Wendell's deep, rich, variable baritone drew comparisons with mainstream R&B crooners like Luther Vandross, Will Downing and Barry White. Southern Soul fans, however, flocked to the music because Brown infused his ballads, produced by Mike "360" Brooks, with a gritty, gospel-influenced sound.
Wendell changed the record label's name to Smoothway for his next CD, Time To Relax...Love, Life & Relationships in 2007. The CD featured the singles "This Ain't Livin'" and "She Didn't Have To Treat Ya Boy Like That."
The same year, Wendell released a Christmas CD entitled Save A Little Room For Me.
In 2010 Brown released a pair of CD's, one which he designated as Southern Soul (In Touch With My Southern Soul) and one which he characterized as R&B (Back Ta Bid'ness). The Southern Soul disc was a favorite on the chitlin' circuit, spawning popular singles such as "Mississippi Girl," "The Best Time I Ever Had In My Life," "I Can Deal With The Leaks" and "Working On The Building."
Continue reading at Wendell B #8 The New Generation of Southern Soul.
---Daddy B. Nice
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 August 5, 2023:Wendell B, the "Barry White" of Southern Soul music, has passed away. Wendell Brown, aka Wendell B, died peacefully from cancer complications early Thursday, August 3, 2023. Wendell Brown had been noticeably absent from the concert scene for the past year, and his battle with cancer had been kept secret by his family. Wendell had been scheduled to return to concert appearances only recently. Click here to read reactions and tributes from friends and peers. Wendell B. is a Top 10-ranked southern soul artist on Daddy B. Nice's most current artist chart, the New Generation of Southern Soul.
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August 1, 2023:TOP 40 SOUTHERN SOUL SINGLES: AUGUSTAn expanded list of the songs vying for "Top Ten Singles" in August 2023.
 1. "Cowgirl Trailride"---S. Dott feat. Tonio Armani
2. "Lil' Weight Don't Bother Me"---King George
3. "Get It! Get It! Pt. 2"---Ms. Jody
4. "Southern Man (The Anthem)"---Cecily Wilborn feat. West Love
5. "Good Ole Boyz"---Jeter Jones
6. "Do The Trucker Slide"---Arthur Young feat. DJ Trucker and Mrs. Ty
7. "Witcha When Ya Right"---Marcellus The Singer
8. "Party People"---Tucka
9. "Most Wanted (Dead Or Alive)"---Jeter Jones feat. Jake Carter
10. "Man Bout A Horse"---Mz Tequi
 11. "Sally"---R.T. Taylor
12. "Trailride Anthem"---Jeter Jones feat. DJ Big Tony
13. "Rock With It"---Chavonna Adams feat. Wolfman Delliyo
14. "Cafe Shuffle"---Mtm Rara
15. "Chill And Make Up"---Ciddy Boi P feat. C. Jones
16. "She Rock My Boat"---Mr. Same Thang
17. "Ain't No Bitch In Me"---Keith Brougham
18. "Rock The Boat"---Mr. House feat. Ciddy Boi P
19. "Rescue"---West Love
20. "It Is What It Is"---Big Mel
 21. "Good Thang Man"---Klay Redd aka KoolAce
22. "Southern Soul Bounce (Remix)"---Ms. Jody
23. "Soul Tie"---Mike Rob
24. "Southern Soul Party"---Big Eez
25. "Go On And Leave"---Tiffany Rachal feat. Jeter Jones
26. "Southern Soul Anthem"---Lady Shabazz
27. "Pop That Thang"---Johnny Be Good
28. "Til This Weekend"---Methrone
29. "I've Got Amnesia"---Nellie "Tiger" Travis
30. "If He Don't Wanna Love You"---Ms. Jody
 31. "Yappin'"---Summer Wolfe feat. Narvel Echols
32. "Use To Be My Man"---Eisha The Incredible
33. "Auntie Love"---Sky Whatley
34. "Showout Showout Step"---Al Davis feat. Showout Girl Que
35. "Let's Party Right (A Night To Remember)"---Ms. Jody
36. "Rodeo"---F.P.J.
37. "Something Real"---Highway Heavy feat. Champagne
38. "Took A Chance On Me"---Ciddy Boi P
39. "Go Home With You"---Portia P feat J-Wonn
40. "Something In The Water"---Fat Daddy
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July 17, 2023:Daddy B. Nice's News & Notes Hard to believe, but half of 2023 is already behind us. Here's a glimpse of what's transpired in southern soul music so far, beginning with an unusually fabulous start. Usually, the charts take a month or two after the holidays to warm up. This year the trio of Sir Charles Jones, Jeter Jones and King George showered tunes....
January opened with Sir Charles' #1 single "Highway 55," one of the most personal and revealing (not to mention musically sophisticated) southern soul songs ever published, encompassing everything from poisoning to potential gun suicide to belief and faith in God. Interestingly, as autobiographical as the lyrics are, "Highway 55" was co-written by Jearmine Rayford.....
 Sir Charles wasn't the only Jones to make 2023 one of the hottest starts in chitlin' circuit history. Jeter Jones dropped his latest---and one of his very best---albums, Sugar Hill Highway 84, landing three singles ("Church Candy," "I Ain't Leaving My Lady" and "We Be Acting Up") in January's Top 10 Singles, and scoring three more singles, including the #1 single "I Found Love," in February. Jeter also made fans nervous with the news of impending retirement....
Not to be outdone, King George---what in sports is called a "generational" talent---proved he wasn't a flash in the pan. His single "Messy" (with Coldrank) was the #3-ranked song in February while the monumental "Night-Time" would later top the charts at #1 in May. However, due to his highly-sought-after services as a guest artist, George's presence was felt long before that. P2K Dadiddy achieved his biggest hit to date with the King George-aided "U-Turn," new artist Tyronica "Badgir" Rawls scored a solid debut with George's help with "Steppin' Out," Stephanie McDee covered the King's "Girl You Got It" with her "Boy You Got It," and West Love brought King George onboard for her single "The Mac"---all of them before the year could barely toddle across the room....
 J-Wonn continued his astonishing maturation in The Foundation, his second strong long-play set in a row, charting the singles "My Kinda Crazy" and "Take You Down Through There". Grammy-winner William Bell thrilled fans with the sounds of live violins on his new album One Day Closer To Home. Dee Dee Simon hit #1 with her most stellar southern soul ballad to date, "I Wanna Slow Dance"....
 Bigg Robb checked in with another blockbuster album, including the Top 10 singles "Smiling And Crying" and "Black Woman Magic". Narvel Echols, Nelson Curry and Carolyn Staten all captured #1 singles. Magic One, Jaye Hammer, Arthur Young, T.K. Soul, Pokey Bear, Vick Allen, Marcellus The Singer, F.P.G. and Terry Wright all released significant music, nor can we forget Avail Hollywood's vocal on "Hallelujah & Amen"....
Amongst a slew of newcomers, M. Cally, Big Mel, Queen Denae, Young Guy and Teslanay stood out. Meanwhile, Wendell B returned after a hiatus for health issues, and, sadly, southern soul great Peggy Scott-Adams and (Lewis Clark) The Love Doctor, the "slow roll it" man himself, passed through the velvet rope to Soul Heaven.
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In other news, the Southern Soul Radio, Film & Music Conference---a first of its kind gathering of all types of southern soul industry veterans and fans---takes place August 17-19th at the Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Airport. Click the link for information....
The ZBT (Zydeco, Blues & Trailride) Awards are scheduled for December 10th in Houston. Big Yayo, Crystal Thomas, Magic One and Lady Q are among the honorees....
Jus Epik's and Money Waters' "Country Girl" video has amassed two million YouTube videos since charting in Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 Singles at #2 with a YouTube link in July exactly a year ago....
"A Night To Remember," Ms. Jody's 18th (congratulations!) album on Ecko Records has arrived. Ms. Jody talks about the new music with Heikki Suosalo in Soul Express.
 Had an interesting back-and-forth this month with DJ Sir Rockinghood about West Love's winsome duet with King George, "The Mac," which charted here at #2 in January. I especially like it because at times West Love sounds like the inimitable Della Reese (you young'uns'll have to google her). But I did not know---or had forgotten---the melody came from Tyrone Davis' "In The Mood" until Sir Rockinghood obligingly schooled me. (Click the link for "The Mac" above to hear his seamless mix of the two.) Then we got into what's up with the title. Of course, for me especially, "Return of the Mack" comes to mind, but there appears to be no connection. Rockinghood is leaning towards the 1973 blaxploitation movie "The Mack" with Richard Pryor. If you have an insight into the origins of this title---well, to quote Coach Prime---"I ain't hard to find."
Daddy B. Nice
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July 4, 2023:TOP 40 SOUTHERN SOUL SINGLES: JULYAn expanded list of the songs vying for "Top Ten Singles" in July 2023.
 1. "I Wanna Slow Dance"---Dee Dee Simon
2. "Nana Pie"---Chris Ivy
3. "Smoke Slide"---Mr. Smoke
4. "Back It Up Remix"---Nellie "Tiger" Travis feat. Uncle Daddy aka ERealist
5. "Second Of Your Time (Reloaded)"---Highway Heavy feat. Dave Mack & Robert Butler
6. "Sexy When You Stepping"---T.K. Soul
7. "Love Joy Peace Happiness"---Malcom Simmons feat. Meme Green
8. "Black Woman Magic"---Bigg Robb
9. "Chicken And Cheeks"---Lacee
10. "I'm Ready"---Donna Renae
 11. "Get Some Other Girl"---Karen Wolfe
12. "Rodeo"---F.P.J.
13. "Leaving Me"---Stevie J. Blues
14. "Come On Baby"---Mr. Smoke
15. "Summer Tyme"---Uncle Gymini feat. DJ Trans
16. "How Do I Tell Her"---Avail Hollywood
17. "Every Day Is A Party"---Mr. Jimmy
18. "Old Days"---Big G
19. "Pull Up On Me"---DJ Chill Will Baby feat. Jeter Jones, B. Pureese & Volton Wright
20. "Mr. Pay Them Bills"---Ollie Moore
 21. "I'm A Soul Man"---Patrick Green
22. "I'm Lovin' On You"---Unkle Phunk
23. "Dope Love"---Mr. Smoke
24. "Grown Folks Party"---Radio Rasheed
25. "In My Cup"---Solomon Thompson
26. "Put Something On My Mind"---Portia P
27. "Train"---JustGeeter
28. "Handyman"---D. Riggs feat. Jeter Jones
29. "Rulezzz"---Till 1
30. "Ain't Trickin' If You Got It"---Sugar Daddy Mike
31. "Set The Groove"---J'Cenae
32. "Fool For You"---Tre' Williams (Re-entry)
33. "Jody Got Your Girl And Gone"---Unkle Phunk (Re-entry)
34. "Medicine"---Pokey Bear feat. Tina P
35. "When He's Gone"---Tha Big Dude
36. "Sunshine"---Roi "Chip" Anthony feat. Lil' Keke
37. "Dancing Lady"---Darrell Ruger
38. "Baecation"---Johnny James
39. "Imma Good Dog"---Gene Munns
40. "Cornbread"---Lady Jacqueline & Uncle Gymini
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June 14, 2023: Daddy B. Nice's News & Notes  If you're in the Black South and you're going to a blues festival, you're going to a southern soul concert. Let me say that again for the Coastals and Northerners. If you're going to a blues festival in the Black South (east Texas to the Carolinas) you're going to a southern soul concert... So, for example, if you're going to the Annual Biloxi Blues Festival in Biloxi, or if you're going to the Father's Day Weekend Blues Blow Out in Jackson, you're going to shows featuring southern soul stars: Sir Charles Jones, Pokey Bear, Tucka, King George.... and the like. This year's Mother's Day festivities were a typically high-grossing weekend, with multi-act line-ups called "festivals" in Hattiesburg MS., Baker LS., Orangeburg S.C, Pensacola Fl., Dothan AL., Clarksdale MS., and Tulsa OK., to name only those featured in Daddy B. Nice's Concert Calendar. The venues hosted audiences in the thousands with average tickets/merch sales in the quarter-million bracket.
Southern soul lovers may not be buying the music, but they're paying to see it, and they're doing so with an insatiable appetite and rhythm: Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Father's Day, 4th of July, and the weekends in between as well, and in the winter inside the auditoriums. The South cannot get enough southern soul. A phrase from this month's #1 southern soul single says it all. The song is Nelson Curry's cover of the late great Mel Waiters' "Got My Whiskey," and the phrase is
"Play me some Marvin Sease
And some Marvin Gaye".
Dismissing whether Gaye was technically a blues musician (most of us would probably say "soul"), the way you react to that couplet tells whether you're a Northerner or a Southerner in 2023.
In Other "News & Notes".... ...Frank-O Johnson channels his best Tyrone Davis in his new song written for Isaac Lindsey, "Work Out At Home"....DJ Sir Rockinghood has an 8-minute remix of "The Mac" by West Love and King George running on YouTube....As only he can, Heikki Suosalo goes in depth on Rufus Thomas and Bettye LaVette in recent columns at Soul Express....
 Watch for the sophomore album from Mr. Smoke this month. The CD is called "Still Smokin'" and is being released by Tucka's label, Hit Nation.....Jeter Jones is cruising again this year, departing Galveston TX October 9-14th.....Uncle E (Ector Norman) passed away June 1st. The funeral was held in Atlanta....
Two of southern soul's few remaining, older-generation greats will be "back home" this summer. Bobby Rush will appear in a rare multi-bill, southern soul concert in Memphis August 19th, and Latimore will appear in a multi-act southern soul event July 2nd at the Wolf Creek Amphitheater in Atlanta....
 Congratulations to the Jay Morris Group and O.B. Buchana (long overdue), who will be joining the Blues Is Alright Tour in Tupelo MS November 10th....Where is Beat Flippa....? I'm missing him.....
While compiling names of divas in last month's "News & Notes" feature Who Will Fill The Vacuum In The Top Ranks of Female Southern Soul Artists?, I missed many who have since come to mind...:Champagne, Mrs. Sham, Ms. Ty, Portia P., Shell-B, Nadia Thee Primadonna, Tip The Singer, Sheila B. Sexi, Ms. Kida, Rita Brent, Donyale Renee, Mz. Juicy, Annisa Hampton, Beatrice, Lady Di, Little Kim Stewart, DeShay...... And did you know? 2022 was the only year in the history of Daddy B. Nice's Best Debut Awards that there were no female nominees? I didn't realize that until six months after the fact....
And finally.....
Artists updated with new listings and links in Daddy B. Nice’s Comprehensive Index this month..... (CLICK HERE TO FIND THE NAMES.)
King George
Tucka
Mississippi Hummin’ Boy
Till 1
Chu’Zu
Jeter Jones
Vince Tucker
C. Jones
Jus Epik
Money Waters
Pokey Bear
Willie Clayton
Mz Connie
J-Wonn
Carlin Taylor
Stephanie McDee
Arthur Young
Ciddy Boi P
Volton Wright
LaMorris Williams
Lil’ CJ
Mr. Don’t Leave (Eric Hunter)
Crystal Parker
Johnny James
K. Renaa
Binky Womack
Mr. Hollywood (Calvin Jenkins)
William Bell
DeShay
Big G
T.K. Soul
Slack
Ms. Jody
Sassy D
Narvel Echols
Marcellus The Singer
Adrian Bagher
Memphis Jackson
Miss Lady Blues
Breeze MrDo2Much
Rosalyn Candy
Karen Wolfe
The Jay Morris Group
Stan Butler
--Daddy B. Nice
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 June 17, 2023:THE LOVE DOCTOR R.I.P. See "The Love Doctor (aka Lewis Clark) Enters Soul Heaven."
June 1, 2023:TOP 40 SOUTHERN SOUL SINGLES: JUNEAn expanded list of the songs vying for "Top Ten Singles" in June 2023.
 1. "Got My Whiskey"---Nelson Curry
2. "Smiling And Crying"---Bigg Robb
3. "Take Heed (The Same Thing)"---Young Guy
4. "Cowgirl"---Mz. Brown Suga
5. "The Party Ain't Over"---Ronnie Bell
6. "What It Is About You"---T.K. Soul
7. "B.Y.O.B. (Bring Yo Own Bottle)"---Queen Denae feat. Big Yayo
8. "You Played Too Long"---Terry Wright
9. "She's The One That Do It For Me"---Wendell B.
10. "(I Don't Want) My Sidepiece (No More)"---Pokey Bear feat. Tyree Neal
 11. "Good Thang"---Stan Butler
12. "FYA"---Summer Wolfe
13. "Pull Up On Me"---Mr. Oboi feat. Big Yayo
14. "Preacher"---Live'
15. "Work Out At Home"---Isaac Lindsey
16. "Southern Soul Groove Step"---CoCo Wade
17. "Belly On Ya"---Bigg Robb
18. "Moonshine In The Trunk"---Nephew Jones
19. "Shake Sum"---Arthur Young
20. "That Thang Good"---Vick Allen
21. "Mama Knows"---Sir Charles Jones feat. J-Wonn
22. "Georgia Peach"---William Bell
23. "The Other Woman"---Angel Faye Russell
24. "Joyous"---Gwen Yvette feat. Sean Dolby & Joe Nice
25. "No Man's Used To Be"---Rosalyn Candy
26. "Come On Over"---Sky Whatley
27. "I Wanna Take Care Of You"---Audi Yo
28. "No Time"---Royal D feat. Methrone
29. "Turn 'Er Loose"---PC Band
30. "Loyalty Over Love"---Redemption feat. Volton Wright
 31. "Chicken And Cheeks"---Lacee
32. "Go To Work"---Joe Nice & Sean Dolby
33. "Cash Money"---Chuck Strong
34. "Friends Before Lovers"---Leroy Allen
35. "Party Like We Used To"---Narvel Echols feat. Bonez
36. "Sling Your Weave"---Royal D feat. Ricky White
37. "Good Love"---Carlin Taylor
38. "My Sidepiece Side-Stepped Me"---Grady Champion
39. "Loving On You, You Loving On Me"---Evette Busby
40. "How Low Can You Go (Remix)"---L.J. Echols feat. Doobie
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...Continued....Monthly Singles Charts from right-hand column....
Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------FEBRUARY 2023-------
1. "I Found Love"-----Jeter Jones
It's not Johnnie Taylor's gospel-drenched "I Found Love," nor Robert "The Duke" Tillman's, nor Jeff Floyd's on that lonely highway. Yet Jeter Jones' "I Found Love" succeeds on the strength of its Hemi-engine rhythm track and alluring chorus. "Good loving in the morning / Good cooking in the kitchen!" Jones' vocal on the choruses---especially the little moans and clicks on the off-notes---accentuates the timing, transforming "I Found Love" into a sneakily pleasurable club (or kitchen) jam.
Listen to Jeter Jones singing "I Found Love" on You Tube.
2. "Moving At Your Speed"-----J'Cenae feat. J-Wonn
As vocal partners J'Cenae and J-Wonn are right up there with the classic male/female duos of soul's storied past. The song comes dripping in emotion (and commercial crossover potential), yet it's not cloying or sentimental.
Listen to J'Cenae & J-Wonn singing "Moving At Your Speed" on YouTube.
3. "Messy"-----King George feat. Coldrank
This tune has already launched like a missile on YouTube and other outlets and for good reason. It's got the purest KG pedigree of any single he's recorded since his introductory run of classics. See Daddy B. Nice’s Best of 2022.
Listen to King George and Coldrank singing "Messy" on YouTube.
4. "Boy You Got It"-----Stephanie McDee
The first notable cover song of the year, by Daddy B. Nice's Best Female Vocalist of 2022, redoing King George's "Girl You Got It". And the first time I heard Stephanie drawl, "Ooh girl, I could just sop him up with a biscuit," I laughed out loud in the middle of the record. Expertly produced.
Listen to Stephanie McDee singing "Boy You Got It" on YouTube.
5. "Free"-----Jeter Jones
This song has been working its way up the chart despite its negativity. Yes, it's bleak. And yes, it's weird. But once you open yourself to the weirdness---the high-pitched yells and wails etc.---and think of it as "the blues" (and divorce is definitely the blues), it all falls into place. From Jeter's new Sugar Hill Highway 84.
Listen to Jeter Jones singing "Free" on YouTube.
6. "Woman In Love"-----David Brinston
Sunniest song David Brinston's recorded in years. You may dreamily wonder why the subject of women in love (one of life's miracles) doesn't come up in song more often. And yet it's there in the history. Remember Brinston's Party Til The Lights Go Out"?
Listen to David Brinston singing "Woman In Love" on YouTube.
7. "You Know I Love You"-----J. Rizo
A strong debut by a new artist.
Listen to J. Rizo singing "You Know I Love You" on YouTube.
8. "Lick It"-----David J feat. Solomon Thompson
These two make magic when they harmonize.
Listen to David J and Solomon Thompson" singing "Lick It" on YouTube.
9. "Ooh Wee Baby"-----Jeter Jones feat. Volton Wright
Another good one from Jeter's hit-laden Sugar Hill Highway 84.
Listen to Jeter Jones & Volton Wright singing "Ooh Wee Baby" on YouTube.
10. "It's A Southern Soul Thang"-----DJ Harvey
Ever wonder what Lou Reed would have sounded like singing southern soul?
Listen to DJ Harvey singing "It's A Southern Soul Thang" on YouTube.
Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------JANUARY 2023-------
1. "Highway 55" ----- Sir Charles Jones
"I put the gun to my head/ On Highway 55"... Who has the courage, character and musical palette to even deal with turning this kind of painful personal drama into art? Only Sir Charles. How about, for instance, the quick, apt, soap-opera-like trill of the organ following "Somebody's trying to poison me"? Highway 55, of course, is I-55, the main north/south artery through the Mississippi Delta. From the King of Southern Soul's new quasi-gospel album, My Life's Testimony.
Listen to Sir Charles Jones singing "Highway 55" on YouTube.
2. "The Mac" ----- West Love feat. King George
This feisty little lady just keeps exceeding expectations in her quest to become the #1 diva in southern soul. The title "The Mac" is puzzling. Of course, one thinks of "Return of the Mack". The chorus is unusually sophisticated (jazzy)---mixed, filtered, enhanced---with a touch of the superb Dinah Washington in West Love's vocal, but the verses are reassuringly down-to-earth---some of the best southern soul vocalizing in memory. Even the great King George's vocal gets the musical version of a "perm". Irresistible.
Listen to West Love & King George singing "The Mac" on YouTube.
3. "Church Candy"-----Jeter Jones
"Church Candy" begins unassumingly, but it's perfect in its simplicity. A church-style organ gives the instrumental track a refreshingly original identity, and the story told in its lyrics is not only a charming vignette but a triumph of compression.
Listen to Jeter Jones singing "Church Candy" on YouTube.
4. "I Ain't Leaving My Lady" ----- Jeter Jones
Jeter Jones' bountiful, new double-album Sugar Hill Highway 84, of which "Church Candy" and "I Ain't Leaving My Lady" are part, delves into the nasty subject of divorce in the powerful songs "Free" and "Gone," but the melodic and hauntingly evocative "I Ain't Leaving My Lady" provides an uplifting counterpoint.
Listen to Jeter Jones singing "I Ain't Leaving My Lady" on YouTube.
5. "Bayou Classy Lady" ----- Ciddy Boi P feat. Keyun & The Zydeco Masters
Here's the best southern soul/zydeco hybrid to come out lately. It's my man Ciddy Boi P ("Can I Get It?," "My Corner Sto") once again working his feel-good magic.
Listen to Ciddy Boi P & Keyun & The Zydeco Masters singing "Bayou Classy Lady".
6. "Hallelujah & Amen" ----- Avail Hollywood
No one in current southern soul is vocalizing better than Avail Hollywood. He's a joy to listen to, and he's got a great vehicle in "Hallelujah & Amen".
Listen to Avail Hollywood singing "Hallelujah & Amen" on YouTube.
7. "Bet Yo Mama Like It" ----- Carlin Taylor
The instrumental track rocks. Another snappy hit from the performer who brought you the Top-25 Best of 2022 single "Keep It 100".
Listen to Carlin Taylor singing "Bet Yo Mama Like It" on YouTube.
8. "Ol Skool Game" ----- Chris Ivy
It's Mr. Ivy of "Turn Road" fame, sporting a fine melody composed by Omar Cunningham.
Listen to Chris Ivy singing "Ol Skool Game" on YouTube.
9. "We Be Acting Up" ----- Jeter Jones
Despite (or maybe because of) its minimalist, piano-pounding arrangement, this tune burns with the intensity of Jeter's scorching blues vocal.
Listen to Jeter Jones singing "We Be Acting Up" on YouTube.
10. "Shot Of Moonshine" ----- Marcellus The Singer
"Toxic Love" has accrued three million views on its various You
Tube pages, and Marcellus will only add to that audience with this mature outing, which proves he's got this balladeering thing down.
Listen to Marcellus The Singer singing "Shot Of Moonshine" on YouTube.
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Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------OCTOBER 2023-------
 Part-Time
Lov-
er"-----Lady Redtopp
Joyous, crude, earthy, unschooled. No other genre would give it a minute. Yet, Southern soul DNA courses through these admittedly ramshackle stanzas. The vocalist reminds me of the great girl-group singers of the sixties plucked from the high schools of New York and Philly for the express purpose of achieving authenticity. "I had to put my big girl panties on," Lady Redtopp exclaims. "It took everything in me / To leave that man alone."
Listen to Lady Redtopp singing "Part Time Lover" on YouTube.
2. "Take My Time"-----Big Mel feat. Ms. Jody
Big Mel and Ms. Jody extol the virtues of slow-rolling in one of the premier duets of 2023. Mississippian Big Mel debuted with a hiphop album in 2019 and an R&B album in 2020, but "Take My Time" marks his transformation into a southern soul singer of the first order.
Listen to Big Mel and Ms. Jody singing "Take My Time" on YouTube.
3. "Big Fine Slim Fine"----Royal D
Royal D finally hits the southern soul jugular vein with this simple, beautifully-written song produced by Bitty Beats. His gentle vocal and focus on good eats may remind listeners of last year's "Magic Woman" by Binky Womack (Bobby's son).
Listen to Royal D singing "Big Fine Slim Fine" on YouTube.
4. "Country Boys"-----Al Davis feat. Ty Juan & Jeter Jones
This song has the heft and spirit of last year's award-winning "Country Boy Remix," although it's a completely different song. Jeter Jones, southern soul's #1 country boy, is what both have in common.
Listen to Al Davis and friends singing "Country Boys" on YouTube.
5. "If Heaven Had A Phone"----Adrian Bagher
Great vocal! I can imagine choirs and congregations singing "If Heaven Had A Phone" in the hipper churches. From Adrian Bagher's excellent, 5-star-rated release, ISM.
Listen to Adrian Bagher singing "If Heaven Had A Phone" on YouTube.
6. "That Thang I Like"--------Bre Wooten
For all its lascivious intent and content, what one takes away from this song is the softened, diplomatic and quintessentially feminine way the singer describes candy-licking as "that thang I like".
Listen to Bre Wooten singing "That Thang I Like" on YouTube.
7. "Slippery (When It's Wet)"-----S. Dott feat. Hasan Green
On the heels of S. Dott's #1-charting August single "Cowgirl Trailride" comes yet another strong release from the young phenom.
Listen to S. Dott & Hasan Green singing "Slippery (When It's Wet)" on YouTube.
8. "Suga Daddy"-----BadGir
This is Tyronica Rawls whose single "Steppin' Out" with King George turned a lot of heads this spring.
Listen to BadGir singing "Suga Daddy" on YouTube.
9. "Pull Up On Me"-----DJ Chill Will Baby feat. Jeter Jones, B. Pureese & Volton Wright
Volton Wright is the engine that powers this club jam supreme.
Listen to DJ Chill Will Baby and friends singing "Pull Up On Me" on YouTube.
"Southern Soul Blues"------Delta Boy Soul
Listen to Delta Boy Soul singing "Southern Soul Blues" on YouTube.
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Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------SEPTEMBER 2023-------
1."Auntie Outside Tonight"-----Mike Clark Jr.
Macon, Georgia. First time out. Electric vocal. And without another recorded single to his name, Mike Clark, Jr. shoots like a bunny rabbit through all the other hard-working and talented, up-and-coming artists who've been around longer but who haven't been lucky enough to score the right song in the right place at the right time. "Auntie Outside's" the right song, and Mike Clark Jr.'s the man.
Listen to Mike Clark Jr. singing "Auntie Outside Tonight" on YouTube.
2. "Dip"----Cuznjed feat. Koray Broussard
Good time music in its purest essence. Broussard's button accordian is the best zydeco accompaniment in a southern soul song this year. Cuznjed made the Top 10 last year with "Louisiana Soulfood".
3.Listen to Cuznjed feat. Koray Broussard singing "Dip" on YouTube.
"Gotta Do Right"----P2K DaDiddy feat. FPJ
Musically and lyrically, "Gotta Do Right" mimics the style of "U-Turn" yet plows enough new creative ground to be original and interesting in its own right. See P2K enters the Top 100 The New Generation of Southern Soul at #31.
Listen to P2K and FPJ singing "Gotta Do Right" on YouTube.
4. "Talk My Shit"-----Jay Morris Group
Strong new single from JMG, with an edge that should have people talking about it.
Listen to the Jay Morris Group singing "Talk My Shit" on YouTube.
5. "Trail Ride Jump"----Cheff Da Entertainer feat. Poka Jones & Sticky P
Cheff Da Entertainer's best yet. Obsessive groove with plenty of variety and vocal toppings.
Listen to Cheff et.al. singing "Trail Ride Jump" (click "Trail Ride Jump.mp3").
6. "I'm Packing My Clothes"----O.C. Soul
Robust, old-school slice-of-life by a singer with a wonderful vocal tone. O.C. Soul charted with "You Can Ride It" in July of 2019.
Listen to O.C. Soul singing "I'm Packing My Clothes" on YouTube.
7. You Must Be Smokin'"-----Rodnae Da Boss
You knew it was only a matter of time before this phrase found its way into a song. Rodnae hits the sweet spot.
Listen to Rodnae singing "You Must Be Smokin'!" on YouTube.
8. "Sexy Real Bad"----Avail Hollywood feat. DJ Trac
Avail Hollywood teams up with favorite collaborator DJ Trac to recreate that soulful ambience achieved on "Girl You Bad".
Listen to Avail Hollywood singing"Sexy Real Bad" on YouTube.
9. "Here I Stand"-----Nellie "Tiger" Travis
Impassioned personal statement transforms into tribute to Koko Taylor, Peggy Scott-Adams, Betty Wright and Denise LaSalle.
Listen to Nellie "Tiger" Travis singing "Here I Stand" on YouTube.
10. "Just Like That"-----L.J. Echols
Not to be confused with the LaMarr Deuce Lubin song that charted earlier this year.
Listen to L.J. Echols singing "Just Like That" on YouTube.
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Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------AUGUST 2023-------
1."Cowgirl Trailride"-----S. Dott feat. Tonio Armani
Mystery, romance and excitement swirl around this masterfully-produced southern soul anthem by young zydeco sensation S. Dott ("Slow Wind"). "Horses in the stable" (or is it "Horse is in the stable"?) reverberates in the subconscious long after listening. I believe I hear it in my sleep. And "Palomino that I met in Pasadena..."? Even the rapping soothes. The addition of Armani is essential, especially on the uplifting choruses.
Listen to S. Dott and Tonio Armani singing "Cowgirl Trailride" on YouTube.
2. "Lil' Weight (Don't Bother Me)"-----King George
Just as I was posting this on the chart King George's "Lil' Weight" YouTube page hit a million views---and will hit many more millions. This tune is average "junk-yard" southern soul, and yet King George waves his magic wand and transforms it into the belle of the ball. And once again, he comes up with a memorable line: "I like a little cushion / On whatever I'm pushing".
Listen to King George singing "Lil' Weight Don't Bother Me" on YouTube.
3. "Get It! Get It! Pt.2"----Ms. Jody
"A lot of DJs speed that song up just a little bit," Ms. Jody was told about the original "Get It! Get It!" Ms. Jody acted on it and here it is---a stunningly effective dance floor jam. From her new, club-friendly, five-star-rated album A NIGHT TO REMEMBER.
Listen to Ms. Jody singing "Get It! Get It! Pt.2" on YouTube.
4. "Southern Man (The Anthem)"-----Cecily Wilborn feat. West Love
"He kinda growl when he talk..." No, old school southern soul isn't defunct. Not when it's this good.
Listen to Cecily Wilborn and West Love singing "Southern Man" on YouTube.
5. "Good Ole Boyz"-----Jeter Jones
This is one of a pair of cozy, country-style southern soul tunes on Jeter Jones' new, five-star-rated Mufassa II album, the other being the banjo-accompanied "Meet Me (In The Back Of My Truck)".
Listen to Jeter Jones singing "Good Ole Boyz" on YouTube.
6. "Do The Trucker Slide"-----Arthur Young feat. DJ Trucker & Mrs. Ty
Listen to Arthur Young and Mrs. Ty singing "Do The Trucker Slide" on YouTube.
7. "Witcha When Ya Right"-----Marcellus The Singer
Listen to Marcellus singing "Witcha When Ya Right" on YouTube.
8. "Party People"------Tucka
Listen to Tucka singing "Party People" on YouTube.
9. "Most Wanted (Dead Or Alive)" -----Jeter Jones feat. Jake Carter
Listen to Jeter Jones and Jake Carter singing "Most Wanted (Dead Or Alive)" on YouTube.
10. "Man Bout A Horse"-----Mz Tequi
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Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------JULY 2023-------
1."I Wanna Slow Dance"-----Dee Dee Simon
Talk about a commercial hook. Like a throwback to early-sixties doo-wop and rock and roll, the first 16 bars sound unlike any Dee Dee Simon song ever. Later, as the motif repeats in the intoxicating "bump and grind" chorus, you realize that haunting falsetto is none other than Dee Dee herself, who's simultaneously pulling off the most heartfelt and natural---not to mention least ostentatious and most technically beautiful---vocal of her career. "I Wanna Slow Dance" opens up the whole southern soul world to Dee Dee Simon. She's left port and sailing the ocean and need never look over her shoulder again.
Listen to Dee Dee Simon singing "I Wanna Slow Dance" on YouTube.
See Dee Dee Simon #29 The New Generation Southern Soul.
2. "Nana Pie"------Chris Ivy
I was astonished searching my own site for background on Chris Ivy (famous years ago in southern soul circles for recording "Turn Road" under the name Mr. Ivy) to discover I'd never written an artist guide for him. Chris has been recording off and on all this time, but never a song as relevant and balanced as "Nana Pie," an instant classic and bonafide southern soul anthem.
Listen to Chris Ivy singing "Nana Pie" on YouTube.
3. "Smoke Slide"-----Mr. Smoke
Snobs and wallflowers may call it mindless. "To the left...to the right...to the back...to the front...and then...down to the floor. How many millions of boozey dance floors have played out this choreography? (Personally, I never cared for going to the floor.) Mr. Smoke & Band has been booking festivals like a seasoned veteran and now we know why. Plenty of pile-driving rhythm. From Smoke's new STILL SMOKIN' album.
Listen to Mr. Smoke singing "Smoke Slide" on YouTube.
4. "Back It Up Remix"----Nellie "Tiger" Travis feat. Uncle Daddy aka ERealist
Oh, Nellie... Long-suffering Travis fans haven't been able to really hear her voice on the experimental and novelty records since "Mr. Sexy Man". Now they can on this terrific remix. Nellie has lost some power. It's almost a new voice, but it's good, crystal-clear and silky with that indescribable "Tiger" twang. So great to have her back.
Listen to Nellie "Tiger" Travis singing "Back It Up Remix" on YouTube.
5. "Second Of Your Time Reloaded"-----Highway Heavy feat. Dave Mack & Robert Butler
"Have you ever been fucked in a five-star suite?" takes this month's prize for most scandalous and profane lyric. But the reason for listening is, paradoxically, the dreamy melody and instrumental track. From the wild and winsome Baton Rouge frontier of southern soul and hiphop.
Listen to Highway Heavy, Dave Mack & Robert Butler singing "Second Of Your Time Reloaded"
6. "Sexy When You Stepping"-----T.K. Soul
A unique foray into zydeco (remember "Zydeco Bounce"?) is one of T.K.'s most delicate and simplified tunes in memory. You're left with a glistening button-accordion sound and a couple of images (like the girl dancing on the truck) that you just can't forget.
Listen to T.K. Soul singing "Sexy When You Stepping" on YouTube.
7. "Love Joy Peace Happiness"-----Malcom Simmons feat. Meme Green
Every month there's a debut artist who just can't be denied. Malcom Simmons, what you're putting down is southern soul certified.
Listen to Malcom Simmons singing "Love Joy Peace Happiness" on YouTube.
8. "Black Woman Magic"-----Bigg Robb
Mid-tempo, sophisticated, vocally-enhanced in the storied tradition of "Good Loving Will Make You Cry Remix", Bigg Robb's "Black Woman Magic" opens up fertile ground for Robb to explore more expansive lyrical areas than his trusty drinking and big-man anthems. "She's opened my eyes/ To all kinds of new things" says it all. Capuchinos, bookstores... "Drinking more water/ Cutting back on the fried foods /Getting more exercise..." From Robb's new, four-star-rated Vintage release.
Listen to Bigg Robb singing "Black Woman Magic" on YouTube.
9. "Chicken And Cheeks"-----Lacee
Lacee's got herself a hit single!
Listen to Lacee singing "Chicken And Cheeks" on YouTube.
10. "I'm Ready"-----Donna Renae
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Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------JUNE 2023-------
1."Got My Whis-
key"-----Nelson Curry
It’s like DJ Sean Dolby rolls “Got My Whiskey” out the door down to the street, where a parade with floats, marching bands, samba schools and carnival dancers converge on Mel Waiters' southern soul classic Ferris Bueller-style, with Nelson (as Ferris) crushing the vocal. Love the percussion---part-bounce, part Afro-Caribb---and when those drums and horns kick in...you know you're in store for a "cover" song on a whole 'nother level.
Listen to Nelson Curry singing "Got My Whiskey" on YouTube.
See Sean Dolby's new EP (with Joe Nice): I'm The Rapper, He's The DJ.
2. "Smiling And Crying"-----Bigg Robb
Quite simply, Bigg Robb is the "Everyman" who uses a chance meeting in the Waffle House to erect a philosophical argument for social engagement and caregiving one's fellow man, rocking out all the while in a deep, soulful groove. Superb guitar. From his new album Vintage.
Read Daddy B. Nice's 4-star review!
Listen to Bigg Robb singing "Smiling And Crying" on YouTube.
3. "Take Heed (The Same Thing)"-----Young Guy
Here's a younger-generation everyman with a debut single that could become a career cornerstone. It's an old southern soul theme ("the same thing it took to get her...the same to keep her") done with astonishing depth and maturity. There's some Calvin Richardson influence (a first!), but it's incorporated into a more southern soul style, and in turn leavened by a Stan Butler influence (in the monologues).
Listen to Young Guy singing "Take Heed"on YouTube.
4. "Cowgirl"-----Mz. Brown Suga feat. LaRon Reaves
First, congratulations to those who have been digging this song and dancing to it for the past year. And to Mz Brown Suga I say, "Send me the good stuff, not the leftovers." I first got into "Cowgirl" watching a mesmerizing TikTok video of a tall, lean, white cowboy dancing to it on a dirt-floor arena, his arms more of less locked while somehow kicking his legs backwards. So if "Cowgirl" is showing up in white rodeo settings, you know its memorable melody and danceable tempo have already traveled well.
Listen to Mz. Brown Suga singing "Cowgirl" on YouTube.
5. "The Party Ain't Over"-----Ronnie Bell
Kenne' Wayne has owned the title "The Party Ain't Over" for two decades---it's one of his signature songs---but Ronnie Bell has seized it and put out a club jam that is hard to deny and hard to sit still to.
Listen to Ronnie Bell singing "The Party Ain't Over" on YouTube.
6. "What It Is About You"-----T.K. Soul
T.K.'s finest instrumental style: as clean and gleaming as pure Rocky Mountain water tumbling down high-country streams. The perfect backdrop for his remarkable vocal.
Listen to T.K. Soul singing "What It Is About You" on YouTube.
7. "B.Y.O.B. (Bring Yo Own Bottle)"----Queen Denae feat. Big Yayo
Queen Denae is the roughest and toughest new diva on the scene, fresh from a Top 10 Single in April with M. Cally called "Come Get Yo Shit". She makes it sound so easy. But if so, why aren't all the ladies doing it?
Listen to Queen Denae singing "B.Y.O.B. (Bring Yo Own Bottle)" on YouTube.
8. "You Played Too Long"-----Terry Wright
Terry Wright hits the bullseye with this ballad done in the unmistakeable Terry Wright style.
Listen to Terry Wright singing "You Played Too Long" on YouTube.
9. "She's The One That Do It For Me"----Wendell B.
Wendell returns after a long, health-related hiatus. And as good as it is, he's just warming up.
Listen to Wendell B singing "She's The One That Do It For Me" on YouTube.
10. "(I Don't Want) My Sidepiece (No More)"-----Pokey Bear feat. Tyree Neal.
You knew it had to come sooner or later, right? But it's the frisky times we'll remember.
Listen to Pokey and Tyree singing "(I Don't Want) My Sidepiece (No More)" on YouTube.
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Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------MAY 2023-------
1."Night-Time"-----King George
The first third of 2023 (already passed!) hasn't been bad for new southern soul, but it doesn't hold a candle to 2022 when the phenomenon that is King George came out of nowhere and hit the southern soul sweet spot. He's had a couple of good singles since that initial explosion (since captured on Jook Joint Music), but nothing like the easy-going, slow-burning, mid-tempo, quintessentially southern-soul charm of "Night-time". Fans, rejoice! This is King George in full flower, fulfilling his promise.
Listen to King George singing "Night-Time" on YouTube.
2. "Talk To Me"-----Arthur Young
Notice what's different? Just what I've been harping on. The production! This is so good it sounds live. Robust bass and drums, a smoky soul organ, a bluesy lead guitar, even horns! This might be the most important record Arthur Young has made since "Funky Forty". At last the finest up-and-coming vocalist in southern soul has a stage worthy of his unique pipes.
Listen to Arthur Young singing "Talk To Me" on YouTube.
3. "Brown Liquor"----- M. Cally
This is as close to an anthem as it gets for an artist breaking into the southern soul market. M. Cally has a sure artistic hand and a powerful voice, and he sounds like he's found his one true home.
Listen to M. Cally singing "Brown Liquor" on YouTube.
4. "When I Stop Loving You"------William Bell
The national powers-that-be may call it "americana" but we know who William Bell is (a soul singer) and what it is (southern soul). Beautiful, live-instrument, southern soul. And how about those violins? Along with mouth harps, so sorely missed. From Bell's One Step Closer To Home, the follow-up to his Grammy-winning THIS IS WHERE I LIVE album.
Listen to William Bell singing "When I Stop Loving You" on YouTube.
5. "Good Ole Lovin'"------Mr. Nelson
I discuss Mr. Nelson's "Good Ole Lovin'" (and "my meat in her oven") in my new CD review of Jaye Hammer's BE HAPPY album, and it's complimentary to Nelson, not Hammer. And when I say he's less talented...well, that's up to this point.
Listen to Mr. Nelson singing "Good Ole Lovin'" on YouTube.
6. "Won't Be Your Fool"-----Teslanay
This is the promising young singer (and potential heartbreaker) who recorded "Red Beans And Rice". Check out her photos at https://teslanay.com/
Listen to Teslanay singing "Won't Be Your Fool" on YouTube.
7. "Just Came To Party"-----T. Howell
Debut artist T. Howell made Daddy B. Nice's April "News & Notes" for confusing Sir Charles Jones and T.K. Soul. But that shouldn't deter us from recognizing the fineness of his classic, throwback-sounding "Just Came To Party".
Listen to T. Howell singing "Just Came To Party" on YouTube.
8. "Groove Together (Slide)"-----Uncle Gymini & Lady Jacquelyn (The Married Couple of Southern Soul)
This is a far-out song with a crazy, fizzy energy. At first I thought they were singing "the America of Southern Soul". Then, after a few listenings, I began to hear it as "the miracle of Southern Soul". Only later did I realize, "Oh yeah, it's the married couple of southern soul"! It also uses the old disco-era "Boogie Shoes" horn riff that Nellie Travis lifted for "If I Back It Up".
Listen to Uncle Gymini & Lady Jacquelyn singing "Groove Together (Slide)" on YouTube.
9. "Mz Connie's Curvy Queens Slide"-----Mz Connie
Mz Connie's the real deal. She's already released a solid debut album and paired up with colleagues like L.J. Echols and Ciddy Boi P. Her new EP containing the zydeco/southern soul hybrid "CQ Slide" releases May 2nd. See Daddy B. Nice's New Album Alert!
Listen to "Mz Connie singing Curvy Queens Slide" on YouTube.
10. TIE: DBN notes...Just could not leave either of these two songs off the Top 10 and there's only one space left!
"My Own Party"-----C.J. Hill (Daddy C)
Been working its way up the charts for a while now, and deservedly so. By the way, based on two decades of doing this, I'd say C.J. Hill is a more unique name than "Daddy C".
Listen to C.J. Hill singing "My Own Party" on YouTube.
"Hell WhenYou Well"-----Troy Murriel
You won't be able to withstand the gravitational pull of this debut.
Listen to Troy Murriel singing "Hell WhenYou Well" on YouTube.
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Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------APRIL 2023-------
 1. "Let's Chill"-----Carolyn Staten
Imagine the last dance before heading to the bedroom. Stepping beat. Plenty of hand-claps. Barefoot. Romantic. Rose petals on the floor. The kind of song that in the hands of most singers would dissolve into watery sentimentality. In Carolyn Staten's hands, however, the words come across with surprising and realistic force. It's all in the voice, which until now has transformed blues and funk-based jams. This is the first foray into love songs by the newest addition to Daddy B. Nice's The New Generation Southern Soul, proving this trending artist can do it all.
Listen to Carolyn Staten singing "Let's Chill" on YouTube.
2. "My Kinda Crazy"-----J-Wonn
J-Wonn has catapulted to a new high-altitude plateau with his last two albums. You'all know the kind of singer I'm talking about...My kinda crazy. From the new The Foundation album.
Listen to J-Wonn singing "My Kinda Crazy" on YouTube.
3. "Come Get Yo Shit"-----Queen Denae feat. M. Cally
Queen Denae hits the bullseye with this totally believable southern soul throwback. Whoever produced is a banger who knows his/her southern soul.
Listen to Queen Denae singing "Come Get Yo Shit" on YouTube.
4. "Get Out"------Sons Of Funk
Speed up the tempo a little, add a dancing groove, and presto! You have the male response to Queen Denae's "Come Get Yo Shit". Only the Sons of Funk put it like this: "I packed yo shit! / You gots to go!" Both debut singles just happened to collide this month.
Listen to the Sons Of Funk singing "Get Out" on YouTube.
5. "No Woman, No Cry"-----King Fred
What a long and winding road King Fred (Frederick Hicks) has taken in shaping his considerable mojo. Fred takes the title and chorus from Marley's reggae classic but inserts an entirely new song and verses, reminding us of his brilliant debut, "Morning Delight," which did something similar in taking off on another well-known pop tune of the time, "Afternoon Delight".
Listen to King Fred singing "No Woman, No Cry" on YouTube.
6. "Lovin' Me"-----Magic One
Magic One's new Magic Show 3 continues his meteoric rise up the southern soul ranks with not only his usual singles-chart fare ("Henpecked," "Super Fine") but this short (only 2:40) and bittersweet, acapella-like bomb.
Listen to Magic One singing "Lovin' Me" on YouTube.
7. "Just Like That" (DJ Calie Remix)"-----LaMarr Deuce Lubin
This song is soooo much fun, just like Lubin's plaid pants in the dance-delirious, YouTube video. You can't play this one loud enough.
Listen to LaMarr Deuce Lubin singing "Just Like That" on YouTube.
8. "The Cowboy Slide"-----Jeter Jones
Trailride stepping and sliding as only Jeter can do. Nifty synth line. Get up and party!
Listen to Jeter Jones singing "The Cowboy Slide" on YouTube.
9. "Super Fine"-----Magic One
Quintessential Magic One (pronounced Magic Juan) from his hit-laden Magic Show 3.
Listen to Magic One singing "Super Fine" on YouTube.
10. "Drink My Liquor"-----Big Mel
Ever run into a guy who's mired in sadness, and you feel for him but don't know what to say? "Don't hold it against me," Big Mel says, "if I seem to be holding my distance."
Listen to Big Mel singing "Drink My Liquor" on YouTube.
Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .
-------MARCH 2023-------
 1. "Top Of The Line"-----Narvel Echols
Wild, rough, yet melodic and anthemic, it has just the right cocktail of ingredients to hit that fabled southern soul "sweet spot". Remember "Pour Me A Drank"? Narvel has done it again. From his new For The Ladies album.
Listen to Narvel Echols singing "Top Of The Line" on You Tube.
2. "Take You Down Through There"-----J-Wonn
J-Wonn ambles through a two-stepping tempo with rock-star assurance. Love it. Do more dance jams, J-Wonn. From his new The Foundation album.
Listen to J-Wonn singing "Take You Down Through There" on YouTube.
3. "Mr. Big Stuff"-----Evette Busby
No one really knows how you get signed to Malaco Records (so many greats have tried and failed). But Evette Busby did it. Let's hope she fares better than Grady Champion and Queen Emily, who sank faster than stones. One thing you can't deny. When Malaco produces a record, it's on a whole other level. Second great cover song of the year.
Listen to Evette Busby singing "Mr. Big Stuff" on YouTube.
4. "Good Time" ------Tyree Neal
I've often praised Tyree Neal's guitar and instrumental work (none better than this very song) while remaining relatively unimpressed with his singing."Good Time" holds your attention from start to end. It's a great ballad and an impressive vocal, alluringly double-tracked at times and divided into separate harmony lines at others, with a dash of call and response, and all made more indelible by the song's brevity (3 minutes).
Listen to Tyree Neal singing "Good Time" on YouTube.
5. "What's Happening Now"-----Jeter Jones
Jeter Jones gets socially conscious. A good thang.
Listen to Jeter Jones singing "What's Happening Now" on YouTube.
See Daddy B. Nice's new 5-Star ("Southern Soul Heaven") Review of Jeter Jones' SUGAR HILL HIGHWAY 84 .
6. "Just A Man"-----Volton Wright
It's getting damned hard not to consider Volton Wright a top-of-the-line playa. Produced (and marketed) by Slack (Ronald Jefferson).
Listen to Volton Wright singing "Just A Man" on YouTube.
7. "Pour Up"-----Neko G (Neko Grinday)
A strong debut by a new artist.
Listen to Neko G. singing "Pour Up" on YouTube.
8. "Good Country Girl"-----Freaky B 2.0
A strong debut by a new artist.
Listen to Freaky B 2.0 singing "Good Country Girl" on YouTube.
9. "Steppin' Out"-----Tyronica "Badgir" Rawls feat. King George
Yet another solid debut---this one assisted by King George (as forty-four thousand YouTube viewers already know).
Listen to Tyronica Rawls & King George singing "Steppin' Out" on YouTube.
Also check out Tyronica Rawls on TikTok.
10. "Still With Her"-----F.P.J.
This is a slow turn by the young artist who had the hit single "If You Gone Pop It" with J-Wonn.
Listen to F.P.J. singing "Still With Her" on YouTube.
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...Monthly Singles Charts continued in bottom half of middle column....
UNDER CONSTRUCTION! UNDER CONSTANT REVISION!
Send product to:
SouthernSoulRnB.com
P.O. Box 19574
Boulder, Colorado 80308
Or e-Mail:
daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com
************
************
Send product to:
SouthernSoulRnB.com
P.O. Box 19574
Boulder, Colorado 80308
Or e-Mail:
daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com
************
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