By jan (80.50.143.26) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 10:31 am:

who may have made a career in the motown golden era......

i can't think of too many nowadays, but almost by accident i heard 'chocolate factory' by r.kelly and was forced to admit that the all round combination of writing/singing/producing wasn't bad

not neccessarilly my FAVOURITE but most talented, i think he is

By Eli (172.174.3.88) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 11:26 am:

Luther Vandross, Brian Mc Knight, possibly.
All of the other ones including R. Kelly do not possess the mindset or the attitude to pull it off.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 11:44 am:

Jaheim has promise & the makings of a great contemporary soul singer. So does Tyrese, D'Angelo, Angie Stone (when she isn't sampling someone else's R&B record), Brian McKnight, Mary J. Blige.
The Isley Brothers still have the moxie to make great music (check out their latest CD "Body Kiss").
Luther's "Dance With My Father" single is making me look forward to the album.
The UK band Incognito never released a bad record. Same with the Brand New Heavies & Simply Red.

Note to Bobby Eli - I guess you & I need to step up our game to get our artists out there...

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By jan (80.50.143.26) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 12:15 pm:

i like jaheim a lot but after the first 4 tracks his latest disc went nowhere, ledisi i like too

my point was that despite the bad personal publicity, i don't think there are many people out there writing and performing songs as good as r. kelly ( he's done some good work with the isleys ) - i think time will show the quality of some of his work - despite a slightly nauseating tendency towards public self-pity in his latest work

d'angelo has made perhaps four or five reasonable tracks over the last eight years and just can't compare

By Michael/cleoharvey (160.79.83.208) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 04:09 pm:

I think I would have to agree with R. Kelly even though I do not like all of his stuff. I do like "Ignition" and think he knows how to produce/write a simple ballad in the Stevie Wonder tradition. Others:

Luther Vandross
Simone (Nina Simone's daughter, great voice and style)
Beyoncé (toned down)
NSync (now I know this is going to set a few of you off but they would have made it in the Motown legendary era under those great producers. They can sing good harmonies)
Heather Headley
Whitney Houston
Deborah Cox
Brian McKnight

By Rhythm and Blues Showcase (151.204.38.119) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 04:26 pm:

Nsync is definitely patterned after Motown (A Class act, Harmony, acapellas and Showmanship)

Justin Timberlake Another talented artist in demand

R.Kelly The newest material is much better than that "Bump and Grind" he was doing earlier. I have to agree with the above post he's a good producer, especially his work with the Isleys.

Luther Vandross without a doubt

By Eli (151.197.219.220) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 09:35 pm:

I am now going to play Trading Places!!
The first name is a current artist and the second one being a "classic artist" not necessarily Motown in all cases, who they could possibly trade places with.

1.Angie Stone--- Gladys Knight
2.Mary J. Blige---Mary Wells
3.Luther V.---Nat King Cole
4.Mos Def---Marvin Gaye
5.Ja Rule--- Shorty Long
6.Johnny Gill---Edwin Starr
7.Mariah C.---Minnie Ripperton
8.Erikah B.---Billie Holiday
9. Bobby Brown---Frankie Lymon
10.Deborah Cox---Brenda Holloway
11.Justin T.---80's Michael J.
12.Maxwell---Smokey

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 02:10 pm:

Bobby:
I would put Shanice Wilson or any other singer in place of Mariah when it comes to trading places with Minnie Riperton - ain't no way Mariah Melisma Carey could ever handle songs with as much finesse as Minnie!

Erykah Badu & Billie Holiday is a no brainer.

I would have Mary J trade with Chaka Khan - she proved she could handle "Sweet Thing" .

Justin Timberlake - don't get me started, I just can't stand the boy...

Maxwell & Smokey ....interesting, although I would do switch between Smokey Robinson & Sarah Vaughan (Smokey's inspiration).

I'm gonna stop here for now...
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Michael/cleoharvey (160.79.83.208) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 04:25 pm:

KevGo:

What has happened to Shanice? She has incredible chops and should be a much bigger star. I know that BabyFace was using her a great deal as a background singer but her career has never seemed to take off. She should be as big as the "much discussed" Ashanti is now.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 05:23 pm:

Cleo/Michael:
After recording one album on LaFace, Shanice retired from the music biz, got married and is now a full-time Mom. In an article I read a year or so ago, she seemed happy in her new life and doesn't miss the entertainment business.

She recorded four albums (one for A&M, two for Motown and one for LaFace) & had five or six Top 50 R&B hits and four Top 40 singles - her biggest was "I Love Your Smile" (1 R&B/#2 Pop)

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By stephanie (64.63.221.169) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 10:56 pm:

Bobby
I dont see the Bobby Brown and Frankie Lymon thing..everything else you have listed I can agree with. I agree with KevGo saying that Mariah cant match Minnie but I would disagree with him if we were judging Mariah on her first album. I do think that Minnie is much deeper though and if she were alive today boy would she see the influence she has had on singers when it comes to the five octave thing.
Stephanie

By Eli (141.151.1.101) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 10:59 pm:

The Bobby and Frankie connection is because they were and are two young singers who became hopeless , self destructive junkies.

By Vickie (198.81.26.231) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 11:08 pm:

gosh,
I am a nerd..where do some of my favorites fit in?

Toni Braxton
Anita Baker
Jody Watley - (she has some range)
Sorry I do like Brandy & Monica

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 11:27 am:

Bobby:
I still don't agree with the Frankie Lymon/Bobby Brown comparison.

Like Bobby, Frankie was a kid from a culturally-diverse part of an urban city (Washington Heights in upper Manhattan)who was exposed to a lot of s--t at an early age. The difference is that Bobby can control it if he really wanted to - he has the money, the resources made available to him as well as support from Whitney, who needs help as well. Frankie tried many ways to get away from drugs (marriages, a stint in the armed forces) but did not have the support system or the financial resources to get well (his label president George Goldner didn't help matters by spending the royalty money on betting horses & having to sell the company to Morris Levy). Frankie was thisclose in 1968 to making a comeback when a kind restauranteur helped him clean up his life and Morris Levy signed him to Roulette - unfortunately, Frankie returned to the environment where his addictions began and was found dead of a heroin overdose in his grandmother's home.

Bobby Brown moved from Roxbury to Atlanta...He's still alive and if he really wanted to help himself - which is what at least Frankie Lymon tried to do with his life - all Bobby has to do is get help.

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Eli (151.197.119.243) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 11:30 am:

O.K.

By Rhythm and Blues Showcase (151.204.38.119) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 03:38 pm:

1.Interesting posts. Mariah Carey "Vision of Love" borrows directly from Minne Riperton.
2. Justin Timberlake - Michael Jackson

3. I don't see any artist today being anything like Marvin Gaye. Prince (a legend in his own right) is the only one similiar in artistry as Marvin Gaye, although that sixties artist JJ Barnes that sang "Baby Please, Come back Home", sounds like early Marvin. But that's it. No one can sing "Let's Get it On" like Marvin. period.

4. Johnnie Gill is more like a Teddy Pendergrass

5.I really can't think of any of today's artists being like Frankie Lymon other than the "original ABC era" Michael Jackson.