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It’s sensual, moving and breathtaking all at once.

And smooth-delivering Victor Manuelle is a master at it.

No matter the subject the Puerto Rican salsa star is a virtuoso at delivering impromptu lyrical soneos that can go on for several minutes at a time.

Whether he’s singing about a woman who has left him heartbroken or paying homage to Puerto Rico the boyish-looking Manuelle has an ability to improvise spontaneous lyrics on the go and leave any audience – especially the ladies – begging for more.

His soprano-like chops also fit his songs of choice perfectly.

Take “La Mujer Que Mas Me Duele,” (The Woman That Hurts Me Most), a riveting duet with Cuban singer Issac Delgado that nominated earlier this week for a Latin Grammy for Best Tropical Song, in which Manuelle's interpretive skills come through beautifully over the more tenor vocals of Delgado as they agonize over a love interest that has moved on.

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Jamaican reggae group, Rootz Underground is playing their first ever show in Miami tonight at PS 14. The group has a powerful video, "Victims of the System" which has been getting a lot of love on MTV's Caribbean station, Tempo, lately and the band is known for its positive vibes and solid music.

For those unfamiliar with the band, check out their MySpace profile if that suits you or read more about them here. There's a couple of videos below so if you can vibe with this, Rootz Underground is certainly worth supporting. --Jonathan Cunningham

Thursday, August 30
go underground ...
@ PS14
28 Ne 14th Street
Miami, Fl 33132
(Downtown Miami, 2 blocks west of the Carnival Performing Arts center)

Victims of the System

Herb Fields

Juan Luis Guerra

Juan Luis Guerra isn’t much of a morning person.

“It took me a while to gather all my senses,” said Guerra. “I’m not used to getting up so early.”

But getting up early Wednesday morning proved to be beneficial as the Dominican singer/songwriter led the way with five Latin Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year, for the awards’ eighth edition ceremony to take place in November. The nominees were announced early this morning here in Miami, at the nightclub Mansion in Miami Beach.

Calle 13 and Ricky Martin followed suit with four nominations each for Residente O Visitante (Resident Or Visitor) and MTV Unplugged, respectively. Miguel Bose, Franco De Vita, Carlos Jean, and Kevin Johansen received three apiece.

“It’s definitely been a special year for me and this only makes better,” said Guerra, as he faced a bevy of reporters and televisions cameras inside the club. “I feel truly honored by all the nominations.”

Guerra’s most recent production, La Llave De Mi Corazon, (The Key to My Heart) is also in the running for Album of the Year, Best Merengue Album, and Best Tropical Song.

“I think its proof that the merengue genre is alive and well,” added Puerto Rican merenguero Elvis Crespo, whose Regreso El Jefe, (The Boss is Back) was also nominated for Best Merengue Album. “It’s a rhythm that will never die.”

Guerra said he is set on spreading that rhythm all over the world. “There are a lot of places like France, Italy and Japan that my music hasn’t reached and I want to take it there. I also want to do whatever possible to make sure we live with peace and harmony.”

A mild surprise, Cuban singer/songwriter Issac Delgado received two nominations for En Primera Plana (On The Front Page), his first album since defecting from Cuba last year.

“I never expected this, to be honest with you,” said Delgado, who was nominated for Best Salsa Album. “I was really satisfied with the final product but I never expected this.” “La Mujer Que Mas Te Duele," (The Woman That Hurts You The Most), Delgado’s duet with Puerto Rican salsero Victor Manuelle, is up for Best Tropical Song.

The Latin Grammy Awards show, which will be held Thursday, November 8 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, will be televised by Univision Network. -- Fernando Ruano Jr.

To read the complete list of nominees, visit the official Grammy web site here.

Kinky
August 28, 2007
The Fifth, Miami Beach

Better Than: Once Upon a Time in the West as fleeced by The Thievery Corporation. Or something. Else.

Kinky lead man Gil Cerezo

The Review:

The seven-city Samsung/AT&T Summer Krush series swung into South Beach last night with a set so low and so hard it knocked me right outta my mind. Not that that’s such a difficult thing to do these days, but this mad act made it look like cake.

I’m talkin’ ‘bout Kinky, dig? That ragtag gang of Mexican hepcats with the cowboy cool who do for the beat of the world what Lalo Shifrin did for Hawaii 5-0 – that is, give it unmitigated groove.

Actually, make that an unmitigated anti-fascist groove thing – imagine the ghost of Heaven 17 pumping From Dusk to Dawn; Once Upon a Time in the West as fleeced by The Thievery Corporation; power chord cha-cha drunk on Goldfrapp; the out-Slimming of a Fatboy.

Really.

And the crowd dug it something wild. Bopping and jumping and shouting with a roar the hipster Strip seldom musters without resorting to violence. The by-now ubiquitous “Mas” (which I could always use more of), the ancient modern smirk of “Uruapan Breaks” (check their masked midget wrestler clip of the song to see what I mean), the suborbital intergalactic trip of “Nothing Really” (which churns like a polyrhythmic Electric Soft Parade) – each track propelling further, faster, louder than the last.

If I have one gripe it’s that they went on too late and didn’t play long enough, then what would be a South Beach night without one little gripe?

Mas y mas, indeed.

Personal Bias: This is the kinda shit they should be playing at Space at 5 and 6 and 7 and 11 in the morning, make those wee small hours loom large.

Random Detail: It’s true; Kinky does use accordion – and trumpet and vocoder too. So there.

By the Way: You can stream Kinky’s recent LP, Reina, on their site.

-- John Hood

New York media is reporting the death yesterday of Hilly Kristal, founder of legendary downtown rock club CBGB, which finally closed last October after a 33-year run. Kristal, 75, had been battling lung cancer. Although Kristal talked of opening a new branch of his club in Las Vegas, the forced shuttering of his baby and the gentrification of its Bowery environs were doubtlessly stressful. Between this and Factory Records' Tony Wilson's passing, it's been a sad month for rock fans. Rest in peace.

Read Newsday's full obituary of Kristal here.

-- Arielle Castillo

And you thought Bobby and Whitney were bad.
Amy Winehouse and her husband, Blake Civil-Fiedler were recently photographed bloodied and bruised after a recent fight in London. It can't help that paparazzi follow their every move and make matters worse, but the couple could certainly clean themselves up after they fight and avoid getting photographed like this.
They've got their own separate problems when they're not together, and Winehouse is a documented cutter on her own, but now that the two are permanently yoked, things appear to be temporarily worse.
Everyone seems to be coming down on the couple, who for all intents and purposes, are both fighting serious addictions (crack, heroin, alcohol, cocaine etc.) and capable of anything. But they appear to love each other strongly and all the bad publicity isn't shaking that. There's something romantic in that. But these photos aren't romantic at all. Just crazy.
For more on the story, click here. --Jonathan Cunningham

From the Big TNT show in 1965. It's and old school medley with the full Ike and Tina Turner band moving and grooving like mad. Not sure how they managed to have such good stage chemistry considering how crazy Ike was behind the scenes, but here's a rare video that's worth watching. --Jonathan Cunningham

It's been a bluesy week so far so why not start off Tuesday with a nod to John Lee Hooker, one of the greatest blues musicians to ever live. "Hobo Blues" is easily one my favorite songs of all time, mainly for its guitar work and the sincerity in his voice. In this video from 1965, you get a good but brief look at Hooker in the prime of his career. --Jonathan Cunningham

Josh Smith
The Poorhouse
August 25, 2007

Better than:Watching Taylor Hicks perform in Boca Raton with a bunch of horny grandmothers

The Review: Guitarist Josh Smith played two shows on Saturday and was running on fumes by the time I caught up with him at the Poorhouse in Fort Lauderdale. The Pembroke Pines native and lead guitarist in the Taylor Hicks band played with Taylor at Mizner Park in Boca... let's call that the money show. I didn't see it, won't write about it, but thankfully, Smith and some pals found the energy to hit the Poorhouse later on and played a raucous set of blues, rock, and jazz that was incredible. Let's call that the real show.
It was evident during his set, which didn't get going until around 2am that Josh and his pals on stage were all superior musicians. They transitioned from blues to jazz to rock tunes in one fluid motion and the crowd loved it. Smith was playing with a variation of his old band, but also had a saxophone player from Taylor's band that wanted to get an extra session in and the crowd was glad that he did.
I didn't get the set list, but at one point, the band played a killer version of John Coltrane's Footprints and drummer, John Yarling had a solo for the ages. By 3:30am, Smith was whipped and looked like he needed some sleep, but the audience was glad he held out as long as he did. --Jonathan Cunningham

Critics Notebook:
Personal Bias: This music was much better than the over-hyped reggae concert going on next door at Revolution.

Random Detail: Blues sounds great with a saxophone on stage. Who knew?

By the way: Check out Josh Smith's MySpace for more info

Baby Anne
Studio A
August 25, 2007

Better Than: Paying $80 to watch break-beat sessions at Ultra Music Festival.

The Review:
Florida’s own legendary bass queen, DJ Baby Anne, headlined the Clash of the Titans electro breaks session at Studio A on Saturday August 25th along with Darling Nikki, vocalist of Chakra Blue. After working as a performer for over a decade, I doubt there is anyone in the electro scene who hasn’t witnessed Baby Anne in all her bass-line glory. Regardless, she still has the ability to gather up the masses into trance like states while generating a larger fan-bass of slaves to her masterful beats. In fact, many of the people who lingered on the outskirts of the club seemed new to Baby Anne and her type of music, but they still welcomed it enthusiastically, which can only be proof of the ever growing expansion of the electro/breaks scene, and its permanent stamp as the sound of Florida.
Culture productions, which have been known for throwing the best dance music parties for years, were responsible for this particular party, along with contagious music (one of the production companies involved with the recent Rock the Bells event), Fragile Recordings (the digital download record label), and Dlusional productions.
At about 1am, Darling Nikki ran onstage in all her energetic bubbly-ness to introduce the queen of bass as well as to perform a few of her own songs. At first I was more concerned with the concentrated stench of Marijuana floating around me, but then it became difficult to focus on anything other than Nikki. Her intense persona exemplified the music being mixed by Baby Anne and created a more stimulating atmosphere than is felt when there is simply 1 person spinning onstage. Although Baby Anne’s music itself is enough to create a lively setting, visual stimulation is always a plus. The crowd became especially passionate as they watched Nikki dance around on stage to the song “Nasty,” which you can find as mixed by D-Lerium and Faze, on Nikki’s Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/darlingnikkismusic). --Lucy Orozco

Critics Notebook
Personal Bias: If you don’t know how to break dance, you should never begin to practice it drunkenly in a public setting. Alcohol does not give you superior dancing abilities!

Random Detail: Trying to find a parking space in downtown Miami is an endless mission, so if you want to get a good spot, get there early, and remember to tip the bums. They will otherwise break into your car.

By the Way: Baby Anne’s new CD Past Present Future is in stores now and ready for you to purchase, rather than download on Lime-Wire.

There's a big reggae concert happening on Randall's Island in New York this weekend that even state politicians are trying to get shut down due to the homophobic lyrics of some of its artists.
Typically, I would say, FORWARRDDDD!!!! And big up to anyone willing to put all of that homophobic fuckery in check when it comes to reggae.
BUT,
I'm not so sure how I feel about local Babylonians AKA politicians trying to squash a reggae festival as a whole. That feels invasive and if the people dem, wan hear reggae, let da people dem hear reggae.
I've spoken my piece.
Read the story here. --Jonathan Cunningham

Autumn To Ashes
Holding a Wolf By The Ears
Vagrant

Note to all you would-be rock scribes. When you’re reviewing a group fronted by the band’s drummer, have your earplugs handy. Drummers tend to crank up the volume and you don’t want premature hearing loss to hamper your career. Okay, maybe we’re generalizing here. Or maybe not. Take Autumn to Ashes for instance. Now wholly under the direction of singer, songwriter and drummer Francis Mark, they’re to subtlety what George W. Bush is to credibility. Indeed, Death Metal as a genre is alive and well within the tumultuous confines of Holding a Wolf By The Ears, the band’s fourth full-length opus and first since Mark took over the helm. His singing, or, more accurately, his spew, sounds like something akin to your roommate’s retching after an all night binge. That’s appropriate, considering the fact that the entire album seems more or less the aural equivalent of an especially merciless hangover. Credit the band for holding true to their hardcore credo, with opening assault “Deth Kult Social Club” initiating the strident, unrelenting outpour that continues unabated throughout the set as a whole. Never mind that it’s all but impossible to tell one tirade… err, track… from another. Then again, if it’s melody and nuance you’re after, From Autumn To Ashes aren’t about to provide the trajectory that gets you there. – Lee Zimmerman

Holding A Wolf By The Ears

When you think of the audition line for American Idol, you may think of a freak show -- a lobster boy, a bearded lady, a William Hung. Yet, there was no circus in front of the American Airlines Arena by Wednesday morning during Miami’s preliminary auditions for American Idol’s seventh season. Even the bay, which usually resembles the stench of a Morningside neighborhood hooker, smelled of nothing. The only thing that might lead a passing car on Biscayne to believe that there was something news-worthy going on was the presence of activists who held hand-made signs that clearly communicated their distaste for the amount of media attention Idol receives.

Along with preconceptions, Simon, Paula, and Randy were no shows as well, explained a sobbing Kristina Allen as she slowly walked out of sorrowful Gate 7. Post-audition, the 20 year-old who embarked into Miami’s harsh heat armed with a cell phone and a desire to call a loved one confirmed the buzz of many other rejected hopefuls; that they auditioned for three judges they had never seen or heard of before. Perhaps one of these elusive judges was Idol producer Patrick Lynn who told the Miami Herald that out of the 8,000 people crammed within the arena for this audition only 200-500 would make it through to the next round. Then after the second preliminary round, all the surviving contestants achin’ to be like Clay get to audition for the T.V. judges, which may or may not make it on air. ''We know what makes good TV,'' Lynn was quoted saying.

Apparently they do. Last season the questionable talents of Sanjaya Malakar (and his hair) made pop culture history by spawning the first movement to derail the Idol empire. Websites, bloggers, and even Howard Stern advocated voting for Malakar, not because he was an amazing singer, but because if he won over more promising contestants it would contradict the entire purpose of the show, theoretically leading to Idol’s demise. Because of this, ratings went through the roof.

New Times Video from Miami American Idol Tryouts

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A.K.A.
PS 14
August 22, 2007

Better Than: Getting jumped, robbed and stabbed by a group of raging women.

The Review:

A.K.A., the all lady trio voted 2007’s best female band by the Miami New Times, held one of their last shows at PS 14’s, Spider Pussy, on Tuesday before they split to an upcoming show in California. The girls, having gathered up a loyal fan base throughout the past few years, managed to pull off a Tuesday night/Wednesday morning party, which even included the company of a few Californians who traveled all the way from the left coast to hang with the Miami locals.

Hours before the ladies took the stage, DJ Al B. Rotten, who has been co-coordinating the Spider Pussy parties with Rafael Deonate for quite some time, spun the usual music you’d consistently hear at all the Design District’s clubs, including: Interpol, the Killers, Dead or Alive, The Bravery, the Gorillaz, Mount Sims, Le Tigre, Bloc Party and Justin Timberlake. I’m not sure how Justin Timberlake fits into the list but he’s hot and can therefore manage to shove himself into anything. Either way, the music kept the girls entertained while they prepared for their performance by shoveling down shots and dancing around with the crowd. Even after I saw Lori (the lead singer/guitarist) guzzle down some alcohol, she still managed to chant out high notes at the equivalent of Save Ferris’ Monique Powell. In fact, their musical style closely resembles Save Ferris, without the trumpets. Theirs is a fast paced, positive, quasi-punk style of music with an underlying cutesy pop that makes you want to skank through a field of sunshine and flowers, while intoxicated on uppers.

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What do you get when you grab the Au Pairs, ´80s-era King Crimson, Mungo Jerry, and the guy who mixes the harmonies for The Scissor Sisters, stick them in a blender, and hit “frappe”?

Goo. You get goo. It’s disgusting. Never try it.

But! If you take those same ingredients, add an ear for weird hooks that sound obvious after one listen, and stick the resulting combo onstage — well, then you get something like Miami’s jangliest, danciest, post-punkiest pop band, The Jean Marie. Their debut EP What’s A Revolution Without Backup Dancers? showcases a group smart enough to nod to Emma Goldman and hungry enough to need you to notice. The follow-up is just as smart and voracious, but more assured. It’s full of jokes that aren’t quite jokes and moments of passion that can’t stop winking, all surrounded by lovely guitar noise that recalls “Marquee Moon” and whoever your favorite stunt noodler might be. The live versions of these songs are like the pimped rides of their recorded cousins, maintaining their dancy, jangly cool but injecting more rock than the records hint at. Experience this firsthand tonight at 8, at City Limits (19 NE 3rd Ave., Delray Beach, 561-279-8222). Tickets are a steal at $8. For a preview, swing by www.myspace.com/thejeanmarie.--Brandon K Thorp

Check them out in Miami elevator shooting a music video