On Friday June 22nd I was blessed to host a listening party with my favorite blogger and music critic extraordinaire, Jalylah Burrell.  The theme that Jalylah and I decided for the evening's discussion was "blue eyed soul."  This theme fit neatly with my meditations on Teena Marie in the chapter on "Portuguese Love," and Jalylah's recent work on the new crop of b.e.s. artists Justin Timberlake and chanteuse au current, Amy Winehouse. 

This listening party was held at Smooch Organic Cafe in fort greene brooklyn (yes, I do have events outside of brooklyn).  The discussion was very animated as we went from discussing Winehouse to the notable black women artists whose work she finds herself being compared to, most notably Lauryn Hill.  As music critic Oliver Wang noted in March: "she's a Jewish, British gal gifted with a voice that's part of the Billie Holiday/Erykah Badu/Lauryn Hill/Madeline Peryoux school of bourboned warmth and rasp, who was a jazz torch singer last album and has, for Back To Black, reinvented herself into a Stax/Motown era song slinger."

 Once we got to talking about Lauryn it was clear to see that people were beginning to open up.  From Lauryn we went on to Erykah Badu, to recollections of Patti Labelle, before making our way over the fellas, namely D'Angelo and the Voodoo that so many of us clamor for him to still do. 

Jalylah is such a generous facilitator and I hope to be able to return the favor when her book drops in the not too distant future.  She helped guide the conversation from the personal to the poltical, from immediate memories to the immediate present, and creating a space in which we can laugh, share openly and think critically.