J. Red (the nephew)

J. RED: Soul Certified (Soul Mop Music) Five Stars ***** Can't Miss. Pure Southern Soul Heaven.

I assumed SOUL CERTIFIED, the new J. Red album, one of two CD's the ambitious artist is releasing this January and the one your Daddy B. Nice was given to review, would have the "hits"--the J. Red songs, that is, that have become radio fodder for southern soul fans over the last couple of years--and it does.

However, it gets confusing if you bought the Step N Out CD or EP in late 2014. That collection of J. Red's top songs to date is reproduced almost exactly here, and in that case wouldn't rate five stars for those buyers. But "those buyers," I suspect, are few and far between. The majority of the potential audience is, I'd venture to say, like your Daddy B. Nice--completely or formerly unaware of this new-to-southern-soul singer/songwriter's artistic depth and mettle. Not to mention that SOUL CERTIFIED has 13 tracks (including one remix) to the former album's 8 tracks for the same ridiculously low, competing-with-a-trip-to-McDonald's price of $7.92.

First, in order of their chart appearances on this website, the three signature J. Red singles were: "Keep On Dancing" with Theodis Ealey (AUGUST 2013), which served as the "nephew's" (I don't think there's any reason he shouldn't drop that sobriquet) introduction to the southern soul audience. (J. Red had started in the urban/hiphop genre as early as his 2005 album What's Up. )

Then came ”If He Won’t, I Will”--Black Diamond featuring J. Red (APRIL 2014),--a Boyz 2 Men-like doowop anthem that also was a year-end contender for BEST COLLABORATION.

Around the same time, the mid-tempo rocker "Give It To Me" (which didn't chart here) came out and gained both land-radio and streaming success.

Last but not least, in JUNE 2015, (the #2 single), came the mid-tempo, everyman-stepping tune, "Step Out."

Your Daddy B. Nice has no hesitation in saying this is J. Red's best yet, with the groovy anthem-like quality that made Lomax's "Swing It" so special. And it's a line dance!

Listen to J. Red singing "Step Out" on YouTube.

I knew all those songs were good. What surprised me about SOUL CERTIFIED was the first-rate quality of the material I hadn't heard. Expecting the usual filler and throwaway items, I was pleasantly surprised by fully-developed, musically-interesting songs like "Love N On You" and the lascivious hym to "my sugar-coated, caramel freak," "My Good Thang."

"Forever And Ever" is a stately ballad (and plausible wedding/anniversary song) that can hold its own with the work of balladeers like Avail Hollywood, Lebrado or J'Wonn. Many of these tunes have accrued over a period of years, gracing singles or CD's in Red's past, such as "Ms. Grown & Sexy," which dates back to 2012 and which, according to his Facebook page, will be J. Red's upcoming single.

In some cases, as with the earlier-recorded "Let's Get Away," "Catch And Throw It Back" and "We'll Be All Right," J. Red's mainstream-urban r&b roots are more in evidence and his vocal talent accentuated with better production and refreshing, doowop-style harmonies.

J. Red evidently had a watershed concert in the DC area of Pomonkey, Maryland recently, billed as "The Heavy Hitters Of Soul" at Lamont's, a storied venue that has featured the likes of Roy C., Sir Jonathan Burton, Jim Bennett, Big G and Hardway Connection on a regular basis. J. Red appeared with Jeff Floyd and Hardway Connection and reportedly stole the show. One fan submitted multiple letters, and another--Skyy, a blogger at "Southern Soul Paradise,"--described the scene this way:

On stage, J. Red's a natural star; he knows how to captivate the audience and take over the stage. Even though we seemed to be in a place where a lot of people really weren’t familiar with southern soul, J. Red knew how to engage everyone and get people on the dance floor. He sang all of his hits and even taught us his line dance song, "Step Out." Here's a list of the songs he sang that night:

Outstanding
Never Too Much
Hole In The Wall
Give It To Me
Love On You
Let’s Get Away
Step Out
Ms. Grown & Sexy
Keep On Dancing
I Will
Good Thang


All but the first three are on SOUL CERTIFIED, which for regular readers of this page is for all intents and purposes a "distinguished four-star effort by a new southern soul artist"--a debut, in other words, because J. Red is new to us--and a debut taken to the next (higher) level.

Do the five stars mean J. Red's perfect? By no means. For the most part, J. Red still hasn't put together the two opposing sides of his style--one southern soul and the other mainstream. "Step Out," for instance, is southern soul, but the production is a little "thin" compared to Red's "urban" side. "I Will," on the other hand, with its crisp urban production and acapella harmonies, lacks the laid-back charisma and rootsy originality of southern soul. When J. Red succeeds at fully integrating the best of the two sounds, watch out.

--Daddy B. Nice - DADDY B NICE

International recording artist and new comer to the Southern Soul markets, J. Red (the nephew), has announced that he will be releasing his debut Single "My Good Thang" to be made available exclusively at www.jredmusic.com and digital retailers on April 19, 2013. An exclusive DJ remix of the single that features the Hip Hop styling of "BUBBIE" will be made available only at www.jredmusic.com.

"I have entered into the Southern Soul genre due to the fact that I can remain soulful and capture the mature crowd" says J. Red. "The commercialism and politics of R&B have cause independent artists like me to gravitate more to the Southern Soul and Steppers genres in order prevent the feeling of having to water down our vocal and musical talents".

J. Red (the nephew) grabbed the attention of Southern Soul and Blues lovers with his previous single "Let's Get Away" off his earlier EP "REAL". After having a warm welcome into his new found genre Southern Soul, J. Red (the nephew) dove right in head first and created this fresh new sound for Southern Soul. His forthcoming album "Straight From My Soul" is one of the genres most highly anticipated albums from it's new artists. This album project will feature vocal and musical contributions form heavy weight artists in the genre. "J. Red (the nephew) has the it factor and the capability to combine both Hip Hop, and R&B to his sound Southern Soul flavor....he calls it Southern Soul Swag". (Paul Andre "PD" Power 95.5 fm)

The debut single "My Good Thang" will definitely be the springboard for J. Red (the nephew) both nationally and internationally. He currently has a strong presence in the UK, Japan, and German, and distributors in these countries have expressed interest in purchasing units of J. Red (the nephew)'s forthcoming album "Straight From My Soul"which is set for a May 2013 release. Catch J. Red (the nephew) live in concert this year.....visit www.facebook.com/jredmusic to keep up with his latest updates. - SOUL MOP MUSIC GROUP

J. RED: Soul Certified (Soul Mop Music) Five Stars ***** Can't Miss. Pure Southern Soul Heaven.

I assumed SOUL CERTIFIED, the new J. Red album, one of two CD's the ambitious artist is releasing this January and the one your Daddy B. Nice was given to review, would have the "hits"--the J. Red songs, that is, that have become radio fodder for southern soul fans over the last couple of years--and it does.

However, it gets confusing if you bought the Step N Out CD or EP in late 2014. That collection of J. Red's top songs to date is reproduced almost exactly here, and in that case wouldn't rate five stars for those buyers. But "those buyers," I suspect, are few and far between. The majority of the potential audience is, I'd venture to say, like your Daddy B. Nice--completely or formerly unaware of this new-to-southern-soul singer/songwriter's artistic depth and mettle. Not to mention that SOUL CERTIFIED has 13 tracks (including one remix) to the former album's 8 tracks for the same ridiculously low, competing-with-a-trip-to-McDonald's price of $7.92.

First, in order of their chart appearances on this website, the three signature J. Red singles were: "Keep On Dancing" with Theodis Ealey (AUGUST 2013), which served as the "nephew's" (I don't think there's any reason he shouldn't drop that sobriquet) introduction to the southern soul audience. (J. Red had started in the urban/hiphop genre as early as his 2005 album What's Up. )

Then came ”If He Won’t, I Will”--Black Diamond featuring J. Red (APRIL 2014),--a Boyz 2 Men-like doowop anthem that also was a year-end contender for BEST COLLABORATION.

Around the same time, the mid-tempo rocker "Give It To Me" (which didn't chart here) came out and gained both land-radio and streaming success.

Last but not least, in JUNE 2015, (the #2 single), came the mid-tempo, everyman-stepping tune, "Step Out."

Your Daddy B. Nice has no hesitation in saying this is J. Red's best yet, with the groovy anthem-like quality that made Lomax's "Swing It" so special. And it's a line dance!

Listen to J. Red singing "Step Out" on YouTube.

I knew all those songs were good. What surprised me about SOUL CERTIFIED was the first-rate quality of the material I hadn't heard. Expecting the usual filler and throwaway items, I was pleasantly surprised by fully-developed, musically-interesting songs like "Love N On You" and the lascivious hym to "my sugar-coated, caramel freak," "My Good Thang."

"Forever And Ever" is a stately ballad (and plausible wedding/anniversary song) that can hold its own with the work of balladeers like Avail Hollywood, Lebrado or J'Wonn. Many of these tunes have accrued over a period of years, gracing singles or CD's in Red's past, such as "Ms. Grown & Sexy," which dates back to 2012 and which, according to his Facebook page, will be J. Red's upcoming single.

In some cases, as with the earlier-recorded "Let's Get Away," "Catch And Throw It Back" and "We'll Be All Right," J. Red's mainstream-urban r&b roots are more in evidence and his vocal talent accentuated with better production and refreshing, doowop-style harmonies.

J. Red evidently had a watershed concert in the DC area of Pomonkey, Maryland recently, billed as "The Heavy Hitters Of Soul" at Lamont's, a storied venue that has featured the likes of Roy C., Sir Jonathan Burton, Jim Bennett, Big G and Hardway Connection on a regular basis. J. Red appeared with Jeff Floyd and Hardway Connection and reportedly stole the show. One fan submitted multiple letters, and another--Skyy, a blogger at "Southern Soul Paradise,"--described the scene this way:

On stage, J. Red's a natural star; he knows how to captivate the audience and take over the stage. Even though we seemed to be in a place where a lot of people really weren’t familiar with southern soul, J. Red knew how to engage everyone and get people on the dance floor. He sang all of his hits and even taught us his line dance song, "Step Out." Here's a list of the songs he sang that night:

Outstanding
Never Too Much
Hole In The Wall
Give It To Me
Love On You
Let’s Get Away
Step Out
Ms. Grown & Sexy
Keep On Dancing
I Will
Good Thang


All but the first three are on SOUL CERTIFIED, which for regular readers of this page is for all intents and purposes a "distinguished four-star effort by a new southern soul artist"--a debut, in other words, because J. Red is new to us--and a debut taken to the next (higher) level.

Do the five stars mean J. Red's perfect? By no means. For the most part, J. Red still hasn't put together the two opposing sides of his style--one southern soul and the other mainstream. "Step Out," for instance, is southern soul, but the production is a little "thin" compared to Red's "urban" side. "I Will," on the other hand, with its crisp urban production and acapella harmonies, lacks the laid-back charisma and rootsy originality of southern soul. When J. Red succeeds at fully integrating the best of the two sounds, watch out.

--Daddy B. Nice - daddy b nice

Click the link below and listen to this hot interview..... - THE BASEMENT RADIO SHOW

Click the link below to listen to the live interview. - Jay Ril Show / Dec. 2012

Click the link below and listen to the audio files of this hot interview. J. Red explains the difference between R&B now and traditional R&B music. - the Onse Essence Radio Show/ Dec. 2012

click the link below and check out this interview of J. Red. - Independent Artists Magazine / Dec. 2012

click the link below to hear the audio files of the J. Red interview on the J Love show. - The J Love radio show / Dec. 2012

It is good sound. I like "Girl It's On" , "You Got Me Hooked", "Should'a Been Home"

- author: leone

Best Southern Soul/R & B Album



J-Red The Nephew & Friends "J-Red The Nephew & Friends"

This was an extremely close race. The top five albums were separated by less than a hundred votes out of 23,000 total. When the dust had settled J-Red was the winner with "J-Red & Friends" while "King Of Swing" Tucka'S "Working On A Feeling" was only 29 votes behind. Second runner-up was Sir Charles Jones' "The Masterpiece", missing out on the award by a paltry 33 votes! (Sir Charles won the 2014 Blues Critic Award in this category). Then with only 48 votes behind was Jeter Jones' "Dhis Him" and 51 votes behind was "Welcome To Da Boom Boom Room" from P2K Dadiddy. Other nominees: I'M DOIN' MY THANG Ms Jody, MY SOUTHERN SOUL Donnie Ray, CAUSE AND EFFECT NayCole, PARKING LOT LOVE AFFAIR OB Buchana, SOUTHERN SOUL MUSIC Corey Rudolph, I CAME TO PARTY Big Woo, ARTISTRY Snatch Nelson, MAGIC ONE Magic Show, GOOD WHISKEY Avail Hollywood, STROKE THE CAT Val McKnight, KITTY WHIPPED David Brinston, TOO FAR GONE Peggy Scott-Adams, LONELY TEARS Big G, MAKING LOVE TO YOUR MIND J-Wonn, FACTS OF LIFE Wilson Meadows, I MISS YOU Krishunda Echols, LET'S PARTY Lebrado - Blues Critic