England born singer Corinne Bailey Rae is making her way in this musical world of manufactured groups and singers.

With veteran artists like Nora Jones, Nelly Furtado and Joss Stone, who are already commanding a huge audience, how will the song writer / guitarist from across the ocean, keep her head above water?

Her self titled debut album has already spawned two singles "Trouble Sleeping" and the playful, hit single "Put Your Records On", which has listeners buzzing both overseas and here in the states. Corinne herself describes her sound as soulful, though at first listen, her sound is more earthy and organic than simply soulful. When you think soul, most think of the original "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin or Mary J. Blige, Angie Stone, Jill Scott, but here's what distinguishes Corinne Bailey Rae from the rest of the typical soul singer (not that the singer mentioned above are "run of mill"). Her cutesy, raspy voice is soothing to the ear, yet bares just enough soul to compete with today’s heavy hittin' soul singers.

Song writing is top notch and Corinne's guitar playing demands to be heard. Corinne Bailey Rae's album is not heavily reliant on synthesized sounds, nor is it concerned with computerized instrumentation, and because of that, the album is simply clean sounding and has some breathing room to it. This album is an essential part of the ever-changing scene of music today. And Corinne Bailey Rae will help shape the way we think about soul music for the coming years. A much needed album these days.

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CORINNE IN CONCERT (added August 1, 2006)

Corinne takes her audience to church in a live concert performance at Bimbo's 365 club in San Francisco on Thursday, July 27, 2006.

Two opening acts started out the evening, stoking up the crowd who wait in anticipation for Corinne Bailey Rae to appear. They finish with a somewhat warm response from listeners. Nearly an hour passed. And like in some foggy dream, Corinne enters a smoke glazed stage. Immediately she has the audience in her spell. She begins the set with one of her hit singles "Trouble Sleeping", and fans follow suit singing along with her. She has them right where she wants them. The crowd shouts "we love you Corrine" as she smiles and laughs a little, responding to them "I love you too".

Still commanding the stage and her audience, Corinne goes on to play her hit single "Put Your Records On". The entire club moved their bodies to the soulful sounds. You could literally feel what she was singing; you couldn't help but feel the rhythms. Corinne Bailey Rae doesn't speak much, but with some sweet giggles, she is able to explain the inspiration behind her music and the meaning of her songs. Then she expresses her love for San Francisco.

Several songs in, and the concert is coming to a close. Corinne plays her last song, or so we thought. She exits the stage with grace, but the crowd wasn't letting her go. They began to chant, shout and clap for an encore. A few minutes later the band returns to the stage. Corinne plays her last and most haunting song also the last song on her album "Seasons Change". Corinne leaves her fans in awe. She gives a wonderful performance. It's not to be missed.

Christina Aguilera has far surpassed her counterparts like Britney Spears, Mandy Moore, and Jessica Simpson, and her voice is far superior. Additionally, she's pretty damn sexy as well. Her new single "Ain't No Other Man" is a far cry from "Genie in a Bottle". "Ain't No Other Man" will have a significant impact on the slumping pop queen category and will by far cause the rest to go back to the drawing board.

Teaming up with high profile producers D.J. Premier and Charles Roane, these two and Christina have produced a track that's vast becoming the hottest thing around and the album hasn't even been released yet. Working with D.J. Premier was a choice of Christina's, this is because of his influence on the hip-hop world, producing hits for artists like Notorious B.I.G., Gang Starr, Nas, KRS-One, and the list goes on. Both Christina and D.J. Premier have a love for early jazz, soul and the blues, from the 20's 30's and 40's, and they've applied these forms to her new album, with no title at this moment. (The CD is due to be released late summer early fall).

Mixing hip-hop and jazz just as D.J. Premier with the previous artists mentioned above, their chemistry is fantastic and the two have provided the pop music genre with something to reckon with. Look for the album this fall.

("Sidewalks" Executive Producer Note: Christina Aguilera's video for "Ain't No Other Man" can be seen on "Sidewalks: Video Nite" episode VN#442 ("TGK"))

Yessurr !!

They call him Skateboard P. a.k.a Pharrell Williams (one half of the Neptunes) producer extraordinaire and his solo album "In My Mind" is slick as snot. Pharrell rhymes so vividly over his trademark beats, but those beats are not your typical Neptunes beats. Pharrell has really branched out here, sounding fresher than ever, distinguishing himself from the artists he produces, such as his partner in crime Chad Hugo, his N.E.R.D projects, and the rest of the everyday rapper you hear on the radio.

There's not a track on the "In My Mind" that will cause you to press the skip button. Thus making this album one of the most original rap/R&B albums since Run D.M.C.'s "Walk This Way" featuring Aerosmith. Skateboard P. comes out smelling like a rose on this one, not recycling any of his tracks or beats. Oh!!! Did I mention the all-star cast Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Pusha T? The list goes on. Whatcha still sittin' there for.... go get the album.