SOUNDS: White girls can blow

Having a really insanely busy, stressful work week and music is the one thing getting me through it. In addition to playing Amy Winehouse on repeat, I've also been wearing out music by my friend Mira, another white girl with richly soulful vocal stylings. Her voice even has a similar timbre as Amy's, only Mira's music has more broken beat than jazz overtones, and her lyrics aren't nearly as depressing. Check out Mira's music here.

LIFE: We're on AOL!

We’re featured in a fashion story on AOL! The editors over there asked us to weigh in on Madonna’s various concert looks throughout the year. Click here to read it.

SOUNDS: Yes, one of those McFerrins

A friend invited me to see this guy named Taylor McFerrin perform the other night at Hiro. More producer than performer, he played keyboards and beat boxed to a soundtrack of his own original broken beat compositions. My friend kept freaking out over how cute he is. His music is good too. Turns out he's the son of Bobby McFerrin, which would explain the beat boxing. Here his music here.

PALETTE: Hair

When I received this Frederic Fekkai hair compact in the mail, I tossed it into my useless hair gimmicks pile. That was until Friday, when I decided not to go to my much beloved Dominican-owned hair haven in Harlem for my weekly roller set, in order to try out a slightly new, very pricey, salon in the Meatpacking District for a blowout. Mistake. After insisting that she worked well with black hair (lies, lies), the stylist proceeded to blow dry everything but my roots, effectively giving me a 'do that resembled those Troll dolls from the '80's (only with longer hair). Rather than waste any more time in her chair, I headed straight to the office to dig out the compact from the beauty closet so that I could slick my hair back into a ponytail. Never in all my years, did I think I would need hair grease on the go. But life is full of surprises.

LIFE: On our to-do list this weekend

New York
Saturday
Tropicalia: A Revolution in Brazilian Culture at Bronx Museum
Can’t afford the typical New Yorker’s getaway to Brazil? Get thee to a 4 train quick…the exhibit closes this Sunday.



LA
Sunday
Teedra Moses at B.B. King’s
The underrated siren will show why she’s more than a Raphael Saadiq protégé at B.B. King’s.



Miami
Friday
Rakim f/Kid Capri at Club Revolution
For the hip-hop head in all of us, legendary MC Rakim will anoint the mic while Kid Capri blesses the decks.

SOUNDS: Three reasons why I can’t stop listening to Amy Winehouse

1) Her alcohol and cigarettes-tinged voice is nuanced and richly soulful–- way, way more so than your average white soul singer. Let alone Jewish soul singer from London.

2) Her delivery sounds so, personal. When she rants at her lover for smoking all of her weed and trying to make her go to rehab, you believe she’s telling the truth: a) because she’s a notorious drunk and b) because she has that authentic, self-destructive jazz singer kind of vibe going. Not that we advocate that sort of thing at all. But you know, how we all loved My Life era Mary J. Blige when she was all tormented over K-Ci or JoJo or whomever? Like that. Amy is very Jewish Mary J. Blige/Billie Holiday. Only with a little too much liquid eyeliner.

3) Her embarrassingly honest lyrics. The candor reminds us of Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation.
Case in point: the following passage from the title track from her upcoming album, Back to Black, “You go back to her/And I go back to.../I go back to us/I love you much/It’s not enough/You love blow and I love puff.” Or the lines to Tears Dry On Their Own, “Even if I stop wanting you/A perspective pushes thru/I’ll be some next man’s other woman soon/I shouldn’t play myself again/I should just be my own friend.” And Wake Up Alone, “When I catch myself I do a 180/I stay up clean the house/At least I’m not drinking/Run around just so I don’t have to think about thinking.” It doesn’t sound nearly as depressing as it reads.

She's already Beyonce Knowles-status huge in the UK, but Amy’s album won’t hit stores in the States until March. In the meantime, you can get a preview of it here.

WARDROBE: On the cheap

Partnerships between high-end designers and mass-market, retail megastores seem to be about as common as celebrity clothing lines. Some work (L.A.M.B.), some not so much (Apple Bottoms). We're a little too excited about Proenza Schouler's upcoming spring line for Target, though. Mostly because the clothing seems to have a personality of its own, instead of just that of a cheaper version of an old collection. Here's a sneak peek at the goods that will go on sale in March. And for those of you who live in New York, Opening Ceremony, the downtown bastion of all things fashion forward, will be hosting a preview sale of the entire collection on February 1.

LIFE: On our to-do list this weekend

New York
Saturday
Ultra Naté
After 13 years of innovating electronic soul, veteran vocalist and Baltimore native Ultra Naté will perform at The Brecht Forum.


New York
Sunday
Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers
After watching him as Knockout Ned in “City of God,” and a singing crew member in “The Life Aquatic,” we always wished Seu Jorge would take on more film work. Now, we can watch him starring as an everyday New Yorker doing his ordinary nocturnal habits alongside Tilda Swinton, Donald Sutherland, Chan Marshall and Ryan Donowho for free in Doug Aitken’s public work at the Museum of Modern Art. It’s the first MoMA exhibit to happen on its facade.

LIFE: The New York Times is so lame for this

The New York Times reports that more women in America are single (51% specifically) than married. They go on to explain that women are becoming less dependent on men and the institution of marriage, which is all well and good. But they chose to illustrate the article with a photo of a woman playing with her cat, and an older, divorced, heavyset woman--basically, two stereotypes of the spinster. A woman and a cat? Really?

SOUNDS: If Our Life Had a Soundtrack

Scene 1: The camera rolls over a group of girls sitting around a table at a trendy sushi bar. It’s 5:30 pm on a Saturday. One of the girls fans her hand around showing off a fat engagement ring. Everyone “oohs” and “ahhs” over the new bling.

“Ride Around Shining” The Clipse


The climactic buildup: The group grows silent once the bride-to-be reveals a photo of the bridesmaid gowns they are to wear. It’s a fuchsia, satin concoction with lace trimming and white gloves. Oh the horror!

“This Must Be Hell” Horace Andy f. Headly Bennett



The resolution: The waitress comes over with a tray of piping hot green tea that spills all over the picture of the horrendous gown, reducing it to an inky, wilted mess. The girls try to hide their relief.

“Green Tea Power” Flyamsam

LIFE: On our to-do list this week

New York
Friday
Wunmi
Wunmi performs at BAM café this Friday. The afro-broken beat group is led by female vocalist and namesake, Wunmi who was the braided dancer doing her thing in the Soul II Soul video “Back To Life.” If you haven’t been blessed by their sound yet, listen to this. www.bam.org

Chicago
Friday
Kerri Chandler
DJ/Producer extraordinaire Kerri Chandler will house your body all night long at Ohm. (773) 278-5138

Miami
Saturday
Pato Banton & the Mystic Roots Band at Culture Room
Originally from the UK, Pato Banton put the name “Banton” on the scene before Buju. His sound is oldies ska á la Eddy Grant with a little more of a ganja influence. www.miami.flavorpill.net/event/view/467

New York
Sunday
Looking For Martin f. Kevin Powell
Community mover and shaker of our generation, Kevin Powell, is on the roster with a host of others at the Brooklyn Museum. Celebrate MLK day the right way. http://www.wnyc.org/events/71599

New York
Sunday
Body & Soul
Attention House devotees. Joe Claussell, François K. & Danny Krivit this Sunday at Pacha. Need I say more? (Don’t expect the usual crowd.) www.pachanyc.com

TRENDS: Mickalene Thomas

The first time I encountered Mickalene Thomas’ artwork was at the Art Basel fair in Miami last month. Wandering through a maze of works by iconic names like Pablo Picasso, established ones such as Takashi Murakami, and newer artists like Tauba Auerbach, her works grabbed me. Staring at the fleshy, sometimes angry, other moments impassive and other instances playful women felt like gazing into a fire. I wasn’t quite sure why I was so transfixed. On the surface the enamel paintings embellished with rhinestones and Swarovski crystals were simply shiny and pretty to look at with vivid red, yellow and green hues. But underneath, these women seemed to possess a level of comfort within their own skin not unlike that of vintage burlesque performers who used their extra weight as a source of sexual desire instead of embarrassment and insecurity. In an interview, Thomas, who lives in Brooklyn, said she began painting her portraits of these women in an art therapy class that she enrolled in to explore some deep family issues. The inner conflict led her to create these portraits of sexually fierce women that straddle the line between being campy and poignant, frightening and welcoming. Granted the idea of owning one’s sexuality is not a new one, but her treatment of it seems incredibly engaging and fresh.

WARDROBE: On our wish list

We first found out about Cheyenne Morris at the Phillip Lim show back in September, when we were salivating over the modern suede cobalt heels she designed to accompany his spring 2007 collection. Now, we’re quietly obsessing over the School of Visual Arts graduate’s wool ballet slipper flats for her line, Tashkent by Cheyenne. They look like the painful pointe shoes we used to wear during our "bunhead" days as a classical dancer, only the fur lining makes them feel like socks–an amazing feat for shoes with a metal toe.

LIFE: Guilty Pleasures

1) Other blogs like the Sartorialist's nuanced style coverage (www.sartorialist.com); Young, Black and Fabulous' campy commentary (www.ybf.blogspot.com); and TMZ's damning videos (www.tmz.com).

2) Lemonheads candy

3) VH1's "Best Week Ever"

4) Red Lobster cheese biscuits

5) Sophomoric Justin Timberlake "Saturday Night Live" skits on YouTube.

PALETTE: Hair (somewhere a horse wants its tail back)

We love our singing divas, but are exhausted by the carbon copy wigs and extensions we've been seeing on television lately. And is it just us, or are they becoming increasingly bigger and longer? Must every female recording artist's head look like Barbie? What happened to having fun with a great cut? Why not experiment with layers and texture? It's anything but exciting.


Inspired hair:




















Not so inspired hair:

WARDROBE: Because global warming is real

Considering that we've killed off winter, I'm taking off the fur and pulling out my spring wardrobe a few months early, like this whimsical, ecru top (Paul & Joe, $375, www.netaporter.com). I figured if the temperatures drop below 45 degrees, I can always wear a turtleneck under it.

INSPIRATION: I wish I'd written that

"Kiki - whom Howard had once, twenty-eight years ago, thrown over his shoulder like a light roll of carpet, to be laid down, and laid upon, in their first house for the first time - was nowadays a solid two hundred and fifty pounds, and looked twenty years his junior."
From "On Beauty," by Zadie Smith

"I do not believe that when the characteristic art and literature of a country is active and fresh I do not think that country is in its decline. There is no pulse so sure of the state of the nation as its characteristic art product which has nothing to do with its material life. And so when hats in Paris are lovely and french and everywhere then France is alright."
From "Paris France" by Gertrude Stein

"Now 'happy' is something extremely subjective. One of our sillier Zemblan proverbs says: the lost glove is happy."
From "Pale Fire," by Vladimir Nabokov

LIFE: On our to-do list this week

New York
Saturday
Afrokinetic Brooklyn Bridges
Channel the orishas to the beat of DJ Chris Annibell’s afro-infused rhythms at this bi-monthly dance party.




New York
Sunday
Leaving this Planet
Rich Medina and Bobbito Garcia man the ship to another galaxy at this monthly event spinning rare soul, hip hop, and afrobeat. Wallflowers steer clear.



Los Angeles
Sunday
M1 of Dead Prez
Redefining the meaning of underground, you'd be hard-pressed to hear Dead Prez on the radio. Fortunately, M1 will rise to the surface at B.B. King’s.

SOUNDS: If Our Life Had A Soundtrack

The opening scene (camera zooms in on the protagonist looking out of a sunlit window on a bus. It’s noon in Harlem on a Saturday, her day off, and she’s daydreaming about the guy she’s about to meet up with. The bus comes to a stop.)
“Daydreamin,’” by Kurtis Blow (Click on song titles to listen)

The buildup (she’s walking down St. Marks Place and spots him on the corner with another girl, his hand resting on her lower back.)
“Girlfriend,” by Alicia Keys


The resolution (camera cuts to a close-up of the protagonist’s mouth as she prepares to curse him out in disgust. He instantly greets her with a kiss on her tight lips, then introduces her to his ‘little cousin.’)
“It’s Alright,” by ESG