Customer Reviews

Musichound R&B: The Essential Album Guide

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Johnny Mathis wasn't born in San Francisco..he was born in Gilmer, Texas. He was introduced to George Avakian at Ann's nightclub in San Francisco by his manager Helen Noga, not singing the National Anthem at a track meet! And as far as millionaire status...try his predecessor, Nat King Cole! How about employing some fact checking before publication! There are more RELIABLE sources than this for biographical material concerning Mathis. If the authors screwed up this badly for Johnny Mathis, who knows how accurate their entries are for the rest of the artists!

As the information can be helpful or insightful to one, it is also a discredit to the artist. Far too much of this information is inaccurate. While there may be some truth to one statement, the next line may be totally off base. Hopefully many of these blunders will be corrected in the next edition.

I liken this book to a Chinese meal - as much as you enjoy it and feel you're full, you always feel empty soon after. While I appreciate the enormity of this project and how subjective the meaning of R&B is, I find many glaring omissions and some very strange inclusions. e.g. No mention of the Soul Children, Jerry Williams Jr. (aka Swamp Dogg), Paul Kelly, Sam Dees, Bunny Sigler, Leon Ware and Phil Perry (to name but a few). I fail to see how David Bowie can be classfied as an R&B artist, or the Spice Girls (even though I'm a Brit!). I would like to see more specialist soul artists included and the book streamlined to be more R&B and a lot less pop. However, I still find it hard to put down!

Why don't these books shell out a few books and have them fact checked by experts like me? Or get better writers because the people who put these books together don't seem to know the correct facts (they obviously cribbed them from other incorrect books).

Not only are the authors spot on the ball with their assessments- give or take a few friendly debates- they are also passionate about the subject.
This results in the most helpful comprehensive music guide book I have seen- and I buy them all!

Best features:the picks of the best album to buy,the next best,the ones to avoid(thanks for that!)and what is worth hunting for.

Also brilliant is the wide spectrum of artists featured from Three Times Dope to Ella Fitzgerald to Sham the Sham!

A must buy for music fans. Nigel Horrocks

Always wanted a book like this for R&B/soul. I like the fact that the authors shot wide and included people like Duke Ellington, Simply Red, and Boz Scaggs. Lots of current rap/hip-hop folks, too. If you buy any R&B/funk/soul/rap music, this book could save you A LOT of cash. All for the price of a couple of CDs. Highly recommended.

While it could've covered a bit more rap and hip-hop, overall the coverage is very good. Best R&B/soul/funk/rap/hip-hop guide I've seen. Another winner in the from the Hound people.

This is the book I've been searching for for the last 15 years. Why did it take so long for someone to do a book like this?! A buyer's guide to the wonderful world of R&B, including rap. Who could ask for anything more? This book is phat! The CD that comes with it is also fine. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes music.