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Dream, 2015

Where does Stone’s seventh album Dream fall in the ranks? It’s another well-rounded effort as to be expected that likely can’t change the narrative of Stone’s career, but shows her perseverance in spite of this. For true fans who admire Stone’s tremendous musicianship like myself, when I received my copy of Dream I was ecstatic – “After three years a new Angie Stone album!”

Unfortunately, in a time where R&B as a whole has cooled almost to glacial proportions, others don’t express that same elation. Even so, Stone has accepted her lot in the music biz and hasn’t allowed it to inhibit her from doing what she loves. 2015’s Dream is a perfect example of that. She’s never received her just due – her albums and songs rise above their modest performance – but Stone is undoubtedly one of the most soulful artists ever. As Randy Jackson once said on American Idol – maybe more than once actually, “when you got it, you just got it,” and Stone has it regardless of the RIAA or Billboard charts.

https://open.spotify.com/user/12720086/playlist/4ppuF7ka4GAvJOQW9DWVrq

Photo Credit: Shanachie

the musical hype

the musical hype (Brent Faulkner) has earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music (music education, music theory/composition respectively). A multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, trombone, and organ among numerous other instruments. He's a certified music educator, composer, and freelance music blogger. Faulkner cites music and writing as two of the most important parts of his life. Notably, he's blessed with a great ear, possessing perfect pitch.