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Dream, 2015

Where does Stoneโ€™s seventh album Dream fall in the ranks? Itโ€™s another well-rounded effort as to be expected that likely canโ€™t change the narrative of Stoneโ€™s career, but shows her perseverance in spite of this. For true fans who admire Stoneโ€™s tremendous musicianship like myself, when I received my copy of Dream I was ecstatic โ€“ โ€œAfter three years a new Angie Stone album!โ€

Unfortunately, in a time where R&B as a whole has cooled almost to glacial proportions, others donโ€™t express that same elation. Even so, Stone has accepted her lot in the music biz and hasnโ€™t allowed it to inhibit her from doing what she loves. 2015โ€™s Dream is a perfect example of that. Sheโ€™s never received her just due โ€“ her albums and songs rise above their modest performance โ€“ but Stone is undoubtedly one of the most soulful artists ever. As Randy Jackson once said on American Idol โ€“ maybe more than once actually, โ€œwhen you got it, you just got it,โ€ 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.