Nakia • Drown In The Crimson Tide

My autographed cover of 'Drown In The Crimson Tide'.

I am proud to say I was a fan of Nakia's music before he made it on to Team Cee Lo in the inaugural season of 'The Voice'. I loved the soulful Rock, so enriched by the Blues, both on his EP 'Playing The Cards' and the full album 'Water To Wine'. I cheered him on the show, hearing him take on Pop songs under the direction of Green. While I was a bit disappointed he fell just shy of the finals, I was also excited to see where this journey would take him, and what music he would be making. Well, in March my wait was over, and he released a new EP, 'Drown In The Crimson Tide'. I am totally in love with the six-song collection, where Nakia returns to his roots of rocked out soul music. Somehow, Nakia manages to combine the sound of James Brown with Stevie Ray Vaughan, yet still sound fresh and crisp. Now I have a strong affinity for the Southern Rock sound, with a youth filled with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers, and it still appeals to me today. 'Drown In The Crimson Tide' opens with "Tight", a song written by Nakia and Chris Seefried. In fact, Nakia had a hand in all the songs on the album, and you can tell they are close to his heart. Check out the music video for "Tight".

The minute "Make Up With A Gun" kicked in, I felt that 1960s soul feel, and knew I'd love this one. Written by Nakia and Aris Archontis, it brings Amy Winehouse to mind, the way Nakia sounds totally immersed in song and the period. So much so, I really expected to hear the late Sonny Bono on the chorus. On "Dream Big", there us a sultry heat generated that cannot be denied. The song speaks to all our aspirations, captured perfectly by Nakia and Bleu. This ballad share's what sounds like Nakia's journey, with a slow and burning passion. With the riving percussion, bold guitars, and jingling pianos, "Pieces And Castles" once more reminds me of the best of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Nakia gets bold on the song, at times making his vocals become another instrument to engulf you in the blues Rock. This track was written by Nakia and Barry Goldberg. Once gain, Nakia slows to the sound a bit, letting the blues take over for the Rock. "When I Found You" showcases the wonderful textures to Nakia's voice. The song written by Nakia and Barry Goldberg also allows the singer to open his heart to those listening. The final 45 seconds is just golden to me. The final track on the EP was written by Nakia and Brian West, and "Walking On A Slant" returns the Rock to center stage, giving us a cocktail of rock and party! Check out this clip of Nakia performing the song live in Austin, Texas.

As I said earlier, this is music that really connects to my heart, as well as my memory. If you enjoy it, you should add this EP to your collection. You can purchase 'Drown In The Crimson Tide' on iTunes and Amazon. For more about Nakia, visit his official website where you can listen to some great music and join his mailing list. You can also 'like' him on Facebook, and 'follow' him on Twitter. Now if I could only get the opportunity to hear him playing this live!

Nakia • Tight

Nakia might be best known as being one of the very talented contestants on the first season of 'The Voice', which set the bar for the show being so very gay-friendly. But I will admit to having been aware of his music before the show, having already included his album 'Water To Wine' and his EP 'Playing The Cards' in my collection. I was excited to see him on the show, and out and proud gay man who never seemed to be constrained by the producers. The Austin, Texas-based singer not only made it through the auditions, he went to the semi-finals as a part of Team Cee-Lo. He lost to Vicci Martinez, one of the two lesbians who made it to the finals. It was just announced that Nakia is readying an EP, 'Drown In The Crimson Tide', for release on March 5, 2013. To get an idea of his music, he has also released the first music video from the EP, for the song "Tight". The song combines Pop with a bit of Rock and a serving of the Blues.

I love the way the video combines the live feel with the recording process. I feel like I was a part of the process! "Tight" was written by Nakia and Chris Seefried. For more about Nakia, visit his official website. While there, you can also join his mailing list. You can also 'like' him on Facebook, and 'follow' him on Twitter. To check out his music, you can find it on iTunes and on Amazon. And I am sure after March 5th, you will find the 'Drown In The Crimson Tide' there as well. You can also pre-order the EP through Nakia's PledgeMusic page, and you will get a copy of the music before the official release date! I know I did!

Photograph from a recent show - I love it!

The Voice On Tour

Didn't get enough of The Voice? Wanting to cheer for your favorite live and in person? Maybe get a chance to get an autograph, or tell one or more how much they meant to you? You might just get that chance, as the producers of The Voice have announced a tour of the Top 8 contestants. So far, I think there are six stops scheduled.

July 27th - Gibson Amphitheatre (Los Angeles, CA)
July 30th - MGM Grand Garden Arena (Las Vegas, NV)
Aug 2nd - Rosemont Theatre (Chicago, IL)
Aug 4th - Bank of America Pavilion (Boston, MA)
Aug 5th - Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre (Wallingford, CT)
Aug 6th - Beacon Theatre (New York, NY)

So far, all the reports have been clear that the coaches will not be part of the tour. You can get tickets for the show nearest you by clicking here.

Finalists Announced for The Voice

Top: Nakia, Frenchie Davis, Casey Weston & Xenia. Bottom: Vicci Martinez, Beverly McClellan, Javier Colon & Dia Frampton.

Tonight we have the first elimination episode for The Voice, an episode completely devoted to sending some contestants home, and selling commercial advertising time. Last night, I thought the contestants making it through to the finals would be Vicci Martinez, Beverly McClellan, Xenia and Javier Colon. I will stick by that, but have less faith in it now that I have had time to think it through. Honestly, it is a toss up between Xenia and Dia Frampton, and you never know who the American voters will be voting for, as American Idol has shown us on repeated occasions. Last night was a very good show, I will say that. There was no clunker of a performance, no real melt-down. In fact, several people stepped up their game.

After a speech by the President of the United States, we had Carson introducing the contestants, all eight who made it into the Top 100 on iTunes last night. They then came out to sing a mash of of two of George Michael's wonderful songs, Faith and Freedom '90.





The first team to announce which member will be in the finals is Team CeeLo. Will it be powerhouse Vicci that will represent the team, or will it be bluesy Nakia? Tehy start out with a sweet moment between Nakia and his boyfriend. There is also a moment for Vicci to talk about her late father. Cee Lo even wrote a poem for his team. He diided his points 52-49 for Nakia. With America's score added in, Vicci will be moving on, and Nakia will be going home. She scored big with America, to be sure. She had an amazing performance last night. When we return from a commercial break, Cee Lo has no time to rest, as he is performing his latest single, Bright Lights Bigger City.



The song was great fun, the wig he was wearing, well, maybe a bit less fun. First we learn that Gym Class Heroes were rehearsing nearby, and so Adam sang their song together, Stereo Hearts, just to show off a bit for his team. Then we are back to find out if it will be frontrunner Javier, or will sweet Casey pull another upset. Once again, Carson tries to drain every last tear out of the situation, when speaking to Casey and Javier. Adam's scores are 65-35 for Javier, and explains he needs to give Javier the chance because of his age. Rather bold of Adam, I must say. But it makes it obvious, and Javier takes America's vote as well. Here is Adam's song with Gym Class Heroes.



Next up Blake takes Dia and Xenia with him on the road, and they perform on Honey Bee with him. He introduces them to Brad Paisley, and gave them each a guitar. But soon they are back, and they are on stage to talk about the experience. Both are grateful to Blake, they just love him. Blake divided up his points 50-50. He loves them both. It is up to America. When we come back from the break, we learn that Dia wins by just 12 points.

Finally, it is tome for Team Christina. Will bold Beverly once again capture the vote, or will Frenchie prove to be as powerful as her vocals. Last night, Christina divided her points up 50-50, dead even. She is leaving it in America's hands. After yet another break, we find out Beverly is going to represent Team Christina. The final four are on stage, and are joined by the coaches. Next week, they will compete for the win.

Christina Aguilera & Ricky Martin Duet

As a reminder to watch the latest episode of The Voice tonight, I thought I would post when Coach Christina Aquilera sang a really beautiful duet with Ricky Martin in 2001, just ten years ago.



So much has changed since then. Today, Ricky is practically the poster-boy for gay men, while Christina is now a working single mother, putting in her time in the swivel-chair on NBC's The Voice. Don't forget to tune into the show tonight at the new time, 10PM/9PM Central on your NBC station. This evening, one of the Battle Round 'fights' features a favorite of mine, Nakia, up against the adorable Tje Austin, so be sure to get ready to cheer them on their best!

Christmas Music - Nakia & Free Download

I found out about Nakia from my Tweet-Buddy, @larrybobSF, and plan on posting about his music soon. But since it 'tis the season and all that, I thought I would feature a bit of his Christmas music. First, the Texas rocker is featured singing I'll Be Home For Christmas.



Next up is a song he wrote, Remember This Christmas. If you like the song - and I certainly do - you can download it for free at his website here.



I will be posting more about Nakia soon, but you can find more about him at his official website here.