Whitney Houston Prepares to Launch Her Comeback!!!!

We were so excited to see Whitney Houston at the BET Honors recently. No one in the game has had a career which matched the success of Whitney's. Every contemporary artist out has benefited from her groundbreaking success in some way.

Ne-Yo recently said that after working with Whitney on her latest project (expected to drop this Spring), he knew what a real voice sounds like. Clive Davis recently announced Whitney will be the headliner at his annual Pre-Grammy party in February. We are so glad to see her return.

Whitney has been in the game since 1984 and continues to command standing ovations anywhere she goes! You know you're a real legend when even the most famous contemporary stars (a la Beyonce, Rihanna, Usher, etc) are speechless.

Now that is star power.

Check out our favorite Whitney Houston song of all time, Why Does It Hurt So Bad (Live):

Fantasia Is The Gospel Truth!

This is a few days old, but we are still compelled to post it nonetheless.

Fantasia can sing. That's the gospel truth.

We may even go so far as to say that of this most recent generation, she could be the most powerful vocalist.

Check out her performance of one of our favorite songs, Somebody Loves You, from UNCF's tribute to Patti LaBelle:

Serena Williams Keeps On Winning!

We would like to congratulate Serena Williams for triumphantly winning her 10th Grand Slam Title at the Australian Open!

Serena Williams routed Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-3 Saturday to win the Australian Open for her 10th Grand Slam title and a return to the No. 1 ranking.

It was total domination for the second-seeded Williams, who looked at ease in winning back-to-back majors — she won the U.S. Open championship in September — and was moving fluidly on the court.

“I absolutely, clearly, love playing here,” the 27-year-old Williams said. “You guys root for me so much. I don’t get that everywhere. So thank you so much.”

Williams’ near-perfect performance was in sharp contrast to No. 3 Safina, who was tight from the start. Later apologizing to the crowd for her performance, Safina said Williams was just too good, leaving her feeling like a ballboy.

In the first game, Safina double-faulted three times, including on break point. Williams ran off 18 of the last 20 points in the first set to finish it in 22 minutes.

It was Williams’ second overwhelming victory in a final at Melbourne

Park, where she kept alive her record of winning in odd-numbered years since 2003 for four titles. Coming into the 2007 tournament unseeded after being plagued by injuries the year before, she beat top-seeded Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2.

As if one championship wasn't enough, Serena went on to also win the doubles title with her sister, Venus! It already feels good to be Black in 2009.

Go 'head Serena. Work!

Superbowl Memories

In anticipation of the Superbowl tomorrow, we wanted to spotlight some famous national anthem performances.

We have no doubt that Whitney Houston's version is still unmatched, and it will most likely remain the most memorable performance in American sports history. Yet in still, there were some very serious contenders found in Beyonce and Fantasia.

Jennifer Hudson's performance tomorrow should be spectacular. We fully trust that she will blow the song out of the park. Here are some clips of our favorite national anthem performances from over the years.

Whitney Houston

Beyonce

Mariah Carey

Fantasia

Destiny's Child

400 Years Later: We Present a New Look in the White House!

...We came, we saw, we conquered!
AT LAST!!!!

Presenting....

President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama!!!!

See Beyonce serenade The Obamas at their first dance for the Inaugural Ball last night:

Halle Berry Is On Fire in "Things We Lost..."

Okay. We are severely late in viewing this film. Nonetheless, we happened to see it this weekend in passing and became totally enthralled in the story line.

First and foremost, Halle Berry is an outstanding actress. We judge our favorites based on how well they act non-verbally. Berry certainly accomplishes this and more.

We recommend "Things We Lost In The Fire" to all of our readers. Pick up a copy of it, or watch it on HBO. Let us know what you think.

Happy Birthday Dr. King!

Today is the official birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

We are so indebted to his bravery and example.

Check out our favorite of Dr. King's speech/ On The Vietnam War:

Here is a moving version of our song - "We Shall Overcome"

"deep in my heart, I do believe..."

Wailing Wall: Alice Walker's Sister Dies...While Other Sisters Die In Israel

Alice Walker's newest article entitled "Sister Loss" is a testament to the power of blood. She gives insight to feelings which arose from the ashes of her sister's cremated body. Her grief is paralleled with the atrocities happening overseas in Israel. We quickly begin to make the connection that sisters can be much thicker than blood.

Here is a snippet of Alice Walker's "Sister Loss" on the Root:

My sister Annie Ruth Walker Hood died the morning of Dec. 27, 2008: Throughout the four days leading up to her death in Hospice, friends and I sat in ceremony, thousands of miles away, chanting, praying, meditating and speaking at times to her spirit and soul. It was a difficult transition for her; at the end, for us at least, there was a palpable feeling of release, of peace. We were close as children, but grew apart as the years turned into decades since we lived near each other, and our ways in the world proved very different. She didn’t believe in voting, for instance, which I found an affront to those who, voting even when their lives were endangered, made attempts year after year to change a system that kept her and others like her relatively poor, without health care, undereducated and largely ignorant of anything not seen in a flash on television.

Just last year she discovered, and believed, the earth was in trouble, running out of resources, and immediately decided to recycle her paper napkins and garbage bags. But voting, no. Seeing Earth as divine, rather than a fundamentalist religion that encourages passivity and “heaven” for a few thousand souls, no. So we disagreed.

The morning of her death my friends and I moved our circle from outside the house to the dining-room table. Holding hands we urged her to let go. I had written a poem for her, and letting go was its theme. During her cremation, we again sat in circle, just my partner and I this time, a two-person circle, and waited until my niece called from Atlanta, to tell us the machine had stopped and the cremation was done. No pun intended. But my sister would have enjoyed this, even if one were intended. Anything to do with cooking, eating, ovens and refrigerators aroused her interest; she loved to eat. This had, unfortunately, contributed to her ill health.

The 5 Greatest Female Vocalists of the Hip Hop Generation

"The Greatest" series is the newest addition to The Golden Machine.

We must say that compiling this Top-5 List was a difficult journey. We knew which artists we would spotlight, but struggled with ranking them. Each of them are classically important in their own right.

#1 Whitney Houston

Whitney is unequivocally the greatest voice of this generation. Her greatest addition to Black music is her unmatched vocal tone with fiery gospel strength. Although she crossed barriers by appealing to the widest possible array of people, her roots are clearly in Soul and R&B. She was first recipient of the BET Life Time Achievement Award and holds the Guinness Book of World Records title as the most awarded singer in the history of recorded sound. If there were a true queen, she would be it. Besides, everyone listed on this list has been indefinitly mentored by her nearly-perfect voice. Thankfully, her newest album will be dropping in March after a comeback performance at the annual Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Party next month. Her best work: "Why Does It Hurt So Bad", "You Give Good Love", "My Love Is Your Love", "The Greatest Love Of All", "I Learned From The Best", "I Believe In You And Me", "I'm Your Baby Tonight", "Jesus Loves Me", "It's Not Right But It's Okay".


#2 Mariah Carey

Not many singers can claim a career which stretches nearly 20 years (18 of which were spent at the top the charts). Mariah is a major voice in the Hip Hop Generation, seeing that she helped revolutionize Hip Hop Soul by collaborating with Ol' Dirty Bastad when many pop stars were separating themselves from Hip Hop. She embraced Jermane Dupri and Missy Elliott as producers for many of her chart-topping hits. Her best work: "Always Be My Baby", "We Belong Together", "Don't Forget About Us", "Can't Let Go", "Heartbreaker (Remix)", "The Roof", "Never Too Far", "Hero", "Jesus, Oh What A Wonderful Child", "Make It Happen".

#3 Faith Evans

We would assert that Faith is easily the greatest voice to emerge from the 1990s. Her work began long before her first album dropped in 1994. Faith was already established as a major songwriter for Al. B Sure and Mary J. Blige. In fact, Faith wrote songs on Mary's landmark "My Life" album. Yet in still, it is the presence of her voice on tracks by B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, Eric Benet, Whitney Houston, Eve and many others which pushed her further up the list. Her soul-heavy voice is still unmatched and her songs are Hip Hop Royalty. Her Best Work: "You Used To Love Me", "Never Let You Go", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Georgy Porgy", "Again", "I Love You", "One More Chance", "Love Like This", "Keep The Faith".

#4 Beyonce

If anyone were to be named the next biggest legend to follow in the path of Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, it would be Beyonce. Although she has only been on the music scene for nearly 15 years, she has already accomplished what many singers fail to in a lifetime. Beyonce is the first Black female songwriter to win an ASCAP award for Songwriter of the Year (Dangerously In Love). Kanye West recently named her as the "greatest performer of our generation". We agree. Her Best Work: "Flaws and All", "Resentment", "Deja Vu", "Dangerously In Love", "So Amazing", "At Last", "Crazy In Love", "Baby Boy", "Irreplaceable", "Listen", "If I Were A Boy", "Diva", "Smash Into You".


#5 Mary J. Blige

Mary is truly the Queen of Hip Hop Soul. She helped revolutionize a generation of song by laying her voice over traditionally Hip Hop beats. She was birthed from Hip Hop, surviving in the Brooklyn slums. Although her voice is cookie-cutter perfect, she gives the soul that has gotten this generation through nearly 20 years of heartbreaking events. Mary will always be the most imporant act in Hip Hop Soul. Her best work: "Seven Days", "Not Gon' Cry", "All That I Can Say", "Be Happy", "Love No Limit", "Everything", "No More Drama", "Rainy Dayz", "Enough Crying", "Growing Pains".

Honorable Mention:

Lauryn Hill
Amy Winehouse
Monica
Jill Scott
Erykah Badu
Toni Braxton
Brandy
Shanice
Tamia
Coko (SWV)
En Vogue
Kelly Price

Jennifer Hudson Comes Back To Us!

Be prepared to hear a stellar performance of the Star Spangled Banner from Jennifer Hudson at the 2009 Superbowl, February 1st.

We are so excited to hear her blow this song into the ocean! Although she is following big footsteps (i.e. Beyonce, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston), she will definitely be able to hold her own!

Erykah Badu Sends A Message To The Machine!

Erykah Badu has some thoughts for all of the readers at The Golden Machine:

any day now my new proje​ct arriv​es . nope - not new amery​kah pt 2 but new baby !! (​shout​ out to mothe​rs to be ) i can hardl​y move my hips are sooo stiff​ …( i look like a duck w/ long legs)​ meanw​hile im still​ worki​ng away on pt 2 . ( mind blowi​n)​ later​ than i antic​ipate​d , howev​er , but frsh all the same . these​ days i live in headp​hones​ while​ poppi​n b vitam​ins and rubbi​ng my belly​ down with shae butte​r ( plump​ and ripe)​ . im a damne​d perfe​ction​ist and my metho​d is kinda​ weird​ s0 the label​ just throw​s their​ hands​ up at me and banks

​ on somet​hin else lol. ( peace​ to sylvi​a rhone​ ). so any way , im back in the badud​io , ill pause​ for my home birth​ which​ is just in the next room so i promi​se it wont take too long . lol. (​valer​ian and chamo​mile are my best frien​ds ) been spend​ing my days on twitt​er throw​ing out rando​m thoug​hts as FATBE​LLYBE​LLA.​ plent​y of twitt​y milk to go round​ … i give thank​s today​ for your love , energ​y , respe​ct and feedb​ack . on behal​f of my entir​e famil​y from Edith​ funke​r , nedda​ stell​a ( band)​,​ soul quari​ans ,jay troni​c,​ contr​olfre​aq recor​ds , canab​inoid​s,​ b.​l.​i.​n.​d.​ , THE scien​tists​ ,and of cours​e NAYRO​CK “​HAPPY​ NEW YOU .” IF YOU BELIE​VE IT IT’S YOURS​ . TRUST​ . all my love , ebi breez​y aka fat belly​ bella​ aka loret​ta brown​ aka analo​gue girl aka annie​ aka manue​la mexic​o aka badui​zm pka e. badu.​.​.​.​.​ love and light​ !​!​!​!​!​!

Erykah's thinking is so intriguing. She definitely has a copy of our newest book. We are in heavy anticipation of the new album...

Here's some throwback Erykah from the Mama's Gun Album "Bag Lady":