Album review: Jody Watley, "Flower"

i’ve been a fan of jody watley since my youth, when this amazing artist first struck out on her solo career from the popular, shalamar. my mom, my aunt, even my regular babysitter were all fans of watley which ensured that I kept up with her career through the ‘90s. But somehow, I never discovered watley’s album, “flower”, so imagine how surprised I was when I found it on itunes! After some digging i found that the album was meant to be a comeback for jody watley, but problems with the label prevented a states-side release and prompting watley to almost decide on a musical retirement! After getting the album downloaded onto my ipod, i can understand watley’s frustration – this is an AWESOME album.

i received this album at a perfect time in my life as i was just separating from my partner of three years and for the first time in a LONG time, striking out on my own. “flower” is almost an echo of my own personal journey from start to finish as watley soulfully sings of love, passion, unfortunate breakup, but later emancipation, and inner strength. the ballad, ‘just one more time’, is ripe with such strong emotion and beauty that I thought I would cry at first listen, and – whitney who? ‘if i’m not in love’ is yet another powerful love song to add to the lengthy list owned by jody watley. watley doesn’t shy away from her dance roots either, ‘off the hook’, and ‘baby tonight’, are sexy tunes one can’t help but want to get down to!

i’m VERY pleased i now own this album and what’s more, that watley continues to produce quality music to this day. “flower” is a definite step between jody’s “intimacy” of 1993 and 2001’s “saturday night experience” -- highlighting the evolution of this inspiring artist. It’s been several weeks since I first obtained, “flower”, and i continue to play the album on regular basis for whatever mood I may be in. it’s THAT good.

five out of five stars.

Album review: Jody Watley, "Intimacy"

i vaguely remember listening to this album in my youth – i think it was a CD owned by my babysitter, mary, who fueled my love of jody watley. not owning it personally now as an adult has always tugged at me since i lovingly own all of jody watley’s more current material. so finally, early one Saturday morning, i downloaded it from itunes. i instantly remembered two of the tracks through their music videos that had aired on tv, two classics of the ‘90s from my childhood, ‘when a man loves a woman’ and ‘your love keeps working on me’. i didn’t realize it at the age of nine or ten, but ‘when a man loves a woman’ is powerful poetry with a heartfelt message from watley herself to all men and women. I applaud the artist’s unique approach with this song in an era full of violence and obnoxious decadence. “intimacy” is slightly dated with its house club beats, but for the most part, this record is a sexy and playfully soulful journey from start to finish. the ten tracks were perfect for my leisurely saturday morning at my pool and will work for a more romantic setting some evening with a special someone.

three and a half out of five stars.

Album review: Kylie Minogue, "Aphrodite"

i’ve been anticipating kylie minogue’s new album for some time, ever since it was announced several months back. kylie made me a pop princess years ago with her debut album, “kylie”, and I’ve been a long-time fan ever since. minogue explained that “aphrodite” would be a full return to her pop/dance roots that have made her so famous. i found this an odd comment, because her last album, “x”, was more or less the same. although there’s a definite distinct disco flavor to her latest work, it’s fun and happy, much like the persona of the celebrity that kylie minogue portrays. i like it, but it’s all too much of the same – a little too routine – all one flavor. And some of the songs like, ‘closer’ and ‘looking for an angel’ seem very much like filler between more noticeable songs like ‘get outta my way’, ‘aphrodite’, ‘cupid boy’, and ‘can’t beat the feeling’. ultimately there’s more to like than not, so i’m pleased with “aphrodite” as a whole and will forever relate the summer of 2010 with it for giving me constant opportunities to dance!

four out of five stars.

EDIT: Album review: Kelis, "Flesh Tone"

the hard and infectious beats of kelis' first single 'aceppella' and the poetic lyrics over poppin' music of, '4th of july', hooked me and i knew i had to purchase the artist's album, flesh tone. looking at the track list with a three minute intro and multiple segues between songs, i was looking forward to quite the experience. unfortunately i was almost immediately disappointed upon first listen. "almost" being my key word, because there are a few tracks that i enjoy, but ultimately the album will remain a forgettable list of electronic dance songs on my iPod. i enjoyed following kelis' journey of self discovery and independence through her music of being a single woman and a new mother. 'brave', being the most dynamic track, is a song co-written by the singer and produced by benny benassi and will.i.am. songs like '22nd century' and 'scream' are fun, but not quite as dynamic as i was hoping. while these songs will remain on constant replay in the upcoming weeks on various personal mixes for the end of the summer, i'm finding fewer words to describe the album as a whole. there just isn't enough diversity to go further into detail about, flesh tone.

three and a half out of five stars.

Summer art 2010

i've begun to upload some pictures taken of artwork created by my summer campers of the worcester jewish community center. i've been incredibly impressed by the creativity of each individual and their eagerness to learn. it's been hard work, but a great summer! the final piece you see is a "memory book" dedication to me as, "the best art teacher ever!!" with a detailed drawing of my favorite super heroine, wonder woman!

The evolution of my painting process

recently it seems friends have grown more curious to the evolution of my paintings. unfortunately, there's no easy way to explain as every painting's origin is different. i've promised to document the creation of my next piece in more detail, but for now you can see the formation of my oil painting on canvas "My Real" which was on display at the worcester art museum the winter of 2009. i'm not normally a still life artist (i prefer the human form in one fashion or another), but this was an attempt at getting back to form (well, sort of, obviously i added my abstract twist). i was successful in some aspects and ultimately failed in others. one never stops learning. what's not shown are the original painting and photographs of the pieces i used for reference. in the future i'll post a strict still life painting i did using the actual objects. i'm sure you'll see a difference between the two.

The 2011 BET awards jody watley campaign

the BET awards ceremony has long-time been a remarkable annual event that highlights african americans and other minorities in various fields of entertainment, particularly music. a campaign has begun to showcase the career of longtime performer, jody watley. read my letter to BET below,

The 2011 BET Awards Jody Watley Campaign has begun and I fervently hope you consider this growing group of Watley fans' single request to spotlight the talent of Ms. Watley!

I became a fan of Jody in the late '80s after she had already started as a solo artist and have continued to follow the amazing artist's career as a Grammy winning entertainer and entrepreneur of her own independent label, Avitone Recordings. Through her inspirational music, ground breaking music videos, her dancing, her latest tweets, and even her current StyleFile blog, Jody Watley is a woman unlike any other. But Jody doesn't keep this all to herself, no, Ms. Watley has always been an artist for the people, something that can be seen and felt in any of her live performances.

I'm an artist in Boston working as a teacher and I constantly use Jody's fashion style (then to now) and music as a generational and cultural bridge between myself and students that creates a positive buzz for masterful works of art. Jody Watley is still "bad" to young and old! The BET Awards would benefit greatly by showing the world just what Jody Watley means to music, video, fashion, and her fans.

With much respect,

Steven Derrick Wilber

My ideal of modern feminism

i'm a man who's a feminist. a damn proud feminist. i've grown up with strong women who's personal strength, love, guidance, and patience shines through. many of these women i never knew personally, some are purely fiction, but their confidence and adventures taught me a lot. okay, okay, i realize i must sound nuts, but celebrities like janet jackson, cher, madonna, kylie minogue, and jody watley were striking out on their own in the mid-eighties - theirs was the music my mother (a very independent and strong woman in her own right) was listening to and to what my younger brother and i were exposed to. my obsession with wonder woman also started when i was very young. my mother encouraged my reading comic books as a form of learning education, much of this was done through the adventures of the amazing amazon, a powerful princess my mother herself was a fan of as child. with strong outspoken women like my mother, her sister (my aunt is one of my closest confidants), and grandmother, plus the heavy dose of cher, janet, and the others, along with my following of the regularly published escapades of wonder woman, i never quite saw women as a weaker gender. oh the women in my family would explain to me that 'the outside world' was cruel and unfair, but our family was different and both men and women were absolutely equal and always stood up against anyone who disagreed. i don't quite know if they knew how much of this belief i would hold onto, but hold onto it i have, and what's more, i've reinforced our belief of equality to include everyone. but i'm getting off my subject of modern feminism.

this month, july 2010, dc comics released Wonder Woman #600. within the issue the comic book publisher revealed the amazon's first new costume in almost two decades. the makeover is an attempt to modernize a female icon's image that, to many, has stagnated. personally, i loathe the new look, but if it brings more readers to the book, what's more, a greater population of young female readers, then this change will be well worth it. my concern with youth is that there are fewer and fewer strong female role models for young women to aspire to and for young men to admire. who are the madonnas, kylie, and jodys of today? women like britney spears, rihanna, and lindsey lohan have dominated air waves for the last few years for all the wrong reasons. even wonder woman has adapted to a similar look in the fashion of these "celebrities". where is the new generation of feminists?

i asked friends and students of mine, from twelve to fifty-one, their definition of, "feminism". surprisingly, it was the younger interviewees (both male and female) that understood the concept and attitude of girl power. the women over forty seemed to take to heart my questions when i begin quizzing them about former and modern day feminism. clearly, they appreciated someone who sought to know and understand more. as far as a response to a modern day feminist i didn't get a large response, but miley cyrus, beyonce, and even adam lambert (?!) were responses. i'm very surprised that lady gaga was not selected as a feminist by either the females or males that i included in my informal poll, but apparently the entertainer is considered more of a weird hot mess by those i interviewed. yeah ...

my mother is currently in the process of writing an article for a local women's publication on modern day feminism and asked for my opinion. from there, this blog blossomed. i wonder if my ideal of modern feminism is becoming invalid (?) simply because women are finally taking their rightful places in the many arenas of the world. well, that's not completely true in about half the world, but here in the states young women seem to see themselves just as powerful as any male. and while that's superb (and about time!), i feel the younger generation is missing something by not having the same experiences i grew up with. in the meantime, my students will definitely be getting a dose of my beliefs of feminism and equality every time they step in my classroom!

Announcing my fall schedule of classes at the Worcester Art Museum!

in an attempt to keep things fresh, my supervisor/mentor, christopher and i have selected two fall courses of the fall class lineup for me to teach! this fall semester i will be teaching two saturday 5-7 year old classes open to regular and new members, with scholarships available.

the first is, Clay: Poke, Pinch, & Pretend, utilizing a number of clay working techniques such as, slab sculptures, pinch pots, coil pots, and other creative ways to create wonderful and unique works of art. this course begins october 9th, ends december 4th, and runs from 10am-noon.

second, Things that Crawl, Wiggle, & Roar, a multimedia course were students will explore/study real life and mythical creatures and the relationship between the two. the majority of materials used for the course will be recycled paper and plastic products and other reusuable items easily obtained. this course begins october 9th, ends december 4th, and runs from 12:30-2:30pm.

all classes of the worcester art museum begin in a preselected gallery of the museum where the exhibit (loosely) ties in with the day's lesson. my classes have a foundation of art and world history based on the exhibit students and i visit each class and are structured around positivity while enhancing creativity. if you have any questions, please email me at, swartstudio@gmail.com. registration for fall classes will begin in late july / early august at the Worcester Art Museum website.

Latest showing of art

it started as an unfinished piece in college that had been discarded at the back of my studio. almost three years later it suddenly found new life! what you see to the left is myself standing in front of my latest painting, fist on the pulse, on display at the worcester art museum. the idea of the piece came from a conversation between a colleague and i about how music and art can often reflect current events. art in all its forms can teach world history - something i strive to bring to the attention of my students. art often remains on the pulse of what's happening in the world and sometimes really shocks it to its audience. that shock is the point of the piece, there's not just a finger on the pulse, rather fists grabbing the pulse line. obviously there's more to be gleamed from the painting, but i don't want to spoil everything, and i also don't want to cancel a viewer's own interpretation. i will say, the point of my looking uninterested while i hold the iPod relates to the 'shards' of newspaper scattered on the edges of the piece. my next work will also loosely relate to music and art, as well as fashion - hopefully completed by the end of summer.