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Von: Gail Nobles
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 Commentary News about music, and more at the Cat Bear audio station. By Gail Nobles © 2019
https://sites.google.com/view/thecatbear/home There are different shows on the Cat Bear. 1. Postgirl's Recordings, The New Retro, One Note Jam, and The Whitney Soul Podcast.Gail Nobles © 2025 Musik
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  • Aaliyah-New Jack Swing & Modern R&B 10:8:25 6.16 PM

    Aaliyah-New Jack Swing & Modern R&B 10:8:25 6.16 PM
    Oct 8 2025
    Story by: Gail Nobles
    Cover Illus.by: Gail Nobles

    Aaliyah's impact on music is clear, especially when we look at the evolution of a genre called New Jack Swing. This genre first popped up in the late 1980s and became known for mixing R&B with hip-hop. Think of it as music that had catchy beats and a fusion of live instruments with electronic sounds. Teddy Riley was one of the main producers behind this style, and artists like Keith Sweat and Bobby Brown helped bring it into the mainstream.

    Now, let’s talk about Aaliyah. She burst onto the music scene in the early 1990s with her first album, "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number," released in 1994. This album had a sound that was very much inspired by New Jack Swing, blending R&B rhythms with hip-hop elements. While she came a bit later than the initial wave of New Jack Swing, Aaliyah took what had been established and added her own flair. Her style became smoother and more polished, appealing to a whole new generation of fans.

    To give you some context, the movie "New Jack City" came out in 1991, a few years before Aaliyah's debut album. This timeline shows that although Aaliyah didn’t start the New Jack Swing movement, she certainly played a significant role in carrying its influence into the future. Her music helped shape R&B throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, ensuring that the legacy of New Jack Swing continued even after its peak. Aaliyah really connected the dots between the past and a new, contemporary sound, making her a crucial part of that musical journey.

    I'm Gail Nobles. Thank you for listening.

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    4 Min.
  • Chaka Khan-Tell Me Something Good - 10:2:25 8.13 PM

    Chaka Khan-Tell Me Something Good - 10:2:25 8.13 PM
    Oct 3 2025
    Chaka Khan Photo: The Heart Truth - Chaka Khan in Chris March
    Usage: Wikipedia Public Domain
    Podcast Cover Art By: Gail Nobles
    Story by: Gail Nobles
    Intro by; Gail Nobles

    “Tell Me Something Good” is today’s topic by the fabulous Chaka Khan! You know, when I first heard that iconic song, I was just a baby girl. The chorus grabbed everyone’s attention and made everybody sing along!

    You could feel the vibe change when that part hit. Everybody would chime in, and it felt like a big ol' sing-along party! Back in those days, you didn’t even need to know what Chaka Khan looked like; it was all about the music. My daddy had a stack of 45s, and we would just put them on the turntable, ready to groove. No fancy record covers mattered because all we wanted was to hear the song. We were thankful that we had the music.

    Now, I’ll be honest, sometimes those words were hard to catch. Back then, you didn’t have lyrics printed out or even closed captions on TV! We just listened, felt the music, and let it move us.

    “Tell Me Something Good,” released in 1974, became a massive hit on that AM radio we all loved. It was part of the album "Rags to Rufus," and that funky groove was crafted by none other than Stevie Wonder. You know, it was the first big hit for Rufus, and once Chaka’s voice took center stage, they switched gears and became “Rufus featuring Chaka Khan” for their next album. That song climbed up the charts—hitting number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and even taking the top spot on the Cash Box Top 100 for a week!

    And let’s not forget that funky guitar talk box by Tony Maiden—it was one of the early songs to use it, making it a true standout. So, whenever you hear that classic, just know it’s a celebration of good vibes and great music, and it all started with a little way of asking, “Tell me something good!”

    I'm Gail Nobles. Thank you for listening to the Podcast AM Memories.

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    3 Min.
  • Reflections on Michael Jackson 9:12:25 4.24 PM

    Reflections on Michael Jackson 9:12:25 4.24 PM
    Sep 12 2025
    Story By: Gail Nobles
    Photo: Public Domain Wikipedia

    There's still a lot of talk about Michael Jackson, and I'm not here to gossip. I take what I hear with a grain of salt, but I do pay attention. Recently, I came across a video of Michael on stage with Jay-Z and others. I'm not sure what the full story was. All I saw was him greeting the fans, but he didn’t seem very happy as he walked away. Maybe he was just exhausted. This was at the Summer Jam in 2001, and I'm only just now seeing it. A lot was happening in my own life back then.

    Watching the video, it struck me, and it was strange to me that Michael was on stage with rappers. Michael wasn’t someone who easily mingled with just anyone, and even famous people felt lucky if he acknowledged them. There are rumors that he even distanced himself from his own family. So, when I hear various things about him, I can’t say how many of them are true. I can’t claim to know everything he was dealing with. What might appear one way could very well be something else.

    There must have been a lot going on in Michael’s life for him to be on stage with Jay-Z. It also surprised me to see him beatboxing while watching an interview with Oprah. Rap music had become really popular, and I guess he felt he had to adapt to the changing music scene. But seeing Michael Jackson with rappers and doing beatbox wasn’t the Michael I was used to knowing.

    In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if Michael Jackson really liked rap music. Back in the 80s, during the making of his album *Bad*, there were rumors about him and Quincy Jones. I heard that Michael once said "rap is dead" when Quincy suggested working with the group Run-DMC for that album. This disagreement was one of the reasons they parted ways after the album *Bad*. Michael wanted more control over his music and felt that Quincy didn’t understand the newer trends, like hip hop.

    I was also surprised that Quincy wanted to work with rap music, but then I learned he actually understood street life. And Quincy Jones made a rap record back in 1989 with his Grammy winning album Back on the Block.

    Sometimes, what we read or watch on TV doesn’t show the whole picture. We often only hear part of the story, and what we know may not even be close to everything that's really going on.

    I’m Gail Nobles. Thank you for listening to an all-time MJ podcast where MJ stands for Michael Jackson.

    Music commentary news.
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    4 Min.
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