Most Popular
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Kill Gus Boulis's Killer?
Paul Brandreth didn't want to murder anybody. Or did he?
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City Hall Stinks
There's a war on Dinner Key, and Marc Sarnoff is a bomb-thrower.
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Mayor of the Nude Beach
So he's naked and in his seventies. He's still the coolest guy you'll ever meet.
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I Have HIV
But I'm not telling you, babe. Happy Valentine's Day!
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Vamos a Cuba!
Join us as we try to hitch a ride to the island before the gold rush strikes.
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City Hall Stinks (58)
There's a war on Dinner Key, and Marc Sarnoff is a bomb-thrower.
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Sarnoff Turns His Back on Blacks (20)
Coconut Grove's other half feels left out.
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Sarnoff Shmarnoff (14)
Commissioner Marc's claim to a famous bloodline just might be fiction.
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Jumping the Snapper (5)
Brosia boards the Mediterranean bandwagon, with mixed results.
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Cyclists Court Death Daily (55)
It's dangerous, but Miami is getting friendlier to bikes.
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Another Side of Page and Plant
If the Internet had been around, would there still be a mythology of Led Zep?
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Pick Up and Go
Blue Martini is maybe a good place to meet a significant other. But first listen to the stories they tell.
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The Prodigal Piano Man
Johnny Rodgers plays his hometown a song.
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Miami Movement
Our guide to the 15th annual Caribbean Festival.
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As Nastie as They Wanna Be
This wrestling makes that Ultimate stuff look wimpy.
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Spitzer, Hookers and the Miami Connection
05:28PM 03/10/08 -
The Hobbit Has Gone North (And Other Crap)
11:40AM 03/10/08 -
Over The Weekend - Bikes, Blue Men, Teen Rock Idols and A Film Festival
08:57AM 03/10/08 -
R.E.M. Disappoints at Langerado
08:49PM 03/10/08 -
Last Night: Ani DiFranco at Langerado
04:23PM 03/10/08 -
Blitzen Trapper at Langerado
03:05PM 03/10/08
What we are writing about
- Art Basel
- Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club
- Carnival Center
- Coconut Grove
- Coral Gables
- downtown Miami
- Fillmore Miami Beach
- Fort Lauderdale
- Francisco Goya
- Freedom Tower
- Hugo Chávez
- In the Continuum
- John Timoney
- Julia Tuttle Causeway
- Karen Kilimnik
- Marc Sarnoff
- Miami-Dade County Library
- Miami-Dade County...
- Miami Beach
- Miami local art
- Miami local music
- Miami local theater
- Museum of Contemporary...
- Patrick Williams
- sex offenders
- South Beach
- South Miami
- Studio A
- Wii
- Xbox
Recent Articles By Jonathan Cunningham
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The Kingston Kid
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Miami Movement
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Maria Rita
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Kevin Saunderson
National Features
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SF Weekly
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Rachel Brown
Love, Life & Relationships (Urban Music Group)
By Jonathan Cunningham
Published: March 6, 2008
Subject(s): Rachel Brown, Love, Life & Relationships
Contemporary R&B quite often seems like it's become a victim of its own name. So it's good to see a fresh face adding something different to the sound; the fact that she's local makes it that much more enjoyable. Singer/songwriter Rachel Brown is keeping things grown-up and respectfully sexy on her debut release, Love, Life & Relationships, on which the longtime South Florida resident croons her way through a solid collection of tunes built on hard lessons.
The album's 15 songs cover a multitude of topics, but don't expect any baby-mama drama or ghetto strife. Brown keeps it classy, with jams about enjoying white linen parties, stepping in the name of love, and watching out for brothers on the "down-low." In that sense, there's a lot of black humor as well as a variety of production shifts that show off her vocal range. One of the best songs here, "Let's Fall in Love Again," is a sexy jam for couples, and it also makes for perfect stepping music. "Weekend" is an upbeat rocker that, with the right marketing behind it, could easily end up on urban radio stations' "drive at 5" format. There is also a good cover of the Emotions' 1977 hit "Don't Ask My Neighbor" that does much to highlight Brown's singing ability. If that sounds like something you could enjoy, then Love, Life & Relationships needs to be in your collection. But without any of those qualifiers, it's simply good music — and that's what counts.
