Her music is a mixture of soul like ancient Aster Aweke, with a touch of old Motown meets the smooth and gravy like sound of old Muluken Melesse with the distinct like voice of Zeritu Kebede.

In the hands of Bassekou Kouyate, the four-stringed ngoni can sing like a harp or wail like an electric guitar; slow and bluesy or lightning quick.

It’s hard to believe, after bearing the full, two-and-a-half hour brunt of Jay-Z and Kanye West’sWatch the Throne tour stop at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday night, that there was a time when hip-hop shows were almost presupposed to suck.

Direct from The Big Easy, a red hot blast of New Orleans jazz fired up the Toronto stage last night in the form of Trombone Shorty and his band Orleans Avenue. From the moment he took the stage wielding his trombone in one hand and a trumpet in the other, Trombone Shorty played the capacity Opera House crowd like a rock star and dazzled them with a high octane set.

On the first Sunday of every month established, emerging and new artists get to share their thoughts through various talents in an environment that Zorica ‘Queen’ Alleyne, founder of Love Jones Sundays, ensures is nurturing and supportive.

With the exception of a few artists who are discussing issues relevant to the common person’s life, the majority of rappers are still using the same formula of money, women and clothes to sell records. Christian artist NevaHurd has a completely different approach to life.

Hendrix in the West is another part of the recently released set of music. The live album features songs from several different performances first issued in the 1970s, previously unavailable performances, plus a 24-page booklet and more photos.

Divine Brown, Big Sugar and Rehan Dalal will join LCBO in a special concert to kick off the company’s annual whisky promotion, Whisky Rocks.

Fitzroy Gordon’s Radio 98.7 FM debuted in Toronto Monday morning with a non-stop mix of R&B, soul, reggae, soca, hip hop, world beat, gospel, and smooth jazz.

This talent-laden event will highlight some of the leading acts in Reggae, Calypso, Gospel and Acoutics with some comedic timbre in-between. The response from veteran performers and “stars on the rise” has been overwhelming and the event organizers promise that these combinations will be highly entertaining and robust.