Thomas Bess Jr....It's Your Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Thomas!!!! Well, my younger brother is just a little older today. I felt that an appropriate way to celebrate his birth is to honor him by featuring his artistry. It's different, huh? *Laughing* Yeah, I love it too. He's a writer, poet, painter, spoken word artist, son, and brother to many. I am in awe of his dedication and concentration when it comes to his craft. He is an inspiration to me. I love you, Thomas!

By the way, check out Thomas's latest cd, on CD Baby: ACTION THEORY: Action Theory. He also has a spot at: www.myspace.com/thomasbessjr.

ACTION THEORY

This is a review of Thomas Bess Jr.'s cd, Action Theory. I had a chance to really listen to it over the Thanksgiving break and I feel it is definitely worth checking out. Yes, I would say this even if he wasn't my brother. **smile**

Atlanta's underground music scene has just enlisted another soldier into its ranks. Actually, he has always been a soldier in this revolution of music, but now Thomas Bess, Jr. has been promoted and is swiftly moving up in rank with his debut CD, ACTION THEORY. Thomas Bess Jr., formerly of the Atlanta based underground group, JJason Blackwell, has just released his very first solo project and he has the underground Atlanta music scene teaming and percolating. This acoustically laced creation is pumped and politically charged as Thomas takes the listener on an ontological journey through music and spoken word. Thomas is accompanied with acoustic guitar on many of the tracks by upcoming artist, Donnie "Adonis" Cantly.
Thomas has an eclectic approach which makes it difficult to box his style of music into one particular category. The CD ranges from Hip-Hop to Acoustic Soul and everything in between. “Planet Rock” has a Dirty South appeal while “Jodi” is reminiscent of 80’s style Rock-Funk. The cd begins with the track, “Happy Little Sheep” that sounds like something out of a poetry slam. There’s something for everyone on this CD! Thomas Bess Jr. is no stranger to the Atlanta underground music scene. He first got its start at clubs like The Apache Café (Formerly The Ying-Yang) performing spoken word with Jjason Blackwell. At that time, the Ying Yang was the starting point and fertile ground for talented artist like India Arie and Donnie who performed at the club quite often. JB was a popular group on the ATL club circuit through the mid to late 90’s. The group released a cd in 2000 titled, Urban Experimentalist. The group never really achieved national success, but they were a favorite on the underground Atlanta music scene up until just a couple of years ago. The year is now 2005 and Thomas Bess, Jr. is moving forward with his own urban experiment. I have a feeling that the results will have listeners chanting “Yeah, Yeah.”

If you want to find out more about the new cd, Action Theory just click on the title for more information and reviews.