The last few years there's been a lot of welcome excitement around the alternative R&B scene that's evolved out of New York and Philadelphia. After years of hip hop-flavored R&B there's been a slew of soulful, non-sample driven young black singers making good records and putting on exciting live shows, something most of the hip hop R&B singers don't seem capable of. Yet the most talented alternative R&B act of the last decade is toiling in the shadows without a US distributor.

He doesn't have the same falsetto he used to flash in the '80s but his mid-range tempo is still sweet, yet masculine and his rougher tones recall the dynamic lead vocals DAVID RUFFIN used to provide the TEMPTATIONS.

TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY has gone from his Grammy-nominated debut, The Hard Line According to Terence Trent D'Arby, to obscurity in the States. He became the rage of London in the mid-'80s before coming home with hits like "Wishing Well" and a kinetic stage show during which he displayed a truly amazing soul man's voice and the ability to play several instruments. He was compared to PRINCE and he was one of the few who could hold his own in such elevated company.

About the Author

Author of Hip Hop America and seven other nonfiction books, Nelson George writes on music, media, sports and culture for the New York Times, The Village Voice, Essence, and other publications. He has been involved with many film and television projects, working in partnership with BET, HBO and England's Channel 4. He currently resides in Brooklyn.

But TTD kind of self-destructed. He gained a reputation for being arrogant and uncooperative at his label, Columbia. Despite his incredible talent and high-powered management the label lost confidence in him. Moreover TTD, to his creative credit and commercial demise, refused to simplify his music. Which is why his last album, the excellent Wild Card, can be found in the import section at Tower Records. Mastered in Germany and distributed out of Tokyo, this 2001 record is simply brilliant, a distillation of D'Arby's long-standing obsession with creating his own blend of soul and rock. The album is credited Terence Trent D'Arby a.k.a. Sananda Maitreya. Sananda is the name of the label that released the CD and Maitreya a Munich, Germany, management company that the label copy says is "dedicated to following TTD/Sananda as he follows his heart and his joy, and in supporting his passion for amusing, enlightening, entertaining and up lifting his friends."

This may be a vanity project, but it makes you wish more artists had the chops like these to be vain about. In 19 songs TTD travels through a number of musical styles from sexy, progressive R&B ("Suga Free," about a woman kicking her man to the curb), to music hall melodies ("O Divina"), to a raging, rocking song about self-discovery ("The Inner Scream"). With the exception of four cuts, the entire album is produced in a restless, grand, bold style by TTD, ranging through all manner of musical inspiration (gospel, classical, jazz, Stevie Wonder, the Rolling Stones).

At one point ANDRE HARRELL (whom TTD thanks in the credits) was trying to put together an R&B super group featuring TTD, BABYFACE, MARY J. BLIGE and some top musicians. Unfortunately it didn't happen. Which makes it so sad that at a moment when some of the old school flavor laced with progressive ideas that TTD introduced back in the '80s is proving popular this remarkable artist is far from centerstage. For more info D'Arby's activities try www.sanandamaitreya.de or www.terence-trent-darby.com. Or simply try the import section at your local superstore and seek out Wild Card. Though released last year, it is my favorite album of 2002.

Most those familiar with CARL HANCOCK RUX know him as a spoken word artist whose well-received Rux Revue (Sony) came out in 1999. But he is also a fine, challenging playwright. Talk just opened to strong reviews at New York's Public Theater and they are well deserved. The piece blends Greek mythology, the format of a C-Span panel discussion and avant-garde cinema as it meditates on the career of the fictional black author Archer Aymes, whose life is debated by six of his intimates. The play is a reference junkie's feast with JAY-Z, ALLEN GINSBERG, PLATO and MAYA DEREN among the scores of icons whose names (and meaning) are tossed about in an increasingly combative conversation. Directed by MARLON MCCLINTON (who has handled AUGUST WILSON's last few plays), the staging mixes Greek sculpture, film clips and index cards into an arresting set that supports Rux's words.

PRINCE is on tour and in rare form. At a recent New York show at Avery Fisher Hall he performed much of his so-so jazz-fusion album (MILES he ain't) but when he decides to play some of his impressive catalogue the concert is electric. Looking almost conservative in a gray suit and a pageboy haircut, Prince does the hits plus plenty of album cuts. After that concert he did a 2 a.m. show at a Times Square club where he was joined by ALICIA KEYS, who sang "U Don't Call Me Anymore" while he played piano. Some members of his NPR club not only got tickets to the concert and later show at a discount price, but were granted entry to the sound check as well. Through his NPR club Prince offers not only discounts but also new music downloads and merchandise. Not bad for a middle aged yet still vital '80s icon.

Until next time — always watch your back!

First published: April 26,2002