::THE SLICE REPORT WITH MONA AUSTIN

By Mona Austin You want to believe that the work will speak for itself.  You walk into the award show as the most nominated artist.  You sit there with your family front and center and clap as your name is not called over and over again. It feels like deja vu.   Previously you left with a few awards while others that were less deserving left with armfuls.  Your pride and ego are crushed yet you retaliate with your art. You come back hoping things will be different this time because there is no denying that your work was seminal and resonated deeply with those who heard it. It was critically acclaimed -- all music enthusiasts could talk about during its surprise release.  Your work was considered a "masterpiece" --from the marketing to the content to the videos -- that empowered fans through its emotional connection. We all knew how to "take the bitter with the sweet" and make "Lemonade" when you laid your heart out on those tracks.  We all knew this a...

buzzz worthy. . . First the bad news. . .the special "Divas Classics" album that was to be released by Queen Aretha last week has been delayed.  The good news is that she does not disappoint with the release of a single from the album, a cover of Adele's career-breaking hit "Rolling In the Deep." Aretha brought the house down while singing the song live on David Letterman on September 29.  At 72, the soul legend continues to boast a range that finds her squalling to the heavans and moaning to the nether regions as in the early days of her career.  Of course, "Re Re" puts her own treatment on the classic, adding the Supreme's "Ain't No mountain High Enough" on the end. One of Franklin's former background singers Cissy Houston contributed to BG vocals during the Letterman appearance, but looked like she would rather be anywhere but on that stage.  As the other singers moved in sync, other than rolling her eyes, Houston was near...