Dr. Mickel's Amerie Favorites

Dr. Mickel's Amerie/Ameriie Favorites
*A Dr. Mickel's Golden Era Playlists Special Edition

Ameriie is hands down my favorite female R&B singer of all time, and in my top ten favorite vocalists (male/female, all genres), of all time. My first experience with Amerie was her "Talkin' to Me" video in 2002. That's really all it took...haha! The girl I was dating at the time had already bought the 'All I Have' album so I immediately went to go listen. I then went out and bought my own copy. For months I would drive to and from work with that CD on constant repeat. Not many artists can take me away from early morning sports radio I typically commute to. I absolutely love and celebrate Ameriie's entire catalogue, but 'All I Have' is, to this day, still my favorite Ameriie album.

Ameriie has released four studio albums, one studio EP, two best-of albums, a mixtape, and a handful of singles. I have everything in my personal collection with the exception of the Because I Love It volume 1 Mixtape. I've been trying to get my hands on a physical copy of that for years, to no avail...yet, I'm still hopeful. By my count there are a total of 109 Amerie/Ameriie tracks; 96 tracks of hers and 13 tracks by other artists featuring Ameriie. [side note: if any Ameriie fans reading this know of more than 109 tracks, please let me know as I'd love to update my list! Thanks.]

Of said 109 tracks, here are my favorite 21 songs and my 14 "runner-ups".

[both lists in alphabetical order]

  1. 1 Thing
  2. All I Need
  3. Can't Let Go
  4. Come with Me
  5. Crazy Wonderful
  6. Dangerous
  7. Every Time
  8. Float 
  9. Got to Be There
10. Hate2loveu
11. Like It Used to Be
12. Losing U
13. More Than Love
14. Need You Tonight
15. Paint Me Over
16. Show Me
17. Take the Blame
18. Talkin' to Me
19. Tell Me You Love Me
20. Trouble with Love
21. Why R U

  1. Gotta Work
  2. Hatin' on You
  3. Heard 'Em All
  4. I Just Died
  5. Just What I Needed to See
  6. Not The Only One
  7. Out Loud
  8. Redrum
  9. Rolling Down My Face
10. Sing About It
11. Take Control
12. Talkin' About
13. That's What U R
14. Why Don't We Fall in Love

Dr. Mickel's Golden Era Playlists - The First 25 Playlists

Dr. Mickel’s Golden Era Playlists

I wanted a platform to share my favorite songs, and my collection of music, from my favorite era of music. However, I have no desire/interest in becoming a DJ, starting a radio station, or becoming a radio or internet DJ. And I obviously won’t/can’t give away or sell other artists’ music. Thus, enter Dr. Mickel’s Golden Era Playlists. The playlists are text-only, free, themed lists of songs from Hip Hop / Rap and R&B’s Golden Era. Everyone’s years-range vary slightly in terms of how far back into the 80’s and how far into the 2000’s. For me, the Golden Era is 1987 to 2002. The lists can be used as a nostalgic novelty, or like a music model kit; I supply the blueprint, you build it using the music you own/download/stream/etc. But I’m rather positive I’ve got tracks Pandora, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, etc. have never heard of. Haha! Although YouTube pretty much has everything.

This collection of music is what I grew up with, what inspired me to stat rhyming, and is a collection I continue to celebrate, study, enjoy, and take inspiration from to this day. It has had a tremendous impact on my life.

Dr. Mickel’s Golden Era Playlists are not intended to be complete or comprehensive collections. They are simply my personal favorite tracks. Around 95% of the tracks featured come from my personal collection (CD, vinyl, digital), with the remaining 5% from my list of music still to purchase (CD or download). Or re-purchase in regards to almost everything I used to own on cassette.

Series I consists of themed playlists, both Hip Hop/Rap and R&B (much like the cassette mixtapes I used to make in the 90’s). Series II is solely volume after volume of 35-track Hip Hop/Rap playlists. Both series will continue to grow over time.

The first twenty five playlists, and the Favorites, are out now!

Series I

Vol. 01 – Mega-Collabs / Posse Cuts

Vol. 02 – Soundtrack Exclusives pt. I

Vol. 03 – Soundtrack Exclusives pt. II

Vol. 04 – DMV Summer ’96 Mix

Vol. 05 – Ruckus Squad Anthems

Vol. 06 – R&B Favorites [Male Artists pt. I]

Vol. 07 – R&B Favorites [Male Artists pt. II]

Vol. 08 – R&B Favorites [Male Artists pt. III]

Vol. 09 – R&B Favorites [Male Artists pt. IV]

Vol. 10 – R&B Favorites [Female Artists pt. I]

Vol. 11 – R&B Favorites [Female Artists pt. II]

Vol. 12 – R&B Favorites [Female Artists pt. III]

Vol. 13 – R&B Favorites [Female Artists pt. IV]

Vol. 14 – DC Go Go Favorites

Vol. 15 – Tupac Guest Features

Series II

Golden Era Hip Hop volume 1

Golden Era Hip Hop volume 2

Golden Era Hip Hop volume 3

Golden Era Hip Hop volume 4

Golden Era Hip Hop volume 5

Golden Era Hip Hop volume 6

Golden Era Hip Hop volume 7

Golden Era Hip Hop volume 8

Golden Era Hip Hop volume 9

Golden Era Hip Hop volume 10

Going forward, more emphasis will be on the Series II playlists.

But here’s some of what’s planned for Series I:

*DJ Premier pt. I

*DJ Premier pt. II

*Boot Camp Clik pt. I

*Boot Camp Clik pt. II

*Rawkus Records pt. I

*Rawkus Records pt. II

*Ultimate Tupac pt. I

*Ultimate Tupac pt. II

*Ultimate Tupac pt. III

*Mos Def Favorites

*Nas Favorites

*Rakim Favorites

*KRS One Favorites

*Twin Cities Hip Hop Favorites

*R&B Favorites [2003-Current] w/ Favorite Albums List

Enjoy,

 

 

Dr. Mickel's Golden Era Favorites

Dr. Mickel's Golden Era Favorites

Taking a quick break from the playlists to hit you off with my personal favorites from the Golden Era!

Emcees/Rappers

Hip Hop / Rap Albums

R&B Artists

R&B Albums

Producers

Dr. Mickel's Golden Era Playlists - June/July 2018 Playlists

Dr. Mickel's Golden Era Playlists

New Playlists:

Series II
Golden Era Hip Hop - Volume 2

Golden Era Hip Hop - Volume 3

Golden Era Hip Hop - Volume 4

Golden Era Hip Hop - Volume 5

Golden Era Hip Hop - Volume 6

Series I
R&B Favorites [Male Artists - pt. IV]

Dr. Mickel's Golden Era Playlists - June 2018 Playlists

Dr. Mickel's Golden Era Playlists

New Playlists:

Series I - Vol. 06
R&B Favorites (Male Artists pt. I)

Series I - Vol. 07
R&B Favorites (Male Artists pt. II)

Series I - Vol. 08
R&B Favorites (Male Artists pt. III)

Series II
Golden Era Hip Hop vol. 1

A Tribute to William Fessler

A Tribute to William "Bill" Fessler
10/15/46 - 4/5/18
#MrFess

This is the tribute I wrote for my dad's Celebration of Life (funeral) Service on Saturday, April 14, 2018. It was read during the service by my good friend and music colleague, Nii "NiiBox" Mensah, as there was no way I was going to get through it.

I’ve only ever looked up to three men; my father, my cousin Dan, and Michael Jordan.

My father wore shoes I spent my life trying with fever to fill.

He was the model of a man I broke countless molds trying to replicate.

And my Dad was the bar I strategically placed each of my ladder rungs under, attempting to reach.

I never will.

But I came from him, I learned from him, and I inherited many of his greatest qualities and endearing traits…along with some of the bad and much of the “strange”.

So while I was scrambling to match his stride, my Dad was calmly just providing me with everything I needed to be a great man in my own right.

That’s who my Dad is.

The most incredible father and mentor I could ever have asked for.

My Dad was complex and calculated, brilliant and beautiful.

My Dad was simple values and humility, loyalty and love.

He was the serenity of a single drop in the ocean,

and the passionate dance of spinning galaxies.

He was special.

As a husband, father, grandfather, brother, father-in-law, uncle and friend, my Dad was happy and content. He deeply loved his family and friends, and accepted people for who and what they were. He had the uncanny ability to connect with anyone, on some level or another. Life was measured in moments and memories, stories and jokes, and smiles and laughs.

As an individual, my Dad was driven with an impassioned hunger for success and excellence. He quested perfection at every turn, and pushed himself to the limits of his abilities. Be it his career, collections, hobbies, or personal goals, my Dad raced the mirror’s reflection, undeterred by obstacles. He did this not for glory, but personal satisfaction.

I often marvel at how he mastered that balance. A symbiotic harmony of life; robust yet fragile, and not for the weak of mind and heart. My Dad was both sides of the coin, soaring free and unrestrained with each flip. But he didn’t leave things to chance. He knew every degree of the flight path of every coin flip. He was self-made, the sculptor and puppet master of his own destiny.

My Father took great pride in his career. His accomplishments and impact were monumental. And he absolutely loved to talk about his work. But when my Dad spoke about his career, it was never about his personal successes or accolades. It was stories of people, interactions, travels, new experiences, meals shared, and relationships formed.  That’s the character of a champion. And that’s how I will always remember my Dad. As a champion.  

My Dad was the singular spot in space and time where math met poetry, where science met art, where logic met compassion, and where life met love. He was the first and the last stitch in the intricate tapestry that hangs in all of our hearts. He was both sides of the coin, an invaluable coin we all inherited. And because of this, we are all rich with a wealth measured in moments and memories, smiles and laughs, and life-lessons and love.

That’s who my Dad is.

So thank you, Dad.

Thank you for your life.

And thank you for mine.

Thank you for being the man and father I look up to. For being an inspiration to live life to its fullest. To respect and cherish what truly matters, while never being afraid to chase dreams.

Thank you, Dad.

I miss you, and I love you.

The Essential Guide to Ahsoka Tano [Edition 1.001]