Solange Knowles steps out (and WAY in front of the other Knowles sister) with a fresh and fun sound on her new CD, SoL-AngeL and the Hadley St. Dreams. The album features a dream team of collaborators including three-times Grammy award-winning music producer Mark Ronson, the ever-so-funky Cee-Lo, Pharrell, Jack Splash, The Neptunes, the legendary award-winning Lamont Dozier, and Bilal.

Here’s the good word:

Inspired by the ’60s and early ’70s, Solange showcases a Motown influenced sound that has been given a brand-new kick while at the same time offering her love of London-inspired Electronica on a few select hits. Highlight tracks on SoL-AngeL and the Hadley St. Dreams include The Neptunes produced “I Decided - PT1,” and the Freemasons version of the same tune, “I Decided - PT2,” the Soulshock & Karlin produced “Sandcastle Disco,” the Cee-Lo penned “T.O.N.Y” and the honest and revealing co-written and co-produced by Solange, “God Given Name.” A new video for “Sandcastle Disco,” directed by Solange herself, recently debuted on MTV’s F’N MTV and BET’s 106 & Park. —Marketwatch.com

Download I Decided (Pt.1) and Sandcastle Disco HERE and tell us what you think!

Make sure you check out the video for I Decided via YouTube and pick up Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams out now on the Geffen label!

Hurray for Friday! Here’s a classic!

Have a good weekend ladies!

This stunning video tells of the powerful social and economic change brought about when girls have the opportunity to participate in their society. More info at thegirleffect.org

Here at M.I.S.S. Crew, we make it a priority to give our fellow ladies shine but once in a while we come across a well-deserving boy or two to highlight.

Enter MGMT.

Formerly known as The Management, MGMT consists of Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. On their debut album, Oracular Spectacular, the duo bring nothing but next level shit straight out of Brooklyn! Their sound is a mix of psychedelic dance tunes and electro-rock—reminiscent to the sounds brought to us by Prince and Malcom McLaren in the ’80s. I can’t think of anything more to say than DON’T SLEEP ON MGMT!

WATCH the video for MGMT’s “Electric Feel” below and DOWNLOAD “Electric Feel” HERE!

For more info on MGMT check out their super-fun main site, whoismgmt.com and of course The Official MGMT MySpace!

Learn to make beautiful jewelry from vintage pieces in this video Nylon did with Lula Frost!

I had some time to myself today (for once) and had a chance to catch up on my thoughts. I found myself getting some relief and relaxation from watching videos on YouTube. Lame, I know. The funny thing was that watching old videos made me feel reconnected and rejuvenated…perhaps it was even therapeutic. So, my point is that I ended my videofest with this:

I don’t care what you all think…but if I was that Queen in the video, I would have reacted the same way. MJ was looking oh-so fly with his pressed hair and gold jacket! Now-a-days, I wouldn’t feel the same way, but as a kid, I remember being infatuated with this video. It brought back good memories…hopefully it brings some good memories to you too. 

Do you remember the time? 

Below you have the latest video from a M.I.S.S. Crew favorite—Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. The video is for “Tell Me,” a song off their latest album 100 Days, 100 Nights. The video was filmed in Bushwick, Brooklyn and is directed by Adam Elias Buncher.

Download “Tell Me” HERE and make sure you buy 100 Days, 100 Nights!

As it was said in last week’s We Got the Beat highlighting UK songstress, Duffy, maybe it’s something in that UK water that has them “…churning out talented ladies left, right and center…” cause today, we have yet another UK songstress to tell you about:

Her name is Adele. She’s fresh and soulful and is already creating a huge buzz. This soul singing newcomer is the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics’ Choice, which was given to artists who at the time had yet to release an album. Adele has also been hailed by the British press as “the new Amy Winehouse” and, hence, together with Duffy and a few other rising stars of 2007-8, as one of the so-called “New Amys”.

Adele singing Chasing Pavements Live:

Adele says of herself, “I’m a soul singer and I love writing soul, pop and jazz tunes, some acoustic stuff and some really big ballads,” and when asked how she felt about the gossip and criticism about her weight, Adele told The Times, “I’ve always been a size 16-18, and been fine with it. I would only lose weight if it affected my health or sex life.”

The song “Daydreamer,”off Adele’s full-length debut, 19, is about her bi ex-boyfriend running away with another man and as scandalous as that sounds, the track is beautiful and very moving.

Download “Daydreamer” HERE and check out more of her on the official Adele MySpace page.

Some genius took the track “Again & Again” by the Bird & the Bee and created the mind blowing video below:

This is the original video:

My mom had lots of little sayings that she used to throw my way when I was growing up - one of the ones that comes to mind repeatedly is: “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” This phrase is hundreds of years old and in reading the news lately, it seems there are some girls whose moms never taught them this very basic lesson. There were 2 events in particular that made me think of this: First, was another “diva moment’ where Naomi Campbell caused a ruckus and then proceeded to spit on people. The second, and more disturbing, was a group of teenage girls in Florida who ganged up on an innocent “friend” and beat the crap out of her so they could put the video up on youtube.

For a woman who is “always a lady”, this lesson is one of the most important. “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar” simply means: “You can win people to your side more easily by gentle persuasion and flattery than by hostile confrontation.” Bartleby. Or, even more simply put: BE NICE! You’d be amazed how well this works. It’s all about keeping your cool and relying on your womanly charm. No, you don’t have to “show some leg” or “bat your eyelashes” - it’s all about staying calm in the face of adversity. A lady always maintains the higher moral ground. Just because someone is acting like an ass to you, you don’t need to reciprocate and act like an ass yourself. Trust me, it takes all manner of self control to do this, but I assure you, you will feel 100% better knowing that you didn’t stoop to someone else’s pathetic level. Here are some easy places to start . . .

1. Don’t spit on people (Naomi, Pumpkin, - are you listening??)

2. Don’t beat the crap out of people to achieve your “15 minutes of fame” (So unbecoming of a lady - a lady does not inflict bodily harm and only does so to defend herself or her friends/family)

3. When you’re calling those customer service lines, be patient and polite. You know you are going to sit on hold for 10 minutes. Accept it, you’ll be in a better mood when the rep gets on the phone. The rep is there to help you. They will be more likely to help you if you are nice to them. If they are not helping don’t yell at them, just ask to speak to their manager.

4. The most basic, and unfortunately, the most forgotten: Be polite and say “please” and “thank you”

A lady always knows when to turn on the charm. . . you’d be surprised, but sometimes the littlest things help you get what you want.