Kevin Chandler's band returns soul to music

Kevin Chandler's band returns soul to music

Call it soul fusion. Those are the words Kevin Chandler uses to describe the earthy grooves and sentiments his self-named band cranks on their debut album, "Psoul Psychadelica."

"I wanted to do a record that was good music first and labeled soul and R&B second," Chandler said.

"Psoul Psychadelica" comes on the heels of a changing tide in R&B. The push for more musicians in the studios and a return to soul music is a growing concern, one that the Kevin Chandler Band affectionately answers.

Chandler, a Chicago native, used an astounding 40 mostly local musicians to create his album. A producer by trade, Chandler …

Man pleads guilty to fraud for phony asylum claims

A man accused of coaching immigrants on how to make phony asylum claims pleaded guilty to fraud and other charges and agreed to forfeit $1.7 million.

The man, David Lynn, led a ring that prepared 380 asylum applications between 2003 and 2007, charging $8,000 for individuals and $12,000 for couples, prosecutors said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Most of the asylum seekers were from Russia, but prosecutors said some were from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine. A few were granted asylum, but …

Enjoy a greener celebration ; Valentine's

Smooch by candlelight Recent research has shown that Brits aremore likely than their French counterparts to switch off the mainlighting and dine by candlelight to save energy and money - around aquarter of Brits compared to only 15 per cent of people in France.Make your own card It just takes a little time and attention (andrecycled paper). The extra effort shows you really care about yourValentine - and the environment.

Plant a green gift - create a lasting symbol of your relationshipby planting a rose bush or a crab apple tree (also called the …

U.S. Dollar, Gold Down in Europe

LONDON - The U.S. dollar was mostly lower against other major currencies in European trading Friday morning. Gold was lower.

The euro traded at $1.3310, up from $1.3307 late Thursday in New York.

Other dollar rates:

-123.43 Japanese yen, up from 122.97

-1.2450 Swiss franc, down from 1.2468

-1.0656 …

WORLD at 1000GMT

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New: ZIMBABWE-SHOPPING SPREES. Mozambique new shopping destination for Zimbaweans.

New: IRAQ-KURDISH QUANDARY. Iraq's Kurds having second thoughts about …

Record crowd forecast for 4th Ashes test

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Cricket Australia believes the Melbourne Cricket Ground will host a world record crowd of 91,000 on Sunday's opening day of the fourth Ashes test between Australia and England.

The record crowd for a cricket test of 90,800 was set at the ground in 1961 during a test between Australia and the West Indies. The opening day of the 2006 Ashes test on the ground four years ago drew 89,155 fans despite cold conditions.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said Tuesday that with the current series tied at 1-1 "the cricket gods are smiling on us all" and circumstances were ideal for a record crowd.

He expected 300,000 people to attend the …

Christian work flows out of Christian worship

Winnipeg

If God's plan to restore the world is to become a reality, Christians need to both worship and work-and the work flows out of worship.

That's what theologian Marva Dawn told more than 250 people at the Refreshing Winds music and worship conference at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) in January. The theme of the bi-annual conference, which attracted registrants from many different denominations from across Canada, was "Worship as reconciliation."

The temptation is for churches to emphasize either personal piety or action, said Dawn, author of 20 books on a variety of church- and worship-related topics. "We need both piety and work in the world to help …