Dallas Soul Music Conference

If you saw the potent and distressing documentary Before the Music Dies, you had the opportunity, aside from a concert venue, to see why Erykah Badu is so special. Badu's critique of the current climate in popular music and her hilarious (but dead-on) list of exactly what physical attributes are necessary in order to become successful are reason enough to watch the film. The Dallas Soul Music Conference is a three-day event featuring a Saturday night Stevie Wonder tribute concert hosted by Badu. Featured acts include PPT, Keite Young, Anthony David and Choklat, among others. The conference gets started on Friday with a 10-DJ marathon and concludes with Sunday brunch at the Brooklyn Jazz Café. Dallas has long lacked recognition for its contributions to the soul, blues and R & B genres, and by having someone such as Badu as a spokeswoman, such oversight surely will not last.