"American Soul" Does Don Cornelius Proud

Sinqua Walls known for his role on Power as amp8220Shawnamp8221 the son of 50 Centamp8217s character amp8220Kananamp8221 and more recently for his role as amp8220Terrance amp8216Lil Rayamp8217 Baltimoreamp8221 on VH1amp8217s The Breaks plays the legendary Don Cornelius reallife entrepreneur and creator developer and host of the also legendary 1970s American musicdance TV show Soul Train amp160It picks up Corneliusamp8217s story from just before his show began airing which spoiler alert it did in syndication for the next 35 years and follows him through the arduous process of bringing unbridled black culture into the homes of millions of Americans every week amp160This could have turned out to be some snoozer of a bioshow amp160I very quickly realized it was anything butDonald Cortez Cornelius seemed to be many things a passionate and clever businessman a notsogreat husband a black visionary a verbally abusive employer an exmarine an unstoppable trailblazer and a legendary hostamp160 Each of these things feel true all at once amp160With a character this complex especially one who was a real person one could only imagine how easily we couldamp8217ve ended up with some shell of a performance a pantomime instead of a possession if you will amp160Thankfully Walls was the right man for the job amp160His gravitas sincerity and range are honestly the showamp8217s bread and butter amp160Yes thereamp8217s a strong foundation present in its amazing musical numbers the entertaining story and the solid supporting cast but thereamp8217s no denying that Sinquaamp8217s Don is the loadbearing wall in this house of soulAs far as the supporting cast is concerned color me impressed amp160Much like the other shows in this lane a lot of this cast has been tasked with acting as well as singing and dancing in some cases and they all do rise to the occasion amp160Kaitlyn Nichol and Jelani Winston who play siblings Simone and Kendall Clarke respectively are nothing short of delightful to watch amp160Their vocals are strong their dance moves are crisp and given the storyamp8217s musical spirit thereamp8217s no doubt as to whether they belong in this productionamp160 The same can be said for Christopher Jefferson who plays amp8220Jefferey amp8216JTamp8217 Tuckeramp8221 amp160I didnamp8217t see him dance but he sang as well amp160As for Kelly Price who plays Simone and Kendallamp8217s mother amp8220Brianneamp8221 and Kelly Rowland who plays living legend Gladys Knight obviously they both killed it when the time came to flex those Godgiven vocal cords and their acting was solid as wellBesides all the singing and dancing thereamp8217s a story with plenty of grit to focus on amp160After all it is the Seventies and like most other American decades things were pretty rough for those of us who had the misfortune of not being born white and male amp160Donamp8217s life wasnamp8217t an easy one amp160He served 18 months in Korea as a marine worked a number of seemingly random jobs after that including some time as a Chicago police officer and spent more than his fair share of time being a starving artisthusband and father of two amp160In a society that up until recently put so much pressure on men to be the breadwinners I can only imagine what it was like doing that while blackHonestly thatamp8217s one of the things I really like about this show amp160I feel like it accurately conveys that invisible extra layer of difficulty that people of color usually deal with amp160Being black even today let alone in the Seventies just adds an extra layer of bullshit to everything you try to do I know that itamp8217s not everyoneamp8217s experience nor is it an experience that only affects black people it works for pretty much anyone thatamp8217s not straight or white or male as well but it is something that exists and American Soul nails that frustration perfectly see the traffic stop scene in the first episodeAll that said Donny C isnamp8217t painted as a saint but as a man of many faces who wonamp8217t let anything get in his way amp160During the promo at the end of the second episode he says amp8220Right now you are standing in a dream amp160My dream amp160And in case you never had a dream of your own let me tell you it doesnamp8217t come fast cheap or easy amp160You will protect it at all costs amp160I will protect it at all costsamp8221 amp160His hustler mentality is echoed by his business partner amp8220Gerald Aimsamp8221 Jason Dirden who despite having one of the most likeable and damn near bubbly personalities on the series so far is also a coldblooded gangster apparently amp160Itamp8217s a great juxtaposition as well as a different kind of complexity that pairs rather nicely with Corneliusamp8217s personality strengths and shortcomingsIamp8217m also very excited about seeing more from Iantha Richardson who plays amp8220Tessa Lorraineamp8221 and Shannon Kane who plays amp8220Ilsa Dejarnetteamp8221 amp160In the first two episodes alone they amp8220bring itamp8221 with their acting and I hope to see them continue to do so as the season continuesAll in all Iamp8217d say American Soul is very much like the talent on its roster Entertaining and full of promise amp160We already know that Don Corneliusamp8217s life was filled with more than enough drama to keep the writers inspired for as long as need be but without a solid team of performers these soulful characters may have never been brought to life in a way that they or we deserve Fortunately that isnamp8217t the caseAmerican Soul is telecast Tuesdays at 9 pm on BETClick on the social media tiles above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively those of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160amp160

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"American Soul" Does Don Cornelius Proud

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Ainsley Andrade

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"American Soul" Does Don Cornelius Proud

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Ainsley Andrade

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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