by R&B veteran Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers is gearing up for the release of a new studio album entitled “Mr. I,” scheduled to drop November 30. The disc will be his first release since his stint in federal prison for tax evasion charges. On the heels of âMr. I,â Ron will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Soul Train Awards, airing Nov. 28 on BET and Centric after taping Nov. 10. Singersroom recently caught up with Mr. Isley, where he shared his feelings on the legacy of the Soul Train Awards. âBeing black that was the only thing. It was real but it was the only thing,â Ron tells Singersroom. âYou couldnât get on TV cause TV wasnât showing nothing else. So Soul Train was one of the ways to show your people what you were doing. Iâm glad about Soul Train and that it last this long. Like I said it was the only thing for black people.â On âMr. I,â Ron worked with some of todayâs popular stars like Aretha Franklin, Lauren Hill, Tank, and rapper T.I., whose 11-month sentence caught him off guard. âMan I was stunned,â Ron tells Singersroom.âWe are all friends and the hope was that he got pass this. He got 11 monthsâ¦he may not have to do 11 monthsâ¦you know but we didnât want him to do any time.â Ron, who also stared a hefty jail sentence in the face, added, âI didnât think it was fair⦠you know itâs because who he is that all the attention is on him.â
