What's Hot What's New

The good, the bad and the ugly. You'll find them all here. Each week you'll get my take on the intriguing, and sometimes peculiar, titles to recently hit the newsstand.

Beyond Race Cover Price: $5.00 wwwbeyondracemagazine.com Beyond Race is a bi-monthly publication with the stated goal of being a magazine for progressive thinkers. Beyond Race started out as a regional publication in New York that is now receiving national distribution. Just in time for its one year anniversary. Beyond Race highlights art and art culture with articles on music, painting and literature. This magazine uses dual covers (front and back) with half of the magazine devoted to music, and the other half highlighting literature and visual art. This publication, while not as visually appealing as other similar magazines, has a niche, and has been rewarded with national distribution. It remains to be seen how Beyond Race will fare now that it is receiving wider distribution, but hey, first New York then the world.

Reservations www.yourreservations.com Reservations is a bi-monthly magazine with the goal of being the ultimate African-American travel guide. There are many travel magazines on newsstands, but by attempting to attract African-American consumers, Reservations is truly homing in on a niche market. While this publication has a good idea, the content is too inconsistent and fails to make the impact necessary to stand out in what is a crowded marketplace. The cover story of Vivica Fox reads more like a Hollywood press clipping and does little to help this magazine establish its stated goal. But it is not all bad. There are some informative articles that travelers on a budget will find useful and informative. If Reservations becomes more consistent with its content, then maybe it can reserve a spot among travel magazines on today's newsstands.

Show: Black Lingerie Cover Price: $7.99 www.show-mag.com Some magazines are difficult to review, while some are not. Show: Black Lingerie would fall in the latter category. Show: Black Lingerie is a new title from the editors of Show Magazine that has the same goal of its sister publication of embodying the "Art of Sexy." The editors promise that this magazine will be spicier and more revealing than the original but it still has a similar concept; pictorials of beautiful, curvaceous women wearing almost nothing. The strength of this publication is in the flawless images of breathtaking women. While that may seem simplistic, Show: Black Lingerie has a well defined niche and tailors its content to serve that niche.