Check out these new photos from Solange’s show with Wyclef at the House of Blues in Hollywood, CA! Geffen Records presents the sophomore release from Solange Knowles, SoL-AngeL and The Hadley Street Dreams due for release on August 26th.
Solange hanging out with Wyclef
Solange performing at the House of Blues
Solange posing for the camera at the House of Blues
Talented singer, songwriter, artist, and entrepreneur, Solange Knowles AKA SoL-AngeL, is ready to set the world on fire with a sound that is sure to breathe life into a sometimes stagnant music scene. With her sophomore set, SoL-AngeL and The Hadley Street Dreams, on her new label home of Geffen Records through Music World Entertainment, Solange takes us through a walk in yesteryear with an uber modern twist. SoL-AngeL and The Hadley Street Dreams is due for release on August 26th.
On SoL-AngeL and The Hadley Street Dreams, SoL-AngeL enlisted help from producers and songwriters that she knew would capture the sound she wanted to project instantly; but getting them to believe in her wasn’t easy.
“I literally had to beg Cee-Lo to listen to my music but once he did he signed on immediately,” states the giddy SoL-AngeL. “We wrote and recorded ‘T.O.N.Y’ and ‘Sandcastle Disco’ (produced by Soul Shock) that same week. Producer Jack ‘Splash’ joined in to produce ‘T.O.N.Y’ and went on to produce two more songs for me: ‘Would’ve Been the One’ and ‘Ode To Marvin,’ my special take on Mr. Gaye’s ‘What’s going On,’ both of which I wrote with Splash and Makeba.”
For the remainder of the album SoL-AngeL went on to work with Pharrell for the finger-snapping, feel-good first single “I Decided,” Lil Wayne makes an intoxicated guest appearance on “Champagnechronicnightcap,” Bilal helps write and appears on “Cosmic Journey” and “Wanna Go Back,” which Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry lends vocals to, and Raphael Saddiq produces the soulfully insightful, “Same Song, Different Man,” which features Estelle.
Solange Official Site:
http://www.solangeknowles.com
and MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/solange
SoL-AngeL and The Hadley Street Dreams iTunes Pre-order Link:
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=amtEadlxNQY&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D278448025%2526id%253D278447978%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
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WatchMojo NewsletterLOS ANGELES, CA (July 30, 2008) – Los Angeles-based power trio The Human Value announced today that they will be releasing their second CD, Push and Pull, in the U.S. on September 23, 2008, along with a limited edition LP. The LP (500 blue and 500 yellow vinyl) includes a free download card for a one-time digital download of Push and Pull and two additional bonus tracks not on the U.K. version (released Nov. of ’07). The U.S. release is the first on lead singer Turu’s newly-formed Pretty Mouth Records (http://www.prettymouthrecords.com) via Big Deal Records (http://www.bigdealrecords.com <http://www.bigdealrecords.com/> ) with distribution from Ryko/WEA http://www.rykodistribution.com ).
The Human Value (THV) is a power trio fronted by serpentine vocalist Turu, king of the fuzz-tone guitar Hiram Fleites (ex-Kittens for Christian) and whirling dervish drummer Tim Bolish. THV first made a name for themselves in England on their debut self-titled CD in winter of 2006. Turu and Hiram, the core duo behind the LA-based THV, relocated to London that year, touring guerilla-style through ’07. They returned to the states to record Push and Pull, but went back to the UK for that release and more touring. They made the move due, in large part, to nomadic adventure and fantastic reviews in the notoriously fickle U.K. press (like NME “It’s powerful stuff” and The Fly “They are The Human Value. We are not worthy,”) on their UK debut. They soon became known for their eye-popping live show.
Push and Pull finds The Human Value’s core sound based on Turu’s sultry, come hither and often balls-to-the-wall vocals who, according to Diva Magazine, “..sounds like Karen O’s sleazier sister”. Full of heavy, dark, fuzzy tunes that sound like a band who enjoy comparisons to Joy Division one day and Blondie doing vocals for The Strokes another, and throw in some PJ Harvey for good measure. It is a record that will literally push and pull you in many directions at once. There’s a lot of noise for a power trio, that’s for sure.
Full track listing for Push and Pull is:
1. Pleasant Town
2. Pretty Mouth
3. No Sacrifice
4. I Don’t Care
5. Complications No. 2
6. Hold of Me
7. Spite
8. Alibi
9. Parts
10. Nothing
11. Home is Not Real
12. Deep Blue
13. Push and Pull
14. All These Years (bonus track, previously unavailable)
15. The City (bonus track, previously unavailable)
While living in the UK, Turu found a number of cool artists and like-minded musicians who were ready for a U.S. presence. Being business minded (as well as quite ‘hot’) Turu decided to launch Pretty Mouth Records with The Human Value’s latest full length being its first release. Pretty Mouth Records will announce additional signings in the near future and will be focusing on digital distribution as well as CD and vinyl product, so full details of the new label will be announced shortly.
In many ways, he’s one of the music industry’s best kept ‘secrets’ although staunch music fans from London and Los Angeles to Tokyo and New York City will readily attest to Leon Ware’s artistry as not merely a legendary songwriter and producer but as a brilliant artist and performer in his own right. A music maker for four decades, Leon’s amazing list of impressive credits includes classic recordings by Quincy Jones, Minnie Riperton, Michael Jackson, Maxwell, Average White Band and of course, the late Marvin Gaye (whose Ware-written and produced “I Want You” LP remains a seminal Motown album). Leon readily confesses that even with a catalog of nine of his own albums released since 1972, “I’ve never really been out there as a fully-fledged recording artist and performer because of my love for producing and writing. Now,” he emphasizes, “it’s time to do that…”
The impetus, Leon says, is MOON RIDE, his debut album for Stax/Concord Records. The twelve songs that comprise the Ware-produced collection of new material easily validates Leon’s stance as a true master of musical sensuality. In the tradition of his previous recordings and work with others, songs on the new album like “Just Take Your Time,” “Hold Tonight” and “Smoovin’” are love-filled odes, a heady mix fantasy and reality.
While MOON RIDE demands to be heard in its entirety as a potent, cohesive piece of work, key cuts include the hypnotically evocative “Loceans,” a song Detroit-born Leon says was designed “to create atmosphere, allure…a reminder of an unforgettable personal moment you may have had with another. It’s an expression of my romantic lust for life.” Likewise, the acoustic-flavored “From Inside” has all the trappings of a modern-day slow jam classic: “90% of my work has multiple meanings, especially where sex is concerned. I love double entendre! Someone’s inner self, inside, is what matters to me – it’s not the surface impression that really makes a person who they are. As a child, I was actually blind for two years and when my vision returned, I realized it was about looking inside people, not at them,” Leon smiles, clear that the song’s title alone begs another, more obvious interpretation much as his classic “Inside My Love” did back in the ‘70s when recorded by the late Minnie Riperton.
The album’s title cut has the kind of insistent groove that has endeared Leon to soul music lovers worldwide, particularly in the UK where he has created the kind of near-legendary status usually accorded superstars like Gaye and Donny Hathaway, two of the hundreds of artists who have made Leon’s song catalog rich with time-honored compositions like “If I Ever Lose This Heaven,” “Body Heat” and “I Wanna Be Where You Are.” The equally funky “Blue Dress” segues into the late night yearning of “Hold Tonight” while further into the album, “Smoovin’” is as contemporary in spirit as tunes like “Sumthin’ Sumthin,’” a Ware 1996 collaboration that became neo-soul singer Maxwell’s virtual signature theme.
The Gaye-shaded “I Never Loved So Much,” penned with John Barnes (known for his work with Michael Jackson among others) was, Leon notes, “written ALMOST twenty years ago. Oddly enough, it’s a song I never showed anyone. There are about six or seven songs in my life as a writer that I didn’t want to record. This was one of them.” Then, “Urban Nights” (at one time considered as a possible title track for the album) is a descriptive, percussive delight while “To Serve You (All My Love)” was inspired during a visit to South Africa is an homage to old school R&B: “I love going back musically while mixing the elements so there’s a new attitude in there too,” Leon says, noting that “A Whisper Away” is a cut that “exhibits my jazz feel. For many years, people have asked ‘is he an R&B artist or a jazz artist?’ I think of myself as a servant, here to serve the people with my music.”
His first major label album in over two decades, MOON RIDE represents the culmination of a very active period in Leon’s career. Since 1995, Leon has been writing, producing and recording as an independent artist with four albums to his credit – the R&B-flavored “Taste The Love”; the 2001 set “Candelight” recorded with jazz keyboardist Don Grusin; the passion-charged “Love’s Drippin,’” a 2003 release; and 2004’s Brazilian-themed “A Kiss In The Sand.” During the last decade, he’s been a frequent visitor to the UK where his sold-out concerts at London’s Jazz Café before an adoring audience (singing along with almost his entire repertoire) are legendary; U.S. performances at New York’s Blue Note and the Temple Bar in Los Angeles have only served to heighten interest in Leon’s musical catalog as an artist, writer and producer.
As a native of Detroit, Leon found himself writing for artists such as Martha & the Vandellas and Isley Brothers at Motown in the mid-’60s. A collaboration with Ike & Tina Turner for a United Artists album led to Leon’s own first solo venture for that label in 1972, recorded while he was continuing to write hits for other Motown acts such as The Jackson Five and a solo Michael Jackson, for whom he penned the hit single, “I Wanna Be Where You Are.” In 1974, Leon contributed the now-standard “If I Ever Lose This Heaven” as well as the title track to Quincy Jones’ breakthrough album “Body Heat”; a year later, he was celebrating more success with “Rolling Down A Mountainside,” a hit for R&B group The Main Ingredient and with Minnie Riperton via “Inside My Love.”
Leon began working on two projects at Motown in 1976, including a solo project; when label founder Berry Gordy Jr. heard the song “I Want You,” he wanted it recorded by Marvin Gaye. Subsequently, Leon produced Gaye’s entire album of the same name, achieving tremendous success on the pop and R&B charts. His own “Musical Massage” LP was issued by Motown later that year and regarded as a groundbreaking album, considered ahead of its time, it was reissued in 2003 to much critical acclaim.
Continuing to have his songs covered by plethora of artists (including Bobby Womack, Melissa Manchester, Sergio Mendes, Nancy Wilson, Isaac Hayes among others), Leon had his third LP release (“Inside Is Love”) in 1979 before completing two album for Elektra, “Rockin’ You Eternally” (whose title track is a bonafide soul classic in Europe and beyond) and a 1982 self-titled set.
Throughout the late ‘80s and ‘90s, Leon’s music was discovered by a whole new generation of young artists leading to creative samplings of his songs with the likes of Ice Cube, Tupac and A Tribe Called Quest; and other samples by Montell Jordan, Aaliyah, EPMD and Prince and more recently Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, John Legend & Jennifer Lopez, among others. After recording his last four albums (all also released overseas by popular demand), Leon began meeting with executives at Stax/Concord in 2006 with an initial idea for doing a compilation of his work but after hearing some of the new material he was writing, the project evolved into MOON RIDE spurred on specifically by the song “Loceans.”
Buoyed by the label’s enthusiasm for his new work, Leon took time to complete the album, noting, “It’s never taken me so long to work on a record – two years in all! But I definitely consider it one of my best efforts ever and I’m looking forward to as many people as possible hearing it.” For the many music lovers who have followed his career over the years, Leon is more than grateful: “It’s staggering when I stop and think about how my music has touched people from all walks of life and that the sentiments in my songs are considered timeless. I think of my music as a house that has a home everywhere.”
Certainly, with MOON RIDE – an album that reflects his joy for love and life – Leon Ware can be justifiably proud that, this time out, his special brand of smooth sensuality and provocative passion will be reaching audiences both old and new: “I really feel as if this is the first time in my entire career when a record I’ve made has the potential to be fully exposed and promoted by a record company. I look forward to this album realizing what the others haven’t. I’m excited, I feel good and I’m ready to really get out there as a recording artist and performer in a whole new way.
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Qui Presents Her DEBUT Music Video: ‘Rev It Up’ featuring David Banner:
ABOUT QUI
Possessing talent is one thing. But equal measures of determination and focus are also required to succeed in today’s competitive music arena. Singer/songwriter/musician Jacqui “Qui” Rice is one of those talented few.
While maintaining a 4.0 average at Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown University,majoring in government and Spanish, with a focus on international relations, the college junior found time to pursue her long-held passion. Slated for a late summer release is Qui’s (pronounced “Kwee”) debut album, LUV ‘N LIFE (JJR Entertainment). The mix of mid-tempo, R&B/pop and ballads calls to mind such influences as Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson and Ciara. But LUV ‘N LIFE is definitely Qui’s show.
At a time when consumers are looking for more substantial melodies and lyrics, Qui’s music definitely fits the taste of today’s audience.
Born in Greenville, Mississippi and raised in Atherton, CA, Qui isn’t one of those paint-by-numbers artists who typify most contemporary music. Under the guidance of co-writer Francesca “Francii” Richard, and a team of talented production newcomers, Qui’s vocal talent, combined with her ability for writing relatable lyrics, shines against a backdrop of hypnotic grooves with across-the-board appeal.
On LUV ‘N LIFE, Qui chronicles the fun, yet scary rollercoaster ride, everyone experiences when it comes to relationships and love as well as the self-awareness that rises from this emotional journey. The siren intro and rousing beat of the opening track, “On the Line,” is infused with the exhilarating rush that happens when you meet “that someone” for the first time. Thrilled yet cautious, Qui explores her newfound feelings on the mid-tempo groove “Personal” and the poignant “Stay” (“You flipped the scenario/Every fear that I had/had to let it go).
Qui jumps into funky mode on the first single from her debut, the percolating dance joint “Rev It Up”. Her sultry vocals provide the perfect juxtaposition to the track’s featured guest, raspy-voiced, Mississippi-bred rapper David Banner.
Qui taps into her growing self-awareness as a young woman on the inspirational anthem “Girl Child.” Underscoring her subtly powerful vocal is a harmonizing chorus of girl-child voices backing Qui on the compelling hook (It’s hard being a lady when this world is crazy/Still I know it’s a blessing I was born a girl child). Love’s heartbreak is addressed on the moving ballad “It Was U,” while Qui’s awakening “a-ha” moment is expressed via the rock-infused “Solo.”
While recording LUV ‘N LIFE, Qui says her goal was to keep it “funky, fun and positive. You pretty much groove to every song on here.”
Emotion was a key factor as well. “It’s important to make people feel what you’re singing,” adds the artist whose musical influences also encompass pop/rock (John Mayer, Maroon 5), country (Johnny Cash, Shania Twain, rap (Snoop Dogg and David Banner) and gospel (Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin).
“Lyrics really inspire me,” adds Qui. “I was always writing random lyrics and poems in school in my assignment books. Finally getting to see these songs come to life is exciting.”
Listening to her paternal grandmother sing in church during summers spent in Mississippi as well as to her parents’ diverse oldies collection, which included Marvin Gaye, Temptations, Billie Holiday and Elvis, Qui began playing piano at the age of five. Then at the age of 10, she declared her intent to become a singer. That desire was put to the test at age 11 when Qui performed the national anthem before 62,000 football fans at a San Francisco 49ers game.
“Dancing, music and singing always went hand in hand for me,” she says. “I found I love performing in front of crowds. It’s an adrenaline thing.”
Her first formal introduction into the music industry occurred at 15 when Qui joined a teen quartet called Sorella (Italian for sister). Performing up and down the California coast during the summer at showcases and festivals in Florida and Texas, the multi-ethnic pop group signed with JJR Entertainment,an independent label established by Qui’s mother. After four years, the group disbanded.
Qui comes by her competitive drive and fortitude naturally. Her father is legendary NFL Wide Receiver and Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who put himself through a different kind of intense pace while a contestant on “Dancing With The Stars. Mother Jacqueline is a former pre-med student who manages the day-to-day operations of JJRE. “My Mom taught me how to multi-task,” says Qui. “She took us to school, ran the household and made sure my brother, sister and I had plenty of extra-curricular activities. She and my Dad taught us to dream.”
Though her career is a family affair, Qui is quick to proclaim she wants to forge her own identity and not trade on her parents’ notoriety. “My lifestyle doesn’t depend on my Dad or Mom’s success,” she adds. “I want to make a first impression based on who I am alone.”
In spring, 2008, Qui became the first African American to be crowned Queen of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, an achievement that Qui is quite proud of. Now in its 81st year, the festival is an annual tradition in Winchester, Virginia, (West of Washington, D.C.) that attracts more than 250,000 people.
A college girl at heart, she loves old movies, cupcakes, pizza and barbecued chicken and shares a house with five other students. Qui admits its difficult balancing her studies and a singing career. However, her “can-do” spirit remains just as strong as her zeal for LUV ‘N LIFE and the promise it holds. “It’s been difficult, but somehow you make it work and it’s worth it,’ she notes. “Music is where my heart is.”
http://www.myspace.com/
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