Oct
22nd
Thu
22nd
Sep
8th
Tue
8th
K-Swift n/k/a Mr Diz back in early ‘92 with Profile Records release “Chicken Skratch” his solo single after The Alliance disbanded. This song was one of the first hiphop records played by Funk Master Flex when he began dj-ing on a fledging HOT 97 (NY) which went from Latin Freestyle to an all Hiphop music format, that year.
Sep
4th
Fri
4th
Soultracks.com review for The Contemporary Soul Songbook Vol. 1 feat. Lisa Zure
Various Artists - The Contemporary Soul Songbook, Vol. !
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to listen or purchase Regular readers of SoulTracks will know that I am a big fan of Soul Unsigned Records, and have sung the praises of their two EP’s and two full length albums of unsigned artists. Whilst we are awaiting the next volume, label owner Phil Driver has released a new CD entitled The Contemporary Soul Songbook Vol. One, focusing on modern soul acts. The start of the liner notes on The Contemporary Soul Songbook Vol. One reads: “Browse around a High Street record store these days and you could be forgiven for thinking that contemporary soul music ended after Anita Baker, Luther Vandross and Alexander O’Neal… are there any artists still out there, regardless of the colour of their skin, still making quality soul music?” It’s not a trick question, but with the melange of all the genre crossovers and clever marketing out there today, it’s not hard for quality soul singers to get lost and left behind.
There are some gems on The Contemporary Soul Songbook CD from a number of emerging artists of varying stripes. Ironically the oldest track on the CD is one of the best, “Tongue Tide” by Lisa Zuré. Having listened to the track at 20 times I still have no idea what Lisa is singing about but I know I am still hypnotized by the smoky vocals that at times remind me of Chaka Khan, and the seductive saxophone played by Vince Lars. This for me is an example of what timeless soulful music is about, a breath of fresh air that contrasts with some the computer generated tracks around today. “Phenomenal Woman” by Fola alludes to the world famous poem by Maya Angelou of the same title, but here it’s in the context of the modern woman who fascinates her man. Set to a jazzy groove and melodic saxophone, her man may not be the only one fascinated by this track. “India” by Eddie Sea is an up-tempo yet laid back track, telling us about this mystery woman who appeared and utterly transfixed him. “Lost Paradise” by Jua creates a surprise as he is singing so sweetly when he says “when you look at me I hope you feel hurt.” Ouch! If you have ever heard “My Ex-girlfriend” by Tony! Toni! Toné you will know exactly what I mean — how a melody and tone can be saying one thing, but the words saying something else. Either way it is another beautiful track, as are “Can’t Settle For Less” by Tracey Harris, “Natural Vibe” by Tammy Harris, the uplifting “I’m Staying Home Tonight” by Ashanti Muir, “Living For Today” by LeNora Jaye and “Saying Less” by the sexy funky Nash Reed.
To answer Mr Driver’s question? Yes there are soul singers still out there, though they’re not necessarily on this disc. The song selections on The Contemporary Soul Songbook point toward a focus on romantic, wind down adult music, and in that regard is extremely enjoyable. Other than cuts featuring the rich vocal tones of Donald Sheffey and the previously mentioned, remarkable Lisa Zuré, this album generally isn’t necessarily what I would consider a modern soul music collection. Had other tracks from the same artists been selected the resulting overall feel of the disc could have been entirely different and more on point for soul music audiences.
So enjoy this album for what it is, rather than what you may have expected. There is still a lot to like here. And let it encourage you to check out some of the other songs by the talented artists whose music is included in The Contemporary Soul Songbook, Vol. 1. Well done once again Mr Driver. I look forward to what you will do with Volume 2.
By Ricardito
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Aug
20th
Thu
20th
Check out and download tracks from the soulful EP: Lisa Zure- Sweet Fruit
Singer/songwriter/actress, Lisa Zuré worked with a number of well-known producers and artists in LA and the SF Bay Area before moving to Brooklyn, New York three years ago. The first Brooklynite she encountered was veteran producer Mr.Diz aka K-Swift, and the rest is history. Working nonstop, the two discovered almost by accident their signature sound, which (for lack of a better name) they call Urban Soul. The music is being embraced in the US and overseas (Europe and Japan) by listeners of all ages and races. Ms. Zure is steadily gaining a dedicated fan base all over the world.
“My music grows on people,” says Zuré. “It’s just been a matter of getting it out there to let them hear it.” A 2007 pre-release of the single, Can’t Tell Him No (included on the Sweet Fruit EP), was warmly received; in June of that year, Can’t Tell Him No spent several weeks in the Top 20 of French FM station RadioLaser, and remained in regular rotation for most of that summer. Additionally, for all of November 2007, Zure and her song, Can’t Tell Him No, both maintained their position as No. 1 Independent Artist and Song on the Vibe/BP Music page, garnering hundreds of fans from all across the US (particularly the Deep South) and across the globe. Songs from this current project are already being featured on radio shows (including KISS FM) in Sweden, New Zealand and the UK, as well as on various popular podcasts.
Although Sweet Fruit is an EP, Zuré has dubbed it a Multiple Single Release. “Everything in the music business is changing. With digital downloads, every song on an album has to be worthy of being a single. We ended up releasing this project a year later than planned because our music kept evolving and raising the bar, so we had to keep working to meet our own rising standards. Now that we have, I coined the phrase Multiple Single Release to describe our approach to marketing this project.”Each song represents a different aspect of the artist’s experience. “Love fuels all my work, even when it’s filtered through pain. I guess you could say I’m a love junkie. It’s always about being authentic, expressing pure emotion in a musical way. This time, the thing that fueled me most was Diz’s beats. They triggered a musical emotion and I stayed true to that source. The collaboration birthed this organic sound that neither one of us could have created alone.”
Sweet Fruit, the title track in this collection, was already written when Zuré met guitarist Chris Morgan. “Months before, I’d actually seen Chris playing with Angie Stone on a music/travel video filmed on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The video stayed in my mind because I spent a lot of time on those islands (my daughter was born in BC) and Angie Stone is one of my favorite singer/writers. So the combination of Angie and Vancouver Island was my personal Heaven on Earth. When Chris contacted me and I realized he’d toured with her, I was so excited. The minute he played me the guitar loop, I knew it was a perfect fit.” Sweet Fruit also features bass by the talented Nate Jones, well known for his work as Music Director for Lyfe Jennings. “I think a lot of women can relate to this song. Basically, it’s a heads up for any man who thinks his woman is just gonna lie up passive while he’s running around on her…”Sweet fruit, only getting sweeter, juicy in the garden, cuz there ain’t nobody watchin’….
“From the moment I heard Zuré sing,” remembers Diz, “I was inspired to create music that would compliment her distinctive sound, and that’s real, cause I had given up on the spirit of being a producer or being involved in the music industry, it was like a marriage gone awry…” The first musical collaboration between Zuré and Diz was actually a jingle for the Boneheadz Radio Show, and then the songs just started flowing.
