MODERN SOUL and R'n'B REVIEWS

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Maty Soul Goldenchild – Rising Rebel Trish n Tom – Something Good David Mensah – Food of Love Rogiers – Life and Music Steve Wallace – Hope 4 the holidays Nick Rolfe – The mind of an evolutionary

Nhojj – Someday peace love & freedom Deniece Williams – Love Niecy Style UltraNate – Grime Silk Thunder Gwen Miller – Phases of love Vol 1 Envy – Every Anything Mena – LiViNG my life

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Maty Soul   http://www.myspace.com/matysoul http://www.matysoul.com/

Info:-Maty Soul is a Soul singer, songwriter and composer. From an early age she fell in love with the music of Miles Davis, Bob Marley and Marvin Gaye. She was moved by the rhythms, the voices and the messages of protest in their songs, and developed her own style of singing from these influences. After finishing high school and a short stint at university. She found her home in the Montmartre-Barbès district of Paris well-known for its artistic and multicultural vibe. In pursuing her musical career, Maty Soul opened up for a gospel choir in 2000 and recorded her first demo in 2001. Since 2003 she has been singing regularly at Soul and Jazz venues in Paris, including l’Opus Café and Le Réservoir, where independent artists are able to showcase their talent. In April 2006, Maty Soul launched her page on Myspace. She received a warm welcome here in France and also from the U.K. and the U.S..Maty Soul has also been encouraged by the feedback she has had from Karen Bernod (background vocalist for D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige); Peter Black (a Hidden Beach artist who appears on the Unwrapped compilations) , Nicole Russo (who sang with the Brand New Heavies). Maty Soul is working on her album and has just recorded two songs, « My Mind Went To The 70s » and « Love Jones » with a backing lineup of seasoned jazz musicians such as Michel Alibo (Les Nubians, Manu Dibango, Sixun). Maty Soul’s music deals with social and political realities. She feels deeply concerned by injustice and inequality, and dedicates one of her songs to Martin Luther King, Jr. Her voice has been compared to that of Lauryn Hill and Jill Scottt. She has a voice that is warm and powerful, that ranges from the rhythmic force of Soul to the subtle charms of Jazz. Her passion for both is undisputed. And this passion she wishes to share with you..................................................................................................

Review: - Only a couple of tracks to review my mind went to the 70’s and Love Jones. There are a couple more tracks at the nyspace site linked above.

The former is a slow moderately funky track, with excellent vocals and a nice vibe, not particularly 70’s as the tite might suggest. Good instumentation from the band with some fine sax by Olivier towards the end. Love Jones is a powerful ballad, again well sung and complimeted by the sax, which really kicks in as the track builds. Two great tracks.

Goldenchild – Rising Rebel   http://www.myspace.com/dadathegoldenchild

Info:- When people speak of a person as being gifted, it is usually one talent that the person obtains they are referring to. This one talent is honed and crafted, nurtured and grown. But when speaking of Dada A.K.A The Golden Child, one cannot confine him to one talent, as he has many.

From a young child Dada began with auditioning for an NBC pilot. As an adolescent he attended the infamous F.H. LaGuardia High school of Performing Arts. He went on to successful completion of the world-renowned Howard University with his BA in Radio/TV/Film productions. Dada has truly been busy nurturing his crafts.

Beginning with his first love Hip-Hop music, Goldenchild is not just a rapper, but also an emcee; he is an emcee who also produces his music. Goldenchild has been rhyming, and producing tracks for five years. Listening to one of The Goldenchild's songs is like watching rhythmic tunes and lyrical expertise make love to sound waves. It is an experience of his mind, a trip through his heart, only to grab on to your soul. An average rapper does not have the musical gift, the ability to write, and the finesse to produce like a teacher amongst students. The Goldenchild however, is no average rapper.

Writing lyrics to rhymes, poetry, and stories made Goldenchild try his hand at song writing and production for others. He is currently writing and co-producing selected works to newly signed artists like AKIR, "Hip Hop Supergroup" The Reavers , "ReggaeSoulHipHop" band of talented musicians "PLAN B" and a plethora of international artists throughout Europe.

Due to the overwhelming response from talent executives, fans, family and "friends" from Myspace.com, The Goldenchild's main focus is finishing up the recording and production phase of his debut album. To his credit the album features exclusive production from NYC's beatsmith Metaphysic (who has produces works for Jay-Z, Dead Prez, Immortal Techinque, and AZ) Japanese-born producer Koichi and of course new genre-defying music from The Goldenchild featuring live instrumentation from the musicians in the band PLAN B.

The man they call The Golden Child,was given this name because a close friend said, everything he touches is fruitful, whatever it is, it always becomes golden. Whether it beats, rhymes, writing, or acting, The Golden Child has it mastered! Like masterful people do, even with all his skills and talent, he is constantly growing and innovating.

Review:- not exactly sure how availablesome of these tracks are as Goldebnchild gave me the CD, entitled Rising Rebel, at the indie soul party, but several of the cuts are available for Snocap download at his myspace page, link above.

The CD I have contains Slavery, Rise, babylon Falls, Choices ft The Reavers, Hold U, Beautiful Love ft Sirena and Wanna Live ftNadia. Essentially Hip Hop but lots of influences from Hip Hop, Reggae and Soul in terms of music but also lyrically. Slavery, strong on lyric, and strong on feel with a deep choral, almost menacing edge. Rise, babylon Falls, as the title might suggest has a reggae beat, and Dada’s voice kind of suits this style I feel.

The Reavers are - *Vordul Mega (Cannibal Ox) *Billy Woodz (Backwoodz Studioz) *Karniege (Big Kidz Designs) *Akir (One Enterprises) *Hasan Salaam (5th Column) *Goldenchild (Metropoliz Media Musak) *Dom Pacino (Killarmy) *Keith Masters (Backwoodz Studioz) *Priviledge (Backwoodz Studioz) *Kong & Spiega (Monsta Island Czars) and last but not least DJ Emagine (Emagination Productions) and they feature on Choices, this track is a harder style of Hip Hop and is one of the top tracks, and seems to finish too short!

Hold U doesn’t quite come up to the same standard in my view, but back on track with Beautiful Love ft Sirena, with familiar sample giving it a more commercial edge. The sampler closes with Wanna Live ft Nadia has a feelgood happy summer vibe, kind of caribbean steel drums and swirling seas – its not but that’s the feel it evokes!

Trish n Tom – Something Good http://tritommusic.com/home.html

Bio

Tn'T (Trish & Tom), first and foremost are soul mates. The two met as members in the soul-funk band Pryme Tyme (Trish lead vocals, Tom drummer, songwriter, vocals). They write music that is real, funky, melodic, from the soul, the heart, and all else that is good. In 2003 they recorded their debut cd 'Sweet Like Honey'. Often times the question is asked. Did they grow up in households heavily influenced by mom and dads' jazz and soul collection? Or were their parents famous musicians and singers? Absolutely not. There were a few Ray Charles records lying around. The order of the day in Toms' house was usually gospel music. So who and what were their influences? How did they come up with
this eclectic mix of soul and funk? Well first, you have Tom who's from the south and then there's Trish who was born and raised in the north. Their style is simply a reflection of the many hours spent listening to artists such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Sly & The Family Stone, Gladys Knight and The Pips, Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack and many others. Tn'T have been influenced by all genres of music...jazz, blues, hip hop, rock, pop, house, reggae, and every other kind of music under the sun. Oh yeah, and don't forget Toms' uncle Sam Matt, who is one of the most prolific gospel singers ever not heard of.

When Trish & Tom sit down to write, do they want to provoke thought? Of course not, Save the world? No, that's way too complicated, although they feel more love for your fellow man can go a long way. Their first objective is to entertain by making sure they are lyrically real, drawing from their own relationship and life around them. Positivity is a must and the music has to stay funky. James Brown said it best "whatever it is, it's got to be funky". Hopefully these three things come together and somewhere alone the way the listener is uplifted. Finally you ask, do they believe in themselves? Check them out, the answer is obvious.

So where does all this lead to? Ah... now we're getting somewhere. The title is 'Something Good' this is the sophomore release from Tn'T. This cd comes after there first release 'Sweet Like Honey', which kicked down the door and introduced Tn'T to the world of indie soul. 'Something Good' consist of 17 new tracks with all but four of the songs written and produced by the dynamic duo themselves. All of the tracks were recorded in house at their own Light, Laugh, and Love studio. Of course they invited some of the funkiest musicians on the planet over to bless the tracks. Although Trish and Tom love using the term 'funk' to describe their music, this cd is diverse and will take the listener on an unforgettable musical journey. The songs vary from the up tempo, rock you out 'Soul Music In a Hip Hop World' to the new dance anthem, 'Anyway You Want It' co-produced with Johnny Ray Reid of 'Crown Heights Affair', to the ballad '2 Be Loved', to the funk you out 'I Got It', and the sure to be a hit 'Bet Your $'. There are many more soulful stops in between.

This funky duo has rocked stages in New York City at venues such as The Baggott Inn (Village Soul Festival), Asford and Simpsons' Sugar bar, The Five Spot (Brooklyn), Cafe 111, The Cutting Room, Creole (Harlem), and have performed extensively throughout the southeastern United States. Tn'T has received radio air play on STMS Radio AM 1240 WGBB, WHPC 90.3 FM (Laura Dee Tonic Fusion), WNYC 1440 AM J.D. Lawrence Early Sunday Show, and WHCR 90.3 FM (Rhythm-N-Soul Radio) hosted by Marko Nobles. Trish and Tom can also be heard doing vocals on the upcoming made for children's television and soon to be released on dvd 'Noodle Heads'. You might ask yourself. What does this have to do with soul music? The answer is absolutely nothing, we just thought we'd throw it in.

Tn'T has also worked extensively as songwriters, co-producers, vocalist, and musicians with legendary funk and dance producers Ray Reid and Kenton Nix. Reid is most notable for his work with (Crown Heights Affair, Unlimited Touch, France Jolie, etc., etc.). While Nix is known for his hits, 'Heartbeat' (Taana Gardner), 'Funky Sensation' (Gwen McCrae). In addition Tn'T has opened for the late great Stanley Turrentine and have had the privilege of doing r&b soul workshops featuring James D-Train Williams who recorded the hit 'Keep On'.

Trish and Tom have been blessed with wonderful lives, so it's only fitting they project this in their music. That's why they're dedicated to making sure they always create positive, feel good... soulful, funky music. So remember the new cd 'Something Good', check it out you'll find the title most appropriate. To listen to more music from 'Something Good' meet us at our website, http://www.tritommusic.com. You can click on the above link.

Review – Another strong indie soul album out of New York. Trish n’Tom putting together a fine a varied selection of tunes with influences from all around and very well produced and put together.

The opener Soul Music is quite Rocky but it is upbeat with a lyric telling it like it is – Soul Music is on the up right!. Welcome to the parts contains a strong 80’s beat and lots of other old skool influences in there like maybe Chic or Ashford and Simpson, good stuff. Anyway you want it is has a newer dance feel but I can still here some old stuff in there, which is maybe not surprising given the producer..

2 be loved brings it right down, complete with string arrangement and acoustic guitar - in fact lots going on out of each channel, yet it still alows for a strong vocal and the track to build. Something good an optimistic song and we hope so to, yet though it’s the title track, it’s not the strongest in my view.

More Love is funkier with Tom taking the lead, catchy hook lines. I got some loving for you has Johnny Ray Reid and William Anderson on production duties again, like this track a long, its slower in a lazy funk vibe, yet strong, likeing Tom’s old skool vocals too, yes am definitely loving this track.

Wonderful Tonight is a stripped right back acoustic version of Clapton’s song. Bet your $ is a full on dance anthem track, with powerful strong vocals as befitting such a track, certainly grabs you hard but doesn’t quite do enough for me. The tempos are really up now, pretty much full on house I wanna thank you I find much more preferable than the previous track.

Lov’in you is also a good funky groove with Trish takin the lead and I want you in my life is a great one to end on, save for the Lets do this remix

A most enjoyable album, lots of tracks, not all hit the spot but there are plenty that do, covering a wide range of styles so something ought to grab you. My preferences are I got some loving, Soul Music and the gospel house track I wanna thank you.

1 Soul Music Intro 2 Soul Music 3 Welcome to the Party 4 Anyway You Want It 5 2 Be Loved 6 Something Good 7 More Love 8 I Got Some Lov'in For You 9 So Hard So Cold 10 Wonderful Tonight 11 Bet Your $ 12 I Wanna Thank You 13 I Got It 14 Lov'in You 15 Higher 16 I Want You in My Life 17 Let's Do This (remix)

David Mensah – Food of Love http://www.myspace.com/LondonCityRnB

Picture the streets of working-class East London in the 1980s, where the booming bass of Reggae fills and thrills the formative ears of a young boy taking it all in like a rhymic memory. That thumping bass, that lively musical flow, it was banging from the walls and pumping through the floors and the halls, embedding its way into the soul of David Mensah
With a move to Wales, this elixir was cut and mixed with a heady fusion of Nirvana, Radio Head,Blur and REM. Yes, music was slowly taking its effect and increasing in its potency. Still David dabled with house music before experimenting with Jungle and Drum n Bass in a search for new musical highs. But Trevor Nelson's Radio 1 show made certain that even in Wales, David still took soulful doses of Mary J., Jodeci, Black Street, Erica Badu, Maxwell, D'Angelo, Adina Howard and others to solidify David Mensah's lasting habit With a move back to the progressive London scene, Mensah trained at the Patrick Jean Paul Dean Vocal Academy. The rest, as they say, is history. Mensah would learn his craft under the tuition of Patrick Jean-Paul-Dean (whose fantastic rep as a Gospel singer would find him later nominated for a MOBO award for Best Gospel)
It was while there that David MenSah developed his singular sound. That sound is a mix of melodic soul, colored by warm shades of seductive sensitivity.
The years of study and formal technique paid off for Mensah. From school, he began his musical career as a prominent member of the vocal harmony group Dark Roses. Together, they were electric, and the blend was tight. Their debut single "I LIKE THE GIRLS" became a hit on the UK underground scene. The strength of their single secured them a deal with UNIVERSAL MUSIC. Their video for "I LIKE THE GIRLS" received steady rotation on HOME CHOICE TELEVISION and PASSION TV and radio stations GALAXY FM, XTREEM FM
As a group, Dark Rose gigged hard and successfully, and Mensah, by then a polished performer has performed to thousands at the Common Wealth Games Celebrations Manchester, Anti Racisism Festival Greenwich Park, Hackney Volcano Festival Hackney Marshes, Regent Street Festival London, London Twice as Nice, The Ocean Hackney London, Galaxy FM Live Stage Birmingham, Extreem FM Bar Rocca London,Tiger Tiger London, Browns London.
As a solo act, Mensah has enjoyed a varied career performing with a versatile crème de la crème of established and burgeoning musical artists

Review: I have a 4 track sampler containing Food of Love, My Day, Only wanna be your lover and God Bless the Child. Not sure of the retail availability of these tracks but I am sure that if you hit David up on his Myspace you can sort something out.

The four tracks are varied and perfectly showcase a variety of styles. Food of Love is a great ballad that builds from just piano vocals into a track overlayed with gospel influences, very nice it is too. My day is more upbeat, a midtempo danceable groove with a catchy My day, my day, my day, hook which keeps it in your head long after you’ve turned your CD player off. Only wanna be our lover is also upbeat but still different than the previous track, harder, more 80’s in styling maybe. And closing with a fine version of God Bless.

Rogiers – Life and Music www.fibbymusic.net

Four years after his two year stint being the keyboardist-organist-background singer to nine-time Grammy© winner Alicia Keys added to a third failed recording deal, Rogiérs finally stands at the segue of ..indie-artist with unyielding buzz.. and ..certified breakthrough.. in R&B/Soul/Hip-Hop. A point that he always imagined but simultaneously disbelieves. ..I..ve pursued this for so long that there..ve been moments when I forgot why I was doing it, and even more-that I actually could do it", says the singer/songwriter/producer. For Rogiérs, observing the landscape of popular music during the last few years has brought both incredible hopes yet despair-not just as an artist but for the entire field. There was hope that the promise of his ..sexy-soul.. voice, ..expressive.. playing, ..deliberate.. lyrical viewpoints and yes, good looks-could be a revitalizing ingredient which the industry and so many listeners seemed to long for. But it also brought despair that maybe these values had been overstated. ..I haven..t been ..excited.. about a new artist in years..I can think of three or four artists in the last five years that I..ve actually been ..excited.. about; two out of four either never came out or sold less than 250,000 records,.. says Rogiérs of the genre..s monotonous trend. It..s a trend that has sedated music lovers and yielded many acts to obscurity after months of costly marketing campaigns. It was these internal conflicts that conceived Rogiérs.. lead single ..Life & Music.. (produced by Dré Bowman and Rogiérs). Since its release in June 2006, the single has gained airplay stateside and in Europe- most notably in the UK..s top R&B/Soul/Hip-Hop formats. Born of an insightful conversation with close friend and EMI writer, Makeba Riddick (who penned hit singles for Beyoncé, Rhianna, J-Lo and B2K respectively), ..Life & Music.. explores the very real convictions of a do or die passion and an anxious desire to enjoy life..s necessities and simple pleasures. Ironically the very convictions that created ..Life & Music.. soon became Rogiérs..s motivation to stay on track with his music and continue recording. ..I always tell people who listen to the song for the first time that I..m ..over.. making the decision [to choose] but it was a real question I had to ask myself.., he says. Don..t compare Rogiérs to R&B/Soul..s reigning phenoms- there is room for ..successful diversity.. in the category, he says smiling. With his laundry list of worldwide performance credits both singing and playing, a distinguished formal musical education and personal endorsements spanning from award-winning artists like Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan, Wil-i-Am (Black Eyed Peas) to Bilal, Dwele, and Wajeed (Bling47) for starters, it..s a good thing Rogiérs chose music. © 2006 FibbyMusic Group www.FibbyMusic.net

Review – just a couple of tracks to review My Gift, Life and Music and a remix of the latter featuring Big Tone. My gift is a gem, uptempo and the sort of track that the UK loves, great vibe, great hook, soft yet soulful vocals. Life and Music, Life and Soul!, same theme, same thought process really. This track is different, a mellow yet punchy groove, quite sparse arrangement yet plently going on and the chorus lies there in the background in a kind of eerie haunting way. The remix adds a harder R’n’B edge and hip hop influences, despite the harder edge the vocals are actually more upfront and it works.

Steve Wallace – Hope 4 the holidays http://www.stevewallacemusic.com/

“Steve Wallace is A WUNDERKIND!!! He’s done it again!!!
RAPID DELIVERY of a Special Limited Edition CD called

“Hope 4 Tha Holidays” On D & R Entertainment – Griot Musicworks, LLC.

The Leader of the “Neo-Renaissance Movement” ! Delivers a CD that’s historic, traditional, NEW & Upbeat for the masses without being ‘preachy’…Check out the review below & listen 4 ya self!!! To see Steve’s Bio again please visit our CD Baby page for our “Come With tha Real” debut CD!!! Stay tuned THIS SUMMER FOR:

“Urban Soul” On D & R Entertainment – Griot Musicworks, LLC.!!! Summer 2007

Review: - Steve Wallace is a determined man, so when he says only a few weeks before Christmas that he’s going to do and release a Christmas CD, do it all by himself…..and I mean all….then it will happen……..and it did…….and it was a success.

I may be a bit late reviewing this but it is well worth getting and I know that there are literally only a handfiul of copies left, so you will need to move quickly.

Now when Christmas comes I am always searching for a Christmas album to play. There’s always the fallbacks, Spector, Motown, some reggae Christmas things, but usually there just played because they’re there. To date the album I have played most, and enjoyed most over Christmas is the Sounds of Blackness Christmas album. Until now and it’s gonna be this one. From traditional, to own compasitiosn, sometimes traditionally delivered, sometimes not. For example Steve’s own Perfect Christmas sounds more ‘trad’ that his version of Hark the Herald. And all with the determined effervescence of Steve Wallace.

Tracks:- 1 intro 2 a perfect christmas 3 hark 'tha herald angels sing! 4 christmas time 5 sweet lil' jesus boy 6 god rest ye merry gentlemen! 7 a christmas 2 remember 8 silent night 9 hope 4 tha holidays! 10 oh holy night 11 ... 12 ... 13 ...?

Nick Rolfe – The mind of an evolutionary http://www.nickrolfe.com/3.0/index.html

Info:-By now anyone familiar with the music of singer, songwriter, and keyboard wiz, Nick Rolfe, knows full well his inclination to challenge. Challenge listeners with a sound that renders category useless. That challenges the notion that any is indeed necessary. With his release, Just A Modern Day Soul Man the title proclaimed boldly who he is as he aimed to stretch the perception of what "soul" music is . With many of his contemporaries falling prey to sameness for an empty guarantee of success Rolfe introduced himself to the scene with an eclectic brew that raised eyes to a dexterous and soulful talent with something to say and perhaps even something to prove.

On his acclaimed subsequent release, The Remedy, Rolfe blossomed into an even more savvy craftsman of expressive tracks. Boasting provocative prose ushered by funk-filled grooves and stellar musicianship laid down by Rolfe and his Slick Jackson crew this winning collection was more than a hint to the premise that it may very well be as its title, The Remedy suggested encouraging ISPYSOUL.COM to deem it "A wonderfully eclectic and soulful elixir for the predictable commercial music scene."

Now this accomplished musician who in addition to droppin' artistry as a leader has been lending his talents to a range of outstanding artists such as Lizz Wright, Amel Larrieux, T.S. Monk, Omar, Russell Gunn, Benny Golson and more is back with his boldest statement yet, the highly anticipated release of his latest, The Mind of An Evolutionary. With this effort Nick Rolfe has challenged even himself to display the full spectrum of his musical influences and the poignant views of his mind's eye. As provocative as the cover itself, which cleverly reveals Rolfe himself dropping "bullets", this collection stretches the sound of soul music like few others today dare to do. Twisting up rock, jazz, funk and pop the result is a successful balance of upbeat good times and heavy helpings of consciousness that will have music junkies grabbin' at comparisons that run the time line while at the same time cheering on his fresh approach. With the super funky Slick Jackson core (teddycrockett, Mike Griot, Eric Brown) a sterling cast of additional heavy hitters such as Russell Gunn (Cee-Lo, D'Angelo, his own 2x Grammy nominated Ethnomusicology) Gene Lake (Meshell Ndegeocello, Joe Zawinul, David Sanborn) , Cindy Blackman (Lenny Kravitz, Cassandra Wilson, Joe Henderson), Terreon Gully (Christian McBride, Stefon Harris), Kenny Davis (George Duke, Herbie Hancock), Carlos Henderson (Common, Amel Larrieux, Erykah Badu) and more help bring the vision to life - A vision that as Rolfe describes on the opening intro is one of "music that has evolved beyond category, not just jazz ,soul, rock or funk but all of that, cause" as he continues, "after all it's just music y'all."

Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to The Mind of An Evolutionary!

Review:-Bumped into teddy Crockett recently and e gave me this, another project that he is involved with. And initially it grabs you with a top notch super funky, old skool, proper musicians (as you’d expect from anything Teddy has anything to do with), singalong, Movin' On, a gem of a track, loads going on and an especially nice trumpet.

It's Got To Get Better continues in a funky groove, maybe slightly mellower, classic funky guitar and organ, shades of Sly on the vocal, and a message like the good old funk tracks.

Amazing is faster paced and I dh as the first two tracks, but having played it a few times I’m not so sure! Man on a Mission is harder, heavier rockier, and not really my bag at all.

Tainted Love is a change of mood, mellower, strong vocals, bit jazzier, and this groove continues into a fine version of Just The Two of Us , which is perfectly suited to Nick’s style.

Cranked up again Gold Digger with fast spoken, quite sparse funk, just noticed from the sleeve that my favourites, and the funkiest grooves are coming out of the sessions recorded at Excello, not sure what that means, just an observation. So havithe next track should be good! See What's Goin' Down well not the bst but still pretty good, and it does continue in that old skool funk groove.

Daily Prayer is deep and moving, slow and thoughful over a heavy but distant guitar wailing, and de’Andre’s vocals adding depth, vocally strong too. Although slow and moody and not instant this has to be one of the standout tracks. Closing on a track stripped back to the basic quartet Life .

A very strong album with several tracks standing out, conceptually and musicianship..ly! also a winner.

1 Intro 2 Movin' On 3 It's Got To Get Better 4 Amazing 5 Man on a Mission 6 Interlude 7 Tainted Love 8 Just The Two of Us 9 Gold Digger 10 See What's Goin' Down 11 Daily Prayer 12 Life

Nhojj – Someday peace love & freedom http://www.nhojj.com/

Self-made producer Nhojj has drawn comparisons to Bob Marley, Prince, Marvin Gaye, Sade, Maxwell, Terence Trent D'Arby, Bobby McFerrin, Tracy Chapman and Stevie Wonder by media. And in 2006, peaked at the #2 position on both the Neo Soul and Healing & Easy Listening NY Myspace Indie Charts, #4 on the Ambient and Roots Music Charts, #5 and #6 on the Jazz and Nu-Jazz Charts respectively with over 50,000 plays. Dubbed "The Voice of Social Conscience" by writer Michael Ornadet of Logo Magazine, it is no wonder people everywhere are grooving and relaxing to this new sound.

Nhojj started singing as a child in Guyana; the native home of his parents, where he performed in churches, on radio programs and eventually for the president. When his father, a church minister moved his family to Trinidad, Nhojj continued to perform, touring the country. At 18, he moved to New York City where he eventually attended New York University earning a B.A. in Economics. With education out of the way, he could devote his time to his true passion - music.

His '01 debut, "I've Been Waiting for You," is a personal diary, documenting his rocky road to self-love. The title track prompted writer Chris Van Loan of MusicDish to suggest "...maybe blessed with musical genius". Music from the album was profiled on Audiofile Radio, which airs on over 125 stations around the world, and featured at The 2002 International Fringe Festival in the award winning play, "The Making of the Black Man."

His '03 sophomore album, "Someday Peace, Love and Freedom" is a reggae-inspired conversation on politics, religion and social injustice. Once again he received praise and top honors from online media sources, garnering the Outstanding Male Recording Nomination at the '04 Outmusic Awards and winning the Best Male Performance at the Fresh Fruit Festival.

In 04 Nhojj released an unplugged performance DVD "An Intimate Evening with Nhojj," filmed by Emmy nominated director Bill Cote and completed a 10-city College Tour. Other performances included opening for Def Jam poet Stacey Ann Chin, Motown Recording Artist Donnie, Pride Festivals in NY, CT, MD, DC, and NJ. Nhojj also performed at the CBGB Gallery, Joe's Pub, Nuyorican Poet's Cafe and Arlene's Grocery.

He also gave free concerts to support the causes and organizations near to his heart - Lifebeat's Hearts and Voices program, YWCA, Theaters Against War, the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Service, 911 Concerts, the Powel Street Addiction Center and co-produced the "Underground to Peace and Unity Concert." Music from the "Underground to Peace and Unity Concert" received radio support from NPR stations around the USA as well as Public, College and Internet Radio around the world.

In '05 Nhojj recorded, "Coming Home" a tribute to the hymns, anthems and inspirational music that laid the foundation for him as a musician. In support of this project, he completed a five-month, 26-city, 41-church tour that took him to England, Canada, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Trinidad, Guyana and the U.S.A; and performed with Altino Concert Choral at The Avery Fischer Hall at Lincoln Center. The only original composition on the CD "A Song for Mother;" received honorable mention at the 13th Annual Billboard Song Contest.

Review: - bit different for me but this album is very much one for the right mood, it is warm , peaceful and realaxing drawing influences from the world of poetry, acoustic, conversation, soul, reggae, dub and spiritual.

Lyrically or poetically Nhojj deals with issues, is a peaceful yet strong way, injustice, politics, love – intimate and global, all set against a light dubby, or acoustic sound. There is despair but ultimately hope. Someday Peace Love and Freedom. We all hope so.

Tracks: -1 Hold on 2 Free 3 Peace 4 What r u begging for? 5 The Beggar's Cup 6 Fighting for Love (The Warrior's Song) 7 Lost/Found 8 U 9 I Miss You 10 Love Again