Sade’s new CD, “Soldier Of Love’ will be available on February 9, 2010

For more information visit: www.sade.com

R&B Star’s New Album is 2nd for Legendary Soul Label Stax Records

Listen to Angie Stone’s new single “I Ain’t Hearin’ U”

R&B/soul luminary Angie Stone has never shied away from pushing her own limits and the limits of her music. With each new recording, with each next step in her career, she has consistently hit the world with something it didn’t see coming. Her new album, Unexpected, set for release on November 24th from Stax Records (a division of Concord Music Group), encompasses a diversity of styles and influences that Stone has distilled over the years – rap, R&B, soul, funk and more – and weaves them together in a narrative that addresses life’s ups and downs, but ultimately strikes a redemptive chord.

“I wanted this album to be something different,” says Stone, whose 2007 Stax debut, The Art of Love & War, was her first album to top Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart. “I didn’t want to make the kind of neo-soul record I had made in the past. That would have been repetitive.”

But in the midst of mapping this new direction, Stone encountered a shock that even she didn’t see coming. Mid-way through the recording process, her father – Stone’s spiritual anchor and creative mentor since her childhood in South Carolina – passed away very suddenly. “It was totally unexpected,” she says, “and that’s where I came up with the title of the album. I really didn’t think I could finish the project, because I was so grief stricken…I had to do a lot of the vocals a second time. I had to lean on my dad’s wisdom and energy, and try to be open to what he would have wanted me to do in order to finish the songs. I can say that his spirit was literally there in the studio with me, and I’m grateful for that.”

Out of this tragedy comes Unexpected, the next step forward for Stone, a stretch beyond whatever limits – real or perceived – she might have been facing when the project began. From the get-go, the quick and funky title track – with its backbeat inspired by Sly Stone’s 1971 hit, “Family Affair” – warns the listener to “Prepare yourself for just about anything.” Equally energetic is the album’s first single, “I Ain’t Hearin’ U,” a song that decries rumor and gossip. The track is co-written by vocalist and songwriter Juanita Wynn, Stone’s collaborative partner for several years.

“I Don’t Care” is a proclamation of self-acceptance and self-assurance, based on sound spiritual advice that Stone received early on: “My dad always used to tell me, ‘Don’t worry about what people say. They can’t change anything. Whatever God wants for you is most important.” “Tell Me” settles into a techno groove wherein the dual vocals by Stone and Wynn – artfully co-produced by Kerrim “Ikon” King and Fitzroy “Art Teacher” Reid – create a wall of sound that’s augmented by an edgy delivery from rapper Dose.

“Think Sometimes” is a poignant ballad inspired in large part by Stone’s late father. “It’s funny how people can slip away so fast, and suddenly they’re in your past,” she says. “You wonder about what you could have – or should have – done differently. It’ll make you think sometimes.”

Unexpected represents a turning point for Angie Stone – not just in her career, but in her life and her world view. And while the losses that triggered the transformation may be painful, the artist and her work are stronger because of them. “This album is something that no one would have anticipated coming from me. My father always encouraged me and everyone else he knew to reach out and make a leap of faith, and that’s exactly what I’ve done.”

Bobby Womack has a vast and rich songbook, which has been somewhat under rated over the years. Calvin Richardson is a very talented singer whose voice and style is perfectly matched for this project.

Calvin shines throughout this album as he breathes new life into the Womack catalog, which is evident on the classic “Woman’s Got To Have It”

The highlights of “Facts Of Life” are “Across 110th Street”, “That’s The Way I Feel About ‘Cha”, “Daylight”, and “You’re Welcome Stop On By”. Ms Ann Nesby joins Calvin for a faithful rendition of “Love Has Finally Come At Last”, a hit ballad performed by Womack and Patti LaBelle back in the day.

Discover the talent of Calvin Richardson as he re-introduces us to “The Soul Of Bobby Womack”

Connect with Calvin on My Space

Fast forward to 2009. The announcement for “Pink Elephant”, N’Dambi’s debut project for Stax Records created an immediate “buzz” for this CD. The first single is “I Can’t Hardly Wait”, a bouncy song which is catching everyone’s imagination. After all, everyone’s been in a love relationship that made you cry out “I don’t know why I keep f***in’ wit you!”

“Pink Elephant” is an excellent showcase of N’Dambi’s vocal prowness and songwriting abilities. You’ll be drawn in by the melodic “What It Takes”, “Nobody Jones”, “The World Is A Beat”, and hypnotic grooves of “Mind Blowin”.

On “The One”, “Take It On”, “Imitator”, and “Ooo Baby”, N’Dambi skillfully shares stories of love that you can relate to. We’re swept back in time with “Free Fallin”, a song whose style and feel embraces our storied musical heritage.

“Pink Elephant” is definitely one of the top Soul/R&B CDs of the year. Make a place in your library for the multi-talented N’Dambi.

For more information about N’Dambi, visit: www.ndambionline.com

Connect with her at: Twitter / Facebook / My Space

Gettin’ around? – No matter how you slice it, Universal Republic newcomer K’Jon has already arrived. He’s just making it official on August 4, delivering his aptly titled debut album, I Get Around to stores and online platforms in time for summer, having been more than adequately introduced to urban music fans this past spring thanks to the album’s soaring first single, “On The Ocean,” which has become a radio/club classic. The magnetic hit sizzled on the nightlife grid for months as a popular ‘steppers’ hit in tastemaker cities like Chicago before rocketing to the top spot on the Urban AC radio chart.

On The Ocean

Often compared to stylish hit makers such as Ne-Yo and Robin Thicke, the talented K’Jon kept the production in-house on his debut effort, with the Detroit native guiding production and writing chores on a kaleidoscope of diverse songs that includes the passionate radio hit, as well as the mesmerizing “This Time,” the cool flow of “After The Clubs,” and some dynamo ballads – including the sweeping “Ill Never Forget,” among others. Says K’Jon: “The goal with this album was to make a record that covered a lot of emotional territory – the kind of record you would be able to listen to from beginning to end and want to hear again.” The imaginative songwriter even laid down a track that plays with the superhero mystique on the clever “Fly Away.”

But the Detroit native’s rise to stardom hasn’t been a smooth trajectory all the way. He earned his stripes in the motor city’s competitive underground urban music scene, launching various indie collaborations until his breakout 2004 cameo on the electric 2 Fast 2 Furious soundtrack with the hit “Miami.” Soon, he was opening for established stars such as Ludacris, even collaborating with the talented rapper – and subsequently – many other sought-after industry song-makers, like super-producers Cool & Dre, Ginuwine, Ne-Yo, T-Pain, and others.

Known for his fearlessness when delving into multiple genres of music, including soul, hip hop and R&B, K’Jon’s debut album reflects the same tenacity, just as his first hit single would come to separate him from the rest of the pack at one of the most crucial cross-roads of his career. “It was at a time when I was still trying to establish my identity,” he says. “I wrote the song literally thinking the music industry is kind of like bobbing in the ocean. How we all wonder if and when our ship is going to come in.” Rather than deliver the song to another established star, the intuitive artist decided to keep it as his own signature calling card, creating one of the most popular urban music hits of the year.

To learn for about K’Jon, visit him online at:

www.k-jon.com
www.twitter.com/whoiskjon
www.myspace.com/whoiskjon