Vesta: Distant Lover


The industry’s obsession with the fluffy ingenue obscures grown women singers into the land of independents which gets richer everyday. Luckily for Vesta she started her career at a time when there was more appreciation for the Old School singer. Whitney Houston, Regina Belle, and Anita Baker were other singers in that ’80’s class to know the difference between singing and relying on a machine-operated image to distract from vocal expectations. “Don’t Blow A Good Thing” and “Congratulations” are Black R and B anthems reminiscent of their time period and tireless sentiments about lost love. When other performers with less lung power arrived Vesta kept performing on the Black theater circuit and released music intermittently. Distant Lover goes back to the classic material most soul singers have studied at some point to sharpen their craft. Cover songs are dreadful when there is no balance between individual personality and original integrity which Vesta accomplishes well in this collection. Ms. Williams’ clean pipes poses well as another Williams (Deniece), matching her high notes on “Free” but using her own subtle phrasing in the delivery of words. Marvin Gaye’s tortured torch bearing “Distant Lover” is transformed into a heavenly confession of devotion by Williams’ replacement of angst with felicity. No frills production and luxury from the pure voice enlivens this great songlist gingerly chosen by a singer of great worth who puts in her own panache without plucking the music from its roots.

Check out Vesta on the web:

Could It Be I’m Falling In Love:

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Free:
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Carl Thomas’ New CD “So Much Better” Coming Soon

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New York, NY Mar 23, 2007 Chicago native and platinum-selling R&B star, Carl Thomas gave us R&B music that was reminiscent of the golden days of Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, and Otis Redding but with a modern day edge. Who could forget the cinematic Emotional released in 2000 that made any serious R&B crooner step up their game. Now he’s back and under the tutelage of the legendary music man Jheryl Busby’s Umbrella Recordings and Hit maker Mike City’s Unsung Entertainment for a one- off deal with his new soulful disc So Much Better set for release in the summer of 2007.

The new single from So Much Better, “2 Pieces,” is already having success at radio as the #1 most added single at Urban AC. On “2 Pieces” Thomas expresses raw intensity on the track with sweet lyrics about the woman he loves. “Baby I can’t take the thought of losing you/cause I know that it would break, break my heart in 2 pieces.”
In addition to releasing the new disc on his label, Unsung Entertainment’s Mike City is the producer that gave us Carl Thomas’ stellar hits “I Wish” and “You Ain’t Right” from Emotional and has produced seven songs on So Much Better. Other producers on the disc include: Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis with Big Jim Wright, Brian Michael Cox, and up and coming producing team, Pitch Black. Guest features include: Brandy, Dave Hollister, and Lalah Hathaway.

“In addition to being collaborators, Carl and I are long- time friends. We decided that while he was in between deals we would do an album together which would be released on my Unsung Entertainment label. Thanks to Carl and Mr. Busby, who gave us the one-off deal, on his Umbrella Recordings imprint, I am able to launch my label with a major star,” states Mike City.

On So Much Better, Carl Thomas keeps it sweet, but with an edge of street on “Another You” which serves as an aural testimonial to the object of his desire. The melodic and hypnotic sounds of “Something About You,” sounds like nothing else currently blaring from the radio. Featuring vocals from Brandy, “Something About You” is a timeless song that embraces the best of pop and soul.

Umbrella Recordings’ first release was on five decade diva Patti Labelle where she released her first gospel album, The Gospel According to Patti Labelle which has been in the Top 5 on Billboard’s “Top Gospel Albums” chart for 14 weeks and held the number one spot for 10 weeks.

“To have Carl Thomas as our second release is truly a blessing.” says Busby, “He is the ultimate male soul singer of the day and we are very pleased that he decided to help his friend and do a one off deal with us. I am certain that this record will help to further cultivate his career and solidify his growth for his next deal.”

For the latest news on Carl Thomas be sure to check out his myspace page www.myspace.com/carlthomasfanpage



Musiq: Return Of The Soulstar

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Musiq Soulchild’s personal twerking of Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie and the Native Tongue influences inside his Philly home has made him neo-soul’s most beloved male singer since D’Angelo. It was 6 years ago that he debuted with his first album Ajuswannasing which earned a platinum sales status at a time when most R and B fans were used to an urban formula of chintzy pop hooks and bland guest rapper appearances. Musiq’s mining of unaffected soul singers within the landscape of hip-hop and a syntactical allegiance to the funk has produced some of the best songs to enter the pop lexicon. For the fourth outing named Luvanmusiq the singer returns with more of what his fans have come to expect without any of the contrivances associated with the average successful singer. No five to ten-year lapses between recording, criminal conduct or substance abuse has Musiq sounding clear and returning to the public in a timely fashion after consistently touring at home and abroad. And yes he is reclaiming the Soulchild moniker reminiscent of a certain artist who trashed the symbol to began using his royal-sounding birth name again.


“Buddy” is the first single from Luvanmusiq and it takes a Golden Age hip-hop sample of De La Soul’s “Buddy” as a backing track for a song about the prospects of a definition-free relationship. His fans know him to be a unpretentious thoughtful kind of romantic in the studio and the headnodding qualities of the song summarizes his pressure-free approach to dating with a dance. On his press junket of numerous interviews and appearances Musiq manages his weariness with the routine by digging into his cache of honesty and giving unscripted answers about his appeal and the possibilities of life beyond neo-soul.

How does Luvanmusiq compare to your past albums?

I actually really wouldn’t I don’t know I just I like to think I’ve done the best work that I can do and I let the people decide to say how it compares I don’t think I’m in the position to say.
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Musiq Video “Buddy”