Esperanza Spalding :: Chamber Music Society

Bassist, vocalist and composer Esperanza Spalding opened her 2008 Heads Up debut, Esperanza, with a Milton Nascimento cover (“Ponta de Areia”) and she hasn’t looked back. On August 17, Spalding returns with Chamber Music Society. Backed by drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and pianist Leo Genovese – and inspired by the classical training of her younger years – Esperanza creates a modern chamber music group that combines the spontaneity and intrigue of improvisation with sweet and angular string trio arrangements. The result is a sound that weaves the innovative elements of jazz, folk and world music into the enduring foundations of classical music.

“So much of my early musical experience was spent playing chamber music on the violin, and it’s a form of music that I’ve always loved,” says Esperanza. “I was very inspired by a lot of classical music, and chamber music in particular. I’m intrigued by the concept of intimate works that can be played and experienced among friends in an intimate setting. So I decided to create my version of contemporary chamber music, and add one more voice to that rich history.”

Co-produced by Esperanza and Gil Goldstein, Chamber Music Society surrounds Esperanza with a diverse assembly of musicians. At the core are pianist Leo Genovese, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and percussionist Quintino Cinalli. The string trio is comprised of violinist Entcho Todorov, violist Lois Martin, cellist David Eggar and Gretchen Parlato on voice. The great Milton Nascimento also makes a guest appearance on one track.

Chamber Music Society is the first of two current Esperanza projects. Radio Music Society, set for release in the spring of 2011, features an exciting new repertoire of funk, hip-hop, and rock elements fused into songs that are free from genre.

Zo! :: Sunstorm

SunStorm is the latest album from Detroit-area born, DC-area based producer/multi-instrumentalist Zo!
Best known for his 2008 collaboration with Phonte on the cult classic "Zo and Tigallo Love the 80's" as well as his work on The Foreign Exchange's Grammy-nominated LP, "Leave It All Behind," 'SunStorm" is an extensive 12-track set that shows the ever-expanding range and depth of Zo! and the entire Foreign Exchange Music family.

Indie soul siren and American Idol vocalist Sy Smith serves up a slice of 70's soul on the breezy "Greatest Weapon Of All Time," and Lady Alma, a Philly veteran and stalwart of the UK house scene, takes it to the dance floor on the frenetic "Free Your Mind." The album's lead single, "This Could Be The Night," features Darien Brockington, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Eric Roberson, and Rapper Big Pooh of Little Brother over a thumping two-step groove specifically intended for the 'steppers' of Zo's native Detroit. Another highlight is the Phonte-assisted "Flight Of The Blackbyrd," Zo's heartfelt homage to the 70's jazz/funk fusion of The Mizell Bros. and George Duke.

The Roots :: How I Got Over

To call it "long-awaited" or "eagerly anticipated" would be the understatement of the year - as hip-hop's most daring pioneers The Roots release their 9th studio album (and third for Def Jam Recordings) on June 22nd, HOW I GOT OVER. The album, which takes its name from Clara Ward's gospel classic (made popular by Mahalia Jackson), is the Roots' first new release since joining Late Night with Jimmy Fallon for a full time gig as the show's house band.

Grammy Award winners the Roots characterize the songs on HOW I GOT OVER as "depicting the everyman's search for hope in this dispiriting post-hope zeitgeist". The lead single from the Roots new set will be "Dear God 2.0." The track re-imagines the Monsters Of Folk song "Dear God" and features MOF members Yim Yames from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes and M. Ward.
HOW I GOT OVER also includes two appearances from Grammy-winning soul man John Legend: "Doin' It Again" a re-working of his track "Again," and "The Fire," an original song written for the Roots' 2010 Olympic concert performance.
Other guests on HIGO include Joanna Newsom on "Right On," Phonte Coleman (Little Brother, The Foreign Exchange), Blu (Blu & Exile), Peedi Peedi , Mercedes Martinez, Icelandic alt-pop singer Patty Crash, newcomer Sugar Tongue Slim as well as long time Roots' Crew members Dice Raw, Truck North and P.O.R.N.

Yahzarah :: The Ballad Of Purple St. James

Critically acclaimed R&B vocalist YahZarah returns with her long-awaited album The Ballad of Purple Saint James, dropping May 4 on The Foreign Exchange Music. The 13-track set, overseen by Grammy-nominated production duo Nicolay and Phonte of The Foreign Exchange, represents her brightest, most complete work to date.
"It feels good to put our combined talents, efforts, and resources behind an artist that so deserves to be heard," says Nicolay. "I couldn't be more proud of The Ballad..."

YahZarah, a singer-songwriter who first made her mark as a background singer for Erykah Badu, has spent the past few years touring in support of her albums "Hear Me" (2001), "Blackstar" (2003), and 2008's "The Prelude." She worked on "The Ballad..." independently for a number of years before reaching out to Phonte (a longtime friend and fellow NC Central music student), and finally selecting +FE Music as her label home.

"YahZarah is the best singer I personally know, and for years it's been my dream to produce her, " says Phonte. "My goal was to take her vast repertoire of melodic influences, and combine it with material that allowed her voice to really shine."

Clocking in at under an hour, "The Ballad..." showcases YahZarah's rich soprano in a variety of musical settings. The new wave bounce of the first single "Why Dontcha Call Me No More" evokes Pat Benatar, while the throwback synth funk of "Change Your Mind" suggests Solar Records in its heyday. Highlighting YahZarah's classical jazz training is "Shadow," a stunning Zo!-produced piece that features her backed solely by piano and a haunting orchestral arrangement.

In addition to production by The Foreign Exchange, "The Ballad..." also includes contributions from TheRealFocus...(Marsha Ambrosius, Raphael Saddiq), Nate Smith (Michael Jackson), Steve McKie (Jill Scott, Bilal), and guest appearances from Jaspects, drummer Lil' John Roberts, and singer Darien Brockington.

"Completing 'The Ballad...' with Phonte and Nicolay allowed me an opportunity to return back to the joy of making music and to create a project that is sexy, fearless, beautiful and sincere," says YahZarah. "This work is a true reflection of me."

Erykah Badu :: New Amerykah Part II

Erykah Badu will release her sixth studio album, New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh, March 30th on Universal Motown. The 38-year-old Dallas born singer says the set is called "Part II" because, unlike 2008's more conscious-driven "New Amerykah Part I: 4th World War," she is "more free and full of life" this time around. "I called it Part II: The Return of the Ankh' because this album is the sister of the left side of my brain - it is the right side," Badu explained during a listening session at New
York City's Chung King Studios.

"Part I was the left side of my thoughts - it was more socially political and my thought process was more analytical. This time there wasn't anything to be concerned with - the album is more emotional and flowy and talks about feelings. It reminds of the days of Baduizm' - this is just about beats and rhymes in a cipher." Tracks like "Window Seat," featuring The Roots' ?uestlove on the drums and James Poyser on piano, finds Badu requesting "a window seat...I don't want nobody next to me," over drums and claps. Meanwhile, she questions "What did I do to make you fall so far from me?" atop keyboard riffs on the 9th Wonder-produced "20 Feet Tall." On the banjo-laden "Don't Be Long," Badu pleads her lover to return soon although she understands "you gotta get your hustle on." She taps into her inner B-girl and pays homage to the Notorious B.I.G. on tracks like "Get Money," which features elements of the Junior M.A.F.I.A. feat. Notorious B.I.G. track of the same title, and "Incense," on which she harmonizes the Biggie lyrics, "there's gonna be a lot of slow singing and flower bringing if my burglar alarm starts ringing," over a beat reminiscent of Alicia Keys' "Unbreakable." Some of the other stand-out tracks include "Fall In Love," the harp-heavy "Out of My Mind Just in Time (Part I) (Undercover Over-Lover)," and " Out of My Mind Just In Time (Part 2)," in which she confesses, "I am a recovering undercover over-lover / recovering from a love I can't get over / and now my lover thinks he wants another," over piano strokes. "Jump In The Air" was slated to appear on the album, but parts of it leaked on the Internet last week, and as a result Badu is unsure whether she will include it on the set. "If anything leaks, I won't put out this album," she said about potential future leaks. "I worked too hard for that to happen." The track is said to feature nine MCs, including her son Seven's father, rapper Andre 3000, and Lil Wayne.

During the past six years, Badu, who has been working on this album since the release of "Worldwide Underground" in 2003, has recorded over 50 songs for "Part II." She hopes to release an already completed album titled Low Down shortly after this release. New Amerykah Part I has sold 359,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.