The good folks over at soulBEAUTIFUL inc. have provided us with a preview into the world of Ms. Avery Sunshine courtesy of Dome Records. Available THIS MONDAY 10TH MAY, so please support good music and purchase your copy. You can download the preview here.
Preview Tracklisting
1- All In My Head
2- Ugly Part Of Me
3- Blessin’ Me
From the Avery Sunshine Press Release…
Avery Sunshine is a brilliant singer-songwriter-pianist from Atlanta, already generating a strong buzz in the US and here in Europe. Rooted in gospel, she is fluent in many styles, from soul and house to classical and hip-hop.
“Avery Sunshine is not neo soul and it’s not gospel,” says the singer-songwriter. But with vocals that are thick and strong, yet jazzy smooth, it’s not hard to tell that Avery has been singing for quite a few years. This may well be her debut album, but she has a wealth of experience as a singer, musician and choral director. She is currently choral director at two Atlanta churches.
The album is produced by Dana Johnson, who co-wrote and co-produced many of the songs on India Arie’s album “Voyage to India”, and Avery’s distinctive piano playing is well to the fore. She is treading the same path taken in the Sixties by singer-pianist Aretha Franklin in making the move from gospel to secular music.
Key tracks include the sublime “All In My Head”, “Ugly Part Of Me” and “Blessin’ Me”. “The Most” and the “Sunshine” interlude feature cameo performances from Roy Ayers, who is a big fan of Ms Sunshine.
Among her past credits – working with Jennifer Holiday as choral director on a touring production of “Dream Girls” and singing on the soundtrack of the movie “The Fighting Temptations”.
She also recently (in March 2010) performed in a Los Angeles showcase of a new musical play about the life of Martin Luther King, and among those to come backstage and congratulate her after the performance was Chaka Khan. Avery also got to jam onstage at the after party, performing Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love” accompanied by Nathan East and Greg Phillinganes.
Avery will be visiting Europe later in the year for dates in the UK and France.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
