25^TH AUGUST 2009

SOULCULTURE.CO.UK PRESENTS:

AALIYAH REVISITED TRIBUTE EP

Eight years to the day after the tragic passing of Aaliyah Dana Haughton, the original princess of R&B, ten of today’s progressively soulful artists have recorded interpretations of their favourite Aaliyah songs for Aaliyah Revisited – a 2009 tribute EP internationally curated by urban-music-and-culture online magazine SoulCulture.

Available immediately as a free download package, Aaliyah Revisited contains eight songs featuring indie soul artist and occasional Brand New Heavies vocalist Sy Smith (currently providing backing vocals for American Idol), Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Marsha Ambrosius, rising London soul talents Tawiah and Baby Sol, NYC-based beauty creator Jesse Boykins III, Danish R&B/Soul sensation Jonas, saccharine Basement Jaxx vocalist Vula, London-based producer Black Einstein, plus international future starlet Nikko Gray with California’s ‘cosmic conductor’ AFTA-1.

Producer Colin Emmanuel of Black Einstein, who has worked with the esteemed likes of Eric Roberson, De La Soul, Beenie Man, KRS-One and Beverley Knight, enthuses, “I was – and am – a huge Aaliyah fan. She is one of my all time favourite female artists… whose output holds a very special place in my musical makeup… I rate her as a vocalist, not because she had an amazing voice, but because she knew exactly how to use her voice to the best results. Sometimes in the studio we’ll say ‘it needs an Aaliyah harmony.’ A very classy act; she was able to be sexy without having to put everything out there like most of today’s acts.”

“I feel quite honoured to have been able to do [Aaliyah Revisited] – not only because of my respect for Black Einstein and the other artists on the tribute but because Aaliyah was a teen icon and one of my idols as a teen,” says up-and-coming Londonite singer Baby Sol. “Aaliyah exuded confidence and her sexy yet understated persona was just so appealing. She was a bit of a tomboy which I related to but wasn’t afraid to glam it up as she grew into herself. I was growing with her…”

“I remember my brother having a poster of Aaliyah on his wall when she first came out and looking at her stomach thinking, ‘Wow wee, I want that stomach!’ I feel the same way now years later!” reminisces British soul artist Tawiah, who performed across the States last summer on tour with Grammy Award winning producer Mark Ronson.

To succinctly explain this EP’s existence, we turn to former Floetry member Marsha Ambrosius for the last word: “Aaliyah exuded confidence, she touched many people in such a short time and her legacy lives on through the wonderful music she gave us.”

For these reasons, we revisit.

DOWNLOAD Aaliyah Revisited directly from http://www.mediafire.com/?w2x2wvyjddm

TRACKLIST & INFORMATION

1. If Your Girl Only Knew (Syberized) – produced & performed by Sy Smith (Recorded & Engineered by: Grant Nicholas at Rumbo Studio C, Winnetka, CA)

2. Are You That Somebody – performed by Tawiah, produced by Jodi Milliner

3. I Care 4 U – produced & performed by Jesse Boykins III

4. It’s Whatever – produced by Black Einstein ft. Baby Sol

5. A Million Preludes – performed by Marsha Ambrosius

6. One In A Million – performed by Jonas

7. Rock The Boat – performed by Vula, produced by Jodi Milliner

8. ESP (A 4 Page Suite) – produced by AFTA-1 ft. Nikko Gray

DOWNLOAD LINKS: Mediafire | zSHARE | SendSpace

Artwork credits: Gabriielle.com | RizeOfTheRobotz | RealDownToMars Photography credits: Tamar Nussbacher (Tawiah) | Samuel Morton (Baby Sol) | Tya Anthony (Sy Smith) | PhotoByTone.com (Jesse Boykins III)