Melanie Fiona - Give It To Me Right
"The album is called
The Bridge," enthuses Fiona. "It
crosses the barriers between ethnicities, genres, age groups, and genders. It
can't be defined as just one thing. It's got a soul that's something old, yet
something new." Flirting with the traditions of classic soul from artists like
Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole and Gladys Knight, the songs also pack the punch, and
authenticity of modern music. United by a singular passion, Melanie Fiona's
sound bridges past and present with an artistic and consistent blending of
classic soul samples. It's all held together by a unique quality, something that
is innately her, much like the other artists she mentions as influences: Bob
Marley, Sade, and Patsy Cline.
Born
to Guyanese immigrant parents and growing up in a music-filled house in the
inner city of
Though
Fiona had been writing her own songs for years, the introduction of songwriter
Andrea Martin would prove seminal for The
Bridge. "When I met Andrea, it was an instant connection," she
explains. "We developed this very personal working relationship where we were
both inspired by each other." Sharing each other's life experiences, they
collaborated on some of the defining songs in the collection.
Other
producers on the album include
"This
experience will never happen for me again," she muses. "I'll never be a new
artist again. I'll never be a complete and utter student of the game." Whatever
may come when The Bridge releases
on Steve Rifkind's SRC/Universal Motown Records in Spring 2009, Fiona is poised
and ready. "I still live humbly out of a suitcase, and I appreciate the smallest
things in life, and I want people to feel that. I have an opportunity to be on a
stage, but I want my listeners to know that I'm just like
them."
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