Hello,
Tonight's Artists are an acid jazz and funk group formed in 1985 in Ealing in west London. Centered around songwriters/multi-instrumentalists Simon Bartholomew and Andrew Levy, the core members of the group since its founding, they are best known for a string of successful singles in the early 1990s featuring N'Dea Davenport as lead vocalist. . . .....N'Joy
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Pioneers of the London acid jazz scene, the Brand New Heavies translated their love for the funk grooves of the 1970s into a sophisticated sound that carried the torch for classic soul in an era dominated by hip-hop. Formed in 1985 by drummer/keyboardist Jan Kincaid, guitarist Simon Bartholomew, and bassist/keyboardist Andrew Levy -- longtime school friends from the London suburb of Ealing -- the Brand New Heavies were originally an instrumental unit inspired by the James Brown and Meters records its members heard while clubbing the rare groove scene in vogue at the moment. The trio soon began recording their own music, gaining enormous exposure when their demo tracks were spun at the influential Cat in the Hat Club.
Eventually adding a brass section, the Brand New Heavies built a cult following throughout the London club circuit, surviving the shift that saw the rare groove scene fade in the wake of acid house. After an earlier recording deal with Cooltempo yielded the single "Got to Give," the Heavies -- now including vocalist Jay Ella Ruth -- signed with the fledgling indie label Acid Jazz; recorded on a budget of just 8,000 pounds, the group's self-titled LP appeared in 1990 to strong critical acclaim, resulting in a licensing deal with the American company Delicious Vinyl. With Ruth now out of the band, Delicious Vinyl hand-picked N'dea Davenport as her successor, insisting the Heavies re-record tracks from their debut for their first U.S. effort, also an eponymous release that appeared in 1992.
After scoring at home with "Dream Come True" and "Stay This Way," the single "Never Stop" soon landed on the American R&B charts, with the Heavies the first British group to accomplish such a feat with a debut single since Soul II Soul several years earlier; a subsequent New York performance augmented by rappers Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest) and MC Serch (3rd Bass) inspired the group to begin absorbing hip-hop, and that summer they cut Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1, an album including guest appearances by rappers including Main Source, Gang Starr, Grand Puba, and the Pharcyde. Released in 1994, Brother Sister, which went platinum in Britain, was Davenport's last recording with the Heavies before beginning a solo career; she was replaced by singer Siedah Garrett in time for 1997's Shelter. Two years later, the group reappeared with a British best-of album entitled Trunk Funk: The Best of the Brand New Heavies; the title was recycled the following year for an American compilation, Trunk Funk Classics: 1991-2000, which featured a new song recorded with Davenport.
In April 2006, the Brand New Heavies reunited with N'Dea Davenport and former label Delicious Vinyl. A new album, Get Used to It was released on 27 June 2006 via Starbucks and more traditional music retail outlets. The album was recorded in New York and London; and the lead single "I Don't Know Why (I Love You)" was issued in early May. The single was notable for being one of very few late releases to feature the trademarked A Tom Moulton Mix, as he had been asked to contribute remixes. Later that year, their Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1 album track "Jump 'n' Move" featuring Jamal-ski was featured on the soundtrack for the 2006 computer animated feature film Happy Feet and the in-game soundtrack for 2004's NBA Live 2005 and 2009's NBA 2k10. The band toured at the end of 2006.
The Heavies recorded a cover of "C'est Magnifique" (originally from Cole Porter's 1953 musical Can-Can) for an early 2009 TV ad by Lancôme. The song also appeared in an early track listing of the Heavies' 2009 live album, but wasn't eventually included. The double album Live in London was released in October 2009. The studio version of "C'est Magnifique" was released as a download and also included on a couple of various artists compilations.
The Brand New Heavies released a download instrumental album called Dunk Your Trunk in November 2011. The album, recorded in only four days and described as 'funky library music' is directed at 'TV and Movie people to add to their programmes and films'. The 5-track Dunk Your Trunk Remixed E.P. was released on download on 1 May 2013. Dawn Joseph was lead vocalist for The Brand New Heavies from 2013 to 2015.
The Brand New Heavies eighth studio album Forward was released on 6 May 2013. Lead vocal duties on the album are divided evenly between N'Dea Davenport, who features on the first single "Sunlight", Jan Kincaid and Simon Bartholomew, making his debut as lead vocalist on this album, and new UK vocalist Dawn Joseph. While the album was produced by the Heavies themselves, as all their previous albums, there are also new collaborators, including songwriters Johan Jones Wetterberg, Marc Jackson Burrows, Rita Campbell and Tim Laws and mixing engineer Toni Economides.
On 10 October 2013, The Brand New Heavies announced via their website that Dawn Joseph had officially joined the band as full-time lead vocalist and that the band were working on a new studio album slated for release in early 2014. On 21 February 2014, The Brand New Heavies played at Buxton Opera House with support from British acoustic blues singer songwriter Matt Woosey. The Brand New Heavies ninth studio album Sweet Freaks, with Dawn Joseph on vocals, was released on 24 October 2014.
Jan Kincaid and Dawn Joseph both left The Brand New Heavies in late 2015 and N'Dea Davenport rejoined shortly thereafter. In May 2016, The Brand New Heavies announced two upcoming projects. The first, a new studio EP entitled TBNHND, is scheduled for release in Summer 2016 with N'Dea Davenport on vocals. The band also announced their intention to release Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 2 in 2017, a followup to their groundbreaking 1992 album Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1.
In July 2016, the band began touring extensively in Europe and Japan with Sulene Fleming on vocals.
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This album finds the BNH heading back to the groove-driven, horn-splashed, hand-clapping funk of their debut album, with N'Dea Davenport stepping back into her role as diva/lead vocalist. Following the string of distinguished rappers who made BNH's sophomore album a brave if not wholly successful attempt to infuse rap with the energy of live instruments, Davenport delivers the consistency that was missing from that effort. Repeated listens show this album to be catchier than it initially seems (as long as one avoids "Fake," tone of the most irritating songs in a long time), and when the BNH really lock into a groove, as they do on "Keep Together," the title track, and the instrumental "Snake Hips," they surely do put the funk back in it.
The Brand New Heavies - Brother Sister (flac 478mb)
01 Have A Good Time 3:12
02 Brother Sister 4:46
03 Dream On Dreamer 4:53
04 Midnight At The Oasis 4:05
05 Back To Love 4:49
06 Ten Ton Take 3:28
07 Mind Trips 5:47
08 Spend Some Time 4:24
09 Keep Together 4:21
10 Snake Hips 2:04
11 Fake 4:34
12 People Giving Love 5:06
13 Worlds Keep Spinning 5:08
14 Forever 5:32
15 Day Break 5:25
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Many of the artists who were part of Britain's soul scene of the late '80s/early '90s, including Soul II Soul, Lisa Stansfield, and Caron Wheeler, took a high-tech, neo-soul approach, combining '70s-influenced R&B and disco with elements of hip-hop. The equally impressive Brand New Heavies, however, used technology sparingly, stressed the use of real instruments, and were unapologetically retro and '70s-sounding through and through. Drawing on such influences as the Average White Band and Tower of Power, the Heavies triumph by sticking with the classic R&B approach they clearly love the most. The band has a jewel of a singer in N'Dea Davenport, who is characteristically expressive on "Dream Come True" and "Stay This Way." Real horns -- not synthesizers made to sound like horns -- enrich those gems as well as the sweaty vocal funk of "People Get Ready" and "Put the Funk Back in It" and the jazz-influenced instrumental "BNH." While this fine album enjoyed cult hit status, it was sadly ignored by American urban contemporary radio.
The Brand New Heavies - All About The Funk (flac 329mb)
01 Boogie 3:52
02 Need Some More 3:57
03 Waste My Time 3:29
04 Keep On Shining 4:20
05 What Do You Take Me For? 4:34
06 Surrender 3:47
07 Many Rivers To Cross 3:32
08 How Do You Think 3:49
09 Every Time We Turn It Up 3:42
10 It Could Be Me 4:35
11 I Feel Right 5:55
12 How We Do This 5:49
Tonight's Artists are an acid jazz and funk group formed in 1985 in Ealing in west London. Centered around songwriters/multi-instrumentalists Simon Bartholomew and Andrew Levy, the core members of the group since its founding, they are best known for a string of successful singles in the early 1990s featuring N'Dea Davenport as lead vocalist. . . .....N'Joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Pioneers of the London acid jazz scene, the Brand New Heavies translated their love for the funk grooves of the 1970s into a sophisticated sound that carried the torch for classic soul in an era dominated by hip-hop. Formed in 1985 by drummer/keyboardist Jan Kincaid, guitarist Simon Bartholomew, and bassist/keyboardist Andrew Levy -- longtime school friends from the London suburb of Ealing -- the Brand New Heavies were originally an instrumental unit inspired by the James Brown and Meters records its members heard while clubbing the rare groove scene in vogue at the moment. The trio soon began recording their own music, gaining enormous exposure when their demo tracks were spun at the influential Cat in the Hat Club.
Eventually adding a brass section, the Brand New Heavies built a cult following throughout the London club circuit, surviving the shift that saw the rare groove scene fade in the wake of acid house. After an earlier recording deal with Cooltempo yielded the single "Got to Give," the Heavies -- now including vocalist Jay Ella Ruth -- signed with the fledgling indie label Acid Jazz; recorded on a budget of just 8,000 pounds, the group's self-titled LP appeared in 1990 to strong critical acclaim, resulting in a licensing deal with the American company Delicious Vinyl. With Ruth now out of the band, Delicious Vinyl hand-picked N'dea Davenport as her successor, insisting the Heavies re-record tracks from their debut for their first U.S. effort, also an eponymous release that appeared in 1992.
After scoring at home with "Dream Come True" and "Stay This Way," the single "Never Stop" soon landed on the American R&B charts, with the Heavies the first British group to accomplish such a feat with a debut single since Soul II Soul several years earlier; a subsequent New York performance augmented by rappers Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest) and MC Serch (3rd Bass) inspired the group to begin absorbing hip-hop, and that summer they cut Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1, an album including guest appearances by rappers including Main Source, Gang Starr, Grand Puba, and the Pharcyde. Released in 1994, Brother Sister, which went platinum in Britain, was Davenport's last recording with the Heavies before beginning a solo career; she was replaced by singer Siedah Garrett in time for 1997's Shelter. Two years later, the group reappeared with a British best-of album entitled Trunk Funk: The Best of the Brand New Heavies; the title was recycled the following year for an American compilation, Trunk Funk Classics: 1991-2000, which featured a new song recorded with Davenport.
In April 2006, the Brand New Heavies reunited with N'Dea Davenport and former label Delicious Vinyl. A new album, Get Used to It was released on 27 June 2006 via Starbucks and more traditional music retail outlets. The album was recorded in New York and London; and the lead single "I Don't Know Why (I Love You)" was issued in early May. The single was notable for being one of very few late releases to feature the trademarked A Tom Moulton Mix, as he had been asked to contribute remixes. Later that year, their Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1 album track "Jump 'n' Move" featuring Jamal-ski was featured on the soundtrack for the 2006 computer animated feature film Happy Feet and the in-game soundtrack for 2004's NBA Live 2005 and 2009's NBA 2k10. The band toured at the end of 2006.
The Heavies recorded a cover of "C'est Magnifique" (originally from Cole Porter's 1953 musical Can-Can) for an early 2009 TV ad by Lancôme. The song also appeared in an early track listing of the Heavies' 2009 live album, but wasn't eventually included. The double album Live in London was released in October 2009. The studio version of "C'est Magnifique" was released as a download and also included on a couple of various artists compilations.
The Brand New Heavies released a download instrumental album called Dunk Your Trunk in November 2011. The album, recorded in only four days and described as 'funky library music' is directed at 'TV and Movie people to add to their programmes and films'. The 5-track Dunk Your Trunk Remixed E.P. was released on download on 1 May 2013. Dawn Joseph was lead vocalist for The Brand New Heavies from 2013 to 2015.
The Brand New Heavies eighth studio album Forward was released on 6 May 2013. Lead vocal duties on the album are divided evenly between N'Dea Davenport, who features on the first single "Sunlight", Jan Kincaid and Simon Bartholomew, making his debut as lead vocalist on this album, and new UK vocalist Dawn Joseph. While the album was produced by the Heavies themselves, as all their previous albums, there are also new collaborators, including songwriters Johan Jones Wetterberg, Marc Jackson Burrows, Rita Campbell and Tim Laws and mixing engineer Toni Economides.
On 10 October 2013, The Brand New Heavies announced via their website that Dawn Joseph had officially joined the band as full-time lead vocalist and that the band were working on a new studio album slated for release in early 2014. On 21 February 2014, The Brand New Heavies played at Buxton Opera House with support from British acoustic blues singer songwriter Matt Woosey. The Brand New Heavies ninth studio album Sweet Freaks, with Dawn Joseph on vocals, was released on 24 October 2014.
Jan Kincaid and Dawn Joseph both left The Brand New Heavies in late 2015 and N'Dea Davenport rejoined shortly thereafter. In May 2016, The Brand New Heavies announced two upcoming projects. The first, a new studio EP entitled TBNHND, is scheduled for release in Summer 2016 with N'Dea Davenport on vocals. The band also announced their intention to release Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 2 in 2017, a followup to their groundbreaking 1992 album Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1.
In July 2016, the band began touring extensively in Europe and Japan with Sulene Fleming on vocals.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
This album finds the BNH heading back to the groove-driven, horn-splashed, hand-clapping funk of their debut album, with N'Dea Davenport stepping back into her role as diva/lead vocalist. Following the string of distinguished rappers who made BNH's sophomore album a brave if not wholly successful attempt to infuse rap with the energy of live instruments, Davenport delivers the consistency that was missing from that effort. Repeated listens show this album to be catchier than it initially seems (as long as one avoids "Fake," tone of the most irritating songs in a long time), and when the BNH really lock into a groove, as they do on "Keep Together," the title track, and the instrumental "Snake Hips," they surely do put the funk back in it.
The Brand New Heavies - Brother Sister (flac 478mb)
01 Have A Good Time 3:12
02 Brother Sister 4:46
03 Dream On Dreamer 4:53
04 Midnight At The Oasis 4:05
05 Back To Love 4:49
06 Ten Ton Take 3:28
07 Mind Trips 5:47
08 Spend Some Time 4:24
09 Keep Together 4:21
10 Snake Hips 2:04
11 Fake 4:34
12 People Giving Love 5:06
13 Worlds Keep Spinning 5:08
14 Forever 5:32
15 Day Break 5:25
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Many of the artists who were part of Britain's soul scene of the late '80s/early '90s, including Soul II Soul, Lisa Stansfield, and Caron Wheeler, took a high-tech, neo-soul approach, combining '70s-influenced R&B and disco with elements of hip-hop. The equally impressive Brand New Heavies, however, used technology sparingly, stressed the use of real instruments, and were unapologetically retro and '70s-sounding through and through. Drawing on such influences as the Average White Band and Tower of Power, the Heavies triumph by sticking with the classic R&B approach they clearly love the most. The band has a jewel of a singer in N'Dea Davenport, who is characteristically expressive on "Dream Come True" and "Stay This Way." Real horns -- not synthesizers made to sound like horns -- enrich those gems as well as the sweaty vocal funk of "People Get Ready" and "Put the Funk Back in It" and the jazz-influenced instrumental "BNH." While this fine album enjoyed cult hit status, it was sadly ignored by American urban contemporary radio.
The Brand New Heavies - All About The Funk (flac 329mb)
01 Boogie 3:52
02 Need Some More 3:57
03 Waste My Time 3:29
04 Keep On Shining 4:20
05 What Do You Take Me For? 4:34
06 Surrender 3:47
07 Many Rivers To Cross 3:32
08 How Do You Think 3:49
09 Every Time We Turn It Up 3:42
10 It Could Be Me 4:35
11 I Feel Right 5:55
12 How We Do This 5:49
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The most surprising thing about Get Used to It is that the Brand New Heavies sound very much like an honest-to-gosh band instead of the instrumental unit with a hired frontwoman they always have been. Out of the BNH crew for a decade, vocalist N'Dea Davenport returns and it's both familiar and just like starting over. Young upstart hunger drips out of the opening "We've Got," a slinky slice of funk that introduces what's going to be a mature album with more punch than ever. There are the usual horns and "music turns me on" type lyrics plus Davenport's just perfect voice, but Get Used to It resists wandering into the musical theatrics this skillful group could be accused of overindulging in the past. While the glorious "Music" flirts with electronic dance music and the cool "Don't Know Why (I Love You)" lays some unneeded strings onto its soulful groove, the majority of the album is stripped-down and wonderfully tight. The songwriting is right there, too, with Davenport delivering a handful of empowering or poignant songs that temper drummer and other main lyricist Jan Kincaid's cool acid jazz anthems. As the organic and easy rolling "I've Been Touched" delicately comes apart and fades, it's hard to recall a time this band have delivered an album so well constructed start to finish. They've traded fireworks for fire here, and no one who loves gutsy, vintage grooves should be caught without a copy.
The Brand New Heavies - Get Used To It (flac 344mb)
01 We've Got 4:43
02 I Don't Know Why (I Love You) 3:31
03 Get Used To It 3:26
04 Sex God 4:54
05 Let's Do It Again 5:08
06 We Won't Stop 4:08
07 Right On 4:05
08 Music 3:35
09 I Just Realized 4:35
10 All Fired Up 4:12
11 Love Is 4:15
12 I've Been Touched 4:11
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Pioneers of the London acid jazz scene, the Brand New Heavies translated their love for the funk grooves of the 1970s into a sophisticated sound that carried the torch for classic soul in an era dominated by Hip Hop. Formed in 1985 by drummer/keyboardist Jan Kincaid, guitarist Simon Bartholomew, and bassist/keyboardist Andrew Levy -- longtime school friends from the London suburb of Ealing -- the BNH were originally an instrumental unit inspired by the James Brown and Meters records its members heard while clubbing the rare groove scene in vogue at the moment. The trio soon began recording their own music. One thing lead to another, and now, twenty years later the BNH are world famous, they have put out six great albums, many singles and an endless stream of hits. This album, called "Elephantitis", compiles two and a half hours of incredible remixes, all taken straight off their commercial and promotional singles. Split right down the middle, the remixes, done by legends including Masters at Work (Kenny Dope and Louie Vega), Jay Dee, Davis Morales, Todd Terry, The Angel and Joey Negro, are divided into two catagories: Funk remixes and House remixes, all done between the years of 1991 through 1997. If you are, or ever were, a fan of the Brand New Heavies, this brilliant 26 song, double CD collection is a "dream come true."
The Brand New Heavies - Brand New Heavies - Elephantitis 1 Funk (flac 453mb)
01 Never Stop (Extended Remix) 6:55
02 Stay This Way (Slam Mix) 7:27
03 Dream Come True 92 (Disco 2000 Mix)4:31
04 Dream On Dreamer (Angel Extended Mix) 5:42
05 Back To Love (Opaz Radio Version) 4:07
06 Spend Some Time (Sweeny Club Mix) 5:54
07 Midnight At The Oasis (Opaz 7" Version) 3:46
08 Mind Trips (Durham Remix) 4:17
09 Close To You ("Pret-A-Porter" Version) 4:05
10 Sometimes (Ummah Remix) 4:32
11 Shelter (Dobie's The Way It Should Be Mix) 5:35
12 You Are The Universe (Opaz Remix) 4:27
13 You Can Do It (Roc-A-Bloc Remix) 4:02
14 You've Got A Friend (Ballistic Brothers Remix) 5:00
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The Brand New Heavies - Brand New Heavies - Elephantitis 2 House (flac 505mbmb)
01 Stay This Way (The Club Mix) 6:03
02 Dream Come True 92 (Conversion Mix) 6:30
03 Dream On Dreamer (Heavy Motion Mix) 8:38
04 Back To Love (DJ Duke Mix) 10:07
05 Spend Some Time (Malone And Mollison Piano Mix) 6:18
06 Midnight At The Oasis (Roger's Brand New Radio Anthem) 4:36
07 Close To You (Masters At Work Remix Edit) 3:54
08 Sometimes (MAW Smooth Mix)7:29
09 Shelter (Dan's Groove Part 1) 6:57
10 You Are The Universe (Curtis & Moore's Universal Summer Groove 7" 3:43
11 You Can Do It (Mijangos Remix) 4:50
12 You've Got A Friend (Tee's Club Mix) 6:27
Pioneers of the London acid jazz scene, the Brand New Heavies translated their love for the funk grooves of the 1970s into a sophisticated sound that carried the torch for classic soul in an era dominated by Hip Hop. Formed in 1985 by drummer/keyboardist Jan Kincaid, guitarist Simon Bartholomew, and bassist/keyboardist Andrew Levy -- longtime school friends from the London suburb of Ealing -- the BNH were originally an instrumental unit inspired by the James Brown and Meters records its members heard while clubbing the rare groove scene in vogue at the moment. The trio soon began recording their own music. One thing lead to another, and now, twenty years later the BNH are world famous, they have put out six great albums, many singles and an endless stream of hits. This album, called "Elephantitis", compiles two and a half hours of incredible remixes, all taken straight off their commercial and promotional singles. Split right down the middle, the remixes, done by legends including Masters at Work (Kenny Dope and Louie Vega), Jay Dee, Davis Morales, Todd Terry, The Angel and Joey Negro, are divided into two catagories: Funk remixes and House remixes, all done between the years of 1991 through 1997. If you are, or ever were, a fan of the Brand New Heavies, this brilliant 26 song, double CD collection is a "dream come true."
The Brand New Heavies - Brand New Heavies - Elephantitis 1 Funk (flac 453mb)
01 Never Stop (Extended Remix) 6:55
02 Stay This Way (Slam Mix) 7:27
03 Dream Come True 92 (Disco 2000 Mix)4:31
04 Dream On Dreamer (Angel Extended Mix) 5:42
05 Back To Love (Opaz Radio Version) 4:07
06 Spend Some Time (Sweeny Club Mix) 5:54
07 Midnight At The Oasis (Opaz 7" Version) 3:46
08 Mind Trips (Durham Remix) 4:17
09 Close To You ("Pret-A-Porter" Version) 4:05
10 Sometimes (Ummah Remix) 4:32
11 Shelter (Dobie's The Way It Should Be Mix) 5:35
12 You Are The Universe (Opaz Remix) 4:27
13 You Can Do It (Roc-A-Bloc Remix) 4:02
14 You've Got A Friend (Ballistic Brothers Remix) 5:00
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The Brand New Heavies - Brand New Heavies - Elephantitis 2 House (flac 505mbmb)
01 Stay This Way (The Club Mix) 6:03
02 Dream Come True 92 (Conversion Mix) 6:30
03 Dream On Dreamer (Heavy Motion Mix) 8:38
04 Back To Love (DJ Duke Mix) 10:07
05 Spend Some Time (Malone And Mollison Piano Mix) 6:18
06 Midnight At The Oasis (Roger's Brand New Radio Anthem) 4:36
07 Close To You (Masters At Work Remix Edit) 3:54
08 Sometimes (MAW Smooth Mix)7:29
09 Shelter (Dan's Groove Part 1) 6:57
10 You Are The Universe (Curtis & Moore's Universal Summer Groove 7" 3:43
11 You Can Do It (Mijangos Remix) 4:50
12 You've Got A Friend (Tee's Club Mix) 6:27
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Thanks for all these BNHs albums, Rho
ReplyDeletePlease can you repost these. Thank you
ReplyDelete