R&B AND GOSPEL RECORDING ARTISTS ARE TAPPED TO RECORD ALBUM
“Silky Soul Music…An All-Star Tribute To Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly”
Jamie Fox, Mary J Blige, KEM, Mint Condition, Ledisi, Keving Edmonds, Raheem DeVaughn, Clark Sisters, Musiq Soulchild, and Joe Come Together For This Historic Music Project
San Francisco, Calif. – Brantera Music Group, Inc. today announced the spectacular all-star line-up for the upcoming album entitled “Silky Soul Music….An All- Star Tribute to Maze featuring Frankie Beverly” which is set to be released summer 2009.
The tribute album will include a host of Grammy Award winning and nominated gold and platinum-selling artists in R&B and Gospel, including Mary J. Blige, Musiq Soulchild, Joe, Mint Condition, Raheem DeVaughn, Ledisi, Kevon Edmonds and the Clark Sisters with Kiki Sheard and J Moss. (More artists to be announced at a later date.)
The album is the brainchild of Frankie Beverly’s son, Anthony Beverly, who is serving as the project’s executive and co-producer. Beverly developed the idea to properly honor his father’s contributions to the music industry in a way that has never been done before. It is the first and only album recognizing Beverly and Maze’s nearly 40-year career including 12 albums and 30 hit singles.
Beverly said it is an amazing experience working with these exceptional artists who, like Beverly, have experienced his father’s music throughout their lives.
“Not only is this an accomplished group of artists with diverse and distinctive voices, they are all Frankie Beverly and Maze fans. They come to this project with their own personal Frankie Beverly experiences which adds to the impact of the project,” said Beverly. “I am excited to pay tribute to my father’s legacy by working with this incredible group of artists who embody the spirit, appreciation and talents consistent with Maze’s sound and message.”
The 10 songs selected for the CD represent some of Maze and Frankie Beverly’s greatest hits and are sure to gain additional notoriety among a potential new fan base given the album’s artist line up. For example, “Before I Let Go,” which remains one of the most popular radio and club anthems, will be recorded by Mary J. Blige. Musiq Soulchild is doing a rendition of “Silky Soul.”
Beverly has also secured an “all-star” production team to join him in the studio with this collection of great artists, including Grammy nominated producer Rex Rideout and Grammy and Stellar Award winning producer Donald Lawrence. Lawrence is producing a gospel rendition of the Frankie Beverly classic, “I Wanna Thank You,” originally released on Maze’s 1983 “We Are One” LP.
Lawrence has recruited an all-star cast including the legendary Clark Sisters for the gospel single. This is the first time the Clark Sisters have recorded since July 2006 when they recorded their last album titled, “Live…One Last Time” which won a Grammy in 2008. This time the reunion includes the family’s next generation of great voices, including KiKi Sheard and J Moss.
Production has begun on the project with an album release date set for August, 2009 with 101 Distribution. The project is “powered by” NuFace Entertainment, LLC.
For more information visit FrankieBeverlyTribute.com or contact:
JL Media Relations
A. Jalila Larsuel
626.398.5028
jlmediapr@aol.com
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More About Maze and Frankie Beverly
The sound is distinctive -- passionate, creative, original, soulful, honest and powerful. For nearly thirty years Frankie Beverly and Maze have created a unique sound and become one of the most influential groups in modern history.
"We've made it this far because we love and respect ourselves and our fans. But, most importantly, we believe in what we do," remarks Frankie. The journey began when Frankie relocated from his hometown of Philadelphia to San Francisco and formed Maze. In 1976, he released his first album, Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly which yielded a string of hit singles, including "Lady of Magic" and "Workin' Together."
The 80's brought the release of the best-selling albums, Golden Time of Day, Inspiration, Joy and Pain, containing a list of chart-topping singles including "Travelin' Man," "Feel That You're Feeling," "Joy and Pain," "Look in Your Eyes" and "Southern Girl," to name a few. The group gained worldwide appeal with its legendary sold-out live appearances, and released the deluxe album Live in New Orleans which captured the energy, excitement and electricity of a Maze stage show and offered a fourth side of new studio material which included the hit single "Running Away".
In 1983, with the release of We Are One, Frankie Beverly & Maze solidified their international standing with such hits as the title track "Never Let You Down", "I Love You Too Much" and "Love is the Key." As the 80's came to a close, the group released Can't Stop the Love and a second in-concert package, Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly Live in L.A., which served both as a retrospective of the group's remarkable career to date and a fitting close to the first chapter of the Maze legend.
With a change of record label and shifts in the group's line-up a new era was launched for Frankie Beverly & Maze. "We wanted to emphasize our strengths, bring together the elements that have always been a part of our music and really focus on them," continued Frankie. The band released Silky Soul, one of their most successful albums, which included the smash singles, "I Can't Get Over You" and the title track.
After a solid year of touring North America and Europe, the group took a break to recharge their creative juices. "When you're trying to do the best you can..to give the people everything you've got, you need to be patient," Frankie emphasized. With anticipation and excitement, the group released Back to Basics which captured the passionate, electrifying essence of the group, and included the hit singles, "Laid Back Girl," "The Morning After" and "What Goes Up."
In between preparing material for the release of their third Warner Bros. album and a Christmas album the group continues to be one of the most requested at music festivals throughout the world drawing major crowds. As a headlining act, Frankie Beverly and Maze have been instrumental in giving exposure to several new recording artists, before they became household names, including Toni Braxton, Regina Belle and Anita Baker, to name a few.
Recently Maze released a 20-track double-CD "Anthology" of the most popular and successful songs by Frankie Beverly's smooth soul/R&B group Maze makes an almost self-evident point about the far-too-usual treatment of the deserved in the pop music game. The All Music Guide wrote, "Frankie Beverly and Maze may be the ultimate urban contemporary group, though they're much more soulful and funky than many of their counterparts."
Although the group has never won any awards they continue to attract sold-out audiences giving them the title "best kept secret in the industry".
