|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Kathy Kosins Joins Maria Matias Music // "Uncovered Soul" out in February Internationally acclaimed vocalist Kathy Kosins is proud to announce that she has joined the highly-esteemed international booking agency Maria Matias Music. Founded in 2006, the Carmel, California-based agency represents an exceptional roster of today's top musical acts including Grammy winners Gregory Porter, Kenny Garrett, Carla Morrison, Cuban all-star group ˇCubanismo!, and breakout Grammy-nominated husband and wife duo The Baylor Project. "I am beyond thrilled to be a part of the Maria Matias Music family, " says Kosins. 2018 is poised to be a noteworthy year for the veteran vocalist who is preparing to release her sixth album "Uncovered Soul" this coming February on Membran Records. Produced by the Grammy-winning producer Kamau Kenyatta (known best by his association with Gregory Porter), "Uncovered Soul" features little-known masterpieces by Curtis Mayfield, The Neville Brothers, and Bill Withers, among others, alongside four originals penned by Kosins and collaborators. The album's eponymous lead single has been taking the radio airwaves by storm and has spent the last several weeks within the top 10 of the Solar Radio Airplay Chart. Born and raised during the legendary Motown years in Detroit, Kathy Kosins' soulful voice, flawless phrasing and deep-rooted passion for stories and characters has been wowing audiences since she first came to prominence in the late 1980's as a background singer for Don Was and Was/Not Was. Over two decades and five albums later, Kosins has circled back to her soul-infused roots with this new project. With Kamau at her side, Kosins let's her soul and groove run free. Representative of the musical landscape of 1970s Detroit, "Uncovered Soul" masterfully transports the unique Detroit-centric sound into the here and now. Songs like the Denise Nichols-penned "Can We Pretend", recorded by Bill Withers in the 1970s, sound as fresh and rejuvenated as a current soul gem and "Miss Martha", one of the very last songs Curtis Mayfield recorded before his untimely death, is truly a piece of gold. It is no wonder that Kenyatta raves about the songs: "It is my hope that the beauty and accessibility of the arrangements and the vocal and musical performances transmit this feeling to listeners globally." The heartbreaking Paul Buchanan-penned ballad "The Downtown Lights" is given a new, eerily beautiful life on "Uncovered Soul" while sagging swamp groove of "Voodoo" (The Neville Brothers) identifies Kathy's session background. "Dreamin" by Amos Lee showcases her excellent, candid taste. Three of Kosins' original compositions have been added to "Uncovered Soul" to provide a contemporary point of view and they are co-written with hit songwriter Jeff Franzel. The gems include the magical title song with its irresistible hook, as well as "If Love Could Talk" and "A To B", which are destined to become future soul classics. Kosins contributions to the contemporary music scene cannot be overstated. In 1996, Kosins collaborated with both LA and New York based writers and composed a collection of jazz tunes, with the intent of selling them to already recognized jazz artists such as Dianne Reeves, Nancy Wilson and Diane Schuur. However, Michigan-based indie label Schoolkids Records discovered this repertoire, and, impressed and mesmerized by Kosins' soulful voice urged her to record and release the material under her own name. It was then that Kosins' prolific jazz career began to take shape. In 1996, Kosins debut, "All In A Dreams Work" was released and placed in the top 20 in the Gavin Report. Kosins went on to release more critically acclaimed recordings including 2002's "Mood Swings" (Chiaroscuro Records), 2006's "Vintage" (Mahogany Jazz), 2012's "To The Ladies Of Cool" (Resonance) and 2013's "The Space Between" (Mahogany Jazz). write your comments about the article :: © 2017 Jazz News :: home page |